Chemical Engineering, Electrochemistry, Energy, Catalysis
14
Scopus Publications
128
Scholar Citations
6
Scholar h-index
3
Scholar i10-index
Scopus Publications
Exploring the Feasibility of Hydrogen-Driven Chemical Desalination through Redox-Mediated Salt Ion Capture Amit Tiwari, Akhilendra Pratap, VJ Akash, Prachi Upadhyay, Sankar Chakma, Ijjada Mahesh ACS Sustainable Resource Management, 2026 Hydrogen has various applications in different sectors, for instance in chemical industries for fertilizer production and the power sector for generation of electricity. In this work, a new application of hydrogen is explored, for desalination. A membrane-free chemical approach to remove salt ions from saline water at room temperature is developed. Accordingly, a thermodynamically uphill desalination process is carried out using H2 and O2 gases. In this approach, solid phase sodium and chloride ion trapping redox materials, respectively, are reacted with hydrogen and oxygen gases to trap the ions from the salt water. The proof of concept for this chemical desalination approach, on a redox material, is validated by several methods, including physical characterization of the salt trapping materials, and analysis of the desalinated solution employing ion selective electrode and ion chromatography techniques. Electrochemical analysis suggests that salt ion trapping is driven by the electrochemical reactions of the reactant gasses. Even though electrochemical desalination systems are efficient, they face challenges in scalability due to electrode surface area constraints and electrolyte resistance; in contrast, the proposed membrane-free chemical desalination approach utilizes hydrogen and oxygen gases as direct redox agents for desalination to address these challenges. This approach can make the process potentially scalable and compatible with off-grid operations. Furthermore, the theoretical energy consumed by this process, including chemical desalination and salination, is calculated as approximately 6.72kWh/m3 (for brackish water). This work represents a contribution to the field of water purification, demonstrating the potential application of hydrogen for desalination via chemical reactions.
Hydrated Electrocatalysis: To Boost the Selectivity for the Oxygen Evolution Reaction in Seawater Electrolysis P. Vignesh Raja, Padinjarethil Vishnu, Tanmay Kumar Panigrahi, Ravi Sankannavar, Sai Phani Vangala, Ijjada Mahesh Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 2025 The increase in the production of renewable electricity offers the opportunity to transition from the usage of fossil-based hydrogen to green hydrogen. While mass production of green hydrogen by water electrolysis demands substantial freshwater resources, the abundant availability of seawater provides a promising opportunity to directly use it as an electrolyte in a water electrolyzer. However, a major challenge in seawater electrolysis is the low selectivity for oxygen evolution compared to the chlorine evolution at the anode. To address this, we proposed a strategy to boost the selectivity for oxygen evolution by hydrated electrocatalysis, in which water is itself part of the catalyst. Water molecules that are coordinately bonded to the active catalytic sites play a significant role in enhancing oxygen evolution selectivity. This approach was demonstrated with Prussian blue analogue electrocatalysts in acidified simulated seawater electrolyte using rotating ring disk electrode voltammetry. Microkinetic modeling was employed to correlate the coverage by the reactants (H 2 O and Cl – ) with selectivity. Notably, the crystal water coverage on hydrated electrocatalysts emerged as the partial descriptor for the selectivity of the oxygen evolution reaction. To gain insights for coverage by crystal water and Cl –, the thermogravimetric analysis combined with Rietveld refinement and microkinetic Tafel analysis was performed. In a nutshell, we explored the question: if the reactant molecule (H 2 O) is an integral part of the catalyst, can it promote the corresponding electrochemical oxidation reaction (O 2 evolution) over its competitor (Cl 2 evolution)?
Mechanism of electrochemical oxidation of nitroxide radicals in ethaline deep eutectic Solvent Nora A. Shaheen, Mahesh Ijjada, Miomir B. Vukmirovic, Rohan Akolkar Journal of the Electrochemical Society, 2020 Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) are emerging as promising electrolytes for electrochemical energy storage applications. Electroactive nitroxide-radical-containing organics can be dissolved in DESs to facilitate redox reactions; however, mechanistic know-how of their charge transfer kinetics at the electrode surface is rather limited. Here, we investigate the mechanism underlying the electrochemical oxidation of 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl (TEMPO) and 4-hydroxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl (4-hydroxy-TEMPO). Using polarization measurements on a platinum rotating disk electrode and micro-electrode, we show that the anodic charge transfer coefficient ( α ) for one-electron transfer oxidations of TEMPO and 4-hydroxy-TEMPO approaches 0.9 in DES as well as in aqueous electrolytes, i.e., a significant deviation from α ≈ 0.5 expected for symmetric redox behavior. To explain this observation, a two-step oxidation mechanism is proposed wherein the nitroxide-containing species undergo fast charge transfer at an electrode surface followed by slow rate-limiting desorption of the adsorbed oxidized species. Numerical simulations are reported to characterize how the proposed two-step mechanism manifests in transient cyclic voltammetry behavior of the 4-hydroxy-TEMPO oxidation reaction, and good agreement with experiments is noted.
