Functional Nanomaterials Tuning the Size and Surface Chemistry for Applications in Renewable Energy Technologies, Biomedical and Environmental Sciences

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Guest Speaker: Prof. Dr Irshad Hussain

Department of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering, SBA School of Science & Engineering (SSE), Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), DHA, Lahore Cantt-54792, Pakistan

Venuue: ICS Auditorium, BZU. 

Time: 10 am

Date: March 11,2024

Abstract. The unique chemical and physical properties of nanoscale materials have triggered great scientific interest to explore their potential applications in biomedical sciences, energy technologies, agriculture, environment, catalysis, and industry etc. The chemical and physical properties of metal/ metal oxide nanoparticles can generally be tuned by controlling their size, shape, and surface chemistry. In this regard, we have developed several reproducible protocols based on chemical reduction and precipitation approach to prepare functionalized metal/metal oxide nanoparticles from subnanometer to over 100 nm in aqueous/organic media with a decent control over their size, shape, and surface chemistry. Many of these metal nanoparticles have been used as building blocks to design/synthesize new nanostructured materials with tunable nanoscale features using template-based and template-less strategies. The functionalized metal/metal oxide nanoparticles/nanoclusters possess interesting optical, recognition and catalytic/bio-catalytic properties and currently we are focusing on the applications of these nanoparticles and nanocomposites in biomedical sciences (i.e., bio-sensing especially bacterial detection, bio-imaging, drug delivery, multidrug resistance), environmental remediation (detection and removal of organic/inorganic pollutants from water, CO oxidation, and CO₂ capture and conversion) and renewable energy technologies (mainly H₂ production & storage and electrode materials for batteries). This talk would, therefore, be an overview of interdisciplinary research activities of Functional Nanomaterials Group at LUMS to synthesize customized inorganic/organic nanoparticles with tunable size and surface chemistry, and their composites having unique chemical and physical properties, and subsequent applications in biomedical sciences, environment, catalysis and renewable energy technologies.