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PI & Head of Nanochemistry Lab, External Scientific Lead (Remote), NanoTRIZ

Dr. Brij Briz Mohan

brij.mohan@tecnico.ulisboa.pt

PI & Head of Nanochemistry Lab, External Scientific Lead (Remote), NanoTRIZ

Centro de Química Estrutural, Institute of Molecular Sciences, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Rovisco Pais 1, 1049-001 Lisbon, Portugal

Research Focus: Hybrid materials for sensors, porous self-powered materials for water remediation, triboelectric nanogenerators, catalysis, and nanotechnology for food safety and environmental sustainability.

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Available for supervision

Projects for students: Synthesis of MOFs, nanochemistry, nanomaterials characterization

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Biography:

Dr. Mohan is working (full time, Since July 2022) as a senior research member at the Centro de Química Estrutural, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa (ULisboa)-1049-001, Portugal, Visiting Professor at Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, 50200 Thailand (Since September 2025), Visiting Professor in MOFs sensors chemistry at Hainan Normal University, Haikou, China (Since May 2025) and as a Group Leader (Honorary Adjunct position), Institute of Advanced Materials, IAAM, Ulrika 590 53, Sweden (April 2024). He completed his postdoc at the Harbin Institute of Technology, Shenzhen (2019-2021). He has been listed among Stanford's Top 2% most highly cited scientists (Years 2024 & 2025). Throughout his career, he worked with research groups of distinguished scientists, including Prof. Armando J. L. Pombeiro (leading group in coordination chemistry, Universidade de Lisboa (ULisboa), Portugal), Prof. Peng Ren (Harbin Institute of Technology, Shenzhen), Prof. Alexander A. Solovev (Materials Science Department, Fudan University, China), Prof. H. K. Sharma (Ph.D. supervisor and Professor at Kurukshetra University Kurukshetra, India 2014-2018), and Prof. Gurjaspreet Singh (Panjab University, India).


HIGHLIGHTS OF QUALIFICATIONS

• Listed among Stanford's Top 2% most highly cited scientists (2024 & 2025), securing a 62791 rank in 2025,yearly.

• Invited lecture on Nobel Prizes 2025, Nobel Prize in Chemistry, October 14th, 2025, by the Academy ofSciences of Lisbon

• Honorary Group Leader at International Association of Advanced Materials, Address: Gammalkilsvägen 18,59053 Ulrika, Sweden

• Scopus H-index: 30 | Google Scholar H-index: 32 | i10 index: 72 | i100: 4 | Citations: 3000+

• Potential reviewer in Elsevier, Wiley, Springer Nature, ACS, RSC, Bentham Science, Frontiers, and other reputedpublishing groups.

• More than a total of 126 SCI articles. There are 62+ as first authors/corresponding authors (including 43 SCIQ1, sole author 3 SCI Q1), referred journal and conference papers, 8 book chapters

• Portugal Electrochemical Society member

• Editorial Member: BMC Cancer and BMC Chemistry (BMC Springer Nature Series, June 2024-Present); Discover Materials (Springer Nature, August 2024-Present). Editor at Journal of Video Science, SciViD: ThePublisher of Video Science (March 2025-Present)


Awards & Recognition

❖ Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Visiting Professor Fellowship (2025-2026)

❖ Shenzhen Postdoctoral Fellowship (2019-2021)

❖ UGC-CSIR Fellow, India – JRF (2014–2016), SRF (2016–2018)

❖ Degrees recognized by Portuguese and Chinese higher education authoritiesIndustrial roles: Advisor and Board Member,

• CBS Pacific Hong Kong Limited — Suite 1108, Ocean Centre, Harbour City, 5 Canton Road, Kowloon, HongKong; (September 2025 – Present)

• Energy Holdings Limited — Hong Kong; (September 2025 – Present)

• Shenzhen Mark Technology Innovation Co., Ltd. — Shenzhen, China; (May 2022 – December 2025)


Research Grants 

  • Chiang Mai University Visiting Professor Fellowship (2025–2026): Funding for international research collaboration and teaching in Thailand.

  • Hainan International Joint Research Center Grant (2025): Project: Marine Advanced Photoelectric Functional Materials (Grant: 2025MAPFM01).

  • FCT Scientific Employment Stimulus (2025): Funding from the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (Portugal) for advanced materials research (Project: UIDB/00100/2025).

  • Shenzhen Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (2019–2021): Competitive grant for materials science research at the Harbin Institute of Technology, China.

  • UGC-CSIR Fellowship, India (2014–2018): National-level competitive grants (JRF and SRF) for doctoral research in chemistry.

  • National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC): Contributed to major project on molecular engineering and materials design (Grant: 21702038).

  • Shenzhen Science and Technology Innovation Commission: Involved in high-level research on functionalized nanomaterials (Grant: RCBS20221008093334080).

  • Harbin Institute of Technology Startup Grant: Technical contributor to the establishment of the advanced sensors laboratory (Grant: HA11409006).

  • FCT Portugal Institutional Projects: Active researcher in multiple strategic projects at the Centro de Química Estrutural, including: Project LA/P/0056/2020 (Laboratory for Molecular Sciences); Project UIDB/00100/2020 & UIDP/00100/2020

Research Interests: 

Research Philosophy: Dr. Brij Mohan is a leading expert in the rational design and precision synthesis of advanced porous materials, specifically Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs), Covalent Organic Frameworks (COFs), and MXene-based architectures. His research focuses on solving critical global challenges at the intersection of environmental remediation, sustainable energy harvesting, and next-generation sensing technologies. By engineering materials at the molecular level, Dr. Mohan develops multifunctional platforms that exhibit exceptional stability and tunable properties for real-world applications.