Hysteresis effects and roughness suppression efficacy of polyethylenimine additive in Cu electrodeposition in ethaline Nora A. Shaheen, Ijjada Mahesh, Miomir B. Vukmirovic, Rohan Akolkar Electrochemistry Communications, 2020 Deep eutectic solvents (DES) are environmentally-friendly electrolytes that are gaining interest for electrodeposition and energy storage applications. In these applications, metal electrodeposits with smooth, non-dendritic morphology are desired and thus effective strategies for suppressing roughness evolution are critically needed. A commonly employed and rather effective strategy for suppressing roughness evolution in metal electrodeposition is the use of electrolyte additives; however, the availability of such additives in DES electrolytes is limited and so is the understanding of the mechanisms through which additives suppress roughness amplification in DES media. In the present contribution, we demonstrate that polyethylenimine (PEI) is an effective electrolyte additive that suppresses roughness evolution during Cu electrodeposition in ethaline DES. PEI, due to its adsorption–deactivation properties, exhibits a unique hysteresis response during voltammetric studies of Cu electrodeposition – this response is analyzed using a mathematical model incorporating the relevant PEI transport, surface adsorption and deactivation processes. The model provides guidelines for selection of optimal conditions (e.g., PEI concentration) for effective suppression of roughness amplification in Cu electrodeposition.
Scale-Up Process of Core@Shell Monolayer Catalyst without Active Potential Control through Electroless Underpotential Deposition Galvanic Replacement Ijjada Mahesh, A. Sarkar Chemistryselect, 2018 Core@shell monolayer catalysts have dual advantages in electrocatalysis, cost of the catalyst is minimized by depositing expensive metal as a monolayer shell and the catalytic activity can be enhanced by selecting an appropriate core metal. In this communication, a novel chemically assisted underpotential deposition process to fabricate core@shell monolayer nanoparticles in bulk scale has been introduced. Ag(shell)@Pd(core)/C nanoparticles have been prepared by this electroless underpotential deposition method. The thickness of the Ag shell has been calculated as one atomic layer from XPS analysis. Core‐shell structure of nanoparticles has been confirmed by STEM characterization. Further, Pt(shell)@Pd(core)/C nanoparticles have been engineered from Ag@Pd/C nanoparticles by Galvanic replacement of Ag by Pt. This Pt@Pd/C electrocatalyst has been tested for formic acid oxidation.
Exploring the Feasibility of Hydrogen-Driven Chemical Desalination through Redox-Mediated Salt Ion Capture A Tiwari, A Pratap, VJ Akash, P Upadhyay, S Chakma, I Mahesh ACS Sustainable Resource Management , 2026 2026
Tungsten-modified MXene-integrated Spinel Oxides as High-Performance and Stable Catalysts for Water/Seawater Oxidation D Tanwar, PV Raja, P Vishnu, M Ijjada Journal of Materials Chemistry A , 2026 2026
Dual function of phosphate buffer in untreated seawater electrolysis: boosting oxygen evolution reaction efficiency and inhibiting cathode scaling PV Raja, I Mahesh Sustainable Energy & Fuels 10 (6), 1535-1546 , 2026 2026
Mechanistic understanding of origin of selectivity for oxygen evolution reaction in untreated natural seawater oxidation: Theoretical and experimental insights IM PV Raja, DR Kanchan, A Banerjee, A Joshy, R Sankannavar International Journal of Hydrogen Energy 200, 152946 , 2026 2026 Citations: 2
Natural Seawater Electrolyte Enables CO2 Reduction Selectivity Transition from C1 to C2 Alcohol on Metal Phosphate Catalysts and Suppression of Cathode Scaling with Buffering … S Katre, T Panigrahi, PV Raja, I Mahesh ChemRxiv 2025 (1231) , 2025 2025
Electrostatic-Electrochemical Coupling Enables Energy Storage and Electrosynthesis of Nano-catalysts in Charged Electrolytes PV Raja, P Vishnu, V Kumar, A Chandel, A Sarkar, M Ijjada chemrxiv.org , 2025 2025
