research

For my doctoral work, I am interested in utilizing plasmonic nanostructures to study surface-bound molecules. Some of my projects include:

Molecular Vibrations in N-heterocyclic Carbenes (NHCs)

We analyzed vibrational spectroscopy data to identify peak shifts resulting from isotope labeling. With the help of simulated spectra, we identified surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) bands that can be used to elucidate ligand chemisorption on gold nanoparticles. We also assigned vibrational modes associated with the NHC under investigation.

Effect of Backbone Alkylation on the Orientation and Stability of NHCs

We utilized SERS and UV-vis spectroscopy to study the effect of backbone alkylation on the orientation and stability of NHCs on gold nanoparticles.

Deposition of NHCs on Gold and Silver Surfaces

We used SERS, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), electron microscopy, and laser-desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (LDI-MS) to characterize self-assembled monolayers of NHCs on gold and silver surfaces and unraveled the importance of oxygen in the procedure as well as the subsequent etching of silver.

Projects in progress:

N-heterocyclic Carbene Ligand Exchange on Gold Nanoparticles
Probe-mediated SERS detection of NDMA
Low-frequency Raman Database

Transport Properties of Ionic Liquids and their Mixtures

For my undergraduate research, we studied the temperature-dependent variation in transport properties of ionic liquids and their double salts and developed an approach to determine their fragility using moderate-temperature viscosity data.

Publications

[4] Chandran, A.*; Chowdhury, S.*; Kaur, G.; Hu, G.; Dominique, N. L.; Jensen, L.; Jenkins, D. M.; Camden, J. P. When Gold and Silver Differ: Interactions of N-Heterocyclic Carbenes with Noble Metal Surfaces. Chem. Commun. 2026, 62, 3269-3273. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1039/d5cc06700f

[3] Nezamzadeh, A.; Chowdhury, S.; Hu, G.; Dominique, N. L.; Desroche, E.; Hossain, S.; Aloisio, M. D.; Furlan, M.; Groome, R. R. K.; Boire, K.; McLean, A. B.; Jensen, L.; Camden, J. P.; Crudden, C. M. Beyond Wingtips: Backbone Alkylation Affects the Orientation of N-Heterocyclic Carbenes on Gold Nanoparticles. Chem. Sci. 2026, 17, 6717-6726. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1039/D5SC05986K

[2] Chowdhury, S.*; Hu, G.*; Jensen, I. M.; Santos, A. V. B.; Jenkins, D. M.; Jensen, L.; Camden, J. P. Vibrational Mode Assignment of Diisopropyl Benzimidazolium N-Heterocyclic Carbenes on Gold. J. Phys. Chem. C. 2024, 128, 32, 13550-13557. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpcc.4c02228

[1] Jensen, I. M.*; Chowdhury, S.*; Hu, G.; Jensen, L.; Jenkins, D. M.; Camden, J. P. Seeking the Au-C stretch on gold nanoparticles with 13C-labeled N-heterocyclic carbenes. Chem. Commun. 2023, 59, 14524-14527. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1039/d3cc04973f

*These authors contributed equally

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