Vivek Polshettiwar

Vivek Vijayrao Polshettiwar
Polshettiwar speaks at the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education in 2017
Born	(1979-03-18) 18 March 1979
Alma mater	Jiwaji University
Scientific career
Institutions	Tata Institute of Fundamental Research United States Environmental Protection Agency King Abdullah University of Science and Technology

Vivek Vijayrao Polshettiwar (born 18 March 1979) is an Indian chemist who is a professor of chemistry at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research. He was awarded the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry prize for Green Chemistry in 2022. He was the winner of the prestigious Falling Walls Prize in the Physical Sciences category. In 2024, he was elected as a Fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences, Bangalore (FASc).

Early life and education

Vivek was born in a small village (Mangli) with no continuous power or running water, in Maharashtra, India. His primary school had no buildings and most of his classes took place under trees or temporary sheds. Doing well at school, he moved to a small, nearby town to complete his education. Polshettiwar earned his master at Amravati University and doctorate at Jiwaji University in Gwalior. After earning his doctorate, he moved to the ENSCM: Ecole Nationale Suprieure de chimie de Montpellier in France, where he spent one year as a postdoctoral researcher. He was awarded an Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education Research Fellowship and joined the United States Environmental Protection Agency in 2007.

Research and career

In 2009, Polshettiwar launched his independent career at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology. He returned to India in 2013, where he started working on nanomaterials at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research. Professor Vivek Polshettiwar is a distinguished researcher dedicated to advancing nanomaterial development for catalysis, solar energy harvesting, and CO₂ capture-conversion, with the overarching goal of addressing the urgent issue of climate change. His research considers nanocatalysis: the design of sustainable, reactive, stable and selective catalysts. He believes that the activity and kinetics of nanocatalysts can be influenced by tuning the morphology of the catalyst.

Polshettiwar has primarily focused on dendritic fibrous nanosilica, which has a fibrous structure that enhances the surface area on which reactions can occur. His innovations in producing efficient dendritic fibrous nanosilica catalysts were made possible by altering the nanoscale properties of the material, specifically, the spacing between the nanostructures themselves. These dendritic fibrous nanosilica catalysts can capture carbon dioxide and convert it to fuel and useful chemicals. He has created amorphous aluminosilicates that can convert plastics to hydrocarbons at low temperature, contributing to a circular economy.

Notably, he has achieved remarkable progress in the development of next-generation nanocatalysts through precise morphological control of nanomaterials, particularly dendritic fibrous nanosilica (DFNS) (Nature Protocol 2019, 14, 2177-2204). The uniqueness of DFNS lies in its fibrous structure, which imparts a significantly high surface area, accessible without the formation of conventional pores. Since its discovery, DFNS has found diverse applications, including catalysis, photocatalysis, CO₂ capture-conversion, RNA extraction from viruses, energy harvesting & storage, drug delivery, and more.

An exceptional achievement in his research involves the transformation of DFNS-based yellow gold to "black gold" by manipulating the size and gaps between gold nanoparticles. This "black gold" acts like an artificial tree, using CO₂, sunlight, and water to produce fuel. This pioneering work, termed "Black (nano)Gold," holds significant promise as it opens the pathway for the development of "Artificial Trees" that can efficiently capture and convert CO₂ into clean energy sources (Chemical Science, 2019, 10, 6694-6603). Furthermore, Professor Polshettiwar's group demonstrated the strategic CO₂ hydrogenation reactions using solar energy with a plasmonic black gold nickel catalyst. The reaction showed exceptional CO production rates and followed a hot-electron-mediated mechanism, offering a sustainable approach to close the carbon cycle and combat climate change (ACS Nano, 2023, 17, 4526-4538; ACS Catalysis 2023, 13, 7395-7406).

Another significant contribution involves the role of "Defects in DFNS" for CO₂ to fuel conversion, representing an entirely new concept in the field. The defects alone acted as catalytic sites, eliminating the need for additional metal or complex organic ligands. The catalytic activity for methane production even increased significantly after every regeneration cycle, elucidated through a detailed mechanistic study (Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A 2020, 117, 6383; J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2023, 145, 8634).

