Biomedical and Chemical Engineering Research Seminar Series - Merging Nanoscience and Green Chemistry: Towards Sustainable Catalysis

Merging Nanoscience and Green Chemistry: Towards Sustainable Catalysis
Presenter: Sourav Biswas, SUNY Buffalo State University
Group Website: https://sites.google.com/view/biswasresearchgroup/home

Abstract:
Catalyst is a substance, which increases the rate of a chemical reaction without itself undergoing
any permanent chemical change. A survey of U.S. industries revealed that more than 60% of the
63 major products and 90% of the process innovations from 1930 to 1980 have involved catalysis,
which highlights the critical role of this field in the chemical industries. World catalyst demand is
forecast to grow to $59.66 billion by 2032 according to the survey conducted by the Precedence
Research. This presentation is a must-see for anyone interested in the emerging world of
‘Nanoscience and Catalysis’. Dr. Biswas will demonstrate a presentation of efforts that his group
has made to develop nanostructured transition metal-based catalysts and apply mechanistic
insights to discover catalytic transformations. From the fundamentals of material synthesis and
characterization to establishing catalytic protocols, his group’s work aims to address principles of
'Green Chemistry'. Using several classes of heterogeneous catalytic reactions as examples, Dr.
Biswas will illustrate the benefits of interdisciplinary research collaboration across the diverse
fields of chemistry, nanoscience, and engineering. Dr. Biswas will also showcase success stories
of undergraduate students who made their mark in this exciting field.
Bio:
Dr. Sourav Biswas is an Assistant Professor of Chemistry at the SUNY (State University of New
York) Buffalo State University. Dr. Biswas received his Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University
of Connecticut. Prior to joining Buffalo State in 2021, he was a postdoctoral research associate at
the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and at the University of Delaware. He is the cofounder and
Associate Director of the recently established SUNY Buffalo State Center for Integrated Studies
in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology. Dr. Biswas focuses to intersect his research in nanoscience
and catalysis, which involves design of nanostructured materials for catalytic and clean energy
applications. His interests in the field of catalysis encompass many of the topics of ‘Green and
Sustainable Chemistry’, and projects in his lab ranges from the development of synthetic and
characterization methods for nanomaterials to elucidation of mechanistic principles that underlie
molecular transformations. Dr. Biswas is an associate editor and an editorial board member of the
journals ‘Frontiers in Chemistry’ and ‘Nature Scientific Reports’ respectively.