Faculty <br /> of Applied Sciences
Faculty
of Applied Sciences

Dr. Dilan Karunathilaka

Dr. Dilan Karunathilaka

Senior Lecturer (Gr II)

Ph.D. in Chemistry – University of Mississippi, USA
M.Sc in Analytical Chemistry – University of Peradeniya
B.Sc in Chemistry, Molecular Biology and Biotechnology – University of Peradeniya

Email :  dilan@uwu.ac.lk
Phone : +94 552226676

Research Interest

  • Halogen bond–driven supramolecular and functional materials for advanced chemical and materials applications
  • Adsorption processes and surface interactions or heavy metal removal and water purification using sustainable materials
  • Design and characterization of near-infrared (NIR) emitting and absorbing organic materials
  • Development and characterization of low-cost, bio-based adsorbent materials derived from agricultural waste
  • Design and development of value-added functional materials from organic, polymeric, and bio-derived resources

Publications

  • Karunathilaka, D., Rajapakse, R. M. G., Hardin, A. E., Sexton, T. M., Sparks, N. E., Mosely, J. J., Rheingold, A. L., Hammer, N. I., Tschumper, G. S., & Watkins, D. L. (2022).
    Correlation of solid-state order to optoelectronic behavior in heterocyclic oligomers.
    CrystEngComm, 24(25), 4564–4572.
    https://doi.org/10.1039/D2CE00560C
  • Rajapakse, R. M. G., Attanayake, N. H., Karunathilaka, D., Steen, A. E., Hammer, N. I., Strongin, D. R., & Watkins, D. L. (2019).
    Advances in electro-copolymerization of NIR emitting and electronically conducting block copolymers.
    Journal of Materials Chemistry C, 7(11), 3168–3172.
    https://doi.org/10.1039/C8TC06331A
  • Ranathunge, T. A., Karunathilaka, D., Ngo, D. T., Attanayake, N. H., Brodgon, P., Delcamp, J. H., Rajapakse, R. M. G., & Watkins, D. L. (2019).
    Radically Accessing D–A Type Ambipolar Copolymeric Materials with Intrinsic Electrical Conductivity and Visible–Near Infrared Absorption Via Electro‐Copolymerization.
    Macromolecular Chemistry and Physics, 220(21).
    https://doi.org/10.1002/macp.201900289
  • Ranathunge, T. A., Ngo, D. T., Karunarathilaka, D., Attanayake, N. H., Chandrasiri, I., Brogdon, P., Delcamp, J. H., Rajapakse, R. M. G., & Watkins, D. L. (2020).
    Designing hierarchical structures of complex electronically conducting organic polymers via one-step electro-polymerization.
    Journal of Materials Chemistry C, 8(17), 5934–5940.
    https://doi.org/10.1039/C9TC06945C
  • Sparks, N. E., Vijayan, S. M., Roy, J. K., Dorris, A., Lambert, E., Karunathilaka, D., Hammer, N. I., Leszczynski, J., & Watkins, D. L. (2023).
    Synthesis and characterization of novel Thienothiadiazole-Based D−Π–A−Π–D fluorophores as potential NIR imaging agents.
    ACS Omega, 8(27), 24513–24523.
    https://doi.org/10.1021/acsomega.3c02602