Chitra Gurnani

Dr. Chitra Gurnani is currently an Associate Professor at Department of Chemistry, École Centrale School of Engineering, Mahindra University, Hyderabad. Her research primarily focusses on designing materials for energy and sustainability. Dr. Gurnani undertook her PhD in Chemistry in 2009. Following her PhD, she was awarded the Royal Society Newton International Fellowship (2011-2013) where she explored new methods for the deposition of important functional binary semiconductor materials towards important targets in energy and electronics at University of Southampton, UK. She then joined as Research Fellow at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore where she worked on the synthesis of novel low coordinate/low valent main group compounds (primarily Group 13 and Group 15), and further elucidated their underlying electronic structure and patterns of reactivity. She joined Mahindra Ecole Centrale as an Assistant Professor in Oct-2015.

Education

• Ph.D Chemistry, MDS University, India (2009)
• M.Sc. Chemistry, MDS University, Ajmer, India (2005)
• B.Sc. (Chemistry Hons), MDS University, Ajmer, India (2003)

Experience

• Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry, Mahindra University, Hyderabad, 2018-
• Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry, Mahindra University, Hyderabad, 2018- 2015
• Research Fellow, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore2013-2015
• Royal Society Newton International Fellow, University of Southampton, UK, 2011-2013
• Assistant Professor, Central University of Rajasthan, 2010
• Lecturer,Regional Institute of Education (RIE), Ajmer

