Sakshi Patil

I'm a physical chemistry researcher with hands-on experience in synthesizing and characterizing functional nanomaterials, including heteroatom-doped nanocarbons and metal-decorated catalysts. I use electrochemical methods (cyclic voltammetry, EIS, chronoamperometry) along with surface-sensitive spectroscopy (XPS, Raman, FTIR) and electron microscopy (FESEM and TEM) to study these materials. I also developed and validated ratiometric fluorescent probes for Cu2+ detection in water, reaching a 10.4 ppb detection limit for environmental monitoring.

My research keeps coming back to one question: how does a material's composition and surface structure govern its selectivity, reactivity, and charge-transfer behaviour. That question is directly relevant to designing and evaluating nanomaterials for environmental remediation. I have two peer-reviewed publications in electrochemical materials and sensing, and I want to bring this synthesis and characterization background to remediation research for water, air, or soil.

Research Project - IISER Tirupati

(2025-01 - 2026-12)

Electrocatalytic CO2 Reduction Using Rhodium-Decorated Graphitic Carbon Nitride - Advisor: Prof. K. Vijayamohanan Pillai

• Synthesized Rh-g-C3N4 via an electrochemical route and characterized them using FTIR, Raman, P-XRD, XPS, and TEM.
• Conducted electrochemical studies (CV, EIS, chronoamperometry) to investigate catalyst behaviour and charge-transfer kinetics for CO2 reduction.

Research Project - IISER Tirupati

(2024-01 - 2026-12)

Heteroatom-Doped Graphene Nanoribbons for Energy Storage Applications - Advisor: Prof. K. Vijayamohanan Pillai

• Synthesized pristine, fluorine-doped, and B,N,F co-doped graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) through electrochemical unzipping of multiwalled carbon nanotubes using protic acids, super-acids, and ionic liquids.
• Characterized structural and chemical properties using TEM, P-XRD, and FTIR, XPS confirming successful unzipping, heteroatom incorporation, and defect engineering.
• Investigated electrochemical energy-storage performance using cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge-discharge, and EIS to evaluate charge-transfer kinetics and Li-ion storage behaviour.

Research Intern - BITS Pilani Hyderabad Campus

(2023-01 - 2024-12)

Ratiometric Fluorescent Probes for Cu2+ Detection in Water - Advisor: Dr. Nilanjan Dey

• Synthesized and characterized two donor-acceptor charge-transfer probe molecules for selective Cu2+ ion sensing and environmental monitoring applications.
• Investigated self-assembly, photophysical, and sensing properties using UV-Vis and fluorescence spectroscopy, demonstrating ratiometric detection of Cu2+ ions.
• Performed computational studies to analyze molecular geometry, charge distribution, and structure-property relationships influencing sensing behaviour.
• Achieved highly selective Cu2+ detection with a detection limit of 10.4 ppb, exceeding environmental monitoring requirements.

BS-MS Dual Degree - Chemical Science - IISER Tirupati (2021-01 - 2026-12)