Naved Malek

• PhD
• Professor (Associate) at Sardar Vallabhbhai National Institute of Technology Surat

In this study, Sapindus mukorossi (soapnut, abbreviated as “SN”) fruits were used as a green precursor to synthesize carbon dots (CDs) through hydrothermal (named as SNCDs-HT) and acid carbonization (named as SNCDs-AC) methods, with a focus on comparing their optical properties and fluorescence response to pesticide detection. SNCDs-HT exhibited bl...

In this work, a facile and rapid fluorescence turn‐off‐on sensing method was developed for the detection of Pb ²⁺ and metalaxyl fungicide in environmental samples using yellow carbon dots (CDs) from Cordia dichotoma fruits. The prepared C. dichotoma ‐CDs showed the emission band (𝜆 Em ) at 535 nm under 448 nm of excitation wavelength. The fluoresce...

A hydrothermal synthetic method is established to produce blue fluorescent Eu³⁺-doped niobium carbide MXene quantum dots (Eu³⁺-Nb2C MQDs). The synthesized Eu³⁺-Nb2C MQDs demonstrated a quantum yield of 20.61% and a maximum emission intensity at 405 nm. The as-prepared Eu³⁺-Nb2C MQDs acted as a sensor for the rapid and sensitive detection of hypoxan...

In this study, carbon dots (CDs) were synthesized from Peltophorum pterocarpum flowers as the precursor material using the hydrothermal method. The fluorescence emission spectra of the resulting Peltophorum pterocarpum CDs (PP-CDs) exhibited excitation-independent behavior, showing the fluorescence emission peak at 410 nm when excited at 330 nm. Th...

Microcrystalline cellulose was subjected to acetylation by different agents in solvent mixtures, composed of the ionic liquids (ILs) 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium X (X = acetate, BuMeImAcO; chloride, BuMeImCl), and the molecular solvents (MSs), N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAc) and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). The reactions were carried out under homogeneou...

Nano vehicles for drug delivery with stimuli‐responsive characteristics are gaining prominence due to their ability to enhance traditional drug delivery methods by minimizing side effects and improving drug efficacy. Among the various stimuli‐responsive systems, pH‐responsive drug delivery nano vehicles have garnered significant attention. Utilizin...

A multifunctional [Cho][Gly] and oleic acid based ionic hydrogel for transdermal delivery of the hydrophilic drug 5-FU in breast cancer treatment.

A unique series of 1-(3-(3,4-difluorophenyl)amino)phenyl)ethan-1-one linked fluorinated diphenylamine chalcones (A1-A7) were synthesized and characterized by NMR, IR, and MS. The compounds were studied in vitro for antibacterial and antifungal activities. In vitro studies show that the compound had significant antibacterial (MICs 25-250 µg/ml) and...

Inspired by the antifreeze proteins found in the blood of Trematomus borchgrevtnki, a fish from the Antarctic Ocean, herein we developed metal organic framework (MOF) based ‘waterless’ eutectogels with impermeable nano-domains as antifreeze “soft” materials. The eutectogels were successfully developed through dissolving sodium alginate and ZIF-8, a...

The exponential growth in the development of biocompatible patch-type drug delivery as an alternative to traditional intravenous or subcutaneous injections is because it can be applied to patients with needle phobia and can overcome the need for highly trained personnel. Through a patch, a drug can be administered locally, ensuring relief from side...

Nanodrug carriers have various biological and pharmaceutical applications, and among all the transdermal drug delivery is fascinating, specifically for localized medication therapy to a specific diseased organ or limited diseased area of the body, such as breast cancer cells or carcinoma cells. This way the efficacy of drug can be enhanced and its...

Many reactions are carried out in solvent mixtures, mainly because of practical reasons. For example, E2 eliminations are favored over SN2 substitutions in aqueous organic solvents because the bases are desolvated. This example raises the question: how do we chose binary solvents to favor reaction outcomes? This important question is deceptively si...

