Chemistry Professor Sankaran Thayumanavan has been named the University of Massachusetts’ first Spotlight Scholar for his and his team of researchers’ innovations in polymer structure and green energy development.

The Spotlight Scholar program was launched in August by the offices of Research and Engagement and University Relations. According to a News and Media Relations release, the program aims to recognize “the scholarly achievements and contributions of the campus faculty.”

Thayumanavan and his team have recently developed a new method of conducting protons called “charge transport,” according to a Sept. 23 University Relations release, which may increase the prevalence and accessibility of fuel cell technology.

By making use of a polymer nanostructure, Thayumanavan and colleagues Ryan Hayward in polymer science and Mark Tuominen in physics, were able to transport protons from one side of a fuel cell to another, showing how proton conductivity can be improved.

Fuel cells, according to last week’s release, are an ideal power generator because they can fuel anything that runs on electricity with no environmentally detrimental emissions.

Thayumanavan and his team’s research also may help strengthen the durability and longevity of fuel cells, as well.

The research was published in the April 2010 issue of the scholarly journal Nature Science. After publishing his results, Thayumanavan was awarded a $40,000 grant from the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center to help further his research and more broadly prove the new method of conductivity’s efficacy.

“Our work should lead to a lighter, more efficient and sustainable source of clean power,” said Thayumanavan, who goes by “Thai,” in the release.

Thayumanavan is the co-director of the Massachusetts Center for Renewable Energy Science and Technology (MassCREST). He also teaches chemistry and runs the Thayumanavan Research Group with research assistant professor Dr. Kothandam Krishnamoorthy, postdoctoral associate Dr. Sunita Satav, postdoctoral associate Dr. Ja-Hyoung Ryu, postdoctoral associate Dr. Anupat Potisatityuenyong, postdoctoral associate Dr. Narayana Murthy Sekar, postdoctoral associate Dr. Shreedhar Bhat, postdoctoral associate Dr. R. Prakash Babu, and numerous graduate students.

Thayumanavan originally came to UMass in 2003. He previously served as an assistant professor at Tulane University in New Orleans and did his postdoctoral work at California Institute of Technology, his Ph.D. at the University of Illinois, and his undergraduate and graduate work at the American College of Madurai, India.

According to the University Relations release, he “earned high praise from Spotlight Scholar nominators for his multi-faceted work, noting that his research in molecular design is also relevant to the life sciences.”

According to the Thayumanavan Group website, he and his partners’ main focus is on the structure and design of two different types of macromolecules, dendrimers and polymers.
Dendrimers, the site explains, “are highly branched molecules that are built using iterative synthetic strategies.” According to Thayumanavan, dendrimers are particularly valuable because they can be built as individual molecules, even at great molecular weights, making them extremely versatile as hosts for other compounds.

The group lists 11 separate articles it has published this year on its site.

In addition to the research on fuel cells, Thayumanavan and his team have been working on creating a nanoscopic gel which they hope will coat and subsequently release drug molecules inside cells. This could be applied, according to the release, to treatments like chemotherapy, where drug molecules are applied inside cancer cells. UMass’ technology transfer office and Thayumanavan are currently seeking commercial sponsors for this project to bring the selected cell release gel to a clinical trial. The nanoscopic gel research was recently published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society and was applauded for being “noteworthy chemistry” by the Society on Aug. 16.

Mike Malone, vice chancellor for research and engagement, lauded Thayumanavan for his contributions to the campus’ research efforts.

“Congratulations to Professor Thayumanavan for being selected the campus’ first Spotlight Scholar,” said Malone in last week’s release. “Thai is not only an accomplished teacher and researcher, but also a leader and innovator in using novel molecular designs to impact the field of clean energy science.”

Sam Butterfield can be reached at [email protected].