Name: Prof. S. Nagarajan Designation: Professor Phone: 9443046272 Email:snagarajan@cutn.ac.in
Biographic Sketch:
Prof. S. Nagarajan’s association with the Central University of Tamil Nadu (CUTN) began in 2012, when he became the very first faculty member of the Department of Chemistry. As the founding Head of the Department (2013–2019), he played a pivotal role in shaping its academic and research vision from the ground up. His leadership journey within the University has been equally distinguished—he has served as Dean of the School of Basic and Applied Sciences (2016–2021), Dean of Students’ Welfare (2017–2021), Controller of Examinations (i/c) (2021–2023), Head, Department of Chemistry (2022-2025) and currently holds the key portfolio of Dean of Academics at CUTN.
Prof. Nagarajan’s academic foundation is rooted in Tamil Nadu, beginning with a BSc in Chemistry from Pioneer Kumaraswamy College, Nagercoil, followed by an MSc in Organic Chemistry and a PhD from Annamalai University. He later joined Annamalai University as a faculty member, marking the start of an accomplished academic career.
His expertise and commitment to research earned him global recognition through prestigious international assignments, including a Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Nanoscience Group of CEMES-CNRS in Toulouse, France, and a Guest Researcher position at the International Center for Materials Nano-architectonics (MANA) at NIMS in Tsukuba, Japan.
Prof. Nagarajan has been honored with several notable distinctions, such as the BOYSCAST Fellowship from the Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India, the Young Scientist Fellowship from the Tamil Nadu State Council for Science and Technology, and the CSIR Research Fellowship, New Delhi. He is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC), Fellow of the Indian Chemical Society, and Fellow of the Academy of Sciences, Chennai, reflecting his stature in the scientific community.
He has supervised 16 PhD scholars, 22 MPhil researchers, and three Postdoctoral Fellows, contributing significantly to the next generation of scientific talent. His research productivity and leadership have attracted competitive funding from premier agencies, including ANRF, DST, CSIR, UGC, and industry partners, further establishing his reputation as a leading scientist and academic leader.
Research areas:
Organic Synthesis & Organic Electronic Materials.
Research Highlights :
Organic Synthesis & Organic Electronics
Organic Electronics represents a rapidly advancing interdisciplinary domain that explores electronic and optoelectronic technologies based on organic semiconductors, as opposed to conventional inorganic materials. Owing to their unique π-conjugated architectures, organic semiconductors offer tunable electronic, optical, and structural properties. This tunability, combined with low-temperature and solution-processable fabrication methods, positions organic electronics as a transformative platform capable of addressing several grand challenges of modern society.
The field promises low-cost, lightweight, flexible, and wearable devices, in addition to energy-efficient lighting technologies, high-performance resistive memory devices, chemical and biological sensors, and next-generation information-storage components. The vast structural diversity accessible through synthetic organic chemistry further enables the rational design of molecules with tailored frontier molecular orbitals, enhanced charge-transport capabilities, and improved environmental stability—making organic semiconductors a compelling technology for future sustainable electronics.
Our research group is engaged in the design and development of π-conjugated organic materials for electronic applications, with a particular emphasis on establishing clear structure–property–performance relationships. To achieve this, our work integrates:
Molecular design and multistep organic synthesis of π-conjugated donor–acceptor systems
Comprehensive physico-chemical and spectroscopic characterization
Photophysical and electrochemical investigations to probe excited-state dynamics and charge-transfer behavior
Computational modeling to gain insights into molecular geometry, electronic structure, and charge-transport pathways
Device fabrication and performance evaluation, including memory devices and optoelectronic platforms
Through this integrated experimental and computational approach, our group aims to make significant contributions to the advancement of organic electronics and to the development of efficient, scalable, and sustainable molecular electronic devices for next-generation information processing technologies.
Recent Publications :
Thejalakshmi, G.; Swetha, S.V.; Imran, P. M.; Bhuvanesh. N.S.P.; Nagarajan, S, Design and Evaluation of Dibenzothiophene Sulfone-Based Donor–Acceptor Architectures for High-Performance Resistive WORM Memory Devices. Chem. Eur. J, 2026, 32 (21) e03482.
Namitha, A.; Akshaya, M.; Imran, P. M.; Bhuvanesh. N.S.P.; Nagarajan, S., Influence of Aromatic p-extension on Phenanthro[9,10-d]imidazole-based Donor-Acceptor Systems for Non-volatile Resistive WORM Memory Device Applications. J.Mater. Chem. C, 2026, 14, 5857-5871.
Siddharth, K. S.; Gayathri, R, M.; Imran, P. M.; Bhuvanesh. N.S.P.; Nagarajan, S., Fine-Tweaked Quinoxalines: Robust Materials for Binary WORM Memory Devices. Chem. Asian J, 2026, 21 (13), e70868.
Swetha, S.V.; Ardra, M.; Imran, P. M.; Nagarajan, S., Exploring the Influence of Acceptor-Strength in Alkoxyphenanthrene-based A-π-D-π-A versus D-π-A Architectures for High-Performance Resistive WORM Memory Devices. Mater Adv.,2026, 7 (2), 1034-1045.
Komal, K.; Swetha, S.V.; Imran, P. M.; Nagarajan, S., Influence of Trifluoromethyltriarylamine-Based Metalloporphyrins on the Performance of OFETs. J. Electron. Mater., 2026, 55, 4690–4698.
Jayalakshmi, L.; Ardra, M.; Imran, P. M.; Bhuvanesh. N.S.P.; Nagarajan, S., Fine-Tuning the Resistive Switching of Organic Write-Once-Read-Many Memory Devices Using Functionalized Pyridine Donor-Bridge-Acceptor Architectures. ChemPlusChem, 2026, 91 (5), e70175.
Harshini, D.; Angela, V. M.; Imran, P. M.; Nagarajan, S., Ferrocene functionalized triarylamines for non-volatile redox-gated multilevel memory storage devices, Synth. Met.2026, 318, 118119.
Megha, V.P.; Akshaya, M.; Imran, P. M.; Nagarajan, S., Design and synthesis of triphenylamine-based donor-acceptor systems with modulated acceptor strength for enhanced resistive WORM memory device applications. Tetrahedron, 2026, 189, 135004.
Lenka, S.K.; Anjali, A.; Ardra, M.; Nagarajan, S., Fluorescence quenching and aggregation-induced emission behaviour of Ester-Flanked Quinolines. J. Lumin.2026, 289,121661.
Khusi, A.; Ardra, M.; Imran, P. M.; Nagarajan, S., Tuning the Electronic Properties of Benzimidazoles Via D-A-D/A Functionalization for Enhanced Organic Resistive Memory Performance, Asian J. Org. Chem. 2026 15 (1), e70267.
