Faculty Information

Faculty Page

Indu Bala

Assistant Professor

Office:

G1-109

School of Chemical Sciences

E-mail:

indu@iitmandi.ac.in

Phone:

01905-26XXXX

Website:

https://sites.google.com/view/balab/home?authuser=0

Personal Information

Professional Experience

Assistant Professor, IIT Mandi, (2023-present)

Postdoctoral Researcher, Dartmouth College, USA (Advisor: Prof. Ivan Aprahamian) (2021-2023)

Educational Background

Ph.D., IISER Mohali, Mohali, India, 2015-2021 (Supervisor: Prof. Santanu Kumar Pal)

M.Sc. (Chemistry) from IISER Mohali, Mohali, India, 2013-2015

B.Sc. (Chemistry Hons.) from Panjab University, Chandigarh, India, 2010-2013

Research Area

Broad Area

Supramolecular chemistry, Organic synthesis, Physical organic

Specific Areas

Self-assembled supramolecular materials

Stimuli responsive materials

Organic electronics

Teaching

Physical Chemistry Lab CHM411 (at IISER Mohali)

Organic Chemistry Lab CHM111 (at IISER Mohali)

Awards, Recognition and Membership

Selected as an Early-Career Investigator Presenter in Liquid Crystal Gordon research Conference (GRC) 2023 at Manchester, New Hampshire, United States

Awarded Dartmouth College Postdoc Association (DCPDA) Fund ($750) to attend Artificial Molecular Switches and Motors Gordon Research Conference (GRC) 2023 at New London, New Hampshire, United States

Awarded Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) FY2021 postdoctoral fellowship, at University of Tokyo, Japan with Prof. Takashi Kato (not opted)

Qualified Council of Scientific and Industrial Research for Junior Research Fellowship (NET-CSIR/JRF-2014), All India Rank-98

Awarded Excellence of Merit Certificate in the M.S. (Chemistry) for best academic position (2015) at Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Mohali.

Awarded two-year Fellowship for Post-graduation study by Ministry of Human Resources Development, Government of India, New Delhi.

Selection in Joint Admission test for Masters (JAM), Indian Institutes of Technology, India (2013)

Life member of International Liquid Crystal Society (Reference no. ILCS_12913)

Life member of Indian Liquid Crystal Society (Registration No. 219/92-93 and Membership No. L-479)

Indu Bala

Research Area

Supramolecular chemistry

Organic synthesis

Physical organic

Research Interests

Our research focuses on the development of self-assembled materials, particularly liquid crystalline materials. These materials enable precise control over macro-molecular self-assembly, a critical factor in the creation of well-aligned, large-scale macroscopic devices. Therefore, these materials exhibit enormous potential to be used in (i) spintronics, (ii) energy storage devices, (iii) organic electronic devices and their applications in these fields remains largely unexplored. Our aim is to unlock the full potential of these materials in these areas, thereby contributing to the advancement of technology and the development of innovative solutions for various real-world challenges.

Representive Publications

I. Bala, J. De, S. P. Gupta, U. K. Pandey, S. K. Pal* Enabling efficient ambipolar charge carrier mobility in a H-bonded heptazine–triphenylene system forming segregated donor–acceptor columnar assemblies. J. Mater. Chem. C 2021, 9, 8552-8561.

I. Bala, J. De, S. P. Gupta, H. Singh, U. K. Pandey, S. K. Pal* High Hole Mobility in Room Temperature Discotic Liquid Crystalline Tetrathienoanthracenes. Chem. Commun. 2020, 56, 5629-5632.

J. De, I. Bala, S. P. Gupta, U. K. Pandey, S. K. Pal* High Hole Mobility and Efficient Ambipolar Charge Transport in Heterocoronene-based Ordered Columnar Discotics. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2019, 141, 18799-18805.

I. Bala, S. P. Gupta, S. Kumar, H. Singh, J. De, N. Sharma, K. Kailasam, S. K. Pal* Hydrogen-Bond Mediated Columnar Liquid Crystalline Assemblies of C3-Symmetric Heptazine Derivatives at Ambient Temperature. Soft Matter 2018, 14, 6342-6352.

I. Bala, H. Singh, V. R. Battula, S. P. Gupta, J. De, S. Kumar, K. Kailasam, S. K. Pal* Heptazine: an Electron‐Deficient Fluorescent Core for Discotic Liquid Crystals. Chem. Eur. J. 2017, 23, 14718-14722.

2022

R. De, J. De, S. P. Gupta, I. Bala, Ankita, Tarun, U. K. Pandey, S. K. Pal* Oxadiazole-adorned Heterocoronene Discotics as Ambipolar Organic Semiconductors. J. Mater. Chem. C 2023, 11, 980-985
I. Bala, H. Kaur, M. Maity, R. A. K. Yadav, J. De, S. P. Gupta, J. H. Jou, U. K. Pandey, S. K. Pal* Electroluminescent Aggregation-Induced Emission-Active Discotic Liquid Crystals Based on Alkoxy Cyanostilbene-Functionalized Benzenetricarboxamide with Ambipolar Charge Transport. ACS Appl. Electron. Mater. 2022, 4, 1163-1174.
I. Bala, J. De, S. K. Pal* Functional Discotic Liquid Crystals Through Molecular Self-Assembly: Toward Efficient Charge Transport Systems. In: Govindaraju, T., Ariga, K. (eds Molecular Architectonics and Nanoarchitectonics. Nanostructure Science and Technology) 2022 Springer, Singapore.
P. Kumar, $ I. Bala, $ R. De, S. K. Pal*, S. Venkataramani* Light Modulated Reversible “On‐Off” Transformation of Arylazoheteroarene Based Discotics in Nematic Organization. Chem. Eur. J. 2022, e202202876. ($authors contributed equally)
J. De, I. Sarkar, R. A. K. Yadav, I. Bala, S. P. Gupta, I. Siddiqui, J. H. Jou, S. K. Pal* Luminescent columnar discotics as highly efficient emitters in pure deep-blue OLEDs with an external quantum efficiency of 4.7%. Soft Matter 2022, 18, 922-922.

