Research

Research Interests

Project I: Nano-Chemistry and Green Synthesis

Nanotechnology has been an active area of research and there are many chemical and physical methods to synthesize metal nanoparticles. Green synthesis of nanomaterials is one of the most emerging methods of synthesis of such metal nanoparticles. In this new project our interest is to synthesize various metal or metal oxide nanoparticles using green routes, characterize by spectroscopic methods and investigate towards drug delivery and catalytic applications. Drug impregnated with nanoparticles for efficient delivery is carried out with collaboration with other groups. We also modify the metal oxide nanoparticles to tune optical properties for various sensing and bio-sensing applications. The interaction of metal oxide with macromolecules, nano-aggregation and proteins are studied.

Project II: Nanocapsules and Micro-capsules

Spatial organization of molecular subunits into well defined supramolecular structures through non-covalent interactions, self-assembly, as a process is getting popular for synthesizing advanced materials out of nanoparticles building blocks. Similarly as natural biomacromolecules, proteins are generally considered to be biocompatible and biodegradable. Protein nano-/microspheres and capsules for controlled and/or sustained release have attracted considerable attention for pharmaceutical and other applications. Protein nanoparticles for encapsulation can be synthesized by using desolvation method. Our current scientific interest focuses on preparing novel nanoparticle assembled microcapsule and protein nanoparticles. These nanoparticles assembly and microcapsules are characterized by morphological techniques like SEM, wide-field fluorescence microscope and confocal laser scanning microscope and by spectroscopic techniques like FTIR, X-ray scattering, DLS, UV-Vis spectrophotometry, etc. The photophysical behavior of encapsulated entity is studied and the developed system is applied for potential drug delivery system and optical sensor development to estimate analytes of biological and environmental importance such as hydrogen ion concentration, ammonia, fluoride, glucose, anti-oxidant, etc.

 Ref: Anal. Chim. Acta, 708, 75-83 (2011);  J. Mater. Chem., 19, 4017 (2009); Chemcomm (2012); Microchimica Acta (2013)

Project III: Biophysical Chemistry and Study on Spices having Medicinal Benefits

Exploring new phenomenon in chemistry through advancement of modern technology was never as easy as it looks today. In this area we focus to understand complicated biological phenomenon of membrane, proteins, organized assemblies, nanoaggregates, etc at microscopic and nanoscopic level by applying fluorescence probe, time-resolved fluorescence technique, fluorescence microscopy, SEM, DSC, etc methods. Ligand interaction with complicated system like protein, membrane and nanoaggreagtes in the ground and excited states, phototropism, phase transition, unfolding and refolding processes are of important biological significance. Curcumin is a natural spice and recent study demonstrates its pharmaceutical importance. The idea is to provide physical explanations for the ways in which curcumin and other natural spice affect crucial biological system. Developing new probe for protein, DNA and membrane using natural molecule like curcumin is other main interests. Establishing advanced spectroscopic tools such as “fluorescence probing concept” and “single molecule fluorescence and manipulation” to investigate complicated chemical species such as membrane, protein, macrocyclic molecule, nanoclusters, nanoaggregates etc. at microscopic and nanoscopic level is one of the aspects of our lab.

 Ref: Spectrochim. Acta Part A, 79, 1823 (2011); Photochem. Photobiol. (2012); Colloids Surfac. B: Biointerface (2012)

Project IV: Photochemistry and Optical Sensor

Light induced chemical change is importance for various phenomenons in nature and their applications include photodynamic therapy, solar cell development, laser technology, sensor, biomedical imaging etc. Our scientific background reclines in the areas of photochemistry and photophysics to understand radiative process of ground and excited states with the help of conventional fluorescence spectroscopy, UV-Vis spectrophotometry, Time-resolved fluorescence technique etc. This also opens up the scope to visualize single molecule in a cell and membranes. Development of analytical methods based on fluorescent probe for protein, DNA, membrane, glucose, etc and multi-component analysis are given utmost consideration.

Ref:  Spectrochim. Acta Part A, 79, 1034 (2011); Biosens. Bioelectron. 25, 1149(2010); Talanta 77, 1549 (2009)