Ms. Amrita Pal
| Grant Category: | Fulbright-Nehru Doctoral and Professional Research Fellow |
| Field of Specialization: | Chemistry |
| Name: | Ms. Amrita Pal |
| Official Address and Designation: | Research Scholar
Department of Chemistry Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur Kharagpur 721 302 West Bengal |
| Telephone (O): | 91-3222-283308 |
| E-mail: | amritapal1983@gmail.com |
| Duration of Grant: | Nine Months |
| Project Title: | Synthesis, Characterization and Application of low-molecular-weight Amino Acid and Peptide based Gelators |
| Abstract of Project : | |
| I am working on the synthesis and characterization of low-molecular-weight amino acid based gelators. Gels are used in our everyday life in a variety of forms like soap, shampoo, toothpaste, hair gel, contact lenses, gel pens and other cosmetics. Gels have also potential applications in tissue engineering, vehicles for controlled drug release, and pollutant capture and removal. For biological applications, hydrogel-based drug delivery systems have become more popular due to their biodegradability. I have successfully synthesized a peptide-based hydrogelator which efficiently gelate water of wide range of pH, and also prepared some organogelators which gelate a variety of organic solvents. Preliminary characterization of these gels by conventional techniques like Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy, Small Angle X-Ray Diffraction studies, Rheology etc. have been done. During my Fulbright grant, I plan to do in-vitro biological evaluation, such as toxicity studies of the hydrogels. The final objective is to explore potential applications of the gels using well characterized in vitro systems in drug delivery. | |
| Academic Background : | |||
| Ph.D. | Organic Chemistry | Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur | 2008 – till date |
| M. Sc. | Organic Chemistry | University of Burdwan, West Bengal | 2006 |
| B. Sc. | Chemistry | University of Burdwan, West Bengal | 2004 |
