Shaher Bano

Author of Polymers and Related Materials

Aerospace Materials Engineering from IST, Islamabad

I’m Shaher Bano, a Professional Materials Engineer. I have been in the profession for over 6 years and am passionate about my work.My role here is to write, edit and manage all operations related to polymers and related products.

I specialize in materials engineering for composites and specialized polymers. This includes materials like Carbon nanotubes, KEVLAR, Aramid, and Nomex. Another purpose of my research was to study Super Hydrophobic Coatings. My research focuses on the “Plasticization Effect of Hyper-branched Polymers to Improve Processability of Aramids and KEVLAR.”

Starting my Journey toward Materials Engineering

Growing up in my country, where engineering is held in high regard and esteem, I had always wanted to become an engineer. Fortunately, I had solid academic fundamentals that allowed me to achieve A+ grades throughout school and college. It was only after joining the engineering field that I became aware of the trend of miniaturization that had revolutionized all the existing technologies.

This discovery opened the door for new possibilities. It provided various opportunities for scientists and engineers to create smaller yet more

Bachelor’s Degree in Material Sciences

My final year project as an undergraduate has been a fruitful journey. Titled “Plasticization Effect of Hyper-branched Polymers to Improve Processability of Aramids,” was my Bachelor’s thesis. The Research process was intense and comprehensive, with my supervisor, Doctor Saima Shabeer providing guidance and motivation.

Through this project, we prepared stock solutions of aramid, hyper-branched polyamide-ester (HBPAE). Then, successfully blended to improve their processability without compromising their thermal and mechanical properties.

Subsequently, multiple techniques were adopted for their characterization, such as scanning electron microscopy for morphological analysis, Fourier-transformed infrared spectroscopy, and thermo-gravimetric analysis.

All this valuable knowledge will put me on the path to success in my academic career.

Linked here is my Bachelor’s Transcript, which I should have cared about back in Uni Days.

Master’s Degree in Aerospace Materials:

Following my unforgettable Bachelor’s journey, I decided to pursue Material Science even further and, thus, re-enrolled at the Institute of Space and Technology for a Master’s in Aerospace Materials Course.

Upon exceptional academic performance and coming out as a star in R&D activities, the Head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering saw a prospect. It offered me a Graduate Research Associate (GRA) position. As part of my research associate duties, I was tasked with fabricating single-lap joints of CARAL fiber metal laminates using various configurations.

The goal is to compare it to numerically simulated joints. As part of this project, using ABAQUS software, I designed numerical simulations that looked into adhesive strength and the effects of different joint configurations.

I published my research, and you can check it out by following the link in the Publications section.

Attached is my Master’s Transcript, and yeah! Pretty proud of that…

My Research on Super Hydrophobic Surface and Oil-Water Separation:

While studying for my Master’s, I had to work on a project involving developing a microstructure rejuvenation heat treatment. Rather than choosing a project with purely academic outcomes, I was keen to pick one that had some real-life application.

One of my professors encouraged me to explore super hydrophobic coatings due to my fascination with the topic. As part of this endeavor, we created nanocomposite coatings on two different materials – fabric and mesh – using titania nanoparticles and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) via dip coating.

Our coating proved highly effective at repelling water, withstanding ultra-sonication, sand, and emery paper abrasion testing without issue.

I published my research, and you can check it out by following the link in the Publications section.

PCSIR Journey:

As a Junior Engineer at the Pakistan Institute of Testing for Minerals and Advanced Engineering Materials, PCSIR, Lahore, I was assigned to the analytical testing lab. And I have worked on various projects, such as fabricating fluorine-doped tin oxide coatings using spray pyrolysis, material assessments, and failure analysis.

IICS Journey:

Working at PCSIR was a great experience, but when I was offered the Assistant Engineer position at the Institute of Industrial Controls Systems (IICS) in Rawalpindi, I jumped at the opportunity. As one of the highest-regarded Metallurgy institutions in Pakistan, I had no hesitation in accepting the offer in June 2018.

My primary responsibilities were failure analysis and life assessment of materials. With dedicated study over two years, I developed expertise in heat treatment processes and material characterization techniques. It was a memorable journey that brought significant personal development.