Nanomaterials Research Group @ IIT Mandi
Group Leader - Dr. Prem Felix Siril
NANO MATRIALS FOR CATALYSIS, SENSING & DRUG DELIVERY
Our research is aimed at developing better heterogeneous catalysts for various important chemical reactions by tuning particle size, shape, composition and composite formation of nanomaterials. We use similar strategy to develop better sensors for bioanalytes and industrial pollutants. Another major area of our focus is to develop nanodrug delivery vehicles for targeted drug delivery, drug repurposing and bioavailability enhancement of poorly water soluble drugs.
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We are swiftly moving towards continuous production of nanoparticles using flow chemistry concepts.
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UPCOMING EVENTS
ISFM-2018
13-15 April, 2018
ICN 2018
11-13 May, 2018
ICONSAT-2018
21-23 March, 2018
LATEST RESEARCH FROM THE GROUP
Here we report an easy approach to synthesize nanocomposites of pristine graphene with palladium (Pd-G) using swollen liquid crystals (SLCs) as a soft template. The SLC template gives the control to deposit very small Pd particles of uniform size on G as well as RGO. The synthesized nanocomposite (Pd-G) exhibited exceptionally better catalytic activity compared with Pd-RGO nanocomposite in the hydrogenation of nitrophenols and microwave assisted C-C coupling reactions. The catalytic activity of Pd-G nanocomposite during nitrophenol reduction reaction was sixteen times higher than Pd nanoparticles and more than double than Pd-RGO nanocomposite.
We have introduced a quick and green route to synthesize the CuO nanocomposites having pristine graphene as a support material by microwave assisted hydrothermal reaction. The nanocomposite exhibited very high catalytic activity in copper catalyzed azide alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) reactions compared with reduced graphene oxide (RGO)-CuO nanocomposite and CuO nanoparticles. The pristine graphene-CuO nanocomposite showed very good recyclability and very less leaching of the metal from it. The CuAAC reactions could be completed in a short duration (1 h), at low reaction temperature (30 0C), using water as a ‘green’ solvent with a small amount of the pristine graphene-CuO nanocomposite as catalyst (0.51 mol %) and sodium ascorbate as cocatalyst (1 mol %).