Epoxy is one of the most used thermosetting polymers with lots of potential applications, but the brittleness of the cured epoxy composites is a major drawback that limits its usage. Prof. Kuruvilla Joseph’s group is extensively working on this area for last decade with an aim to develop toughened epoxy nanocomposites with improvement in fracture toughness with out a trade-off in other comprehensive properties. For this the group came up with design and synthesis of novel toughening agents, that will contribute to the overall property improvement of epoxy thermosets.

In an electrochemical sensor, the electro catalytic activity of the electrode plays a significant role in sensing analytes at a low concentration. The electro catalytic property of the electrode depends on the electron transfer at the electrode/electrolyte interface, surface area, and electrical conductivity of the electrode material. Though the graphene-based materials have a large surface area, fast electron transfer, and excellent electrical conductivity and have great application potential in chemical/biological sensors, they suffer limitations due to restacking.

The pollution of the majority of the world's water sources and the consequent looming clean drinking water free of pollutants and groundwater pollution which threatens the human and the ecosystem are some of the major concerns faced by the world. The various contaminants from different industrial, agricultural and domestic sources such as pesticides, other chemical contaminants, the heavy metal ions: Hg (II), Pb (II), Cd (II), and As (III) which pollute the water sources are highly toxic and are capable of causing life-threatening diseases to humans.

Nanomaterials are cornerstones of nanoscience and technology and have created a high interest in recent years by virtue of their unusual and unique properties and the various potential applications. It has found wide range of applicability in various fields such as sensors, opto-electronic devices, energy storage, bio imaging, and water treatment to name a few. Sensors based on nanomaterials, rely on the highly active surface and the high specific surface area to initiate a response even with a minute change of concentrations of the analyte species, thus enabling highly efficient sensors.

In line with the Human in Space Program (HSP), spaceflight hardware design for Drosophila experiment was completed, prototype was built and used for validation. Experimental verification tests using Drosophila kidney stone models are in progress.

During these pandemic times, in response to the global call for identifying and characterizing specific and potent SARS-CoV-2 antivirals, we conducted in silico screening of an in-house library to assess its furin inhibition potential. Molecular docking studies indicated zero generation EDA cored PAMAM dendrimer and its guanylthiourea derivatives as potential furin inhibitors. Interestingly, the dendrimer conjugate masks furin’s substrate binding site and hence would prevent the binding of furin to spike protein.

We developed a design strategy to bridge the gap between aggregation-caused quenching (ACQ) and aggregation induced emission (AIE) in fluorophores by developing a novel class of dual state emissive (DSE) full color tunable molecules. Computational chemistry assisted core design predicted stable conformers and the effects of steric and various supramolecular interactions were evaluated. The C4 substituent acted as multifunctional stacking modulator.

High-performance electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding materials that are very elastic and flexible, hydrophobic, and of low density are required to address the rising electromagnetic pollution problem.

The modern society and recent scientific developments inextricably depend on the effective energy storage systems. Lithium-sulfur battery (LSB) received the attention of researchers due to its high theoretical capacity of 1675 mAh g-1 through the electrochemical reaction between lithium and sulphur. Polysulfide shuttle is a major challenge to be addressed while designing LSBs as it stagnates the overall performance of the system. The exploration of better material combinations is imperative to deal with the issue.

A fluorescence sensor for basic amino acids based on WS2 nanosheets- silver oxide nanoparticles (WS2 NSs-Ag2O NPs) composite materials has been developed. The composite was prepared via the in situ formation of silver oxide nanoparticles (Ag2O NPs) by the combined action of fluorescent WS2 nanosheets (WS2 NSs) in the presence of NaOH. The fluorescence of WS2 NSs was quenched upon the formation of Ag2O NPs due to resonance energy transfer.