I am basically a solution electrochemist. We have been employing a multi-method approach to explore the complex interacting features in electrolyte solutions supplemented with theoretical analyses using various existing theories including scaled particle theory, Pitzer ion-interaction formalism etc. Later, I moved to the fields of polymer chemistry and surface chemistry. We essentially deal with a special kind of polymers – the polyelectrolytes. Because of the complicated coupling of the polymeric and electrolytic behaviour in polyelectrolyte solutions, these species present a great challenge to the polymer scientists. We attempt to provide an understanding of the intermolecular and intramolecular interactions in these systems using different experimental techniques. Investigation on the behaviour of single and mixed surfactants is another important area of research of my group. We have also been studying the influence of polyelectrolytes on the surface properties of conventional and ionic liquid surfactants.
I taught various courses on Physical Chemistry at the undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral level since 1989.
I held various administrative responsibilities as the Head, Department of Chemistry, North Bengal University for two years during 01.08.2004 - 31.07.2006, as the Project Coordinator of the FIST Project of the Department of Science & Technology, New Delhi (DST-FIST) at North Bengal University during 01.08.2004 - 31.07.2006, as the Coordinator, Undergraduate Examinations in Physical Chemistry, North Bengal University for four and a half years (till 7/2012), as the Member, Advisory Committee, UGC sponsored Special Assistance Programme (SAP), Department of Chemistry, North Bengal University, 8/2004 - 7/2006 and 11/2006 - 7/2012, as the Member, Faculty Council for the Postgraduate Studies in Science, North Bengal University, 8/2004 - 7/2006 and 11/2006 - 7/2012, as the Member, Board of Research Studies in Chemistry, North Bengal University, 8/2004 - 7/2006 and 4/2007 - 7/2012. Currently, I am a member of the Departmental Academic Committee, Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Presidency University. I regularly serve as a Reviewer for different international journals, e. g., Chemical Reviews, Journal of Physical Chemistry, RSC Advances, Journal of Chemical & Engineering Data, Journal of Solution Chemistry, Journal of Colloid & Interface Science, Polymer International, Polymer Bulletin etc.
- B.Sc. (Hons.) Chemistry (University of North Bengal, 1984) [1st Position in the 1st Class]
- M.Sc. Chemistry (University of North Bengal, 1986) [1st Position in the 1st Class]
- Post-MSc Biosciences (Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, 1988)
- Ph.D. Chemistry (University of North Bengal, 1994)
- Post-Doc. Chemistry (University of California, Berkeley, USA, 1997-1998)
- Post-Doc. Chemistry (University of Karlsruhe, Germany, 2001-2003)
- Post-Doc. Chemistry (St. Francis Xavier University, Canada, 2007-2008)
I was appointed as a Lecturer in Chemistry at North Bengal University in 1989. My doctoral work involved physicochemical investigations on the interactions in some selected electrolyte solutions in nonaqueous and mixed binary aqueous solvent systems. My first postdoctoral assignment (on sabbatical) at the University of California, Berkeley was during 1997-1998. I was then promoted to the post of a Reader in 1998. Later, I took two other postdoctoral assignments (on sabbatical) – one at the University of Karlsruhe, Germany (2001-2003) and the other at the St. Francis Xavier University, Canada (2007-2008). I served North Bengal University as Professor since 2006 till July 2012 when I moved to Presidency University as a Professor of Chemistry.
I started my research carrier in the fields of electrochemistry and solution thermodynamics. Spectroscopic techniques in conjunction with other electrochemical methods have been exploited to probe the interactions prevailing in electrolyte solutions. Theoretical investigation on the thermodynamic properties of electrolyte solutions has also been an important area of my research activities. During the last ten years or so, my group has been doing extensive investigations to unravel the solution behaviour of charged polymers (polyelectrolytes) and the nature of interactions of these species with conventional and ionic liquid surface active agents. We have been successful in developing a model for describing the electrical conductivity behaviour of polyelectrolyte solutions in presence of an added salt. Moreover, we have also been able to separate the intramolecular and intermolecular interactions in polyelectrolyte solutions which might help understand their characteristic solution behaviour.
I taught crystallography, electrochemistry - ionics and electrodics, surface chemistry; statistical mechanics, statistical thermodynamics, quantum chemistry, group theory, chemical dynamics, bioenergetics, polymer chemistry, spectroscopy and computational chemistry at the postgraduate level during June 1989 through July 2012 and a course on the physical chemistry of polyelectrolytes at the Ph.D. level during 2011-2012 at the Department of Chemistry, North Bengal University, Darjeeling 734 013. Thereafter, since joining the Presidency University in July 2012, I have been teaching electrochemistry - ionics and electrodics, statistical mechanics at the postgraduate level and elementary crystallography and chemical dynamics at the undergraduate level.
