Porphyrin based nanomaterials

Porphyrins are terapyrrolic compounds that are usually synthesized by the condensation of aromatic aldehyde with pyrrole or the reaction of dipyrromethene with an aromatic aldehyde followed by oxidation with p-chloranil. Because of its highly conjugated nature and rich 22 ? electron system, excellent chemical and physical properties, they have been used as versatile building blocks for the synthesis of nanomaterials with varying applicability, extreme molar absorption to near-infrared spectrum from the visible region, supreme oxygen quantum yields with singlet state, and chemical flexibility. Functionalized porphyrin-based nanocomposites offers various tunability modes in terms of optical, electronic, and magnetic properties and provide an efficient sensing platform to detect various analytes in the field of environment, health, and food. Porphyrin carbon nanocomposites can be used as nanosensors for the detection of toxic compounds and volatile organic compounds ( VOCs) generated during the deterioration of food. Porphyrins have demonstrated great potentials in visible-light photocatalytic applications, because of their electrical, optical and catalytic properties. This has found diverse application in the synthesis of selective nanomaterials with porphyrin like properties.  The nanoparticles of porphyrin and its derivatives have been developed for drug delivery systems which are one of the popular fields in pharmaceutical chemistry. Porphyrin nanomaterials condensing to different drug delivery variables have been utilized to enhance delivery features due to the properties that allow immune tolerance, specific targeting, better hydrophilicity, and lengthy tissue lifetime.

Audience Take Away:

• The audience will be more knowledgeable at work in nanotechnology
• It will improve the accuracy of a design
• It will expand the scope of nanotechnologists

Prof. Raymond Jagessar obtained his BSc (Distinction) in Chemistry/Biology from the University of Guyana (1992) and his PhD from the UK (1995). He was Assistant Lecturer at the University of Guyana, 1991-1992. He held three Post Doctoral Research Fellowships (PDF) at the University of South Carolina, Columbia (USA), Wichita State University, Kansas (USA) and the University of the West Indies during the period, 1996 1999. He is also accredited with a distinction in DiPEd (higher education) at the University of Guyana in 2022. He has several international awards, amongst them are Chartered Chemist, CChem, Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, FRSC, UK, Research Grants etc. He is an awardee of the Guyana Innovation Prize and a Fellow of the Caribbean Academy of Sciences. His research interests are broad, covering the spectrum of Pure and Applied Chemistry, Chemical Biology and Pharmaceutical Chemistry. He has published over one hundred (100) research articles, five book chapters, one book, three e-books and presented at over 100 conferences locally, regionally and internationally. He has given keynote presentations at several conferences at the international forum. He is a member of several editorial boards and reviewer to several journals. He is currently Professor of Chemistry at the University of Guyana (South America), former President of the Caribbean Academy of Sciences (2020-2023) and currently, Foreign Secretary of the Caribbean Academy of Sciences.