Earlham College | A national liberal arts college in the Midwest
Mahesh Dawadi
Visiting Assistant Professor of Chemistry

Mahesh Dawadi is a Visiting Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry at Earlham College, where he has been since this Fall semester 2019. Before joining Earlham, he was a faculty member at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley and was a post-doctoral researcher associated at the University of Akron in Ohio. He received an M.S. from Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal; and a Master’s and Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Akron.

My research interests span (1) in investigating the photophysical properties of donor-acceptor organic materials or polymeric materials, potentially for the use in molecular electronics, and specifically for use in low-cost solar cells (2) in studying the energy level patterns and dynamics of isolated gas species relevant to remote atmospheric sensing, environmental protection, hydrocarbon combustion, and petroleum chemistry, and (3) in studying the various properties of molecules/organometallic complexes using quantum mechanical computational programs.

Contact Info

Campus Mail
Drawer 8

Phone
765-983-1349

E-mail

Office
218 Center for Science and Technology

Office Hours
M: 9:30-10:30 a.m. & 1:30-2:30 p.m.; T: 4:00-5:00 p.m.; W: 9:30-11:30 a.m.

Programs/Departments

  • Chemistry

Degrees

  • Ph.D., The University of Akron
  • M.S., The University of Akron
  • M.S., Tribhuvan University (Nepal)

Selected Courses:

Principles of Chemistry: Principles of Chemistry is a one-semester General Chemistry course required for several majors (Chemistry, Biology, Biochemistry, Neuroscience, Environmental Science) and several programs (pre-health and pre-engineering), and is a prerequisite for all other Chemistry Courses.

  • Ultrafast and vibrational spectroscopy, photochemistry and kinetics studies of organometallic complexes and polymeric materials
  • Organic Photovoltaic devices or Organic Solar Cells
  • Photochemical reactions of atmospheric species
  • Conical Intersections of torsional molecules
  • Energy level pattern and dynamics of isolated gas molecules relevant to remote atmospheric sensing, environmental protection, hydrocarbon combustion and petroleum Chemistry
  • Thin film coating and TEM
  • Phase segregation in novel mesoscopic materials
  • Computational chemistry

Project 1

Photophysics and Solvent Effect on Tautomerism of Free Base Carrole

We investigate the photophysical and electrochemical properties of corrole molecules and how solvent molecules can influence the ability of this molecule to capture light and mimic photosynthesis. A detailed understanding of the photophysical, electrochemical and spectroelectrochemical properties of these molecules is important in order to use porphyrins and corroles in molecular, electronic and photonic devices.

Project 2

Photophysics, Solvent Effect, and pH effect on Donor-Acceptor Organic Compounds or Polymeric Materials

We investigate the photophysical properties of electron donor-acceptor organic compounds or polymeric materials in the different solvents and in the different and in the different pH values.  We use different techniques like electrochemical, emission and absorption, Atomic Force Microscopy, Transmission Electron Microscopy, and Computational modeling.  Finally, this project focused on the designing of the photovoltaic devices with better efficiency.

Specifically, in this project we would like to demonstrate that absorption and emission spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry are the key step to investigate the photophysics of the electron-donor and electron-acceptor molecules and complexes and their suitability in the photovoltaic devices and the overall device performance. The specific objective of work under this proposal is to demonstrate the feasibility of the project so that undergraduate students are able to finish this project on time.  This project integrates fundamental research with outreach and communication efforts to engage a diverse group of students in interdisciplinary science, and the community at large, to show how nanotechnology impacts their lives.

Project 3

High-Resolution IR Spectroscopy of Highly Energized Torsional Molecules

This research project focused on the study of the dynamics of the torsional molecules using various spectroscopic techniques. In this project, we will employ spectroscopic tools to investigate the energy level patterns and dynamics of isolated gas species relevant to remote atmospheric sensing, environmental protection, hydrocarbon combustion, and petroleum Chemistry. 