Multifunctional polymeric eutectogel with characteristics such as self‐healing, adhesive, moldable, load bearable and penetrable through the stratum corneum layer of skin is vital for designing highly efficient platform for the new age sustained transdermal drug delivery. Inspired by the sea cucumber, which can loosen and tighten its body and merge...

ZIF-8 coated ionic liquid based vesicular nano-aggregates as drug vehicle for the chemotherapeutic drug doxorubicin in cancer treatment.

Emerging interest in designing multi-responsive soft materials for diverse applications leads to the development of system that is embedded with the functional groups with stimuli responsive character. Surface active ionic...

This research paper reports the synthesis of a spongelike super-porous hydrogel of xanthan gum with acrylamide (i.e., XG-SPH) with highly dense interconnected capillary channels and its application as a desiccant...

This study describes a new method for synthesizing water-soluble carbon dots (CDs) using “Curcuma longa” (green source) named CL-CDs via a single-step hydrothermal process. The as-synthesized CL-CDs exhibited greenish-yellow fluorescence at 548 nm upon excitation at 440 nm. It shows good water stability and exhibits a quantum yield of 19.4%. The de...

Correction for ‘Synthesis of green fluorescent carbon dots from Moringa oleifera for sensing of deltamethrin and fenvalerate in vegetables and rice’ by Foziya Yusuf Vadia et al., Sustainable Food Technol., 2023, 1, 762–772, https://doi.org/10.1039/D3FB00117B.

Deltamethrin (DLM) and fenvalerate (FV) are synthetic pyrethroid type II insecticides. Herein, we developed a facile sustainable analytical approach for the detection of DLM and FV using green-fluorescent carbon dots derived from Moringa oleifera (MO-CDs) via acid carbonization. The as-synthesized MO-CDs exhibited emission at 524 nm upon excitation...

In this study, water-soluble carbon dots (CDs) were employed as a novel fluorescence "turn OFF-ON" sensor to detect Fe3+ ions in pharmaceutical sample and propiconazole (PC) in food samples. Blue fluorescent "LPCDs" are synthesized from the lemon peel that exhibited emission at 468 nm when excited at 378 nm. The average size of the as-prepared LPCD...

Carbon dots (CDs) are the emerging class of carbonized materials with an ultra-small size (< 10 nm) and remarkable optical properties. In this paper, blue emissive CDs were synthesized from Plumeria obtusa (PO) flower named “PO-CDs” via a conventional hydrothermal approach. The as-prepared PO-CDs showed emission at 419 nm when excited at 335 nm wit...

Designing multifunctional hydrogel through integrating more than one property into a single hydrogel is challenging. To impart the hydrophilicity for biological applications and environment protection as well as sufficient elasticity and optimizable rigidity to the polymeric hydrogel, herein we have added biocompatible, and biodegradable ionic liqu...

Ameliorating the existing purification methods with more affordable, efficient, and industrially adoptable methods that remove heavy metal ions from contaminated drinking water constitutes a persistent technological challenge. Metal–organic framework (MOF)-based materials with their excellent adsorption performance are recently explored as an alter...

Maleic anhydride-diethylenetriamine grafted on starch (st-g-(MA-DETA)) was synthesized through graft copolymerization, and the different parameters (copolymerization temperature, reaction time, concentration of initiator and monomer concentration) affecting starch graft percentage were studied to achieve the maximum grafting percentage. The maximum...

Herein, we synthesized molybdenum oxide quantum dots using bovine serum albumin as a ligand (BSA-MoOx QDs) via a simple method. The synthesized fluorescent BSA-MoOx QDs were stable, and blue fluorescence was noticed upon exposure to UV lamp at 365 nm. When excited at 320 nm, BSA-MoOx QDs showed an emission peak at 406 nm. Atomic force microscopic i...

Designing cancer therapeutics that can ameliorate the high dose related side effects of chemotherapy and is safer, more effective, and site specific with stimuli response is getting attention in recent...

Identification of trace level chemical species (drugs, pesticides, metal ions and biomarkers) plays key role in environmental monitoring. Recently, fluorescence assay has shown significant advances in detecting of trace level drugs, pesticides, metal ions and biomarkers in real samples. Ultra-small nanostructure materials (metal nanoclusters (NCs),...

