Research Interest

The area of interest covers mainly inorganic and materials chemistry. I have significant expertise in synthesis, characterizations of Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs), and their application in the area of CO2 and other gas adsorption, chemical sensing, proton conduction, drug encapsulation and release, catalytic performance, and other electrochemical applications. In addition to these, I also have a collective experience in the design and synthesis of Covalent Organic Frameworks (COFs), another emerging class of lightweight porous materials. The goal is to seek new challenges in these areas .

Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS):

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) offer promise in CO2 capture and sequestration due to their high surface area and tunable pore structures. These porous materials can selectively adsorb CO2 molecules, making them efficient for capturing emissions from industrial processes and power plants. MOFs can be tailored to enhance CO2 uptake capacity and selectivity, offering a versatile solution for mitigating greenhouse gas emissions. Additionally, MOFs can facilitate the release of captured CO2 for storage or utilization, contributing to efforts aimed at reducing atmospheric CO2 levels and combating climate change. Their potential in CO2 capture and sequestration makes MOFs a promising avenue for sustainable development.

Sensing of Hazardous Small Molecules :

Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) have emerged as powerful materials for the sensing of hazardous small molecules due to their tunable porosity and high surface area. By incorporating functional groups or metal sites within their frameworks, MOFs can selectively interact with toxic gases like ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, and carbon monoxide. Their luminescent properties also make them highly sensitive to changes in chemical environments, enabling real-time detection. Recent advancements in MOF design have improved their stability and response times, making them viable for practical applications in industrial and environmental monitoring. Additionally, MOFs can be integrated with electronic devices to develop portable and efficient gas-sensing systems.

Covalent-Organic Framework (COF) Nano-Structures for Environmental Applications:

Covalent Organic Frameworks (COFs) are an emerging class of crystalline, porous materials characterized by their highly ordered structures and tunable properties. These frameworks are formed by the covalent bonding of organic building blocks, which allows for the precise design of their porosity, functionality, and stability. COFs have shown great potential in addressing various environmental issues due to their unique properties, including high surface area, chemical stability, and functional versatility. Below are some key applications of COFs in environmental remediation and sustainability:

i) Water Purification, ii) Air Pollution Control, iii) Energy Storage and Conversion, iv) Radioactive Waste Treatment, v) Sensing and Detection and etc.

We have synthesized highly stable COFs and also their nano structures which will address overmentioned environmental issues.

Proton Conduction in MOF Channels:

Proton conducting membranes are crucial components in fuel cells, playing a pivotal role in the efficient conversion of chemical energy into electrical energy. These membranes, often referred to as proton exchange membranes (PEMs), serve several essential functions that directly impact the performance, efficiency, and durability of fuel cells. Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) have garnered significant attention as promising materials for proton conduction applications, owing to their unique structural properties, tunable porosity, and functional versatility. These hybrid materials, consisting of metal nodes connected by organic linkers, provide an ideal platform for designing and optimizing proton-conductive pathways. This abstract reviews the current advancements in the application of MOFs for proton conduction, highlighting key mechanisms, synthesis strategies, and potential applications.

we have studied the crystal structure and the proton conductivity of five Ca-MOFs at variable temperature and relative humidity. Ca–BTC–H2O shows a high conductivity and exhibits low activation energy.

Metal-Organic Polyhedra (MOP):

Few layer thick metal-organic nanosheets have been synthesized using water-assisted solid state transformation through a combined top-down and bottom-up approach. The metal-organic polyhedra (MOPs) convert into metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) which subsequently self-exfoliate into few layered metal-organic nanosheets. These MOP crystals experience a hydrophobicity gradient with the inner surface during contact with water because of the existence of hydrophobic spikes on their outer surface. When the amount of water available for interaction is higher, the resultant layers are not stacked to form bulk materials; instead few layered nanosheets with high uniformity were obtained in high yield. The phenomenon has resulted high yield production of uniformly distributed layered metal-organic nanosheets from three different MOPs, showing its general adaptability.

Ultra-stable MOFs as Energy Storage Materials:

Here we report for the first time, the synthesis of a pre-designed Zr-based-MOF having a redox active organic linker and evaluate it as a supercapacitor electrode. Specifically, we have deliberately incorporated a naphthalenediimide (NDI) core as redox center, which exhibits a two-step redox process, in our organic linker. The combination of the high porosity of the designed Zr-NDI-MOF and the incorporated NDI redox centers contribute double-layer and pseudo-capacitance, respectively, leading to enhanced capacitance performance of this new MOF. The post-synthetic modification of the Zr-NDI-MOFs using organic pillars, to make the structure more rigid, has led to enhanced surface area and consequently increased the capacitance of this MOF by almost a factor of two. This result shows that our rational MOF design strategy can serve as a model for development of similar MOFs for capacitive energy storage application.

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