In addition, Professor Polshettiwar's research extended to the development of "Acidic Amorphous Aluminosilicates (AAS)," exhibiting Brønsted acidic sites akin to zeolites, along with porous textural properties. These AAS materials found applications in catalysis, plastic degradation, and CO₂ to fuel conversion. Their molecular-level understanding was achieved through conventional and DNP-enhanced SS NMR techniques (Nature Commun. 2020, 11, 3828). Among his contributions is the development of a novel method for CO₂ capture using lithium silicate nanosheets with outstanding capture capacity, kinetics, and stability, offering a potential solution to mitigate CO₂ emissions within the reactor itself (Chem. Sci., 2021, 12, 4825).

In a recent breakthrough, they have demonstrated a groundbreaking method that involves bubbling air in water with a small amount of magnesium to generate fuel, specifically methane and hydrogen, along with the production of "green cement" (Chemical Science 2021, 12, 5774). Notably, this process does not require the application of heat, electricity, or light energy; it solely relies on the utilization of water and magnesium within a few minutes. This innovative protocol is capable of producing hydrogen at an impressive rate of 940 liters per kilogram of magnesium, which represents a substantial improvement compared to hydrogen production solely through the reaction of magnesium with water. The significance of this advancement is underscored by the fact that it is nearly 420 times more efficient in hydrogen generation. The simplicity and efficiency of this method hold significant promise for a wide range of applications, with implications not only for hydrogen production but also for the development of environmentally friendly and resource-efficient materials like "green cement."

Remarkably, Professor Polshettiwar pioneered the research field of "Fibrous Nanosilica," which has garnered significant global interest, with over 150 research groups worldwide exploring this area. This widespread use of material invented by an Indian researcher stands as a testament to the profound impact of his work. In addition to fundamental research on DFNS, he actively seeks to commercialize the technology in collaboration with industries, aiming to create a tangible societal impact.

The culmination of his groundbreaking research and achievements has been recently summarized in Acc. Chem. Res. 2022, 55, 1395–1410. Professor Polshettiwar's remarkable contributions to nanomaterial development and its applications hold significant promise in addressing crucial global challenges, such as climate change and sustainable energy solutions.

Awards and honours

• 1999 Eklavya Scholarship (for meritorious performance during BSc by Gov. of Maharashtra)
• 2005 Postdoc Research Fellowship (at ENSCM by Science & Education Ministry, France)
• 2007 ORISE Research Fellowship (for the development of independent scientist by ORISE & USEPA)
• 2013 Member of Global Young Academy (GYA)
• 2013 “Asian Rising Stars” lectureship at 15^th Asian Chemical Congress, Singapore, by Nobel Laureate Negish
• 2015 Fellow, Royal Society of Chemistry
• 2016 Journal of Materials Chemistry A Rising Stars of Materials Chemistry
• 2017 Chemical Research Society of India (CRSI) Bronze Medal
• 2019 Fellow of the Maharashtra Academy of Sciences
• 2019 Materials Research Society of India Medal
• 2020 Young Career Award in Nano Science & Technology by Nano Mission
• 2021 Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences of India
• 2021 Silver Medal by Society for Materials Chemistry (SMC), BARC, Mumbai
• 2022 National Prize for Research on Environmental Chemistry, including CO₂ reduction and Green Hydrogen by CNR Rao Foundation, JNCASR, Bangalore
• 2022 IUPAC-CHEMRAWN VII Prize for Green Chemistry
• 2023 Winner of Falling Walls Prize in the Physical Sciences category

• 2024 elected as a Fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences, Bangalore (FASc).

