Faculty Member

- Qualification
PhD, PDF (University College London, UK 2011 and IIT Delhi, 2013)
- Designation
Assistant Professor
- Thrust Area
Bioelectrochemistry, Bioenergy and Biofuels, Bioremediation, Carbon Capture and Nanomaterials for Sensors
- Address
Amin Pradhan Street, Dhorra Mafi Aligarh 202 002
- Mobile
8266057545
- Email
zn.khan1@gmail.com, dr_mzain.ch@amu.ac.in
- Time Table
Dr. Khan did his Masters in Industrial Chemistry and PhD in Chemistry (Bioremediation of organic compounds) from AMU Aligarh in the year 2007 and 2011 respectively. During his doctoral study, he also worked with his co-supervisor Prof. Vinod Tare in the Environmental Engineering and Management section of the department of Civil Engineering, IIT Kanpur. He has qualified the NET examination and was awarded JRF and SRF during his doctoral studies. After completing his PhD, he was awarded the Erasmus Mundus Fellowship by the European Union to work at the prestigious University College of London as post-doctoral researcher. He remained there till late 2012 and thereafter joined the department of Biochemical Engineering and Biotechnology, IIT Delhi as Project Scientist under the DST Fast Track Young Scientist Scheme. He is also the recipient of Dr. DS Kothari post-doctoral fellowship by the UGC. He has joined the department of Chemistry, AMU Aligarh in early 2014. He has been shifted to the newly created department of Industrial Chemistry on 01.02.2023.
Dr. Khan is working in the area of alleviating the global warming and energy crisis through carbon capture. He is utilizing the technique of microbial electro-synthesis to convert atmospheric carbon dioxide to biofuels/value added chemicals through bioelectrochemical systems (BES). He is also working on microbial fuel cells to harness the energy stored in chemical compounds into electrical energy by catalytic action of microorganisms. His work further includes characterization of the microbial communities using 16S rRNA polymerase chain reaction (PCR), denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and quantitative real time PCR. Moreover, Dr. Khan is also interested in the development of nanomaterials electrocatalysts with excellent redox properties to be used as sensors for emerging pollutants or target analytes (e.g. antibiotics, biochemicals etc) or electrode materials for energy storage devices (batteries and supercapacitors).
He has completed four major research projects funded by the DST, UGC, SERB and UPCST along with a industry sponsored project. He recently received two research project making his total cumulative funding of over 1.20 Crores. He is a member of the Royal Society of Chemistry as well as the American Chemical Society. He is a life member of the Chemical Research Society of India, Indian Council of Chemist and the Indian Science Congress. He is the member of the Water Science Forum of RSC too and Faculty Advisor of ACS International Chapter AMU Aligarh. Dr. Khan is also serving as external referee of an Italian research funding agency (Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Padova e Rovigo). He is serving as Guest Editor and Editor (special issue) of Frontiers in Energy Research and Frontiers in Microbiology. He is also serving as reviewer of many international peer reviewed journals. He has recently been appointed as External Member of the Board of Studies, D/o Industrial Chemistry, Dr. A.H. University, AP.
Dr Khan has published more than 100 research papers including review articles and book chapters with internationally reputed publishers and delivered numerous lectures/invited talks in national and international conferences/ workshops. In addition, he has edited two books on Modern Age Environmental Problems and Their Remediation using Applied Nanotechnology published by Springer. His work has received a total citations of around 6800 with h index of 43 and i10 index of 101. He has been granted an international patent while two Indian patents are in the publication stage. In one of his patents, he has developed a ternary nanocomposites based acetone sensor that can be used as a diagnostic tool for detection of diabetes by marking acetone produced during keto-acidosis. Dr. Khan received the Best Researcher Award by Aligarh Muslim University in the year 2021 on the occasion of Sir Syed Day. He also received Best Oral Presentation Award during an international conference on Biotechnology and Biological Sciences in 2019 at Bangkok and 'Molecule Award'.
Following is the list of few journals in which he has made his contribution-
- ACS Applied Energy Materials
- Journal of Materials Chemistry B
- Science of the Total Environment
- Scientific Reports
- Journal of Cleaner Production
- International Journal of Hydrogen Energy
- Journal of Hazardous Materials
- Applied Energy
- Bioresource Technology
- Fuels & Plos One etc
- Development of nanozyme based sensors as diagnostic tools in clinic applications: a review J. Mater. Chem. B, 2023,11, 6762-6781
Nanozymes are a group of nanomaterials with enzyme-mimetic properties capable of catalyzing natural enzyme processes. Nanozymes have attracted great interest in biomedicine due to their excellent stability, rapid reactivity, and affordable cost. The enzyme-mimetic activities of nanozymes may be modulated by numerous parameters, including the oxidative state of metal ions, pH, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) level, and glutathione (GSH) concentration, indicating the tremendous potential for biological applications.
