# Ramanathan Vaidhyanathan

**Ramanathan Vaidhyanathan** (R. Vaidhyanathan) is an Indian materials chemist who studies metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and covalent organic frameworks (COFs) for carbon dioxide capture and energy storage. He is known for the 2010 *Science* paper that resolved CO2 binding sites inside an amine-functionalized MOF crystallographically. 

| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Field | MOFs, COFs, and nanocomposites for carbon capture, gas separation, and charge storage<sup>[1](https://www.iiserpune.ac.in/news/post/c-n-r-rao-award-to-r-vaidhyanathan/255)</sup> |
| Signature work | "Direct Observation and Quantification of CO2 Binding Within an Amine-Functionalized Nanoporous Solid", *Science*, 2010<sup>[3](https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.1194237)</sup> |
| Output | Over 101 papers and 11 patents filed from IISER Pune<sup>[4](https://cse.umn.edu/chem/events/professor-ramanathan-vaidhyanathan)</sup> |

## Education and career

Vaidhyanathan completed a B.Sc. He then took an Integrated Ph.D. in Chemistry at the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR) in [Bangalore](https://www.edgepedia.org/bangalore) from 1997 to 2003, supervised by Prof. [C. N. R. Rao](https://www.edgepedia.org/c-n-r-rao) and Prof. S. Natarajan; his ORCID record gives the PhD as 1997 to 2004.<sup>[2](https://vaidhyar2019.wixsite.com/mysite/vaidhyanathan-r)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[5](https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4490-4397)</sup>

His postdoctoral training ran from 2003 to 2007 at the [University of Liverpool](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-liverpool) with Prof. [George Shimizu](https://www.edgepedia.org/george-k-h-shimizu).<sup>[2](https://vaidhyar2019.wixsite.com/mysite/vaidhyanathan-r)</sup> 

## Research

His group develops MOFs, COFs, and related nanocomposites for selective carbon dioxide sequestration, gas separation, and charge-storage devices.<sup>[1](https://www.iiserpune.ac.in/news/post/c-n-r-rao-award-to-r-vaidhyanathan/255)</sup> A host-department profile at the [University of Minnesota](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-minnesota) credits him with over 101 papers and 11 patents filed from IISER Pune.<sup>[4](https://cse.umn.edu/chem/events/professor-ramanathan-vaidhyanathan)</sup>

## Representative work

The 2010 *Science* paper reported the crystallographic resolution of CO2 molecules and their binding domains within a metal-organic framework functionalized with amine groups, with simulations that matched the gas sorption isotherms, the high heat of adsorption, and the CO2 lattice positions.<sup>[3](https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.1194237)</sup> The analysis attributed the low-pressure binding and large uptake to the combination of an appropriate pore size, strongly interacting amine groups, and cooperative binding among CO2 guest molecules.<sup>[3](https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.1194237)</sup> A follow-up 2011 *Angewandte Chemie* paper found, contrary to popular thinking, that higher amination decreased CO2 binding in the studied system, with the loss compensated by cooperativity between CO2 triads that enhanced binding by over 7 kJ mol−1.<sup>[6](https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.201105109)</sup>

In energy storage, his group's 2023 *Advanced Energy Materials* paper described a squaramide COF cathode for an aqueous zinc dual-ion battery: adding iodide to the ZnSO4 electrolyte raised capacity about threefold, from 208 to 690 mAh g−1 at 1.5 A g−1, then the highest among COF-derived zinc-ion batteries, and the cell delivered 600 mAh g−1 at 5 A g−1 stable up to 6000 cycles.<sup>[7](https://doi.org/10.1002/aenm.202301049)</sup>

