Faculty Profile

Dr. Shekhar Agnihotri

Assistant Professor

agnish@niftem.ac.in

+91-130-2281273

Area of Interest/Specialization

Biomass valorization through nano-inspired biocatalysis for value-added products
Nano-enable postharvest technologies using electrospun nanofibers
Shelf life extension in fresh produce through nano-emulsions
Delivery of micronutrients in agriculture using hybrid nanomaterials as a vehicle
Nanocomposites for water disinfection and wastewater treatment
Designing anti-biofouling biomaterials with hydrogel-based antimicrobial coatings
Nano-photocatalytic degradation of emerging pollutants and agrichemicals

Awards & Recognition

Listed among top 2% scientists worldwide as declared by Stanford University and Elsevier (2023)
Indo (DST)-Japan (JSPS) “Young Researcher Fellowship"; (2018)
DST Young Scientist Award, Govt. of India (2016)
Institute award for excellence in Ph.D. Thesis, IIT Bombay: Best PhD thesis (2015)
Institute graduate fellowship, IIT Bombay (2009)
GATE qualified: AIR 15
02 Best Paper awards in International conference, held outside India; 06 Best Poster presentation award
in International Conferences (held within India)
Life Member, Biotech Research Society of India

Publications

Dhiman N. Kaur and Agnihotri S. (2020) Hierarchically aligned nano silver/chitosan-PVA hydrogel for point-of-use water disinfection: Contact-active mechanism revealed, Environmental Sciences: Nano (Accepted, IF 7.7)
Sillu D and Agnihotri S (2019) Cellulase immobilization onto magnetic halloysite nanotubes: Enhanced enzyme activity and stability with high cellulose saccharification, ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, 8 (2), 900-913 (IF 7.4).
Agnihotri S., Mukherji S., and Mukherji S. (2019) Impact of background water quality on disinfection performance and silver release of immobilized silver nanoparticles: Modeling disinfection kinetics, bactericidal mechanism and aggregation behavior, Chemical Engineering Journal, 372, 684-696 (IF 8.3)
Chauhan A., Sillu D. and Agnihotri S. (2019) Removal of pharmaceutical contaminants in wastewater using nanomaterials: A comprehensive review, Current Drug Metabolism, 20(6), 483-505 (IF 3.0)
Agnihotri S., Sillu D, Sharma G. and Arya R.K. (2018), Photocatalytic and antibacterial potential of silver nanoparticles derived from pineapple waste: process optimization and modeling kinetics for dye removal, Applied Nanoscience, 8(8), 2077-2092 (IF 3.2)
Sharma D., Sharma J., Arya R.K., Ahuja S. and Agnihotri S. (2018), Surfactant enhanced drying of water based poly(vinyl alcohol) coatings, Progress in Organic Coatings, 125, 443-452. (IF 3.2)
Chakraborty D., Sharma V., Agnihotri S., Mukherji S., and Mukherji S. (2017) Disinfection of water in a batch reactor using chloridized silver surfaces, Journal of Water Process Engineering, 16, 41-49. (Citations 7, IF 3.2)
Agnihotri S., Bajaj G., Mukherji S., and Mukherji S(2015) Arginine assisted immobilization of silver nanoparticles on ZnO nanorods: An enhanced and reusable antibacterial substrate without human cell cytotoxicity, Nanoscale, 7, 7415-7429. (IF 7.9, Citations 91)
Bharti S., Agnihotri S., Mukherji S., and Mukherji S. (2015) Effectiveness of immobilized silver nanoparticles in inactivation of pathogenic bacteria, Journal of Environmental Research and Development, 9, 849-856 (IF 1.6, Citations 13)
Agnihotri S., Mukherji S., and Mukherji S. (2014) Size-controlled silver nanoparticles synthesized over the range 5-100 nm using the same protocol and their antibacterial efficacy, RSC Advances, 4, 3974- 3983. (IF 3.4, Citations 956)
Agnihotri S., Mukherji S., and Mukherji S. (2013) Immobilized silver nanoparticles enhance contact killing and show highest eﬃcacy: Elucidation of the mechanism of bactericidal action of silver, Nanoscale, 5(16), 7328-7340. (IF 7.9, Citations 280)
Agnihotri S., Mukherji S., and Mukherji S. (2012) Antimicrobial chitosan-PVA hydrogel as a nanoreactor and immobilization matrix for silver nanoparticles, Applied Nanoscience, 2(3), 179-188.(IF 3.3, Citations 98)

Qualification

S.No	Degree	Subject	University/College	Year
1	Ph.D	Nanotechnology	IIT-Bombay, Mumbai	2014
2	M.Tech	Biochemical Engineering	IIT-BHU, Varanasi	2008

Experience

S.No	Designation	Institution	Duration
1	Assistant Professor(B.Tech, M.Tech, Ph.D)	NIFTEM	2020-Present
2	Assistant Professor(B.Tech, M.Tech, Ph.D)	TIET, Patiala	2014-2020
3	Research Associate(B.Tech & M.Tech)	IIT - Bombay	2014

Books

Dhiman N. Kaur, Agnihotri S., and Shukla R. (2019), Silver-based polymeric nanocomposites as antimicrobial coatings for biomedical applications. In: Singh S., Maurya P. (eds) Nanotechnology in Modern Animal Biotechnology. Springer, Ch 4, 115-171
Agnihotri S., Dhiman N. Kaur and Tripathi A (2018), Antimicrobial surface modification of polymeric biomaterials, Handbook of Antimicrobial Coatings (Ed. A. Tiwari), 1st Edition, Elsevier, 435-486
Agnihotri S. and Dhiman N. Kaur (2017), Development of nano-antimicrobial biomaterials for biomedical applications, Advances in Biomaterials for Biomedical Applications (Eds. A. Tripathi and J.S. Melo), Springer Singapore, 479-545. (Citation 3)
Mukherji S., Ruparelia J., and Agnihotri S. (2012) Antimicrobial activity of silver and copper nanoparticles: Variation in sensitivity across various strains of bacteria and fungi. Nano-Antimicrobials: Progress and Prospects (Eds. N. Cioffi and M. Rai) Springer Verlag Berlin Heidelberg, 225-251. (Scopus Indexed, Citations 10)