News | Santanu

Dr. Bhattacharyya's Lab

Functional nanomaterials for light energy conversion

We are looking for motivated PhD students interested to work on sustainable semiconducting nanomaterials for solar to chemical energy conversion and solar fuel generation.

You can directly email at santanub@iiserbpr.ac.in

Research topics: a) Sustainable nanomaterials for photo/photo-electrocatalytic solar fuel generation
b) Photo-reformations of waste materials to value added products

c) Photocatalytic solar-chemical energy conversions

Hearty Congratulations Mr. Vinay Kumar S and Team for the research article- “Insight into Multivalent Iron Complex Bounded Oxygen Vacancy-Rich BiOBr Nanodiscs for Photocatalytic Ammonia Synthesis" published in Journal of Materials Chemistry A, RSC, 2025. https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2025/ta/d5ta06955f.

Hearty Congratulations, Mr. Soham Ghosh for the BEST ORAL PRESENTATION AWARD in RSD, DCS IISER Berhampur, November 2025.

Hearty Congratulations, Mr. Soham Ghosh for the BEST POSTER AWARD in RAPM Puri, October 2025.

Congratulations Mr. Soham Ghosh and Team for the research article- “Symmetry Breaking”-Assisted Distinct Molecular Packing in Self-Assembled Oligothiophenes Leading to Emissive Trap States and Enhanced Photocatalytic Solar H2 Production published in The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters, ACS, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpclett.5c01824.

Hearty Congratulations Vinay Kumar S. for the completion of your ''Pre-Synopsis seminar". Best Wishes !!!

Congratulations Arpita Guchhait on successfully completing your ''SRF seminar". Best Wishes !!!

Best wishes to Soham Ghosh for completion of your "Annual Progress Seminar". All the best !!!

Congratulations Switi Dattatraya Kshirsagar and Team for the research article- 'In situ decoration of Cd0.05Mn0.05Zn0.90 (ZIF-8) photocatalyst for solar-driven hydrogen production' published in International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Elsevier, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2024.08.516.

A warm wishes to Mr. Vinay Kumar S, Mr. Satish Kumar Patro & Team for the research article - 'Low Bandgap NiCo2S4 Nanoparticles Decorated 2D-BiOBr Nano Pallets: Atomic Level Insight into the Active Sites for Photocatalytic H2O2 Production' published in Small, Wiley 2025. https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.202503321.

Congratulations to Mr. Ramesh Mandal, Mr. Jyoti Ranjan Biswal & Team for the research article - '2,2′:5′,2″:5″,2‴-Quaterthiophene nanoparticles and single walled CNT composite: An Organic nanohybrid for solar H2 production and simultaneous photoreformation of plastic wastes' published in ChemCatChem, Chemistry Europe, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1002/cctc.202500307.

Hearty Congratulations, Mr. Soham Ghosh for the BEST POSTER AWARD in IINCM Pune, March 2025.

Hearty Congratulations, Ms. Srayee Mandal and Mr. Muhammed Aslam P. for the research article - "Highly Defined Layered 2D Sulfur Nanosheets from 0D Sulfur Dots and their Use in the Photocatalytic Oxidative Coupling of Aryl Amines to Aromatic Azo Compounds" published in Chemistry A European Journal, Wiley, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1002/chem.202404710.

Hearty Congratulations, Ms. Srayee Mandal , for successfully defending your thesis.

Warm wishes for your future !!!

We are excited to inform you that "Femtosecond amplified Laser system with Transient Absorption Spectroscopy setup (to investigate light-induced processes in ultrafast time scale)" is installed.

Congratulations Ms. Srayee Mandal for 'Best Poster Award' in CACEE- TIFR, Mumbai December 2024

Congratulations Mr. Ramesh Mandal for winning the 'Best Poster Award' in '16th ICFPAM-2024, Berhampur'.

Congrats Vinay Kumar & Team for the research article - "Red Carbon Dots Sensitized Ni-Doped 2D MoS2 Nanosheets as Electrode Materials for Visible-Light Active Photorechargeable Supercapacitors" published in Wiley Small Structures, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1002/sstr.202400480.

Congratulations Soumyadeep Saha & Team for the research article - "Role of Trap Optimization in a Heterostructure Carbon Nitride as a Methodology to Enhance Photocatalytic Hydrogen Production" published in ACS The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpclett.4c02556.

Congratulations Ramesh Mandal & Team for the research article - "Integrating a Dual Mode of Intrinsic Structural Modifications of g-C3N4 by K+ Ions and Amorphous Carbon for Efficient Photocatalytic H2O2 Production" published in ACS The Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpcc.4c05128

Congratulations Valle Krishnaveni & Team for the research article - "Catalytic Gas-Driven Exfoliation of Sulfonic Acid-Linked Covalent Organic Framework Nanostructures for Hydrogen Sensing" published in ACS Applied Nano Materials, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsanm.4c04609.

Warm Wishes to Subrata Dolui & Team for the research article - "Sulfur-Dot-Mediated Synthesis of Smart Polymers for Heavy Metal Removal" published in ACS Applied Nano Materials, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsanm.4c03814

Hearty congrats to Nishikanta Singh & Team for the research article - "Ultrasmall Sulfur-Dots-Mediated Facile Photopolymerization for the Production of Smart Injectable Ink for 3D Printing Applications" published in Wiley Advanced Functional Materials, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202415125

Congratulations Vinay Kumar Sriramadasu & Team for the research article - "Hierarchical Hybrids Made of Mixed Metal-Based Sillén-Structured CdxBiO2Br @ Graphene Oxide for Efficient Photocatalytic H2O2 Production" published in ACS Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpcc.4c03838

Hearty Congratulations, Mr. Subhajit Kar , for the completion of your ''Defense" successfully.

