Research Projects - BITS Pilani

Mainak Banerjee

Professor

Green Chemistry, Mechanochemistry, Medicinal Chemistry, Organic Synthesis, Supramolecular Chemistry

Research interests:

Green chemistry: Reactions in organized aqueous media; on-water reactions, microwave synthesis, etc.
Mechanochemistry: A simple and convenient route for organic transformations. To explore Ball-Mill, Mixer mill, Automated grinder, Hand-Grinding for synthesis of bioactive compounds. Mechanochemical C-H activation.
Heterogeneous catalysis: Syntheses of chiral catalysts by post-synthetic modification of pre-assembled metal-organic frameworks and their application in fundamental asymmetric syntheses.
Nanochemistry: Custom-made synthesis of smart nanomaretials and their application in bio-/nano technology such as drug/gene delivery vehicles.
Molecular sensors: Development of novel artificial receptors/molecular sensors for the selective recognition/sensing of biogenic substances, toxic ions of clinical interest and environmental pollutants
Medicinal Chemistry: Design and synthesis of new drug leads based on multifunctional heterocycles.
Method development: Development of new or improved methods for the preparation/purificatio/isolation of various organic molecules in the purview of their industrial applications.

Ongoing/completed Projects:

Mechanochemical synthesis of magnetic graphene oxide based reusable solid acid catalysts, their use in the synthesis of bioactive quinoxalines and further exploration towards green synthesis of influenza drug, Favipiravir, UGC-DAE, CRS/2021-22/04/631, April 2022, Ongoing.
DBT-BUILDER -BITS Pilani, K K Birla Goa campus Interdisciplinary Life Science Programme for Advance Research and Education; Department of Biotechnology, BT/INF/22/SP42543/2021, [as a project co-coordinator]
Design and synthesis of smart supramolecular dyes based on TPE modified PDI–cucurbituril conjugates: their binding and photophysical studies, BRNS, 37(2)/14/20/2017-BRNS/37217, 28 lakhs, 2018-2021.
Godrej ASTEC sponsored consultancy project, started in March 2021-Dec. 2021.

UNICHEM Laboratories Ltd. funded consultancy project 05/17 to 08/17, 5.52.
DST-SERB project “A comprehensive study on mechanochemical sp² C-H bond activation in five-membered heteroaromatics in a Ball-Mill” (Project no. EMR/2016/002253), 32 lakhs, 2016-2020, completed June 2020.
DST Fast Track Project for Young Scientists for the project “Redox-sensitive Vesicles of Cucurbit[7]urils as an Efficient Targeted Intracellular Drug Delivery Vehicle” (SR/FT/CS 023/2010) as PI, completed on 30/4/14.
Kurade Agro funded industrial project “Isolation of Natural Products from Kokum”, as PI, completed on 31/12/14.
CSIR project “Synthesis of Metal-Organic-Porous-Material Based Efficient Chiral Heterogeneous Catalysts by Post-Synthetic Modification and Their Applications in Asymmetric Reactions” (project no. 02(0075)/12/EMR-II), worth 23 lakhs as PI (Co-I Dr. Rahul Banerjee of NCL Pune).
CSIR project “Spectroscopic investigation of the properties of low-lying electronic states of some chemopreventive retinylnitrones and their comparison with retinyliminium ions” (project no. 01(2681)/12/EMR-II) worth 14 lakhs, as co-invertigator (PI Dr. Anjan Chattopadhyay).
CSIR project “Preparation of Magnetically Separable, Mesoporous TiO₂ Catalysts and Study of their Catalytic Properties” (project no. 02(147)/13/EMR-II), worth 16 lakhs as co-investigator (PI: Dr. Narendra Nath Ghosh).

Position available:

Applications are invited from the
candidates with own-fellowship (e.g. NET-JRF), who want to pursue Ph.D. programme in synthetic organic chemistry / green chemistry / heterogeneous catalysis / mechanochemistry / supramolecular chemistry

Integrated first degree