Metal ions or clusters that have been bonded with organic linkers to create one- or more-dimensional structures are referred to as metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). Reticular synthesis also forms MOFs with properly designated components that can result in crystals with high porosities and great chemical and thermal stability. Due to the wider surfac...

Surface Active Ionic liquids (SAILs) with stimuli-responsive properties is among the class of ionic liquids (ILs) that have tailor made structures and enormous application potential than the traditional surfactants. The impetus for studying the functionalized (pH and light responsive) SAILs is their dynamic properties added with enormous scope of p...

Hierarchical self‐assembly of new age surfactants, surface‐active ionic liquids (SAILs) has attracted increasing interests because of its close resemblance to membrane mimetic structure and its application in drug delivery. Among these self‐assembled structures, thermodynamically stable vesicular nanoaggregates are of great importance due to its st...

This paper demonstrates the excess molar properties: excess molar volumes VmE and excess isentropic compressibilities Ks,mE of aqueous binary mixtures of PEGylated DESs at T = (293.15 323.15) K and at atmospheric pressure. The DESs were prepared from combination of Tetrabutylammonium bromide/Benzyltributylammonium chloride as HBA with Polyethylene...

In modern green chemistry, Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) have gain appreciable recognition as an analogues of ionic liquids (ILs) due to inexpensive and easy to handle preparation method. DESs exhibit similar physiochemical properties to ILs and considered as a suitable alternative to volatile organic solvents. In present study, DESs were formulate...

Herein, fluorescent molybdenum nanoclusters are synthesized by using Schiff base 2,3-dialdehyde starch-cysteine derivative as a ligand and 2,3-dialdehyde starch-cysteine Schiff base (DCSB) protected molybdenum nanoclusters (MoNCs) are named as “DCSB-MoNCs”. The as-synthesized fluorescent DCSB-MoNCs were stable and exhibited blue fluorescence under...

Here we report, the interaction of a star block copolymer T1304 and biologically important additive, bile salts (BS) in aqueous condition. Bile salts used for the system are sodium cholate (NaC), sodium taurocholate (NaTC) and sodium deoxycholate (NaDC). Mixed micelles of T1304-BS have been assessed by employing cloud point (CP), scattering [dynami...

The following series of ionic liquid-based surfactant halides was studied: 1-(n-hexadecyl)-3-C m-imidazolium bromides and chlorides (C 16 C m ImBr and C 16 C m ImCl, respectively) where C m = C 1-C 4. Using isothermal titration calorimetry, we calculated the enthalpy of micelle formation (DH⁰ mic) at 25°C for both halide surfactants, and from 15 to...

Fluorescent carbon dots (CDs) attract huge attention in analytical and bioanalytical applications due to their high selectivity towards target analytes, specificity, photostability, and quantum yield. The cost-effective and biocompatible properties of CDs show great potentiality to integrate with optical analytical tools to detect pesticides, drugs...

Traditionally administered chemotherapeutic drugs via oral or parental routes for the treatment of breast cancer often results in serious systemic side effects. To ameliorate this, efforts have been made for the advanced drug carrier system that precisely releases the drug at the targeted site and increases the therapeutic efficiency with reduced s...

In this work, terephthaldehyde-cysteine-molybdenum nanoclusters (TPA-Cys-MoNCs) were synthesized by using terephthaldehyde-cysteine (TPA-Cys) Schiff base as a novel ligand. The as-synthesized TPA-Cys-MoNCs showed blue fluorescence under UV lamp at 365 nm, displaying emission peak at 455 nm when excited at 340 nm. The fluorescent TPA-Cys-MoNCs are u...

In this work, microwave assisted method was developed for synthesis of red fluorescent copper nanoclusters by using trypsin as a template (trypsin-Cu NCs). The as- synthesized trypsin-Cu NCs are stable and water soluble, exhibiting fluorescence emission at 657 nm when excited at 490 nm. The as-prepared red emitting trypsin-Cu NCs were characterized...

