Dr. Fathima Shahitha is a chemist with an interest in nano biomaterials. She joined the University of Nizwa in January 2020 as an Asst. Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences and Chemistry. Prior to joining the University of Nizwa, Dr. Fathima was an Asst. Professor in the Faculty of Industrial Sciences and Technology at Universiti Malaysia Pahang for nine years.
She received her Ph.D. (Chemistry-Nanotechnology) and M.Sc (Analytical Chemistry) from the National University of Singapore. She was a research assistant for a project with the AGENCY FOR SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, AND RESEARCH (A*STAR) Singapore.
Dr. Fathima has authored about 35 journal articles and two books. She holds three patents deriving from her research. She has given several invited talks. She has supervised 2 Doctoral, 4 Master’s, and more than 60 graduate researchers. She has been the Principal and Co-Principal investigator for more than 12 Malaysian research projects. She has been a Leader for UIC150710, 2015-2016, Demand-Driven Innovation Project by PPRN, Malaysia (INDUSTRY, ACADEMIA, and GOVERNMENT- CHALLENGE PROJECT).
She is an active member of various societies like The American Chemical Society (ACS), the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC), and the Singapore National Institute of Chemistry (SNIC).
She is currently working on biomaterials by green chemistry approach.
Dr. Fathima is a recipient of several International Awards including GOLD MEDALS in SEOUL INTERNATIONAL INVENTION FAIR – SIIF, GOLD in BIOMALAYSIA, MALAYSIA TECHNOLOGY EXPO (MTE), BEST PRESENTER AWARD IN the UNITED ARAB EMIRATES.
Biomaterials by green chemistry approach.
Synthesis and characterization of natural anti-microbial hydrogels from alginate/ hydroxyethyl cellulose (SA/HEC) polymers crosslinked by bivalent cations ions
Antimicrobial hydrogels from natural carbohydrate polymers in an eco-friendly and economical way are gaining great attention. This research is focused on developing antimicrobial hydrogels based on alginate and hydroxyethyl cellulose (SA/HEC) in a green chemistry approach. The effect of bivalent metal ions on the cross-linking efficiency and other physicochemical properties of the hydrogels are studied. Hydrogels in different forms like beads, sponges, and films were produced and characterized by various techniques like SEM, XRD, TGA, FTIR, UV-vis and so on. For this study, Ca2+, Mg2+, and Ca2+/Mg2+ were chosen. Ca2+ and Ca2+/Mg2+ showed excellent cross-linking efficiency. Mg2+ alone failed to cross-link the SA/HEC hydrogel but with little addition of Ca2+, the cross-linking efficiency was increased and highly stable SA/HEC hydrogels were achieved. Beads showed porous structures (2-20 µm) on their surface Films with a thickness of approximately150µm were produced. The hydrogels showed excellent mechanical stability, thermal stability. The water stability for the hydrogels cross-linked with Ca2+ was much higher than the one cross-linked by Ca2+/Mg2+. Silver nanoparticles (AgNP) were formed in-situ in the SA/HEC hydrogels. When subjected for antimicrobial analysis all the hydrogels and the synthesized nanoparticles have observed to exhibit antimicrobial activities against the bacterial strains Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 29213 and fungal strains Candida albicans ATCC 14053and Candida kruzei ATCC 6258. Conclusively, the current study undoubtedly witnessed a green chemistry approach to synthesize water insoluble hydrogel cross linked with Ca2+/Mg2+ ions harbouring antimicrobial properties.