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Indian chemist From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Vivek Vijayrao Polshettiwar (born 18 March 1979) is an Indian chemist who is a professor of chemistry at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research. His research focuses on advanced nanomaterials and nanocatalysis, particularly for harvesting solar energy and converting carbon dioxide into valuable chemicals and fuels. His work is aimed at producing value-added products from CO2 to effectively combat climate change. He was awarded the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry prize for Green Chemistry in 2022. In 2023, he received the Falling Walls Award in Physical Sciences. The following year, in 2024, he was elected as a Fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences (FASc). In 2024, he received Vigyan Yuva award from the President of India.
Vivek Vijayrao Polshettiwar | |
---|---|
Born | Mangli (Dist-Yavatmal, Maharashtra) | March 18, 1979
Alma mater | Jiwaji University Amravati University |
Scientific career | |
Institutions | Tata Institute of Fundamental Research United States Environmental Protection Agency King Abdullah University of Science and Technology |
Website | https://www.nanocat.co.in/ |
Polshettiwar was born in Mangli, a village in the Yavatmal district within the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra. He began his education in Zilla Parishad government schools, which had limited infrastructure and often lacked sufficient teachers, with many of his classes taking place under trees or in temporary shelters.
For high school, he moved to the nearby village of Mukutban, where he attended Adarsh Highschool. He then pursued his 12th grade and BSc degree at Lokmanya Tilak Mahavidyalaya in Wani. In 2001, Polshettiwar earned his Master's degree in Chemistry from Amravati University, Amravati.
He earned his doctorate at DRDE and Jiwaji University in Gwalior.[1] After earning his doctorate, he moved to the ENSCM: Ecole Nationale Suprieure de chimie de Montpellier in France, where he spent one year as a postdoctoral researcher.[2] He was awarded an Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education Research Fellowship and joined the United States Environmental Protection Agency in 2007.[3]
In 2009, Polshettiwar launched his independent career at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology.[4] He returned to India in 2013, where he started working on nanomaterials at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research. His research considers nanocatalysis: the design of sustainable, reactive, stable and selective catalysts.[5] He believes that the activity and kinetics of nanocatalysts can be influenced by tuning the morphology and defects of the catalyst.[5]
Polshettiwar has primarily focused on dendritic fibrous nanosilica,[6] which has a fibrous structure that enhances the surface area on which reactions can occur.[7] His innovations in producing efficient dendritic fibrous nanosilica catalysts were made possible by altering the nanoscale properties of the material, specifically, the spacing between the nanostructures themselves. These dendritic fibrous nanosilica catalysts can capture carbon dioxide and convert it to fuel and useful chemicals.[8][9] He has created amorphous aluminosilicates that can convert plastics to hydrocarbons at low temperature, contributing to a circular economy.[10]
Polshettiwar's research encompasses several key areas in nanocatalysis. One notable achievement is the development of "Black Gold[11][12]," a system designed to study plasmonic hot electron generation and transfer. This model mimics natural photosynthesis, using sunlight, water, and CO2 to offer potential sustainable energy solutions. Another significant focus of his work is the exploration of defects[13][14] in nanomaterials as active catalytic sites, presenting a new approach to catalyst design that avoids the need for metals or complex organic ligands. Additionally, his group has developed "Acidic Amorphous Aluminosilicate," which combines the strong acidity of zeolites with the textural properties of aluminosilicates. This material has shown promise in converting plastics to chemicals and CO2 to fuel.
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