2021

I. Bala, J. De, S. P. Gupta, U. K. Pandey, S. K. Pal* Enabling efficient ambipolar charge carrier mobility in a H-bonded heptazine–triphenylene system forming segregated donor–acceptor columnar assemblies. J. Mater. Chem. C 2021, 9, 8552-8561.
S. Dhingra, I. Bala, J. De, S. P. Gupta, U. K. Pandey, S. K. Pal* An electron-deficient tris (triazole)-based discotic liquid crystal that exhibits fast electron transport. J. Mater. Chem. C 2021, 9, 5628-5632.

2020

I. Bala, J. De, S. P. Gupta, H. Singh, U. K. Pandey, S. K. Pal* High Hole Mobility in Room Temperature Discotic Liquid Crystalline Tetrathienoanthracenes. Chem. Commun. 2020, 56, 5629-5632.
I. Bala, R. A. K.Yadav, M. Devi, J. De, N. Singh, K. Kailasam, J. Jayakumar, J. H. Jou, C. H. Cheng, S. K. Pal* High-performing D–π–A–π–D Benzothiadiazole-based Hybrid Local and Charge-transfer Emitters in Solution-processed OLEDs. J. Mater. Chem. C 2020, 8, 17009-17015.
I. Bala, N. Singh, R. A. K. Yadav, J. De, S. P. Gupta, D. P. Singh, D. K. Dubey, J. H. Jou, R. Douali, S. K. Pal* Room Temperature Perylene Based Columnar Liquid Crystals as Solid-state Fluorescent Emitters in Solution-processable Organic Light-Emitting Diodes. J. Mater. Chem. C 2020, 8, 12485-12494.
J. De, M. Devi, A. Shah, S. P. Gupta, I. Bala, D. P. Singh, R. Douali, S. K. Pal* Luminescent Conductive Columnar π-Gelators for Fe (II) Sensing and Bio-Imaging Applications. J. Phys. Chem. B 2020, 124, 10257-10265.
J. De, M. M. A. H., R. A. K. Yadav, S. P. Gupta, I. Bala, P. Chawla, K. K. Kesavan, J. H. Jou, S. K. Pal* AIE-active Mechanoluminescent Discotic Liquid Crystals for Applications in OLEDs and Bio-imaging. Chem. Commun. 2020, 56, 14279-14282.

2019

J. De, W. Y. Yang, I. Bala, S. P. Gupta, R. A. K. Yadav, D. K. Dubey, A. Chowdhury, J. H. Jou, S. K. Pal* Room-Temperature Columnar Liquid Crystals as Efficient Pure Deep-Blue Emitters in Organic Light-Emitting Diodes with an External Quantum Efficiency of 4.0%. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 2019, 11, 8291-8300.
S.Devi,$ I. Bala,$ S. P. Gupta, P. Kumar, S. K. Pal, S. Venkataramani* Reversibly Photoswitchable Alkoxy Azobenzenes Connected Benzenetricarboxamide Discotic Liquid Crystals with Perpetual Long Range Columnar Assembly. Org. Biomol. Chem. 2019, 17, 1947-1954. ($authors contributed equally)
I. Bala, W. Y. Yang, S. P. Gupta, J. De, R. A. K. Yadav, D. P. Singh, D. K. Dubey, J. H. Jou, R. Douali, S. K. Pal* Room Temperature Discotic Liquid Crystalline Triphenylene-Pentaalkynylbenzene Dyads as An Emitter in Blue OLEDs and Their Charge Transfer Complexes with Ambipolar Charge Transport Behaviour. J. Mater. Chem. C 2019, 7, 5724-5738.
J. De, I. Bala, S. P. Gupta, U. K. Pandey, S. K. Pal* High Hole Mobility and Efficient Ambipolar Charge Transport in Heterocoronene-based Ordered Columnar Discotics. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2019, 141, 18799-18805.

2018

Bala, S. P. Gupta, S. Kumar, H. Singh, J. De, N. Sharma, K. Kailasam, S. K. Pal* Hydrogen-Bond Mediated Columnar Liquid Crystalline Assemblies of C 3-Symmetric Heptazine Derivatives at Ambient Temperature. Soft Matter 2018, 14, 6342-6352.
I. Bala, L. Ming, R. A. K. Yadav, J. De, D. K. Dubey, S. Kumar, H. Singh, J. H. Jou, K. Kailasam, S. K. Pal* Deep‐Blue OLED Fabrication from Heptazine Columnar Liquid Crystal Based AIE‐Active Sky‐Blue Emitter. ChemistrySelect 2018, 3, 7771-7777.
J. De, S. P. Gupta, S. S. Swayamprabha, D. K. Dubey, I. Bala, I. Sarkar, G. Dey, J. H. Jou, S. Ghosh, S. K. Pal* Blue Luminescent Organic Light Emitting Diode Devices of a New Class of Star-Shaped Columnar Mesogens Exhibiting π–π Driven Supergelation. J. Phys. Chem. C 2018, 122, 23659-23674.
V. R. Battula, H. Singh, S. Kumar, I. Bala, S. K. Pal*, K. Kailasam* Natural Sunlight Driven Oxidative Homocoupling of Amines by a Truxene-Based Conjugated Microporous Polymer. ACS Catal. 2018, 8, 6751-6759.