Research Interests
Supramolecular Chemistry
Soft matter and Complex fluids (Liquid Crystals)
Chemical Sensors and Biosensors
Colloids & Interfaces
Organic electronics (OLEDS and Photovoltaics)
Liquid Crystal nanoscience
Major Research Problems
1. Designing discotic mesogens in the hunt of elusive biaxial nematic phase:
Biaxial nematic (Nb) phase is a very special phase of LCs owing to its symmetry which leads to distinct properties and new applications. In considering the molecular design for this phase, one approach is the mixture of rod-like and disc-like mesogens. In this direction, in our laboratory, rod and disc-like mesogens are linked covalently via flexible alkyl spacers. The discotic which have been explored include:
•Octahydroxyanthraquinone
•Perylene
•Azobenzenes
•Truxene
LCs because of their ordered nano-structures are good candidates to induce anisotropic and efficient conduction. So, the ultimate goal of our research is the synthesis of new LCs and covalent organic frameworks having a balance between required supra-molecular organization of proton-conducting groups and flexibility for molecular reorientation. These systems will provide a viable platform for developing efficient proton transporting materials.
4. Designing Bent-core LCs for ferroelectric:
Bent-shaped molecules are not only forming the LC self-assembly but also promising candidates to obtain spontaneous polarity as well as macroscopic chirality in achiral molecules. So, if electric field is applied, then it can cooperatively orient the dipoles and increase the correlation length of the polar order in the cybotactic domains and hence ferroelectric-like switching may occur. Our laboratory is interested to make some room temperature bent-core LCs for ferroelectric and other practical applications.
5. Design and modulation of LC based interfaces for developing LC based stimuli responsive materials:
Enthused by the budding utility of LC materials in biological applications (particularly, reporting biological interactions), our laboratory focus towards the design of interfaces of LC materials such that desired interactions are realized between the LC materials and biological systems. A summary of some highlights follows:
6. LCs at aqueous interfaces for understanding of important biomolecular interactions for bedside diagnostics and laboratory applications.
Biomolecular interactions govern the affinity and specificity of complex formation and determine their biological function which is, therefore, of enormous scientific and practical importance. The pre-requisite to understand biomolecular function in the context of life and metabolism is to analyze the interaction of biomolecule with other biomolecule. Thus, to provide a rational guide to therapeutic design, a promising approach is to study these interactions using LC materials. The important biomolecular interactions studied in our laboratory include:
Monitoring cell functions and cell-to-cell communication in the cellular environment has enormous implications for cell biology and regenerative medicine. Unfortunately, probing what cells ‘see’ and how they respond in real time to surrounding signals is still a major challenge. However, it is not yet possible to monitor the interaction of cells with their environments in real time. We are now initiating research on the development of new principles for the design of LC based sensors that can attach cell surface and provide a gateway for building fundamental in vitro and in vivo studies to the development of effective therapeutics.
