Kailas Mahipal Malappuram
Higher Degree by Research Candidate
School of Physics, Chemistry and Earth Sciences
College of Science
Kailas is a second-year PhD candidate at the Future Industries Institute and the School of Physics, Chemistry and Earth Science, Adelaide University (Mawson Lakes campus), supervised by Prof. Ferry Melchels. He is working on slow shape-shifting hydrogels made using dual-crosslinked and interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) chemistries.
Before moving to Adelaide, Kailas completed a Master's in Chemistry at the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Tiruchirappalli, and then worked as a researcher at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore.
Kailas makes hydrogels that change shape slowly and predictably over time. The idea is to write the shape change into the polymer chemistry itself, so the material does the work without an outside trigger like heat or pH. He builds these gels from two interpenetrating networks — a fast photocrosslinked one that sets the starting shape, and a slower one that drives the morphing as it forms. The chemistries are mostly GelMA- and PEG-based macromers, characterised by swelling, mechanical testing, and shape tracking over time.
| Date | Institution name | Country | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 - 2022 | National Institute of Technology Tiruchirappalli | India | M.Sc. Chemistry |
| 2017 - 2020 | St. Aloysius Elthuruth | India | B.Sc. Chemistry |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2026 | Rasin, P., Malappuram, K. M., & Bhuvanesh, N. (2026). Exploring uncommon cyclization: Synthesis and crystal structure of a morpholine-substituted 1,2-pyrazole from Coumarin. Structural Chemistry, 37(1), 385-395. |
| 2025 | Mahipal Malappuram, K., Chatterjee, A., Chakraborty, S., Debnath, S., Chatterjee, K., & Nain, A. (2025). Shape-Programmable Chitosan Films as Soft Microrobots toward the Development of Chemo-Mechanical Sensors. Langmuir, 41(23), 15084-15093. |
| 2025 | Chakraborty, S., Debnath, S., Mahipal Malappuram, K., Parasuram, S., Chang, H. -T., Chatterjee, K., & Nain, A. (2025). Flexible and Robust Piezoelectric Chitosan Films with Enhanced Bioactivity. Biomacromolecules, 26(2), 1128-1140. |
| 2025 | Malappuram, K. M., Chatterjee, K., Homer‐Vanniasinkam, S., & Nain, A. (2025). Clinical Challenges in Soft Robotics. Advanced Robotics Research, 1(2). |
| 2023 | Rasin, P., Haribabu, J., Malappuram, K. M., Manakkadan, V., Palakkeezhillam, V. N. V., Echeverria, C., & Sreekanth, A. (2023). A “turn-on” fluorescent chemosensor for the meticulous detection of gallium (III) ion and its use in live cell imaging, logic gates and keypad locks. Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology A: Chemistry, 437, 114493. |
| 2023 | Rasin, P., Kumar, V. S., Malappuram, K. M., & Sreekanth, A. (2023). Fluorescent Materials for Latent Fingerprint Detection. CURRENT ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY, 19(10), 693-703. WoS14 |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2024 | Mahipal Malappuram, K., Chatterjee, A., Chakraborty, S., Debnath, S., Chatterjee, K., & Nain, A. (2024). Shape programmable chitosan films as soft microrobots toward the development of chemo-mechanical sensors. DOI |
ASBTE Lab Visit Travel Grant 2026
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