Warm wishes for your career !!!

Hearty Congratulations Srayee Mandal for the completion of your ''Pre-Synopsis seminar". Best Wishes !!!

Best wishes to Ramesh Mandal for completion of your "Annual Progress Seminar". All the best !!!

Congratulations Soham Ghosh on successfully completing your ''SRF seminar". Best Wishes !!!

Congratulations Srayee Mandal & Team for the research article - "Solvent-Assisted Structural Modifications of Sulfur Dots Followed by Time-Dependent Emergence of a New Emissive State and Long-Lived Afterglow" published in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.4c03842

Congratulations Adhra Sury & Team for the research article - "Controlled Self-Assembly of Zn–Tetraphenylporphyrins for Efficient Photocatalytic Solar H2 Production and Simultaneous Organic Transformation to Valuable Chemicals" published in ChemPhotoChem, Chemistry Europe,2024.

https://doi.org/10.1002/cptc.202400105

Hearty Congratulations Srayee Mandal for the completion of your ''Pre-Synopsis seminar". Best Wishes !!!

Hearty Congratulations Mr. Subhajit Kar for the completion of your ''Pre-Synopsis seminar". Best Wishes !!!

Hearty Congratulations Srayee M. and Vinay Kumar S. for "Best Oral Presentation Award" in National Symposium of Research Scholars on Metallurgy and Materials-2024 at IIT Kanpur.

We are looking for Ph.D. students

We will hire one JRF under the SERB-CRG project.

Interested candidates can contact Dr. Santanu Bhattacharyya - santanub@iiserbpr.ac.in

The title of the project is "Heterojunction Hybrids Made of Self-assembled Donor(D)-Acceptor(A)-Donor(D) Type Organic Nanomaterials @ Fullerene/Non-fullerene Based Acceptors for Photocatalytic Solar to Hydrogen and Chemical Energy Conversions."

https://www.iiserbpr.ac.in/engage/job/files/01_23-02-2024Advt._JRF_01_SERB%20053.pdf

In addition, we are looking for the motivated students for regular PhD positions, which will be available from the next semester. Interested candidates can apply through the institute website -

https://www.iiserbpr.ac.in/academics/admission/

Hearty Congratulations Ramesh Mandal & Team for "Optimizing Porosity and Heteroatom Functionalities in Amorphous Carbon-Rich g-C3N4 for Dual-Mode Photocatalysis through Solar to Green Hydrogen and Chemical Energy Conversion" article published in ACS Journal of Physical Chemistry C.

Hearty Congratulations Subhajit Kar & Team for "Unveiling the Role of Ground State Charge Transfer Complex in Carbon Nanoparticles for Highly Efficient Metal-free Solar Hydrogen Production " article published in RSC Journal of Materials Chemistry A.

Hearty Congratulations to Bramhaiah Kommula and Team "Stable Room-Temperature Phosphorescence from MXene-Derived Carbon Dots: Ultralong Afterglow Emission without an External Matrix" article published in ACS Applied Optical Materials.

Hearty Congratulations Srayee Mandal & Team for "Structural Optimization of Luminescent Sulfur Dots for Solar Light Induced Efficient and Selective Oxidative Coupling Reactions of Aromatic Amines: A Complete Metal-Free Approach" article published in ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering.

Once again Congratulations Ramesh Mandal for "The Best Poster Award" in KIIT-CRSI, Bhubaneshwar Local Chapter.

Best wishes to Srayee Mandal and Soham Ghosh for completion of your "Annual Progress Seminar". All the best !!!

Congratulations to Vinay Kumar S. & Team for the article "Understanding the Role of Dominant Crystal Facets on Heterogeneous Catalytic activity of BiOBr Nanomaterials: Boosting Catalytic Efficiency through Fe(III)/Fe(II) Incorporation" published in Journal of Alloys and Compounds, Elsevier.

Hearty Congratulations to Ramesh Mandal for "The Best Poster Award" in the CRSI NSC-31, NIT Rourkela.

Congratulations to Lopamudra Bishwal, Subhajit Kar & Team for "Role of Noncovalent Interactions in N,P-Functionalized Luminescent Carbon Dots for Ultrasensitive Detection of Moisture in D2O: Boosting Visible-NIR Light Sensitivity" article published in APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES

Hearty congratulations to Srayee M., Pandiselvi D., & Team for"Switching between Fluorescence and Room Temperature Phosphorescence in Carbon Dots: Key Role of Heteroatom Functionalities" article published in The Journal of Physical Chemistry C

Congratulations Vinay Kumar S. for the beginning of SRF. warm best wishes !!!

Congratulations Ramesh Mandal for the beginning of SRF. All the very best!!!

Good News!!! Our recent Advanced Optical Materials article - "Critical Optimization of Phosphorus Functionalized Carbon Nanomaterials for Metal-Free Solar Hydrogen Production and Simultaneous Organic Transformation(doi.org/10.1002/adom.202102641)" is in
Hot Topic: Carbon, Graphite, and Graphene (the latest carbon research articles)