About PI

Dr. Banerjee is a pioneer and leading scientist in microdroplet chemistry, a fast-growing area of research that explores how extremely small droplets of liquid can behave like tiny chemical reactors. His work demonstrates that chemical reactions in such droplets can occur in entirely new ways—often much faster and without the need for added catalysts, reagents, or external energy. In 2011, he made a landmark discovery that electrosprayed microdroplets can induce unusual chemical transformations that do not occur in bulk solutions otherwise, leading to the concept of the microdroplet as a “tiny reaction vessel” (https://doi.org/10.1007/s13361-011-0188-7). This insight drove his systematic investigations, which revealed extraordinarily fast reaction rates, often exceeding million-fold accelerations, arising from the intrinsic properties of microdroplets themselves. These foundational contributions have generated worldwide interest and inspired sustained research efforts, including within his own group, to harness air–water interfacial chemistry in microdroplets for practical and translational applications across chemistry, biology, medicine, and industry. His microdroplet research broadly spans the sustainable production of value-added chemicals, pharmaceuticals, platform chemicals, and advanced materials; the development of spray-based biological and biomedical tools; the interception and stabilization of highly reactive intermediates at water droplet surfaces; and the elucidation of environmentally relevant chemical reactions that had long been overlooked in conventional atmospheric reaction models. Further extending this impact, Dr. Banerjee discovered a natural corona-discharge–like phenomenon at the air–water interface of microdroplets (later termed “microlightning” in the literature) which has stimulated new directions in analytical and prebiotic chemistry. Notably, his group demonstrated that inert gases such as argon and nitrogen can undergo oxidation in open-air microdroplet environments, leading to the formation of NOx species and the unprecedented [ArOH]⁺ ion, thereby reshaping current understanding of atmospheric and interfacial chemical processes. Collectively, his work introduces a green, efficient, and fundamentally new paradigm for molecular transformation, addressing global challenges in sustainable chemical manufacturing, environmental chemistry, and human health.