Research Interests

 To see the recent research highlight of our lab click here                Link for important resources  click here

Thin film and Nanoscience: Organo-clay hybrid, FRET, Biosensor, Biomimetic Surfaces, Langmuir films, Molecular aggregates, Optical switching, Resistive switching devices.

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Optical Switching:

Ref: Journal of Physics and Chemistry of Solids 144 (2020) 109487   Click here

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Organic Switching Devices:

Switching devices fabricated by using organic molecules are the promising candidates for the next generation of non-volatile memories due to their simple structure, low cost, excellent performance and great scale-down potential. By applying a suitable bias voltage a switching device can be switched between two states, a low conducting OFF state and a high conducting ON state. Depending on the ability to retain information, switching behaviour can be classified into two types – volatile and non-volatile (memory) switching. In case of memory switching it is possible to retained both ON and OFF state even after the removal of externally applied bias voltage, whereas in threshold switching only OFF state is stable at lower bias voltage. Suitable organic molecules for designing switching devices, which have found their potential application in logic and memory circuits are the subject of current interest.

Our ongoing works on switching devices:

 Effect of Functional Group on Electrical Switching Behaviour of an Imidazole Derivative in Langmuir-Blodgett Film (Chemistry Select, 2019) click to download

Composition-dependent nanoelectronics of amido-phenazines: non-volatile RRAM and WORM memory devices (Scientific Reports 7, Article number: 13308 (2017)) click to download

Electrical switching behaviour of a metalloporphyrin in Langmuir-Blodgett film (Organic Electronics 55 (2018) 50) click to download

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Molecular Aggregates:

Nanoscale aggregates onto ultrathin films are gaining importance due to their potential applications towards opto-electronic device application.
Recently we have developed a series of aggregates (J aggregate/H aggregate/excimer etc) onto thin films via LB/LbL techniques. See list of publications: click here

Organic nanowire and nanorod formation using LB technique:  click here   download link1   link2

Ref: Bapi Dey et. al: Langmuir (ACS) 2017, 33, 34, 8383–8394  click here

More ……..

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Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET):

FRET is a physical dipole–dipole coupling between the excited state of a donor fluorophore and an acceptor chromophore that causes relaxation of the donor to a non-fluorescent ground state, which excites fluorescence in the acceptor. In the process of FRET, initially a donor fluorophore (D) absorbs the energy due to the excitation of incident radiation and transfers the excitation energy to a nearby chromophore, the acceptor (A). The process can be expressed as follows:

FRET is a highly distance dependent phenomenon – 1 to 10 nm distance between donor and acceptor flurophore is crucial for the process to occur. There are few criteria that must be satisfied in order for FRET to occur.
These are:
(a) the fluorescence spectrum of the donor molecule must overlap with the absorption or excitation spectrum of the acceptor chromophore. The degree of overlap is referred to as spectral overlap integral.
(b) The two fluorophores (donor and acceptor) must be in the close proximity to one another (typically 1 to 10 nanometer).
(c) The transition dipole orientations of the donor and acceptor must be approximately parallel to each other.
(d) The fluorescence lifetime of the donor molecule must be of sufficient duration to allow the FRET to occur.
FRET has wide applications in biomedical, protein folding, RNA/DNA identification, sensors, investigating molecular level interactions etc.
Recently we have developed several FRET based sensors – Hard water sensor (link 1), Ion sensor (link 1), pH sensor (link 1, link 2), DNA sensor (link 1  link 2 link 3), Cholesterol sensor, Arsenic sensor etc. See the publication list.  click here.
more ……………

Click here to see some of our recent works

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Download review paper written by me:

1. Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) sensor (Invited Review article)  download pdf

2. Nano Dimensional Hybrid Organo-clay Langmuir-Blodgett Films   (Invited review article)  download pdf

3. Langmuir-Blodgett Films and Molecular Electronics  (Brief Review)  download pdf
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Introduction to Molecular Engineering:

Molecular materials are currently used in many different applications, from plastics for new building materials to light emitting diodes.
My current research activities include the preparation and characterizations thin films of some interesting organic, inorganic, metallorganic, dyes and biomolecules and organo-clay hybrid films. Also to explore the organization and molecular mechanism involves in such systems.
In order to fabricate a thin film of the material under investigations are deposited onto solid substrate. This can be accomplished in a variety of ways, however we use mainly spincoating, Layer-by-Layer (LbL) self assembly, and Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) deposition technique. Although we are particularly interested in the Langmuir-Blodgett technique, which allows organic structures to be assembled sequentially, one molecular monolayer at a time. The resultant film thickness can therefore be precisely controlled. In addition, the orientation of the molecules within the films can be arranged so that the multilayered structure possesses specific functional characteristics.
The aim of these work is to identify structure-property relationships within such thin films and investigate the mechanisms through which certain physical or chemical processes occur.
Langmuir-Blodgett films have long formed the core of our research activity; however, we rarely delve into the area of ideal LB compatible materials in which classically amphiphilic molecules ensure highly ordered molecular arrangement. Instead, we prefer to push the LB technique to new limits, investigating a much broader range of material types. For instance our current work involves investigations of non-amphiphilic molecules, water soluble materials, organo-clay hybrid materials and biomolecules (DNA, lipid, RNA) into the restricted geometry indicating that our approach to research is based on being diverse rather than too narrow.

Organo-Clay Hybrid systems:

Clay particles are natural nanoparticles with cation exchange capacities and have layered structure. Due to strong cation exchange capacity (CEC) or intercalation properties of clay the organic molecules are either adsorbed on to the clay surface or enter in to the inter laminar space of clay surface resulting the formation of organo-clay hybrid system. It is possible to prepare ultrathin films of organo-clay hybrids by LB or LbL technique. In this hybrid system the organic part gives the flexibility whereas the inorganic part imparts the stability. Interesting new properties are observed in such systems energy transfer, nonlinear optics, nano-aggregates, J-dimer etc.

What is Langmuir-Blodgett Films?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References: Click here to read my publication

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A short animation showing how langmuir blodgett coating works

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The history of Molecular Monolayer:

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