Hydrogel nanocomposites have been recognized as ‘smart materials’ owing to their three-dimensional polymeric structures that can easily stabilize the constituent nanomaterials (metals, non-metals, metal oxides, and polymers). In addition, the incorporation of nanomaterials into a hydrogel structure can enhance the properties, such as photonic, elec...

In this study, three different colored blue (B-), green (G-) and yellow (Y-) fluorescent carbon dots (CDs) were synthesized by using natural precursor Annona squamosa fruit via acid oxidation method. The as-synthesized B-, G- and Y-CDs displayed intense emission peaks at 445, 514 and 558 nm upon the excitations at 360, 420 and 440 nm, respectively....

Judiciously designed surfactant based protocell models such as micelles, vesicles, gels and coacervates with higher thermal stability, low-toxicity and bio-compatibility found applications in various new age technologies. In our attempt to obtain the membrane free microreactors for accumulating dyes and biomolecules within a single system, herein w...

Borophene is a two-dimensional (2D) material that shows outstanding applications in energy storage devices. Recent years, borophene has been identified as a rising star in materials chemistry for the development...

Designing stimuli-responsive therapeutic scaffolds to deliver hydrophobic chemo drugs with controlled and sustained release at the tumor site would be promising in cancer treatment. In a quest for the stimuli-responsive drug delivery system with sustained release, herein we have fabricated an active pharmaceutical ingredient-based ionic liquid (IL)...

The assay of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) plays a key role in the diagnosis of various diseases. Herein, folic acid functionalized molybdenum oxide quantum dots (FA-MoOx QDs) are explored as fluorescence “turn- off and on” probes for assaying of Cu²⁺ ion and ALP, respectively. This fluorescence sensing strategy was based on the quenching of emission...

Surfactant based low molecular weight gelators with stimuli responsive properties are advantageous in designing new age smart materials for multipurpose applications. In our efforts towards developing the smart surface active gelators, herein we report synthesis of the 1-hexadecyl-3-methyl imidazolium salicylate (C16MeImSal) with better surface act...

Surfactant vesicles have elicited the attention because of their non-toxic nature, ease of preparation, low cost programmable drug delivery vehicle and soft templates for the organized nano-assemblies. To unleash their potential as the new age drug carrier, herein we have designed catanionic vesicles formed through synergistic interactions between...

Surfactant-mediated complex coacervates are the dense liquid phase formed by the associative interaction between oppositely charged ions and are known as the new age microreactors for their ability to sequester molecules with different polarities and functionalities. To show the more recent attempts proof-of-concept in accumulating system that can...

Among two-dimensional nanomaterials, MXenes-based nanomaterials have evolved as promising nanostructured materials for various applications owing to their remarkable properties such as hydrophilicity, high conductivity, and outstanding electrochemical/mechanical properties. This review provides a rapid overview on the classification and brief histo...

Graphene oxide (GO) has attracted substantial interest in various fields of science and technology, owing to its remarkable mechanical, electrical and optical properties. It is prepared using the modified Hummers method and employed as a precursor for the fabrication of graphene-based nanostructure materials. The facile synthesis of reduced graphen...

Aqueous solubility and stability of curcumin could be ameliorated through its encapculation within the micellar and vesicular assemblies. This could protect curcumin from the attack of inactivating enzymes in the biological fluid and improve its medicinal and therapeutic effects. In our efforts to design surfactant based organized assemblies as dru...

The impetus for the expanding interest in ionic liquids (ILs) is their favorable properties and important applications. Ionic liquid-based surfactants (ILBSs) carry long-chain hydrophobic tails. Two or more molecules of ILBSs can be joined by covalent bonds leading, e.g., to gemini compounds (GILBSs). This review article focuses on aspects of the c...

The effects of the length of alkyl side chain (Cm) of ionic liquid-based surfactants (ILBSs) on their adsorption at the water/air interface, and aggregation in aqueous solutions were investigated for the series 1-(n-hexadecyl)-3-Cm-imidazolium bromides and chlorides, where Cm = C1-C4 for the bromides, and C1-C5 for the chlorides. These physicochemi...