- FeS2 and WO3 nanoparticles decorated on biochar as a high throughput electrode for supercapacitors. Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2023,25, 32010-32020
The need for cutting-edge energy storage technologies, such as supercapacitors, has been enhanced tremendously to meet the demands of the growing population and depleting fossil fuel reserves. Herein, we reported the synthesis of FeS2 and WO3 nanoparticles decorated on the biochar derived from peanut shells using a facile ultrasonication approach. SEM, TEM, XPS, XRD, FTIR and N2 adsorption–desorption isotherms characterized the structural and physical properties of the as-synthesized materials. BET analysis revealed a specific surface area of 259.87 m2 g1 for the ternary composite, which serves as a better foundation for transmitting ions and electrons. The composite material derives its advantages from the synergistic effect of biochar’s high electronic conductivity and the better capacity retention of FeS2 and WO3 nanoparticles.
- A Review on Development of Carbon-Based Nanomaterials for Energy Storage Devices: Opportunities and Challenges. Energy Fuels 2023, 37, 19433?19460
Carbon-based nanomaterials like fullerenes, graphene, carbon nanotubes, activated carbon, and conducting polymers have received significant attention because of their distinctive hierarchical structure, high porosity, good mechanical and electrical characteristics, and extensive specific surface area. These attributes make them effective electrode materials for energy storage devices. This review explores the application of carbon-based nanomaterials in energy storage devices and highlights some real challenges limiting their commercialization.
- Hydrothermally Synthesized PANI-Decorated CuMnO2 Nanostructured Electrode: Powering Flexible Solid-State Supercapacitors for Wearable and Portable Electronics. ACS Appl. Energy Mater. 2025, 8, 245?258
Wearable and flexible electronics require compact, reliable power systems capable of delivering consistent energy for diverse applications. This study introduces a nanostructured PANI@CuMnO2 electrode material synthesized via mechanical grinding followed by hydrothermal treatment. The strategic integration of PANI into the CuMnO2 matrix enhances the material’s electrochemical performance, achieving a high areal specific capacitance of 355.62 mF cm?2 at 1 mA cm?2 and an energy density of 17.78 ?Wh cm?2 at a power density of 108 ?W cm?2 in a three-electrode system. Notably, the electrode demonstrates excellent cycling stability, retaining 94.82% of its capacitance after 5000 charge?discharge cycles. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations further corroborate the superior charge transfer properties and structural integrity of the material.
- High capacitive polypyrrole-SnO2 nanocomposites anode for the treatment of methyl orange in an integrated photo-electrocatalytic microbial fuel cell. Bioresource Technology Reports Volume 32, December 2025, 102375
An integrated photoelectrocatalytic microbial fuel cell (PMFC) was designed for methyl orange treatment using a polypyrrole?tin oxide (PPy/SnO2) bioanode. Performance was evaluated in three configurations: (i) PMFC with PPy/SnO2-coated carbon fiber photo-bioanodes, (ii) PMFC with uncoated carbon fiber as the photo-bioanode, and (iii) MFC with PPy/SnO2 as a bioanode in the dark. The PPy/SnO2-integrated PMFC exhibited superior dye removal and electricity generation. Experiments at 100, 200, and 300 mg/L methyl orange showed that the illuminated PPy/SnO2 system (100 W iodine tungsten lamp) achieved 15 % higher removal efficiency than its dark counterpart. Voltage output was also significantly higher for the PPy/SnO2-coated PMFC.
- Microbial electrosynthesis of acetic acid from carbon dioxide using a bimetallic-granular activated carbon cathode. Bioelectrochemistry Volume 168, March 2026, 109158
Development of highly stable, conductive, biocompatible and cost-effective cathode is crucial for scaling up microbial electrosynthesis (MES). Bimetallic cathodes have gain importance in recent times due wide application. Current study utilized a bimetallic (nickel and iron) impregnated granular activated carbon (Ni-Fe-GAC) cathode in microbial electrosynthesis. Ni-Fe-GAC cathode was prepared via treating GACs in a mixed solution of nickel chloride and iron sulphate. Deposition of metals on GAC facilitates the improved electron transfer and biofilm formation on the GAC surface, giving 1.4 times higher acetate production than plain GAC (control).
- UG and PG Polymer Science Coursehttps://api.amu.ac.in//storage/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-9W0TxLIj8
- UG Course Electrical Conductionhttps://api.amu.ac.in//storage/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16_nKMtSidg
- UV Spectroscopy UG Coursehttps://api.amu.ac.in//storage/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFwWO4_1BXY
- Water Quality Analysis- Alkalinity in Water Samplehttps://api.amu.ac.in//storage/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sm2aQWFZNEk
- UV Spectroscopy https://api.amu.ac.in//storage/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCET5Fm5Jtg
- Formation of Bands in UV Visible Spectroscopy- BSc Final (Organic Spectroscopy)https://api.amu.ac.in//storage/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kxalQSuZUE&t=74s