Hydrogen Production from Low-Grade Water Electrolysis to Contribute to Sustainable Development Goals 6 and 7: Challenges and Opportunities P Vishnu, D Tanwar, M Ijjada chemrxiv.org , 2025 2025 Citations: 1
Correction to “Hydrated Electrocatalysis: To Boost the Selectivity for the Oxygen Evolution Reaction in Seawater Electrolysis” PV Raja, P Vishnu, TK Panigrahi, R Sankannavar, SP Vangala, I Mahesh The Journal of Physical Chemistry C 129 (4), 2288-2289 , 2025 2025
Hydrated electrocatalysis: to boost the selectivity for the oxygen evolution reaction in seawater electrolysis PV Raja, P Vishnu, TK Panigrahi, R Sankannavar, SP Vangala, I Mahesh The Journal of Physical Chemistry C 129 (1), 262-270 , 2024 2024 Citations: 4
Scalable Production of Monolayer Shell (Pt)@ Core (Pd) Nanoparticles by Electroless Cu UPD for Oxygen Reduction Reaction I Mahesh, A Sarkar Electrocatalysis, 1-10 , 2021 2021 Citations: 4
Mechanism Underlying Electron-Transfer Reactions Involving TEMPO and 4-Hydroxy-TEMPO in Deep Eutectic Solvents M Ijjada, NA Shaheen, MB Vukmirovic, R Akolkar Electrochemical Society Meeting Abstracts prime2020, 2683-2683 , 2020 2020
Mechanism of electrochemical oxidation of nitroxide radicals in ethaline deep eutectic solvent NA Shaheen, M Ijjada, MB Vukmirovic, R Akolkar Journal of The Electrochemical Society 167 (14), 143505 , 2020 2020 Citations: 19
Process for the Synthesis of Monolayer Core- Shell Catalyst IM A. Sarkar IN Patent 338,717 , 2020 2020
Hysteresis effects and roughness suppression efficacy of polyethylenimine additive in Cu electrodeposition in ethaline NA Shaheen, I Mahesh, MB Vukmirovic, R Akolkar Electrochemistry Communications 115, 106721 , 2020 2020 Citations: 7
Electrolyte Additives for Controlling Roughness of Copper Electrodeposits Formed in Deep Eutectic Solvents NA Shaheen, M Ijjada, MB Vukmirovic, R Akolkar Electrochemical Society Meeting Abstracts 237, 1206-1206 , 2020 2020
Nano-structured palladium impregnate graphitic carbon nitride composite for efficient hydrogen gas sensing A Ibrahim, UB Memon, SP Duttagupta, I Mahesh, RKS Raman, A Sarkar, ... International Journal of Hydrogen Energy 45 (17), 10623-10636 , 2020 2020 Citations: 59
Scale‐Up Process of Core@ Shell Monolayer Catalyst without Active Potential Control through Electroless Underpotential Deposition Galvanic Replacement I Mahesh, A Sarkar ChemistrySelect 3 (41), 11622-11626 , 2018 2018 Citations: 3
Self-restraining electroless deposition for shell@ core particles and influence of lattice parameter on the ORR activity of Pt (Shell)@ Pd (Core)/C electrocatalyst I Mahesh, A Sarkar The Journal of Physical Chemistry C 122 (17), 9283-9291 , 2018 2018 Citations: 11
Efficient electrooxidation of ethanol on Bi@ Pt/C nanoparticles:(i) Effect of monolayer Bi deposition on specific sites of Pt nanoparticle (ii) Calculation of average number of … I Mahesh, R Jaithaliya, A Sarkar Electrochimica Acta 258, 933-941 , 2017 2017 Citations: 8
Electrochemical Study of Oxygen Reduction on a Carbon‐Supported Core–Shell Platinum–Gold Electrocatalyst with Tuneable Gold Surface Composition I Mahesh, A Sarkar ChemElectroChem 3 (5), 836-845 , 2016 2016 Citations: 6
MOST CITED SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS
Nano-structured palladium impregnate graphitic carbon nitride composite for efficient hydrogen gas sensing A Ibrahim, UB Memon, SP Duttagupta, I Mahesh, RKS Raman, A Sarkar, ... International Journal of Hydrogen Energy 45 (17), 10623-10636 , 2020 2020 Citations: 59
Mechanism of electrochemical oxidation of nitroxide radicals in ethaline deep eutectic solvent NA Shaheen, M Ijjada, MB Vukmirovic, R Akolkar Journal of The Electrochemical Society 167 (14), 143505 , 2020 2020 Citations: 19