Project 4

Computational Chemistry

This research project involves the study of the various properties of molecules using quantum mechanical computational programs. This project examines the structures and energies of a variety of molecules, from small torsional molecules, organic compounds, and biologically interesting molecules and ions, to polymers.

Peer-reviewed Publications

  1. Mahesh B. Dawadi, C. Michael Lindsay, Andrei Chirokolava, David S. Perry, and Li-Hong Xu :Novel patterns of torsion-inversion-rotation energy levels in the v11 asymmetric CH-stretch spectrum of methylamine, J.Chem.Phys., 138, 104305 (2013). http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4794157
  2. Mahesh  B. Dawadi, Ram S.Bhatta, and David S. Perry: Torsion-inversion tunneling patterns in the CH-stretch vibrational excited states of the G12 family of molecules including methylamine, J. Phys.Chem. A. 117, 13356-13367  (2013). http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/jp406668w
  3. Timothy Matney, L. Barrett, Mahesh B. Dawadi, D. Maki, C. Maxton, David S. Perry, D. C. Roper, L. Somers, and L. G. Whitman: In situ shallow subsurface reflectance spectroscopy of archaeological soils and features: a case-study of two Native American settlement sites in Kansas, Journal of Archaeologial Science, 43, 315-324 (2014). http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2013.11.027
  4. Mahesh B. Dawadi and David S. Perry:  Communication: Conical intersections between vibrationally adiabatic surfaces in methanol, J.Chem.Phys, 140, 161101 (2014).(Featured Article) http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4871657
  5. Mahesh B. Dawadi, Sylvestre Twagirayezu, David S. Perry, and Brant E. Billinghurst: High-resolution Fourier transform infrared synchrotron spectroscopy of the NO2 in-plane rock band of nitromethane, J. Mol. Spectrosc. 315, 10-15 (2015). http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jms.2014.11.009
  6. Mahesh B. Dawadi, Ram S Bhattaand David S. Perry: Contrasting patterns of coupling between the CH stretches and the large-amplitude motions in the series, CH3NH2, CH3OH2+ and CH3CH2×, Chem. Phys. Lett., 624 53-57 (2015). “Editor Choice” http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cplett.2015.02.009
  7. Bishnu P. Thapaliya, Mahesh B. Dawadi, David S. Perry and Christopher Ziegler: The vibrational Jahn-Teller effect in E⊗e systems, Chem. Phys., 460, 31-42 (2015). http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chemphys.2015.07.017
  8. Abed Hasheminasab, Lei Wang, Mahesh B. Dawadi, Richard S. Herrick, Jeffrey J. Rack   and Christopher J. Ziegler: Induction of E/Z isomerization in a pendant metal-boundazobenzene: a synthetic, spectroscopic and theoretical study RSC, Dalton Transactions-Communication 44, 15400-15403 (2015). http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/C5DT02480C
  9. Abed Hasheminasab, Mahesh B. Dawadi, Hamideh Mehr, Richard S. Herrick, and Christopher J. Ziegler: Re(CO)3 Metallopolymers with Complete Metal Monomer in-corporation: Synthetic, Spectroscopic, Electrochemical, and Computational studies ACS Macromolecules, 49(8), 3016-3027 (2016). http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acs.macromol.6b00343
  10. Mengmeng Zhao, Seyed AliEghtesadi , Mahesh B. Dawadi, Chao  Wang, Shuyue Huang , Amy Seymore, Bryan Vogt , Tianbo Liu, David A. Modarelli and Nicole Zacharia: Partitioning of Small Molecules in Hydrogen Bonding Complex Coacervates of Poly(acrylic acid) and Poly(ethylene glycol) or Pluronic Block Copolymer ACS Macromolecules, 50, 3818-3830 (2017). http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acs.macromol.6b02815
  11. Laura Crandall, Mahesh B. Dawadi, Tailon Burrell, Adwoa Odoom and   Christopher J. Ziegler: Structure and electronics in dimeric boron π expanded azine and salphen complexes, Photochemical and photobiological science, 16, 627-632 (2017). (Featured Article) http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/C6PP00479B