Core Research Pillars:

  • Next-Generation Sensor Technology:Dr. Mohan has pioneered the development of high-sensitivity wireless and optical sensors for the real-time monitoring of environmental pollutants and physiological signals. His work integrates molecular ligands with Ag-MOFs and nanocomposite chemiresistors to detect hazardous ions and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) at sub-micro concentrations. These advancements enable the creation of stable, reusable, and ultra-fast diagnostic tools for global water safety and healthcare.

  • Sustainable Osmotic Energy Harvesting (OEH):A central focus of Dr. Mohan’s current research is the exploration of osmotic-to-electric energy conversion. By utilizing the unique structural advantages of MXene membranes and nanofluidic hydrogels, his group develops systems that harness the chemical potential difference between solutions. These "blue energy" technologies provide a scalable and environmentally clean pathway for sustainable power generation from salinity gradients.

  • Advanced Environmental Remediation & Adsorption:Dr. Mohan develops innovative removal technologies for the selective capture of heavy metals (such as Mercury, Lead, and Uranium) and toxic dyes from complex aquatic environments. By introducing functional groups like trifluoromethyl and sulfur-based ligands into MOF and COF frameworks, he has established new benchmarks for adsorption kinetics and selectivity, bridging the gap between fundamental materials chemistry and industrial water purification.

Scientific Impact and Leadership:With a Scopus H-index of 30 and over 3,000 citations, Dr. Mohan’s research output is characterized by high-impact publications in premier journals such as Advanced Functional Materials, Small, and Trends in Analytical Chemistry. His leadership extends to international collaborations across Europe and Asia, where he supervises research initiatives on functional materials for sustainability. His work not only advances theoretical understanding but also focuses on the "research-to-product" translation, ensuring that molecular innovations lead to tangible environmental solutions.


Selected Publications:

  1. Mohan, B.; Singh, G.; Chauhan, A.; Pombeiro, A. J. L.; Ren, P. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) based luminescent and electrochemical sensors for food contaminant detection. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 453, 131324 (2023).

  2. Mohan, B.; Kamboj, A.; Singh, K.; Singh, G.; Pombeiro, A. J. L.; Ren, P. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) materials for pesticides, heavy metals, and drugs removal: Environmental safety. Separation and Purification Technology, 310, 123175 (2023).

  3. Mohan, B.; Kumar, S.; Xi, H.; Ma, S.; Tao, Z.; Xing, T.; You, H.; Zhang, Y.; Ren, P. Fabricated Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) as luminescent and electrochemical biosensors for cancer biomarkers detection. Biosensors and Bioelectronics, 197, 113738 (2022).

  4. Mohan, B.; Singh, K.; Gupta, R. K.; Pombeiro, A. J. L.; Ren, P. Advanced materials for energy harvesting: Exploring the potential of MOFs and MXene membranes in osmotic energy applications. Progress in Materials Science, 152, 101457 (2025).

  5. Mohan, B.; Gupta, R. K.; Pombeiro, A. J. L.; Ren, P. Advanced luminescent metal–organic framework (MOF) sensors engineered for urine analysis applications. Coordination Chemistry Reviews, 519, 216090 (2024).

  6. Mohan, B.; Virender; Gupta, R. K.; Pombeiro, A. J. L.; Solovev, A. A.; Singh, G. Advancements in metal-organic, enzymatic, and nanocomposite platforms for wireless sensors of the next generation. Advanced Functional Materials, 34, 2405231 (2024).

  7. Mohan, B.; Singh, G.; Gupta, R. K.; Sharma, P. K.; Solovev, A. A.; Pombeiro, A. J. L. Hydrogen-bonded organic frameworks (HOFs): multifunctional material on analytical monitoring. TrAC – Trends in Analytical Chemistry, 170, 117436 (2024).

  8. Mohan, B.; Asif, M. B.; Gupta, R. K.; Pombeiro, A. J. L.; Yavuz, C. T.; Ren, P. Engineered covalent organic frameworks (COFs) for adsorption-based metal separation technologies: A critical review. Advances in Colloid and Interface Science, 342, 103507 (2025).

  9. Mohan, B.; Kumari, R.; Singh, G.; Singh, K.; Pombeiro, A. J. L.; Yang, X.; Ren, P. Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) and metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) as electrochemical sensors for the efficient detection of pharmaceutical residues. Environment International, 175, 107928 (2023).

  10. Mohan, B.; Singh, G.; Pombeiro, A. J. L.; Solovev, A. A.; Sharma, P. K.; Chen, Q. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) for milk safety and contaminants monitoring. TrAC – Trends in Analytical Chemistry, 159, 116921 (2023).

  11. Mohan, B.; Singh, K.; Gupta, R. K.; Kumar, A.; Pombeiro, A. J. L.; Ren, P. Water purification advances with metal–organic framework-based materials for micro/nanoplastic removal. Separation and Purification Technology, 343, 126987 (2024).

  12. Mohan, B.; Asif, M. B.; Pombeiro, A. J. L. Engineered conductive metal–organic frameworks for electrochemical detection of urinary biomarkers. Small, 21, 2406222 (2025).

  13. Mohan, B.; Ma, S.; Kumar, S.; Yang, Y.; Ren, P. Tactile Sensors: Hydroxyl Decorated Silver Metal–Organic Frameworks for Detecting Cr2O72–, MnO4–, Humic Acid, and Fe3+ Ions. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 15, 17317-17323 (2023).

  14. Mohan, B.; Xing, T.; Kumar, S.; Kumar, S.; Ma, S.; Sun, F.; Xing, D.; Ren, P. A chemosensing approach for the colorimetric and spectroscopic detection of Cr3+, Cu2+, Fe3+, and Gd3+ metal ions. Science of The Total Environment, 845, 157242 (2022).

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