Selected publications

• Nickel Laden Dendritic Plasmonic Colloidosomes of Black Gold: Forced Plasmon Mediated CO₂ Hydrogenation using Solar Energy. Rishi Verma, R. Belgamwar, P. Chatterjee, R. B. Vadell, J. Sá and Vivek Polshettiwar* ACS Nano, 2023 17, 4526–4538.
• Defects Tune the Strong Metal-Support Interactions in Copper Supported on Defected Titanium Dioxide Catalyst for CO2. Reduction Rajesh Belgamwar, Rishi Verma, Tisita Das, Sudip Chakraborty, Pradip Sarawade, Vivek Polshettiwar* J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2023, 145, 8634-8646.
• Surface Plasmon-Enhanced Photo-Driven CO₂ Hydrogenation by Hydroxy Terminated Nickel Nitride Nanosheets. Saideep Singh, R. Verma, N. Kaul, J. Sa, Vivek Polshettiwar,* Nature Commu. 2023, 14, 2551.
• Dendritic Fibrous Nano-Silica (DFNS): Discovery, Synthesis, Formation Mechanism, Catalysis, and CO₂ Capture-Conversion. Vivek Polshettiwar* ACS Accounts of Chemical Research, 2022, 55, 1395–1410.
• Direct CO₂ Conversion to Fuels on Magnesium Nanoparticles at Ambient Conditions Simply Using Water. Sushma A. Rawool, R. Belgamwar, R. Jana, A. Maity, A. Bhumla, N. Yigit, A. Datta, G. Rupprechter, Vivek Polshettiwar*, Chemical Science 2021, 12, 5744-5786.
• Lithium Silicates Nanosheets with Excellent Capture Capacity and Kinetics with Unprecedented Stability for High-Temperature CO₂ Capture. Rajesh Belgamwar, Ayan Maity, Tisita Das, Sudip Chakraborty, C. P. Vinod, Vivek Polshettiwar* Chemical Science, 2021, 12, 4825-4835.
• Defects in Nanosilica Catalytically Convert CO₂ to Methane without Any Metal and Ligand. Amit K. Mishra, R. Belgamwar, R. Jana, A. Datta, and Vivek Polshettiwar*, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A 2020, 117, 6383-6390.
• Nanosponges of Acidic Amorphous Aluminosilicate for Catalysis, Plastic Degradation and CO₂ to Fuel Conversion. Ayan Maity, S. Chaudhari, J. J. Titman, Vivek Polshettiwar*, Nature Commun. 2020, 11, 3828.
• Plasmonic Colloidosomes of Black Gold for Solar Energy Harvesting and Hotspots Directed Catalysis for CO₂ to Fuel Conversion. Mahak Dhiman, Ayan Maity, Anirban Das, Rajesh Belgamwar, Bhagyashree Chalke, Yeonhee Lee, Kyunjong Sim, Jwa-Min Nam and Vivek Polshettiwar* Chemical Science, 2019, 10, 6594-6603.
• Facile Synthesis Protocol to Tune Size, Textural Properties & Fiber Density of Dendritic Fibrous Nanosilica (DFNS): Applications in Catalysis and CO₂ Capture. Ayan Maity, R. Belgamwar, Vivek Polshettiwar,* Nature Protocol, 2019, 14, 2177-2204.
• Atomic Layer Deposited (ALD) TiO₂ on Fibrous Nano-Silica (KCC-1) for Photocatalysis: Nanoparticle Formation and Size Quantization Effect. Rustam Singh, Rudheer Bapat, Lijun Qin, Hao Feng* and Vivek Polshettiwar* ACS Catalysis, 2016, 6, 2270.
• SBA-15-Oxynitrides as a Solid-Base Catalyst: Effect of Nitridation Temperature on Its Catalytic Activity. Baljeet Singh, Kaustubh R. Mote, C. S. Gopinath, P. K. Madhu*, Vivek Polshettiwar* Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2015, 54, 5985-5989.
• Insights into the Catalytic Activity of Nitridated Fibrous Silica (KCC-1) Nanocatalysts from ¹⁵N and ²⁹Si NMR Enhanced by Dynamic Nuclear Polarization. A. S. L. Thankamony, C. Lion, F. Pourpoint, B. Singh, A. J. Perez Linde, D. Carnevale, G. Bodenhausen, H. Vezin, Olivier Lafon,* Vivek Polshettiwar*,  Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2015, 54, 2190-2193.
• Silicon Oxynitrides of KCC-1, SBA-15 and MCM-41: Unprecedented Materials for CO₂ Capture with Excellent Stability and Regenerability. Umesh Patil, Aziz Fihri, Abdul-Hamid Emwas, Vivek Polshettiwar*, Chemical Science, 2012, 3, 2224-2229.
• High Surface Area Silica Nanospheres (KCC-1) with Fibrous Morphology. Vivek Polshettiwar,* D. Cha, X. Zhang and J. M. Basset*,  Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2010, 49, 9652-9656