Chitra Gurnani

• PhD in Chemistry from MDS University, Ajmer, India - 2006-2009
• M.Sc. (Chemistry) from MDS University, Ajmer, India - 2005
• B.Sc. (Chemistry Hons) from MDS University, Ajmer, India - 2003

• Expertise in materials deposition by chemical vapour deposition (LPCVD and AACVD) and thin film characterisation techniques including thin film/powder XRD, SEM, EDX, Raman and AFM.
• Highly experienced in synthetic inorganic chemistry including air and moisture sensitive compounds using both Schlenk line and glove box techniques.
• Acquisition and interpretation of data from multiple spectroscopic techniques such as FT-IR, Raman a various multinuclear NMR spectroscopy (including metal nuclei, 77Se,125Te).
• Experience of data collection, solution and refinement for structure determination by single crystal X-ray Diffraction.
• Conducted beamtime Microfocus XRD experiments at (I18) Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire, UK

• Newton International Fellowship (2011-2013) - awarded by The Royal Society, UK. The fellowship is an individual award and is highly competitive (~ 7% success rates).
• Commonwealth Split-Site Doctoral Scholarship (2007–2008) - awarded by the Foreign Commonwealth Office and Association of commonwealth universities, UK. Prestigious and competitive scholarship - only 14 across all subject areas in India in
• 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) - B.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

LIST OF PUBLICATIONS (IF=impact factor)

1. C. Gurnani, N. Ðordević, 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. (IF: 6.718).
2. Y. K. Loh, C. Gurnani, R. Ganguly, D. Vidovi?, “A Dicationic Iminophosphane.” Inorg. Chem., 2015, 54, 3087−3089. (IF: 4.794).
3. 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. (IF: 4.097). Selected for themed collection HOT articles Dalton Transactions 2014.
4. 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. (IF: 6.101). Highlighted as inside back cover.
5. 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. (IF: 8.535).
6. 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.
7. 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. (IF: 8.535).
8. 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. (IF: 4.097).
9. 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 Ga2Te3 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).
10. 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. (IF: 8.535).
11. 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. (IF: 4.097).
12. 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. (IF: 4.097).
13. 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. (IF: 4.097).
14. 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.
15. 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. (IF: 2.011).
16. 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. (IF: 0.513).

BOOK CHAPTERS

1. 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.
2. 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.

Research Fellow

Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

Project: Synthesis and reactivities of main group compounds with neutral and anionic nucleophilic Ligands

 

Royal Society Newton Alumnus-(Follow on funding)

Host: University of Southampton, UK

Collaboration: ISIS, Science and Technology Facilities Council, UK

Project: Development of new routes to metal chalcogenide thin films for the applications in

Electronics and Spintronics

Royal Society Newton International Fellow

Host: University of Southampton, Southampton, UK

Project: Phase change memory materials via CVD from p-block reagents

• Synthesis and characterization of tailored reagents as single source precursors for metal chalcogenide deposition via LPCVD.
• Very high selective deposition of crystalline SnSe2 and TiSe2 onto conducting TiN surface of lithographically patterned substrates.
• First examples of metal telluride deposition from convenient single source telluroether reagents (Ga2Te3, Bi2Te3).Conductivities/resistivities of the deposited materials comparable to materials deposited by molecular beam epitaxy.
• Project in collaboration between School of Chemistry and School of Electronics and Computer Science, University of Southampton, UK

Assistant Professor  

Central University of Rajasthan, Rajasthan, India

• Delivered lectures and tutorials on the 2 year M.Sc. Chemistry programme (modules: Electrochemistry and Kinetics, Thermodynamics ca. 30 students per cohort).
• Set and mark course work and exam questions associated with these lecture courses.

Lecturer

Regional Institute of Education, Ajmer, Rajasthan, India

• Delivered lectures and tutorials to B.Sc. first, second and third year (Physical Chemistry) to ca 100 students per cohort.

RESEARCH FUNDING AWARDED

• Newton International Fellowship Alumni follow-on funding (2015): ?6000 per annum
• Newton International Fellowship (2011-2013) ?104,000
• Alumni funding to be awarded for a period of 9 yrs.

OTHER TEACHING EXPERIENCE

• Co-supervised 2 undergraduate (Masters) project students, including guiding project objectives and day to day supervision at University of Southampton, UK (2011-2013).
• Delivered a series of problem solving workshop sessions for first and second year M. Chem. (inorganic chemistry) at University of Southampton, UK (2011, 2012).
• Conducted undergraduate tutorials for second year M. Chem. (inorganic Chemistry and materials chemistry) at University of Southampton, UK (2011, 2012).
• Delivered lectures to M.Sc. Pharmaceutical Chemistry, MDS University, Ajmer, India.

MEMBERSHIP OF PROFESSIONAL/LEARNED SOCIETIES

• Member of the Royal Society of Chemistry, UK
• Member of American Chemical Society
• Member of Directed Assembly Network Grand Challenge, UK.