Awarded Ph.D. Students:
Nirmal Saha: 1999-2004, Thesis Title: Ion-Solvent Interactions of Some Symmetrical Tetraalkylammonium Bromides in Methanol, Acetonitrile and their Binary Mixtures.
Purushottam Haldar: 2003-2008, Thesis Title: Ion-Ion and Ion-Solvent Interactions of Some 1:1 Electrolytes in 2-Ethoxyethanol and its Binary Mixtures with Water.
Chanchal Das: 2002-2009, Thesis Title: Physico-chemical Studies on Micellar Properties of Some Simple Amphiphiles in Aqueous and Non-aqueous Media.
Prabir Nandi: 2004-2010, Thesis Title: Solution Properties of Sodium Carboxymethylcellulose in Acetonitrile-Water Mixed Solvent Media.
Ajaya Bhattarai: 2005-2011, Thesis Title: Polyelectrolyte-Surfactant Interactions in Mixed Solvent Media.
Debapratim Ghosh: 2006-2012, Thesis Title: Studies on the Behaviour of Polyelectro-lytes and Their Interactions with Small Ions and Surfactant Ions in Mixed Solvent.
Ranjit De: 2006-2012, Thesis Title: Solution Properties of Sodium Polystyrene Sulphonate in 2-Ethoxyethanol–Water Mixed Solvent Media.
Amritendu Chatterjee: 2007-2012, Thesis Title: Solution Properties of Sodium Carboxymethylcellulose in Methanol-Water Mixed Solvent Media.
Dhiman Ray: 2012-2018, Thesis Title: Interactions Between Polyelectrolytes and Surface Active Ionic Liquids.
- Member, American Chemical Society (USA).
- Life Member of the Chemical Research Society of India.
- Life Member of the Indian Society for Surface Science & Technology.
- Life Member of the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science.
- Editorial Board Member of the International Journal of Chemical Engineering Research.
- Editorial Board Member of the International Journal of Environmental Engineering & Management.
Some representative papers (out of 111 papers published so far):
- Saha, U., De, R., Das, B. (2023) Interaction between loaded drugs and surfactant molecules in micellar drug delivery systems: A critical review, Journal of Molecular Liquids, 382, 121906.
- Banerjee, A., De, R., Das, B. (2022) Hydrodynamic and conformational characterization of aqueous sodium alginate solutions with varying salinity, Carbohydrate Polymers, 277, 118855.
- Debnath, B., Das, B. (2020) Influence of hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions on counteriondissociation in sodium carboxymethylcellulose - polyethylene glycol (PEG) solutions, Journal of Molecular Liquids, 310, 113088.
- Saha, U., Banerjee, A., Das, B. (2020) Drug-surfactant comicellization: Propranolol hydrochloride-surface active ionic liquid systems in aqueous medium, Journal of Molecular Liquids, 309, 113164.
- Mondal, S., Banerjee, A., Das, B. (2020) Spectroscopic and interfacial investigation on the interaction of hemoglobin with conventional and ionic liquid surfactants, Journal of Molecular Liquids, 301, 112450.
- De, R., Das, B. (2020) Concentration, medium and salinity-induced shrinkage/expansion of Poly(sodium styrenesulfonate) in 2-ethoxyethanol-Water mixed solvent media as probed by viscosimetry, Journal of Molecular Structure, 1199,126992.
- Pramanik, S., Das, B. (2020) Correlation of the Volumetric Properties of Uni-Univalent Electrolytes in Methanol–Water Mixed Solvent Media: A Pitzer Ion-Interaction Approach, Journal of Solution Chemistry, 49, 825-835.
- Santra, S., Das, B. (2019) Counterion-binding and related phenomena in sodium alginate-sodium chloride-water ternary systems: A conductometric study, Journal of Molecular Liquids, 296,111930.
- Debnath, B., Das, B. (2019) Ion-Solvation and Ion-Association Behavior of Tetraphenylphosphonium Chloride, Sodium Tetraphenylborate and Sodium Chloride in Polyethylene Glycol + water Mixtures at 298.15 K, Journal of Solution Chemistry, 48, 849-861.
- Ray, D., Das, B. (2019) Micellization of Ionic Liquid Surfactants Induced by Sodium Polystyrenesulfonate in Aqueous Solutions, Journal of Solution Chemistry, 48, 1576-1590.