Publications

• C. Gurnani , Sai Madhavan and Sai Tati Teja, “Portable Modular Interlocking and Low-Cost Redox Flow Cell Stack Unit” India Patent application, 202041048937, Dec 2021.
• C. Gurnani, S. L. Hawken, A. L. Hector, R. Huang, M. Jura, W. Levason, J. Perkins, G. Reid, G. Stenning, Dalton Trans., 2018, 47, 2628-2637.
• S. L. Benjamin, C. H. de Groot, C. Gurnani, S. L. Hawken, A. L. Hector, R. Huang, M. Jura, W. Levason, E. Reid, G. Reid, S. P. Richards, G. Stenning, J. Mater. Chem. C, 2018, 29, 7734-7739.
• R. Huang, S. L. Benjamin, C. Gurnani, Yudong Wang, A. L. Hector, W. Levason, G. Reid, C. H. (Kees) De Groot,Nature-Sci. Rep. 6, 2016, 27593-27597.
• C. Gurnani, N. Đorđević, S. Muthaiah, D. Dimić, R. Ganguly, M. Petković, D. Vidović “Extending the chemistry of carbones: P–N bond cleavage via an SN2′-like mechanism” Chem. Commun., 2015, 51, 10762-10764.
• Y. K. Loh, C. Gurnani, R. Ganguly, D. Vidović, “A Dicationic Iminophosphane.” Inorg. Chem., 2015, 54, 3087−3089.
• S. L Benjamin, Y. Chang, C. Gurnani, A. L. Hector, M. Huggon, W. Levason, G. Reid, “Niobium (V) and Tantalum (V) halide chacogenoether complexes towards single source CVD precursors for ME2 thin Films.” Dalton Trans., 2014, 43, 16640. Selected for themed collection HOT articles Dalton Transactions 2014.
• S. L Benjamin, C. H. (Kees) de Groot , C. Gurnani , A. L. Hector , R. Huang , E. Koukharenko, W. Levason , G. Reid , “Controlling the nanostructures of bismuth telluride by selective chemical vapour deposition from a single source precursor.” J. Mat. Chem. A, 2014, 2, 4865-4869.
• C. Gurnani , C. H. (Kees) de Groot , S. L Benjamin, A. L. Hector , R. Huang , K. Ignatyev, W. Levason , F. Thomas, G. Reid , “Area Selective Low Pressure CVD Growth of Titanium Diselenide Thin Films into Micro patterned Substrates.” Chem. Mater., 2013, 25, 4719-4724.
• R. Huang, P. N. Bartlett, S. L. Benjamin, C. Gurnani, A. L. Hector, A. Jolleys, G. P. Kissling, W. Levason, S. J. Pearce, G. Reid, C. H. (Kees) de Groot, “Selective Deposition of Phase Change Materials by Chemical Vapor Deposition and Electrodeposition.” European\Phase Change and Ovonics Symposium (E\PCOS), 2013, 11-14.
• K. George, C. H. (Kees) de Groot , C. Gurnani , A. L. Hector , R. Huang , M. Jura , W. Levason , G. Reid , “Telluroether and Selenoether Complexes as Single Source Reagents for Low Pressure Chemical Vapor Deposition of Crystalline Ga2Te3 and Ga2Se3 Thin Films.” Chem. Mater., 2013, 25, 1829−1836.
• C. Gurnani, A. L. Hector, E. Jager, D. C. Pugh, W. Levason, G. Reid, "Tin(II) fluoride vs. tin(II) chloride – a comparison of their coordination chemistry with neutral ligands." Dalton Trans., 2013, 42, 8364-8374.
• K. George, C. H. (Kees) de Groot , C. Gurnani , A. L. Hector , R. Huang , M. Jura , W. Levason , G. Reid , “Low pressure chemical vapour deposition of crystalline Ga 2Te3 and Ga2Se3 thin films from single source precursors using telluroether and selenoether complexes.” Physics Procedia., 2013, 142-148. (Special Issue EUROCVD19 Nineteenth European Conference on Chemical Vapor Deposition).
• C. H. (Kees) de Groot , C. Gurnani , A. L. Hector , R. Huang , M. Jura , W. Levason , G. Reid , “Highly Selective Chemical Vapor Deposition of Tin Diselenide Thin Films onto Patterned Substrates via Single Source Diselenoether Precursors.” Chem. Mater., 2012, 24, 4442–4449.
• C. Gurnani, M. Jura, W. Levason, R. Ratnani, G. Reid, M. Webster, “Preparation and structures of tellurium (IV) halide complexes with thioether coordination.” Dalton Trans. , 2009, 4122-4128.
• C. Gurnani, M. Jura, W. Levason, R. Ratnani, G. Reid, M. Webster, “Synthesis, characterisation and structures of thio-, seleno- and telluro-ether complexes of indium (III) halides.” Dalton Trans., 2009, 1611-1619.
• C. Gurnani, W. Levason, R. Ratnani, G. Reid, M. Webster, “Synthesis, characterisation and structures of thio-, seleno- and telluro-ether complexes of gallium (III).” Dalton Trans., 2008, 6274-6282.
• J. Drake, C. Gurnani, S. Maheshwari, R. Ratnani, “Crystal structure of Bis[O,O’-di(p-tolyl)thiophosphoryl]disulphide,[(p-MeC6H4O)2PS2] 2.” Anal. Sci., 2008, 24(9), x197-x198.
• J. Drake, C. Gurnani, M. Hursthouse, M. Light, M. Nirwan, R. Ratnani, “Synthesis and spectroscopic characterisation of dimethyl/di(n-butyl)tin(IV)bisO,O’-ditolyldithiophosphate) complexes. Crystal Structures of Me2Sn[S2P(OC6H4Me-o)2]2 and n-Bu2Sn[S2P(OC6H4Me-o)2]2.” Appl. Organometal. Chem., 2007, 21, 539 - 544.
• A. Bingham, J. Drake, C. Gurnani, M. Hursthouse, M. Light, M. Nirwan, R. Ratnani, “Triethyl ammonium salt of O,O’-bis(p -tolyl) dithiophosphate, [Et3NH]+[4-MeC6H4O]2PS2]2. ”J. Chem. Cryst., 2006, 36(10), 627-630.

