Dr. Devesh Chandra Binwal

Research

From crystal growth to magnetic and catalytic function

My research asks how dimensionality, composition, and local coordination control the optical, magnetic, and catalytic response of inorganic and hybrid materials.

Halide double perovskites

Theme 1

Mo(III) halide double perovskites

I synthesize lead-free Mo(III) chloride double perovskites whose dimensionality can be deliberately set from 3D corner-sharing frameworks to lower-dimensional chain and layered structures. These materials provide a clean S = 3/2 platform for studying antiferromagnetic exchange in halide lattices.

  • Key methods: solvothermal growth, single-crystal X-ray diffraction, UV-Vis spectroscopy, SQUID magnetometry.
  • Related papers: Chemical Science 2023; JACS 2022 collaborative paper.
Dimensionality and halide control

Theme 2

Dimensionality control in hybrid and inorganic perovskites

I use A-site cation size and halide composition as structural handles to tune connectivity, band gap, and magnetic exchange. In 1D Mo(III) double-perovskite-like halides, Cl/Br alloying provides a quantitative way to tune optical absorption and low-temperature antiferromagnetic ordering.

  • Key methods: A-site engineering, X-site alloying, EDS, SCXRD occupancy refinement, DFT collaboration.
  • Related papers: Chemistry of Materials 2024; Chemical Communications 2025.
Magnetic transitions

Theme 3

Magnetic materials and phase transitions

My work links local crystal structure to low-temperature magnetic response, including antiferromagnetic exchange, frustration, and structural phase transitions in low-dimensional halide frameworks. The goal is to understand how exchange pathways can be designed through lattice chemistry.

  • Key methods: DC magnetometry, low-temperature measurements, variable-temperature crystallography, DSC.
  • Related papers: Chemical Science 2023; Chemistry of Materials 2024; layered Mo(III) manuscript under review.
SCXRD and structure-property links

Theme 4

Single-crystal growth and structure-property relationships

Single-crystal growth and SCXRD sit at the center of my research. I use crystal structures to identify coordination motifs, dimensionality, bond geometry, and symmetry relationships that explain magnetic and optical behavior.

  • Key methods: slow cooling, solvothermal and hydrothermal synthesis, SHELXL/Olex2, Mercury, VESTA.
  • Related papers: first-author Mo(III) halide perovskite series.
MoS2 / TMDs / HER

Theme 5

Transition metal dichalcogenides and hydrogen evolution

My early work developed MoS2-, MoSe2-, WS2-, and Mo2C-based nanosheets, nanoparticles, and nanocomposites for photocatalytic and electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution. This work connects phase, composition, interface engineering, and catalytic response.

  • Key methods: TMD synthesis, exfoliation, nanocomposites, electrochemical HER, photocatalytic H2 evolution.
  • Related papers: ACS Applied Energy Materials 2021; Bulletin of Materials Science 2020; collaborative TMD papers.