Meet Kashmir scientist whose research article figures in top 100 downloaded chemistry papers globally

Srinagar: A Kashmiri scientist has achieved a rare honour after the research article, he co-authored, became one of the top 100 downloaded chemistry papers in the world.

Dr. Khalid Mujasam Batoo, who works as an Assistant Professor at King Abdullah Institute for Nanotechnology at King Saud University, co-authored the research paper titled ‘Photocatalytic dye degradation and antimicrobial activities of Pure and Ag-doped ZnO using cannabis sativa leaf extract’

The paper highlights using eco-friendly materials for anti-microbial and wastewater treatment. The article received 2,697 downloads in 2020, placing it as one of the top 100 downloaded chemistry papers, according to Scientific Reports 2020 by Nature Portfolio Journal.

“Scientific reports published more than 550 chemistry papers in 2020, and so a position in the top 100 most downloaded articles is an extraordinary achievement—your science is of real value to the research community,” the letter by the chief editor, Scientific Reports, Nature Portfolio, Dr. Richard White reads.

Dr Khalid told The Kashmir Monitor, that the paper is about synthesis of Zinc Oxide nanoparticles.

“Zinc oxide is one of the important materials widely researched among the scientific community. We tried to synthesize the same material by adopting eco-friendly techniques using cannabis sativa leaves. The paper is important as it is related to wastewater treatment, photocatalytic activity, anti-microbial, and pathogens,” he said.

He said what makes it more special is the fact that the paper has been placed at 34th rank in the top 100 downloaded Chemistry papers by Scientific Reports, 2020.

“Scientific Reports is an open-access journal publishing original research from across all areas of the natural and clinical sciences. It is the 7th most-cited journal in the world, with more than 350,000 citations in 2019*, and receives widespread attention in policy documents and the media,” he said

Earlier in November 2020, Dr. Khalid got featured in the world’s top two percent of scientists in the Physics category of Stanford University, The USA. His research interest includes the study of magnetism in the nano-materials, fabrication of materials for solar cells, and target drug delivery.

He is also serving as an editorial board member of more than 13 scientific journals. As an invited speaker, he has delivered many talks on nanotechnology and its applications in countries like the USA, China, Turkey, Bangladesh, Greece, Japan, Germany, France, and India.