Prof. Santanu Bhattacharya, Director of the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science (IACS), Kolkata

Abstract: Certain small molecules upon solubilization in specific solvents self-assemble to form viscoelastic masses known as gels. These gels (both in organic solvent and water) have various unusual physical properties which make them interesting materials for specific applications. We have developed a whole variety of these synthetic systems, investigated their properties and developed a structure-activity relationship. Such supramolecular assemblies can also host various types of nanomaterials such as metal nanoparticles, one-dimensional singled-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNT), boron nitride nanotubes (BNNT) etc. The incorporation of each of these nanomaterials modifies the properties of the resulting systems and in turn renders them suitable for specific applications. These and other aspects will be discussed in this talk.

About the Speaker: Prof Bhattacharya, FNA, FASc, FTWAS, is the Director of the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science (IACS), Kolkata, on deputation from his professorship at the Indian Institute of Science Bangalore. He received the PhD degree in 1988 from Rutgers University, followed by a postdoctoral position the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA. He first joined the Indian Institute of Science in 1991, and had been the Chairman of the Department of Organic Chemistry from 2012 - 2015, prior to taking up his position as Director of IACS. His research interests include Chemical Biology, Biological membranes, Supramolecular Chemistry, and Nanoscience & technology. 

Everyone is welcome to attend.