Dr. Keerthana P

Dr. Keerthana holds a Ph.D. in Chemistry from CHRIST (Deemed to be University), Bangalore. Her areas of research specialization include nanomaterials, fluorescence-based sensing, electrochemical analysis, and environmental applications. Her doctoral research, titled “Carbon Quantum Dots for Fluorescence and Electrochemical Sensing of Environmental Pollutants,” focuses on the development of advanced nanomaterial-based sensing platforms for environmental monitoring.

She is a Gold Medalist in her postgraduate studies (2019) from Periyar University, Tamil Nadu. Dr. Keerthana has actively participated in several national and international conferences, workshops, and faculty development programmes, reflecting her continued engagement with academic research and professional growth.

• Keerthana P., Anila Rose Cherian. Pharmaceutical Waste-Derived Carbon Quantum Dots via Microwave Method for Selective Au3+ Ion Detection. ChemistrySelect (2025), 10: e02725 https://doi.org/10.1002/slct.202502725.
• George, Ashlay, Keerthana, and Anitha Varghese. "Platinum decorated phosphorous doped graphitic carbon nitride supported molecularly imprinted carbon fibre electrode as a nano-interface for the detection of butylated hydroxy anisole." Materials Today Chemistry 36 (2024): 101982. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mtchem.2024.101982.
• Keerthana, P., Ashlay George, M. Bharath, Munmun Ghosh, and Anitha Varghese. "Dual ion specific electrochemical sensor using aminothiazole-engineered carbon quantum dots." Chemical Engineering Journal 480 (2024): 148018. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2023.148018.
• Jaison, Ann Mary Chakkola, Devipriya Vasudevan, Keerthana Ponmudi, Ashlay George, and Anitha Varghese. "One Pot Hydrothermal Synthesis and Application of Bright-yellow-emissive Carbon Quantum Dots in Hg2+ Detection." Journal of Fluorescence (2023): 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10895-023-03233-z.
• Keerthana, P., Ashlay George, Libina Benny, and Anitha Varghese. "Biomass Derived Carbon Quantum Dots embedded PEDOT/CFP Electrode for The Electrochemical detection of Phloroglucinol." Electrochimica Acta (2023): 142184. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.electacta.2023.142184.
• Keerthana, P., Avijit Kumar Das, M. Bharath, Munmun Ghosh, and Anitha Varghese. "A ratiometric fluorescent sensor based on dual-emissive carbon dot for the selective detection of Cd²⁺." Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering (2023): 109325. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jece.2023.109325.
• Ponmudi, Keerthana, Anila Rose Cherian, and Anitha Varghese. "Carbon dots as an effective material in enzyme immobilization for sensing applications." In Carbon Dots in Analytical Chemistry, pp. 241-253. Elsevier, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-323-98350-1.00006-2.
• Babu, Ann Mariella, Geethanjali Bijoy, Keerthana, and Anitha Varghese. "Fluorescent detection of Pb²⁺ pollutant in water samples with the help of Delonix regia leaf-derived CQDs." Synthetic Metals 291 (2022): 117211. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.synthmet.2022.117211.
• Benny, Libina, Anila Rose Cherian, Keerthana, Anitha Varghese, and Gurumurthy Hegde. "Laccase mediated electrosynthesis of heliotropin on mango-kernel derived carbon nanosphere composite: A sustainable approach." Journal of Science: Advanced Materials and Devices 7, no. 4 (2022): 100510. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsamd.2022.100510.
• Athira Sradha S, Louis George, Keerthana P, Anitha Varghese. "Recent advances in electrochemical and optical sensing of the organophosphate chlorpyrifos: a review." Critical Reviews in Toxicology 52, no. 6 (2022): 431-448. https://doi.org/10.1080/10408444.2022.2122770.
• Keerthana Ponmudi, Hanna Abbo, Anila Rose Cherian, Salam Titinchi, Anitha Varghese. "An efficient inclusion complex based fluorescent sensor for mercury (II) and its application in live-cell imaging." Journal of Fluorescence 32, no. 3 (2022): 1109-1124. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10895-022-02931-4.
• P Keerthana, Anila Rose Cherian, Uraiwan Sirimahachai, Ditto Abraham Thadathil, Anitha Varghese, Gurumurthy Hegde. "Detection of picric acid in industrial effluents using multifunctional green fluorescent B/N-carbon quantum dots." Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering (2022): 107209. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jece.2022.107209.
• Rodrigues, Roopa Margaret, Ditto Abraham Thadathil, Keerthana Ponmudi, Ashlay George, and Anitha Varghese. "Recent advances in electrochemical synthesis of nitriles: a sustainable approach." ChemistrySelect 7, no. 12 (2022): e202200081. https://doi.org/10.1002/slct.202200081.
• Cherian, Anila Rose, Keerthana, Vinay S. Bhat, Uraiwan Sirimahachai, Anitha Varghese, and Gurumurthy Hegde. "Label free electrochemical detection of stress hormone cortisol using sulphur doped graphitic carbon nitride on carbon fiber paper electrode." New Journal of Chemistry 46, no. 41 (2022): 19975-19983. https://doi.org/10.1039/D2NJ03643F.
• Dhivya, Rajasekaran, Venkatachalam Kavitha, Asaithambi Gomathi, Ponmudi Keerthana, Narayanan Santhalakshmi, Periasamy Viswanathamurthi, and Jebiti Haribabu. "Dinitrobenzene ether reactive turn-on fluorescence probes for the selective detection of H 2 S." Analytical Methods 14, no. 1 (2022): 58-66.

