Kalaivanan Nagarajan | Chemistry | Young Scientist Award

Published on by Young Scientists Awards

Dr. Kalaivanan Nagarajan | Chemistry | Young Scientist Award

Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai | India

Dr. Kalaivanan Nagarajan research focuses on exploring the fundamental and applied aspects of light–matter strong coupling, particularly vibrational strong coupling (VSC), to understand and manipulate chemical reactivity and material properties within optical cavities. By integrating principles from physical chemistry, quantum electrodynamics, and materials science, the work investigates how molecular vibrations interact coherently with confined optical modes in Fabry–Perot cavities to form hybrid light–matter states known as vibrational polaritons. These studies reveal how strong coupling conditions can reshape potential energy surfaces, influence molecular structure, dynamics, and reaction kinetics, and ultimately enable control of chemical transformations without the need for external photoexcitation. A key highlight of this research is the demonstration that VSC can modulate phase transition behaviors, such as the glass transition temperature of polymers like polyvinyl acetate and polystyrene, providing experimental evidence of cavity-modified thermomechanical properties. Through systematic spectroscopic, thermodynamic, and theoretical investigations, the research establishes how vacuum electromagnetic fields play an active role in determining material behavior and chemical outcomes. This pioneering approach contributes to the emerging field of polariton chemistry, offering new pathways for designing energy-efficient reactions, reactivity control strategies, and material innovations driven by quantum light–matter interactions.

Featured Publications

Thomas, A., Lethuillier-Karl, L., Nagarajan, K., Vergauwe, R. M. A., George, J., & Ebbesen, T. W. (2019). Tilting a ground-state reactivity landscape by vibrational strong coupling. Science, 363(6427), 615–619. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aau7742

Nagarajan, K., Thomas, A., & Ebbesen, T. W. (2021). Chemistry under vibrational strong coupling. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 143(41), 16877–16889. https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.1c07487

Sharma, P., Damien, D., Nagarajan, K., Shaijumon, M. M., & Hariharan, M. (2013). Perylene-polyimide-based organic electrode materials for rechargeable lithium batteries. The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters, 4(19), 3192–3197. https://doi.org/10.1021/jz401590t

Vergauwe, R. M. A., Thomas, A., Nagarajan, K., Shalabney, A., George, J., & Ebbesen, T. W. (2019). Modification of enzyme activity by vibrational strong coupling of water. Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 58(43), 15324–15328. https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.201906346

 Nagarajan, K., Mallia, A. R., Muraleedharan, K., & Hariharan, M. (2017). Enhanced intersystem crossing in core-twisted aromatics. Chemical Science, 8(3), 1776–1782. https://doi.org/10.1039/C6SC04791E

 Banda, H., Damien, D., Nagarajan, K., Hariharan, M., & Shaijumon, M. M. (2015). A polyimide-based all-organic sodium ion battery. Journal of Materials Chemistry A, 3(19), 10453–10458. https://doi.org/10.1039/C5TA01921B

Thomas, A., Jayachandran, A., Lethuillier-Karl, L., Vergauwe, R. M. A., Nagarajan, K., George, J., & Ebbesen, T. W. (2020). Ground state chemistry under vibrational strong coupling: Dependence of thermodynamic parameters on the Rabi splitting energy. Nanophotonics, 9(2), 249–255. https://doi.org/10.1515/nanoph-2019-0357

Banda, H., Damien, D., Nagarajan, K., Raj, A., Hariharan, M., & Shaijumon, M. M. (2017). Twisted perylene diimides with tunable redox properties for organic sodium-ion batteries. Advanced Energy Materials, 7(20), 1701316. https://doi.org/10.1002/aenm.201701316

Debdeep Bhattacharjee | Chemical Engineering | Young Scientist Award

Published on by Young Scientists Awards

Dr. Debdeep Bhattacharjee | Chemical Engineering
| Young Scientist Award

Reliance Industries Limited, R&D | India

Dr. Debdeep Bhattacharjee research portfolio demonstrates a strong foundation in multiphase flow dynamics, magnetohydrodynamics, and ferrofluidic systems, emphasizing the coupling of magnetic fields with interfacial fluid behavior at micro and meso scales. The work focuses on understanding and manipulating ferrofluid droplet deformation, coalescence, and wettability under varying magnetic field configurations, contributing to advancements in droplet-based microfluidics, lab-on-chip technologies, and tunable surface engineering. Investigations into the deformation dynamics of ferrofluid drops with field-dependent local magnetization have revealed critical insights into magneto-capillary interactions and droplet morphology control. The exploration of magnetowetting and magneto-dewetting phenomena has expanded the understanding of field-induced wetting transitions on hydrophobic and textured substrates. Complementary studies on compound droplet dynamics, passive droplet sorting in microchannels, and topology optimization of packed-bed microreactors integrate computational fluid dynamics (CFD), topology optimization, and non-Newtonian flow modeling to enhance microreactor design and process intensification. The research employs both analytical modeling and high-fidelity numerical simulations using COMSOL Multiphysics and Ansys Fluent, bridging theoretical and applied aspects of magnetically driven flows. Collectively, these contributions advance the frontiers of microfluidic transport, smart interface control, and ferrohydrodynamic applications for next-generation energy, biomedical, and process engineering technologies.

Featured Publication

Bhattacharjee, D., Chakraborty, S., & Atta, A. (2024). Magnetowetting dynamics of compound droplets. ACS Engineering Au, 4(6), 524–532. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsengineeringau.4c00023

Bhattacharjee, D., Atta, A., & Chakraborty, S. (2024). Magnetic field-mediated ferrofluid droplet deformation in extensional flow. Physics of Fluids, 36(9), 092020. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0227028

Bhattacharjee, D., Atta, A., & Chakraborty, S. (2024). Revisiting the Young’s model for ferrofluid droplets: Magnetowetting or magneto-dewetting? Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects, 691, 133878. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colsurfa.2024.133878

Bhattacharjee, D., Atta, A., & Chakraborty, S. (2024). Evolution of ferrofluid droplet deformation under magnetic field in a uniaxial flow. In Fluid Mechanics and Fluid Power (Vol. 5, pp. 451–461). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-6074-3_42