The organization of nanomaterials in ultrathin films can exhibit extraordinary physicochemical properties which can be potentially employed for a wide range of applications including sensing, photovoltaics, non-linear optical devices and catalysis. The physical interaction between the nanomaterials and with surfaces can govern their nucleation and aggregation at the interfaces. The alignment of the nanomaterials in the ultrathin film can regulate its physicochemical properties which can offer a wide spectrum of electro-optical phenomena based applications. The ultrathin film fabricated using the Langmuir-Blodgett technique is quite popular owing to its essential features of controlling the molecular states prior to the deposition and thickness of the film. Though the molecules in the LB film bind to the substrate via the soft physical interaction, it can yield a suitable functional arena for sensing application. In this talk, we will discuss the LB films of mesogenic and nanomaterials and their applications for sensing a variety of analytes. The role of surface morphology on the sensing performance will be presented.

Dr. Gupta is associate professor and head of department of physics, BITS Pilani. His research focus is in the field of ultrathin films of organic and nanomaterials. He works in the field of development of surface plasmon resonance instrument and its sensing applications. He has executed several sponsored projects. He has published around 50 articles and book chapters in international journals of repute. One of his Indian patent is in progress. He has guided/guiding 8 PhD students and several undergraduate students.