Publications

1. Sustainable lignin modifications and processing methods: green chemistry as the way forward

Bram Jacobs, Yao Yawen, Ine Van Nieuwenhove, Dhanjay Sharma, Geert-Jan Graulus, Katrien Bernaerts, and An Verberckmoes. Sustainable lignin modifications and processing methods: green chemistry as the way forward, Green Chem., 2023, 25, 2042-2086.

2. Dhanjay Sharma, Ayyamperumal Sakthivel* S Michelraj, A. Muthurasu, V. Ganesh*, Surfactant Intercalated Cobalt Layered Double Hydroxide: Preparation, Characterization, and its Bifunctional Electrochemical Application ‎ChemistrySelect, 2020, 5, 9615-9622.

3. Dhanjay Sharma, V. Ganesh, Ayyamperumal Sakthivel*, Cobalt-rhodium based layered hydrotalcite-type materials: Preparation and its applications for the hydroformylation of alkenes Appl. Catal A: Gen., 2018, 555, 155-160.

4. Dhanjay Sharma, A. Sakthivel*, Hydroisomerization of 1-Octene on Rhodium Nanoparticles Supported on Silicate Intercalated Magnesium-Aluminium Hydrotalcite J. Nano. Sci. Nano Tec., 2018, 18, 381-385.

5. A. Sreenavya, T. Baskaran, V. Ganesh, Dhanjay Sharma, Nagendra Kulal, A. Sakthivel*, Framework of ruthenium-containing nickel hydrotalcite-type material: preparation, characterization, and it's catalytic application RSC Adv., 2018, 8, 25248-25257.

Fig. 1 Fig. 2

Fig. 1 Powder XRD patterns of (a) b-Ni(OH)2 and (b) a-Ni(OH)2.

Fig. 2 XRD patterns of NiRu-HT samples viz., (a) NiRu-0.2 (b) NiRu-0.3 (c) NiRu-0.45 and (d) NiRu-0.6.

6. Dhanjay Sharma, T. Baskaran, J. Christopher, and Ayyamperumal Sakthivel*, First Report on Silicate Intercalated Monometallic Cobalt Hydrotalcite (Co-HT) Materials: Preparation and Its Applications NNL., 2016, 8, 360-364.

7. P. Sahu, S. Eniyarppu, Maqsood Ahmed, Dhanjay Sharma, Ayyamperumal Sakthivel*, Cerium ion-exchanged layered MCM-22: preparation, characterization and its application for esterification of fatty acids J. Porous Mater., 2017, 1-7.

Fig. 1

Fig. 1 SEM images of CeMCM-22 a, b MCM-22 IE(1)c and c, d MCM-22 IE(4)c

8. Palai Yayati Naresh, K. Anjali, Ayyamperumal Sakthivel,* Maqsood Ahmed, Dhanjay Sharma,Sushant K. Badamali, Cerium Ions Grafted on Functionalized Mesoporous SBA-15 Molecular Sieves: Preparation and Its Catalytic Activity on p-Cresol Oxidation Catal. Lett. 2017, 1-9.

Research background

I am versed in both inorganic/organic syntheses as well the relevant physical characterization of the materials. My research work revolves around the design and synthesis of diverse inorganic materials and their intercalation with various anions such as silicates, organic anions, and molecular sieves for targeted applications particularly in hydroformylation, hydroisomerization, oxidation, esterification and in water splitting reactions etc.

As a part of my first research project, I started to address one of the most powerful and widely applied industrial processes hydroformylation where varieties of aldehydes are prepared from the olefins using syngas. By taking the advantage of widely explored but individual Cobalt and Rhodium based catalyst on a common platform, I’ve prepared Rh-containing cobalt hydrotalcite (CoRh-HT)-type materials through an in situ sol-gel method where rhodium was incorporated into the less expensive framework of α-Co(OH)2+x that contains Co2+, Co3+ and Rh3+ ion in the framework. X-ray photoelectron spectra were recorded to confirm these oxidation states. Moreover we went in details to confirm the material using powder XRD, elemental analysis by ICP-AES spectroscopy, FT-IR spectra to know the binding patterns and particle size and morphology were further investigated by TEM images. The catalytic activity was thoroughly investigated in the hydroformylation of 1-octene by varying the reaction conditions and products were identified by HPLC and GC-MS measurements. Many more olefins were hydroformylated using the same catalyst.

After gaining significant experience in the aforementioned characterization techniques and methods, I moved further to explore other industry oriented catalytic processes like hydroisomerization, esterification of palmitic acid with methanol. The textural properties such as BET surface area, pore volume (BJH method) of these hydrotalcite and silicate intercalated hydrotalcite materials were also determined. The corresponding catalytic materials and products were identified by following as usual techniques. In a later part of my work, working towards the intercalation chemistry, I sought to explore the intercalation of various organic anions such as sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS, C12H25OSO3Na), trimesic acid (TMA), sodium laureate (SL) into the interlayer space of α-Co(OH)2 owing to its good electrocatalytic activity and stability for both OER and ORR in alkaline medium. The intercalation of these organic anions doesn't only provide a hydrophobic environment, it also increases the interlayer spacing which helps in facile absorption of more electrolytes and accessible active sites resulting in fast and reversible faradaic reaction. Keeping this in mind, I applied voltammetric studies such as linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) and cyclic voltammetry (CV) in alkaline medium. All in all, the lower Tafel slope value and higher current density for this material, we could successfully use the catalyst in an alkaline medium for OER and ORR reactions.

In summary, I have been engaged throughout in a multidimensional research environment.