- Pramanik, S., Das, B. (2019) Thermodynamic Properties of Aqueous Sodium Nitrate Solutions under Superambient Conditions, J. Solution Chem., 48, 167-179.
- Mondal, S., Das, B. (2018) A Study on the Interaction of Horse Heart Cytochrome c with Some Conventional and Ionic Liquid Surfactants probed by Ultraviolet-Visible and Fluorescence .Spectroscopic Techniques, Spectrochim. Acta Part A, 198, 278-282.
- Das, S., Ghosh, S., Das, B. (2018) Formation of a Mixed Micelle in an Aqueous Mixture of a Surface Active Ionic Liquid and a Conventional Surfactant: Experiment and Modeling, J. Chem. Eng. Data , 63, 3784-3800.
- De, R., Lee, H., Das, B (2018) Exploring the Interactions in Binary Mixtures of Polyelectrolytes: Influence of Mixture Composition, Concentration and temperature on Counterion Condensation, J. Mol. Liq., 251, 94-99.
- Sar, P., Ghosh, A., Malik, S., Ray, D., Das B., Saha B. (2016) Selective Heteroaromatic Nitrogen Base Promoted Chromium(VI) Oxidation of Isomeric Pentanols in Aqueous Micellar Media at Room Temperature, J. Ind. Ing. Chem., 42, 53-62.
- Das, B., Chatterjee, A. (2015) Salt-induced Counterion Condensation and Related Phenomena in Sodium Carboxymethylcellulose-Sodium Halide-Methanol-Water Quaternary Systems, Soft Matter, 11, 4133-4140.
- De, R., Ray, D., Das, B. (2015). Influence of temperature, Added Electrolyte and Polymer Molecular Weight on the Counterion-Condensation Phenomenon in Aqueous Solutions of Sodium Polystyrenesulfonate: A Scaling Theory Approach, RSC Adv., 5, 54890-54898.
- Das, B., Ray, D. and De, R. (2014). Influence of sodium carboxymethylcellulose on the aggregation behavior of aqueous 1-hexadecyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride solutions. Carbohydrate Polymers, 113, 208-216.
- Das, C. and Das, B. (2014). Transport and thermodynamic Iivestigations on sodium polystyrenesulfonate in ethylene glycol – water media. J. Chem. Thermodyn., 68, 293-302.
- Sharma, R., Das, C., Dahal, S. and Das, B. (2013). Polyion-counterion interactions in sodium carboxymethylcellulose – ethylene glycol – water ternary solutions. Carbohydrate Polymers, 92, 1546-1554.
- Chatterjee, A., Das, B. and Das, C. (2012). Polyion–counterion interaction behavior for sodium carboxymethylcellulose in methanol–water mixed solvent media. Carbohydrate Polymers, 87, 1144-1152.
- Sharma, R., Das, B., Nandi, P. and Das. C. (2010). Viscosity of sodium carboxymethylcellose in ethylene glycol-water mixed solvent media: Separation of the influences of polyion conformation and electrostatic interactions on the reduced viscosity. Journal of Polymer Science Part B: Polymer Physics, 48, 1196-1202.
- Ghosh, D., Bhattarai, A. and Das, B. (2009). Electrical conductivity of sodium polystyrenesulfonate in acetonitrile–water-mixed solvent media: Experiment and data analysis using the Manning counterion condensation model and the scaling theory approach. Colloid and Polymer Science, 287, 1005-1011.
- Das, B., Maitra, B., Mercer, S. M., Everist, M. and Leaist, D. G. (2008) A comparison of diffusion coefficients for ternary mixed micelle solutions measured by macroscopic gradient and dynamic light scattering techniques. Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 10, 3083-3092.
- De, R. and Das, B. (2007). The effects of concentration, relative permittivity and temperature on the transport properties of sodium polystyrenesulphonate in 2-ethoxyethanol-water mixed solvent media. European Polymer Journal, 43, 3400-3407.
- Nandi, P. and Das, B. (2005). Effects of concentration, relative permittivity, and temperature on the solution behavior of sodium carboxymethylcellulose as probed by electrical conductivity. Journal of Physical Chemistry B, 109, 3238-3242.
- Guha, C., Chakraborty, J. M., Karanjai, S. and Das, B. (2003). The structure and thermodynamics of ion association and solvation of some thiocyanates and nitrates in 2-methoxyethanol studied by conductometry and FTIR spectroscopy. Journal of Physical Chemistry B, 107, 12814-12819.
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