## Carbon capture from laboratory to plant

In 2010, while at the [University of Calgary](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-calgary), Vaidhyanathan was involved in developing an azolate MOF with strong carbon-capturing properties, a precursor to the scalable CO2-selective MOF CALF-20.<sup>[8](https://www.iiserpune.ac.in/news/post/capturing-carbon-dioxide-from-a-humid-gas-stream/263)</sup> The later CALF-20 work, a collaboration involving the University of Calgary, the [University of Alberta](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-alberta), the [University of Ottawa](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-ottawa), Svante, and BASF SE, demonstrated removal of up to 95 percent of the CO2 emitted from a cement manufacturing plant in Vancouver, B.C., with adsorption filters running millions of capture and release cycles without noticeable degradation.<sup>[8](https://www.iiserpune.ac.in/news/post/capturing-carbon-dioxide-from-a-humid-gas-stream/263)</sup> He has argued that capturing CO2 under humid conditions removes the need for sorbent drying and saves a substantial amount of parasitic energy, a practical advantage over sorbent approaches that require dry gas streams.<sup>[8](https://www.iiserpune.ac.in/news/post/capturing-carbon-dioxide-from-a-humid-gas-stream/263)</sup>

## Honors and recognition

He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry in 2021 and received the Prof. C. N. R. Rao Award for Research in Inorganic and Physical Chemistry for 2021, a national prize given by the C. N. R. Rao Foundation and JNCASR to Indian scientists below the age of 55.<sup>[2](https://vaidhyar2019.wixsite.com/mysite/vaidhyanathan-r)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[1](https://www.iiserpune.ac.in/news/post/c-n-r-rao-award-to-r-vaidhyanathan/255)</sup> Earlier honors include the Materials Research Society of India Medal in 2019 and the Chemical Research Society of India Medal in 2018.<sup>[2](https://vaidhyar2019.wixsite.com/mysite/vaidhyanathan-r)</sup> 

## Recent developments

His promotion to full professor in 2022 anchors the current phase of his career.<sup>[2](https://vaidhyar2019.wixsite.com/mysite/vaidhyanathan-r)</sup> Two lines of work define the recent record. In energy storage, his group published the 2023 zinc dual-ion battery cathode in *Advanced Energy Materials*.<sup>[7](https://doi.org/10.1002/aenm.202301049)</sup> In carbon capture, the academia-industry collaboration around CALF-20 moved the MOF chemistry he helped establish at Calgary into industrial demonstration at a cement plant.<sup>[8](https://www.iiserpune.ac.in/news/post/capturing-carbon-dioxide-from-a-humid-gas-stream/263)</sup>

## References

1. [C. N. R. Rao Award to R. Vaidhyanathan - IISER Pune News](https://www.iiserpune.ac.in/news/post/c-n-r-rao-award-to-r-vaidhyanathan/255)
2. [About | Vaidhya's APML (R. Vaidhyanathan CV page)](https://vaidhyar2019.wixsite.com/mysite/vaidhyanathan-r)
3. [Direct Observation and Quantification of CO2 Binding Within an Amine-Functionalized Nanoporous Solid, Science (2010)](https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.1194237)
4. [Professor Ramanathan Vaidhyanathan - University of Minnesota Department of Chemistry](https://cse.umn.edu/chem/events/professor-ramanathan-vaidhyanathan)
5. [Ramanathan Vaidhyanathan FRSC (0000-0003-4490-4397) - ORCID](https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4490-4397)
6. [Competition and Cooperativity in Carbon Dioxide Sorption by Amine-Functionalized Metal-Organic Frameworks, Angewandte Chemie (2011)](https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.201105109)
7. [Made to Measure Squaramide COF Cathode for Zinc Dual-Ion Battery, Advanced Energy Materials (2023)](https://doi.org/10.1002/aenm.202301049)
8. [Capturing carbon dioxide from a humid gas stream - IISER Pune News](https://www.iiserpune.ac.in/news/post/capturing-carbon-dioxide-from-a-humid-gas-stream/263)

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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Physical world and mathematics › Physical and mathematical scientists › Chemists › Researchers in polymer, supramolecular, and materials chemistry › Crystal engineering and porous frameworks*

*Initially written Sep 21, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 25, 2026; Oct 15, 2026 · Last review: Sep 25, 2026*

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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license