In this work, we synthesized a new ligand namely 2,3-dialdehyde cellulose-cysteine (DAC-Cys) Schiff base by using cellulose and L-cysteine as reagents. The as-synthesized DAC-Cys Schiff base was used as a stabilizing agent for the synthesis of water soluble highly blue fluorescent gold nanoclusters (DAC-Cys-AuNCs). The fluorescence emission intensi...

In this work, a facile synthetic route was established for the synthesis of highly blue fluorescent tyrosine coated molybdenum oxide quantum dots (Tyr-MoO3 QDs). Tyrosine (Tyr) was used as a surface ligand for the functionalization of MoO3 QDs with Tyr, thereby generating a highly blue fluorescent Tyr-MoO3 QDs. The obvious color changes were notice...

A ubiquitous example of DNA and proteins inspires the scientific community to design synthetic systems that can construct various self-assembled complex nano-objects for high-end physiological functions. To gain insight into judiciously designed artificial amphiphilic structures that through self-assembling form various morphological architectures...

Passive devices that exhibit release of the drug on demand and have the potential to be switched off and on optimally and effectively are advantageous for the treatment of various diseases including diabetes, chronic pain, and cancer. To this end, drug loaded magnetic and non-magnetic microspheres were prepared herein from the natural, biodegradabl...

Room temperature ionic liquids (RTILs) have been researched as a novel substitute for volatile organic solvents since their inception two decades ago. The high viscosity and cost of pure ILs are major constrains for their industrial application which can be overcome by the addition of small amount of organic solvent. The introduction of organic sol...

Deep eutectic solvents (DESs), an alternative to ionic liquids and conventional molecular organic solvents have attracted scientific attention because of their unique physico-chemical properties that can be tuned judiciously. These physcicochemical properties are altered if water, the most eco-friendly solvent is present as an impurity or as a coso...

One of the most fascinating aspects of living cells that are yet to match by the synthetic self-assembled structures is their complexity, functionality and ability to exchange the analytes and energy fluxes dynamically. Surfactant based coacervates are designed to compete for these properties of living cells and are termed as the protocell models b...

In the present study, four surface-active ionic liquids (SAILs) having different head groups (phosphonium, pyridinium, pyrrolidinium and imidazolium) but the same hydrophobic tail length and same anion attached, have been screened for their surface activity and capability in reducing interfacial tension (IFT) between crude oil and water. Effects of...

The intrinsic limits of conventional cancer therapies prompt the development of an effective, safer, smarter and targeted drug carriers that improve the efficiency of the drug carrier, reduce the adverse effects of the drug on the healthy cells, and helps in preventing the cancer recurrences. This research aims to design a stimuli-responsive, self-...

Strategic designing catanionic system that leads to vesicle formation is advantageous if one of the components is hydrotropic ‘drug’. Vesicles are size-selective filters that offer passive diffusion of small molecules including drugs and are the best alternatives to liposomes and niosomes. Drug molecules can be carried irrespective to their polarit...

Conceptualizing surfactant vesicles as soft templates to construct nanometer sized hollow inorganic spheres require understanding the interactions between vesicle bilayers and growing material. Herein we had investigated the spontaneous vesicle formation in an aqueous catanionic system, composed of strategically designed cationic ester functionaliz...

We have developed a facile and cost-effective chemical reduction procedure for the preparation of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) using ractopamine hydrochloride (RA) as a novel reagent. The RA assembled AuNPs display high affinity towards cysteine (Cys) and Hg²⁺ ion, causing aggregation of RA-AuNPs, which accompanies a remarkable a red-shift (534 to 60...

Surface active ionic liquids (SAILs) are a subclass of ionic liquids (ILs), having an amphiphilic character that is surplus to the unique physiochemical properties inherited from the basic ILs. They have been particularly intriguing for their higher efficiency in reducing IFT between oil and water under harsh environmental conditions typically foun...