  12. Bradley Guislain, Elias Reid, Ronald Lees, Li-Hong Xu, Sylvestre Twagirayezu, David Perry, Bishnu Thapaliya, Mahesh B. Dawadi and Brant Billinghurst: Giant K-doubling and in-plane/out-of-plane mixing in the asymmetric methyl-bending bands of CH3SH J. Mol. Spectrosc. 335, 37- 42(2017) http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jms.2017.02.016
  13. Mingyang Ji, Mahesh B. Dawadi, Alexandria R. LaSalla, Yuan Sun, David A. Modarelli and Jon R. Parquette: A strategy for the co-assembly of co-axial nanotube-polymer hybrids. Langmuir, 33 (36), 9129-9136 (2017). http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acs.langmuir.7b02245
  14. Mahesh B. Dawadi, Bishnu P. Thapaliya and David S. Perry, An Extended E⊗e Jahn-Teller Hamiltonian for Large-Amplitude Motion:  Application to Vibrational Conical Intersections in CH3SH and CH3OH, J. Chem. Phycs. 147, 044306 (2017). http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4994699
  15.  Ronal Lees, Li-Hong Xu, Bradley Guislain, Elias Reid, Sylvestre Twagirayezu, David S. Perry, Mahesh B. Dawadi, Bishnu P. Thapaliya and Brant Billinghurst: Torsion-rotation structure and quasi-symmetric-rotor behaviour for the CH3SH asymmetric CH3-bending and C-H stretching bands E parentage. J. Mol. Spectrosc. 343, 18-27 (2018). http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jms.2017.06.013
  16.  Mahesh B. Dawadi, Lou Degliumberto, David S. Perry, Howard D. Mette and Robert L. Sams:  High -resolution infrared spectroscopy of the asymmetric NO stretch band of jet-cooled nitromethane and assignment of the lowest four torsional states J. Mol. Spectrosc. 343, 85-91 (2018). http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jms.2017.08.001
  17. Shuyue Huang, Mengmeng Zhao, Mahesh B. Dawadi, Yuhang Cai, Yakov Lapitsky, David A Modarelli,  Nicole Zacharia: Effect of Small Molecules on the Phase Behavior and Coacervation of Aqueous Solutions  of Poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) and Poly(sodium 4-styrene sulfonate), J. Colloid Interface Sci. (2018) https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jcis.2018.02.029
  18. Mengmeng Zhao, Xuhui Xia, Jingyi Mao, Chao Wang, Mahesh B. Dawadi, David A. Modarelli, and  Nicole Zacharia: Composition and Property Tunable Ternary Coacervate: Branched Polyethylenimine and a Binary Mixture of a Strong and Weak Polyelectrolyte, Mol. Syst. Des. Eng. (2019). https://dx.doi.org/10.1039/C8ME00069G
  19. R.M Lees, Li-Hong Xu, S. Twagirayezu, D.S. Perry, MaheshB. Dawadi, and B.E. Billinghurst,: FTIR synchrotron spectroscopy of the S-H stretching fundamental of the 12CH3 32SH species of methyl mercaptan, Mol. Phys. (2018). https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00268976.2018.1451931
  20. Mengmeng Zhao, Chao Wang, Haowei Jiang, Mahesh B. Dawadi, Bryan D. Vogt,  David A. Modarelli  and Nicole. S. Zacharia:  Polyelectrolyte–micelle coacervates:  intrapolymer-dominant vs. interpolymer-dominant association, solute uptake and rheological properties, Soft Matter (2019). https://dx.doi.org/10.1039/C8SM02229A
  • American Physical Society
  • Nepal Chemical Society
  • Golden Key International Honour Society

I love to teach because I love to learn. It is so rewarding to teach and learn with Earlham students, through interactions in the chemistry classroom, in the chemistry lab, through their works, in the community, and as collaborative researchers.

I enjoy cooking and reading.

Earlham College, an independent, residential college, aspires to provide the highest-quality undergraduate education in the liberal arts and sciences, shaped by the distinctive perspectives of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers).

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