Quantum dots

metal/semiconductor aerogels

metal phosphides nanocatalysts

Education

• Research Associate, Los Alamos National Laboratory, 2009-2011
• Postdoctoral Fellow, Northwestern University, 2007-2009 
• Ph.D., Wayne State University, 2007
• B.S., University of Kelaniya, 2001

Research Interests

• Synthesis of Direct-Gap Group IV Semiconductor Nanocrystals for Application in High-Efficiency Optoelectronics
• Direct Self-Supported Assembly of Noble Metal Nanoparticles into High-Surface-Area, Hierarchically Porous, Conducting Superstructures (Aerogels) for Application in Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering and Heterogeneous Catalysis
• Synthesis of Metal-Semiconductor Hybrid Nanostructures for Efficient Integration of Plasmonic and Excitonic Properties for Enhanced Light-Matter Interactions
• Transition Metal Phosphide Nanostructures as High-Efficiency, Earth-Abundant, and Durable Electrocatalysts for Producing Hydrogen from Water and Electricity

Select Publications

Baker, Jordon; Wang, Danyang; Alam, Md Kawsar; Lao, Ka Un; Arachchige, Indika U.* “Dopant-Induced Hexagonal to Orthorhombic Phase Transition in Fe 2-x Mo x P Nanorods and Its Influence on the Electrocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution Reaction” Chem. Mater. 2025, 37 (90), 3260–3273.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.chemmater.4c03479

Spence, Griffin C.; Pate, David S.; Villot, Corentin; Fouzie, Roshana M.; Graves, Lisa S.; Lao, Ka Un;Ozgur, Umit; Arachchige, Indika U.* “Solid-State Synthesis of Si 1-x Ge x Nanoalloys with Composition-Tunable Energy Gaps and Visible to Near Infrared Optical Properties” Nanoscale 2025, 17 (6),3306–3321.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1039/D4NR03472D

Graves, Lisa, S.; Sarkar, Rajib; Baker, Jordon; Lao, Ka U.; Arachchige, Indika U* Structure and Morphology Controlled Synthesis of Hexagonal Ni2-xZnxP Nanocrystals and Their Composition Dependent Electrocatalytic Activity for Hydrogen Evolution Reaction. ACS Appl. Energy Mater.  2024, 7 (14), 5679–5690.  DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acsaem.4c00539

Spera, Drew Z.; Pate, David; Spence, Griffin C.; Villot, Corentin; Onukwughara, Chineme J.; White, Daulton; Lao, Ka. U.; Özgür, Ümit; Arachchige, Indika U.* Colloidal Synthesis of Homogeneous Ge1-x-ySiySnx Nanoalloys with Composition-Tunable Visible to Near IR Optical Properties. Chem. Mater. 2023, 35 (21), 9007–901. DOI: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.chemmater.3c01644

Sarkar, Rajib; Graves, Lisa S.; Taylor, Jessie R.; Arachchige, Indika U.* Self-Supported Ag/Pt/Pd Alloy Aerogels as High Performance Bifunctional and Durable Electrocatalysts for Methanol and Ethanol Oxidation Reactions. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 2023, 15 (44), 50981-50993. DOI: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsami.3c07740

Affiliations

• American Chemical Society (ACS)
• Materials Research Society (MRS)
• Phi Lambda Upsilon (PLU)
• Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society

Courses

• CHEM 622 - Solid State and Materials Chemistry
• CHEM 620 - Advanced Inorganic Chemistry II
• CHEM 320 - Inorganic Chemistry I
• CHEM 102 - General Chemistry II

Awards

• Outstanding Student Support Award - VCU College of Humanities and Sciences, 2025
• National and International Recognition Award (NIRA) – VCU Office of the Provost, 2023
• VCU College of Humanities and Sciences – Excellence in Scholarship Award, 2017
• Esther and Stanley Kirschner Outstanding Graduate Student Award, 2007
• Wilfred Heller Outstanding Graduate Research Fellowship, Wayne State University, 2006-2007
• Dissertation Research Fellowship, Graduate School, Wayne State University, 2006