Dr K Mphahlele ( Associate Chair - Women in Engineering)

Qualifications

• DTech (Chemical Engineering) (TUT)                                                                                                  
• MTech (Chemical Engineering) (TUT)                                                                                              
• BTech (Chemical Engineering) (TUT)            
• Project Management Principles and Practices in Organisation (UP)
• National Diploma (Chemical Engineering) (TUT)           

Fields of academic interests

Research Interests

• Wastewater, nanomaterials, micro-modelling, self-healing polymeric materials

Field of Specialisation

• Finite Element Modelling using Abaqus, Matlab, nanomaterial and polymer materials synthesis, scientific writing, wastewater treatment, characterization techniques such as FTIR, SEM, TEM, DSC, rheology.

Journal articles

• K. Mphahlele, S. Sinha      Ray, M.S. Onyango, S.D. Mhlanga. The comparison in the efficiency in      nitrogen doped carbon nanotubes and undoped carbon nanotubes in the      anchoring of silver nanoparticles. Nanostructured Materials and      Nanotechnology V Ceramic Engineering and Science Proceedings 2011; 32(7)      113-124.
• Keletso Mphahlele, Maurice Onyango, Sabelo Mhlanga. Efficient      preparation of greener N-doped carbon nanotube composites for water      treatment by the microwave polyol method.       Environmental Chemistry Letters 2013; 11(4) 353-358.
• Keletso Mphahlele, Maurice S. Onyango, Sabelo D. Mhlanga.      Adsorption of aspirin and paracetamol from aqueous solution using      Fe/N-CNTs/βcyclodextrin nanocomposites synthesized via benign microwave      assisted method. Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering 2014.
• Keletso Mphahlele, Maurice S. Onyango, Sabelo D. Mhlanga.      Kinetics, Equilibrium, and Thermodynamics of the Sorption of Bisphenol A      onto NCNTs-Cyclodextrin and Fe/N-CNTs--Cyclodextrin Nanocomposites.      Journal of Nanomaterials 2015.
• Keletso Mphahlele, Suprakas Sinha Ray, Andrei Kolesnikov. Self-Healing Polymeric      Composite Material Design, Failure Analysis and Future Outlook: A Review.      Polymer 2017.  
• Keletso Mphahlele, Suprakas Sinha Ray, Andrie Kolesnikov. Cure kinetics, morphology      development, and rheology of a high-performance carbon-fiber-reinforced      epoxy composite. Composites      Part B: Engineering, 2019.
• Nikiwe Mhlanga and Keletso Mphahlele. Self-healing      Substrates: Fabrication, Properties and Applications. Self-standing Substrates,      2020.

Projects

• Development and modelling self-healing polymeric materials

Other

Dr Keletso Mphahlele is a lecturer at the Department of Chemical Engineering at the College of Science and Engineering Technology (CSET), University of South Africa, Florida, South Africa.  She has more than 3 years teaching experience and more than 11 years’ research experience in academia and research institutes nationally (e.g. CSIR). The research experience has sharpened her professional growth and development as a researcher and a lecturer. In addition, several certified trainings such as, Project Management, Analytical Electron Microscopy, Introductory Scientific Programming, Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, have enhanced his research quality and productivity as an independent researcher with multidisciplinary approach to solving problems. Her primary research is within chemical, polymeric and material engineering, but with main activities in nanomaterials, micro-modelling and developing self-healing polymeric materials. In the area of nanomaterials, her interest is in the development of nanoparticles and nanocomposites (carbon nanotubes, Nitrogen doped carbon nanotubes, carbon nonospheres, iron and silver nanoparticles) and their applications. These nanomaterials are developed further into catalysts, and adsorbents for use in catalytic conversion, and wastewater purification. In the area of material engineering, she applies chemical engineering and material concepts to model and develop self-healing polymeric materials used in aircraft. The research applies scientific and engineering concepts in the field of polymer and catalysis, nanoscience & nanotechnology, to construct new flexible materials that both monitor the material’s integrity and repair the deformed material prior to the occurrence of any fatal failures.