• Awarded Best Oral Presentation for the paper entitled by “Synthesis of inclusion complex as a selective and sensitive sensor to recognize mercury ion- application in cell imaging” in the MES 2022 conference held during 20-21, January 2022 organized by the Department of Chemical Engineering, SRM institute of science and technology, Kattankulathur, Tamilnadu-603203.
• Awarded Best Poster Presentation for the paper entitled by “Biomass Derived Carbon Quantum Dots Tailored On PEDOT/CFP Electrode for The Electrochemical Sensing of Phloroglucinol” in NCE 2022 conference held during 26-27, August 2022 organized by Society for Advancement of Electrochemical Science and Technology (SAEST), CSIR-CECRI, Karaikudi-630003.
• Awarded Best Oral Presentation for paper entitled by “Sustainable Synthesis of microwave-assisted carbon quantum dots from pharmaceutical wastes for sensitive detection of Au³⁺ ion” in the ICAMST-2025 conference held during 23-24, January 2025 organized by the Department of Physics and Chemistry, PSGR Krishnammal college of women, Coimbatore, Tamilnadu, India.
• Gold medalist in M.Sc Chemistry, Periyar University, Salem, Tamilnadu, India.
• 4^th Rank holder in undergraduate, Affiliated to Periyar University, Tamil Nadu, India.

• “A Large-Scale Synthesis of Carbon Quantum Dots for a Selective and Sensitive Fluorometric Approach to Detect Picric Acid (PA)-Application In Vitro Cell Imaging and Real Sample Analysis” in INEEBA-2021 conference held during 7th-8th, October 2021, organized by Vinayaka Missions Kirupananda Variyar Arts and Science College, India.
• “Detection of picric acid in industrial effluents using multifunctional green fluorescent B/N-carbon quantum dots” in the 2^nd ICCSSTD-2021 conference held during 24th-26th November 2021 organized by the Department of Chemistry, Sardar Vallabhbhai National Institute of Technology, Surat 395 007, Gujrat, India.
• “Synthesis of inclusion complex as a selective and sensitive sensor to recognize mercury ion- application in cell imaging” in the MES 2022 conference held during 20-21, January 2022 organized by the Department of Chemical Engineering, SRM institute of science and technology, Kattankulathur, Tamilnadu-603203.
• “A Selective Electrochemical Sensor Based on Carbon Quantum Dots/Poly(3,4- Ethylenedioxythiophene) for the Determination of Phloroglucinol” in the international virtual conference on RECENT INNOVATIONS IN CHEMICAL SCIENCES (RICS 2022) held during 24-25, March 2022 in the Department of Chemistry, Periyar University, Salem 636 011.
• “Biomass Derived Carbon Quantum Dots Tailored On PEDOT/CFP Electrode for The Electrochemical Sensing of Phloroglucinol” in NCE 2022 conference held during 26-27, August 2022 organized by Society for Advancement of Electrochemical Science and Technology (SAEST), CSIR-CECRI, Karaikudi-630003.
• “Surface Engineering of Carbon Quantum Dots Using Pyrene Derivative for Dual Emission Ratiometric Sensing of Cadmium Ion” in iNEEBA 2022 conference held during 24-25, November 2022 organized by Vinayaka Missions Kirupananda Variyar Arts and Science College, India.
• “Sustainable Synthesis of microwave-assisted carbon quantum dots from pharmaceutical wastes for sensitive detection of Au3+ ion” in the ICAMST-2025 conference held during 23-24, January 2025 organized by the Department of Physics and Chemistry, PSGR Krishnammal college of women, Coimbatore, Tamilnadu, India.
• “Sustainable synthesis of carbon quantum dots from biomass waste for sensitive detection of arsenic ion” in the CFMD-2025 national conference, which was held on February 18, 2025 and it was organized by the Department of Chemistry, Bangalore University, Jnana Bharathi campus, Bengaluru.