IISER MOHALI

Abstract: In the recent times, the supramolecular platforms have been identified as important molecular frameworks which yields materials suitable for a variety of applications including those of sensing, cell imaging, anti-proliferation activity, enzyme mimicking, water purification and several others. Of these, the calixarenes have turned out to be important scaffolds owing to their wide range of application potential. Activity concerned with the synthesis of the conjugates of calix[n]arenes via organic derivatization affecting the lower rim or the upper rim or both has become routine among chemists who work on this class of supramolecules. The current literature is abundant with the synthetic designs. When the advantages of these aspects are taken into consideration, it is not impossible to develop and synthesize the conjugates of calixarenes suitable to perform specific function. Recent developments of these by anchoring on to the solid surfaces have elevated their utility in a variety of fields. Thus, there lies a tremendous potential for properly designed and carefully tailored conjugates of calix[n]arenes to serve as materials for multitude applications and thus the influence of calixarenes has gone much beyond sensing. During the past two decades, our group entered into the arena where the conjugates of calixarenes are appropriately designed, synthesized and demonstrated for their cell targeting, anticancer activity, drug delivery, gene transfer, catalysis, enzyme mimicking and in water purification.1-11 Our efforts go much beyond in comparing our systems with those reported in the literature ones as a proof of concept for their versatility.12-16 Several of these aspects will be a part of this lecture.

I acknowledge DST/SERB, CSIR, DAE-BRNS for financial support, IIT Bombay for infrastructure and Chair Professorship in the past, and IIT Tirupati for the MHRD professorship subsequently and DST for JC Bose National Fellowship, and all my co-workers and collaborators for contributing to this research. I thank SRM University AP for my current position as senior professor.