Self-restraining electroless deposition for shell@ core particles and influence of lattice parameter on the ORR activity of Pt (Shell)@ Pd (Core)/C electrocatalyst I Mahesh, A Sarkar The Journal of Physical Chemistry C 122 (17), 9283-9291 , 2018 2018 Citations: 11
Efficient electrooxidation of ethanol on Bi@ Pt/C nanoparticles:(i) Effect of monolayer Bi deposition on specific sites of Pt nanoparticle (ii) Calculation of average number of … I Mahesh, R Jaithaliya, A Sarkar Electrochimica Acta 258, 933-941 , 2017 2017 Citations: 8
Hysteresis effects and roughness suppression efficacy of polyethylenimine additive in Cu electrodeposition in ethaline NA Shaheen, I Mahesh, MB Vukmirovic, R Akolkar Electrochemistry Communications 115, 106721 , 2020 2020 Citations: 7
Electrochemical Study of Oxygen Reduction on a Carbon‐Supported Core–Shell Platinum–Gold Electrocatalyst with Tuneable Gold Surface Composition I Mahesh, A Sarkar ChemElectroChem 3 (5), 836-845 , 2016 2016 Citations: 6
Hydrated electrocatalysis: to boost the selectivity for the oxygen evolution reaction in seawater electrolysis PV Raja, P Vishnu, TK Panigrahi, R Sankannavar, SP Vangala, I Mahesh The Journal of Physical Chemistry C 129 (1), 262-270 , 2024 2024 Citations: 4
Scalable Production of Monolayer Shell (Pt)@ Core (Pd) Nanoparticles by Electroless Cu UPD for Oxygen Reduction Reaction I Mahesh, A Sarkar Electrocatalysis, 1-10 , 2021 2021 Citations: 4
Structure of micelles in re-entrant phase of SDS/Al(NO 3 ) 3 solutions R Nadaf, M Ijjada, J Narayanan, B Kutty, VK Aswal, JR Bellare, PS Goyal Solid State Physics 1512 (1), 118-119 , 2013 2013 Citations: 4
Scale‐Up Process of Core@ Shell Monolayer Catalyst without Active Potential Control through Electroless Underpotential Deposition Galvanic Replacement I Mahesh, A Sarkar ChemistrySelect 3 (41), 11622-11626 , 2018 2018 Citations: 3
Mechanistic understanding of origin of selectivity for oxygen evolution reaction in untreated natural seawater oxidation: Theoretical and experimental insights IM PV Raja, DR Kanchan, A Banerjee, A Joshy, R Sankannavar International Journal of Hydrogen Energy 200, 152946 , 2026 2026 Citations: 2
Hydrogen Production from Low-Grade Water Electrolysis to Contribute to Sustainable Development Goals 6 and 7: Challenges and Opportunities P Vishnu, D Tanwar, M Ijjada chemrxiv.org , 2025 2025 Citations: 1
Exploring the Feasibility of Hydrogen-Driven Chemical Desalination through Redox-Mediated Salt Ion Capture A Tiwari, A Pratap, VJ Akash, P Upadhyay, S Chakma, I Mahesh ACS Sustainable Resource Management , 2026 2026
Tungsten-modified MXene-integrated Spinel Oxides as High-Performance and Stable Catalysts for Water/Seawater Oxidation D Tanwar, PV Raja, P Vishnu, M Ijjada Journal of Materials Chemistry A , 2026 2026
Dual function of phosphate buffer in untreated seawater electrolysis: boosting oxygen evolution reaction efficiency and inhibiting cathode scaling PV Raja, I Mahesh Sustainable Energy & Fuels 10 (6), 1535-1546 , 2026 2026
Natural Seawater Electrolyte Enables CO2 Reduction Selectivity Transition from C1 to C2 Alcohol on Metal Phosphate Catalysts and Suppression of Cathode Scaling with Buffering … S Katre, T Panigrahi, PV Raja, I Mahesh ChemRxiv 2025 (1231) , 2025 2025
Electrostatic-Electrochemical Coupling Enables Energy Storage and Electrosynthesis of Nano-catalysts in Charged Electrolytes PV Raja, P Vishnu, V Kumar, A Chandel, A Sarkar, M Ijjada chemrxiv.org , 2025 2025
Correction to “Hydrated Electrocatalysis: To Boost the Selectivity for the Oxygen Evolution Reaction in Seawater Electrolysis” PV Raja, P Vishnu, TK Panigrahi, R Sankannavar, SP Vangala, I Mahesh The Journal of Physical Chemistry C 129 (4), 2288-2289 , 2025 2025
Mechanism Underlying Electron-Transfer Reactions Involving TEMPO and 4-Hydroxy-TEMPO in Deep Eutectic Solvents M Ijjada, NA Shaheen, MB Vukmirovic, R Akolkar Electrochemical Society Meeting Abstracts prime2020, 2683-2683 , 2020 2020
Process for the Synthesis of Monolayer Core- Shell Catalyst IM A. Sarkar IN Patent 338,717 , 2020 2020