BOOK CHAPTERS:

• C. Gurnani, W. Levason and Reid G. (2013) Macrocyclic Thio-, Seleno-, and Telluroether Ligands. In: Reedijk, J. (Ed.) Elsevier Reference Module in Chemistry, Molecular Sciences and Chemical Engineering. Waltham, MA: Elsevier. 11-Sep-2013 doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-409547-2.00979-3.
• C. Gurnani , W. Levason and G. Reid. (2013) Acyclic Thio-, Seleno-, and Telluroether Ligands. In: Reedijk, J. (Ed.) Elsevier Reference Module in Chemistry, Molecular Sciences and Chemical Engineering. Waltham, MA: Elsevier. 11-Sep-2013 doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-409547-2.00887-8.

SELECTED CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS:

Selective Chemical Vapor Deposition of Nanoscale Arrays of Sb2Te3, C. Gurnani, W. Levason, G. Reid, 28thAnnual General Meeting of Material Research Society of India (MRSI-2017) IIT Bombay, Mumbai, India, (2017). Chemical Vapor Deposition of Nanoscale Arrays of Main group chalcogenides, C. Gurnani, W. Levason, G. Reid, UK-India Symposium on Functional Materials, University of Edinburgh, UK, (2016). Comparison of reactivity of carbodiphosphorane with different phosphines, C. Gurnani, D. Vidovic, 8th International Chemistry Conference, Singapore, (2014). Chemical vapour deposition of main group chalcogenides: From precursor synthesis to phase change memory materials C. Gurnani, R. Huang , C. H. (Kees) de Groot , A. L. Hector , W. Levason , G. Reid , Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC), Dalton Division Conference, Warwick, UK, (2012). Seelctive Chemical vapour deposition of main group chalcogenides, C. Gurnani , R. Huang , C. H. (Kees) de Groot , A. L. Hector , W. Levason , G. Reid , RSC- Challenges in Inorganic and Materials Chemistry (ISACS8), Toronto, ( 2012).

Workshops

• Participated in Workshop on “ Advanced Material Characterisation techniques” organised by IIT-Hyderabad Aug 2019.

Invited Talks:

• “Molecular Precursors for Selective Growth of Metal Chalcogenides for Sustainable Energy Harvesting Applications”, Chitra Gurnani, Commonwealth Science Congress 2021 (2021)
• “New Reagents for selective growth of thermoelectric metal chalcogenides for energy harvesting” Chitra Gurnani, National Webinar conducted by Government Victoria College Palakkad, Kerala (2021).
• Selective Chemical Vapor deposition of Chalcogenides for Thermoelectric Applications Chitra Gurnani, Resource Person for Faculty Development Program jointly organized by Commissionerate College Education Rajasthan and Department of Chemistry, SPC Government College Ajmer (2021)
• Chalcogenide Alloys: From Single Source Precursors to Phase Change and Thermoelectric Application, Chitra Gurnani STFC, Harwell Innovation Campus, Oxford (2015).
• Selective Chemical Vapour Deposition of Main Group Chalcogenides” Chitra Gurnani Department of Chemistry, University of Bath, UK, Feb 2016, UK
• Invited talk at the Royal Society of Chemistry (UK)-India Deccan Local Section to deliver a lecture addressing UG and PG students Women in Science at St Ann’s College for Women, Mehdipatnam, Hyderabad on (2015).

Awards

• Newton International Fellowship (2011-2013) - awarded by The Royal Society, UK.
• Commonwealth Split-Site Doctoral Scholarship (2007–2008) - awarded by the Foreign Commonwealth Office and Association of commonwealth universities, UK
• Young Scientist Award (2006) - Prof A.K. Dey Memorial Award at 43rdAnnual Convention of Chemists of Indian Chemical Society, Aurangabad, India.
• Young Scientist Award (2006)- M.L Bhasin Memorial Award at 42nd Annual Convention of Chemists of Indian Chemical Society, Kolkata, India
• Best Student Award (2005) - M.Sc. Chemistry, MDS University Ajmer, India