Dr. Imtiaz is working on the surface engineering of quantum dots and developing small organic probes for the creation of optical molecular sensors. His contribution to the quantum dots sensors was recognized as (1) the mercaptothiol-metal reactive site for H2O2 in quantum dots was used to develop human saliva glucose and cholesterol sensors (2) The small thiol-capped CdTe/CdS QDs were crafted by the naphthalimide organic dye to detect formaldehyde gas via ratiometric contrivance. (3) The ZiF-8 encapsulated CsPbBr3 quantum dot ligands were substituted by the shortest molecules to measure ammonia gas. His works on quantum dots have been published in Advanced Optical Materials, Sensors and Actuators B, and ACS AMI Trends in Environmental Analytical Chemistry, and Applied Materials today. He published more than 19 papers and earned two international patents with WIPO-PTC. He is an editorial board member of MDPI Applied Science. He also established a research platform for investigating the potential properties of fluorescent nanomaterials for optical devices at FJWU, Pakistan, and supervised many students. He was awarded a PhD full scholarship (worth 66,000 pounds) from the University of Liverpool, UK, and postdoctoral research funding (worth 60,000 yuan) from Zhengzhou University, China. In recent years, he has received funding from the (1) Ministry of Education and King Khalid University, SA, a research fund of 100k riyals (international consultant and off-site CO-PI). (2) Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya, Indonesia, under the global initiative program as an off-site research associate (PI) on a project "surface engineering of MXene quantum dots for metal ion detection".

Representative papers & patents

1. Ahmad I, Zhou Z, Li HY, Zang S Q, Crafting CdTe/CdS QDs surface for the selective recognition of formaldehyde gas via ratiometric contrivance, Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical, 2019, 127379, ISSN 0925-4005, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.snb.2019.127379 . (Impact factor 9.4)

3. Ahmad I, Mohammed Abohashrh , Ammara Aftab , Hadiqa Aziz , Irum Fatima , Nimra Shahzadi , Sadia Ahmad , Tahir Muhmoodd,*, Xiaofei Yangd,e. Manganese and Copper Doped Perovskites Nanocrystals and Their Optoelectronic Applications, Applied Materials Today 32, June 2023, 101827  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apmt.2023.101827   ( Impact factor 8.6)

4. Ahmed Abu-Rayyan, I Ahmad *, Recent progress in the development of organic chemosensors for formaldehyde detection ACS Omega (ao-2022-07724b.R1) (Impact factor 4.7 ) DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acsomega.2c07724 

5. Ahmad I, Imtiaz Ahmad, Tahir Muhmood, Amna Rehman, Maryam Zahid, Mohammed Abohashrh, Sonya Nishat, Yanuardi Raharjo, Zhan Zhou, Xiaofei Yang, Zeolite imidazole framework entrapped quantum dots (QDs@ZIF-8): encapsulation, properties, and applications, Journal of the Taiwan Institute of Chemical Engineers, Volume 149,  2023, 104993, (Impact Factor 5.2) DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtice.2023.104993 

6. Ahmad I, Hongli Wu, Tahir, Surface Ligand Crafting and Entrapment Of CsPbBr3 Perovskite QDs In Zif-8 For Ammonia Recognition. Spectrochimica Acta Part A: Molecular and Biomolecular Spectroscopy Just accepted on the date 29 June 2023, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.saa.2023.123091 (Impact factor 4.7)

7. Ahmad I, Lau K K T, WO2021013175 Solid Quantum Dot Sensor And Method For Producing The Same As Well As Use Thereof (WIPO.int), International patent, Application Number: PCT/CN2020/103503, Publication Number: WO/2021/013175, Publication Date 28.01.2021. (International Patent.

8. Ahmad I a, b*, Yanuardi Raharjoa *, Ateeqa Batoolb, Ayesha Zakirb, Hirra Manzoorb, Aqsa Aroo b, Jaweria Khalidb, Nisar Alic*, Kashif Rasoold, Surface Engineering of MXene Quantum Dots for the Designing of Optical Metal Sensors, TrEaC, Volume 39,2023, e00210, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.teac.2023.e00210  (Impact factor 11.7)

9. Bibi Z, Ali M*, Abohashrh M, Ahmad I*, Khan H, Ali M, Akbar F, Ahmad N, Iqbal A, Ullah F, et al. Biologically Synthesized Silver Nanoparticles Efficiently Control Plant Pathogenic Bacteria-Erwinia carotovora and Ralstonia solanacearum. Inorganics. 2023; 11(7):309. https://doi.org/10.3390/inorganics11070309 (Impact factor 2.9)

10. Ahmad, I., H. Zhang, and K. Lau. "The Reaction Kinetics of Glutathione Capped Quantum Dots for the Detection of Hydrogen Peroxide." Austin J Biosens and Bioelectron 1.2 (2015): 1010. (Impact factor 1.7)

11. Khattak, S., Dinar, F., Ahmad I, et al. Ab-initio investigation of structural, optoelectronic, and transport properties of metal-alkali-based binary chalcogenides, X2Te [X = Na, K, Rb]: Rb2Te a potential candidate for UV-shielding and thermoelectric devices. Journal of Materials Research (2023). https://doi.org/10.1557/s43578-023-00986-y 

12. Khan, Q., Subramanian, A., Ahmed, I., Khan, M., Nathan, A., Wang, G., Wei, L., Chen, J., Zhang, Y., Bao, Q., Overcoming the Electroluminescence Efficiency Limitations in Quantum‐Dot Light‐Emitting Diodes. Adv. Optical Mater. 2019, 1900695. https://doi.org/10.1002/adom.201900695. (Impact factor 9.3)

13. Ahmad I, Lau K K T, CN110296968 Solid-state quantum dot sensor as well as preparation method and application thereof (WIPO.int) Application Number 201910670485.8, Publication Number 110296968, Publication Date 01.10.2019 (international patent) 

14. Alagesan S, Q Khan, Ahmad I, Yuegang Z, Interfacial Energy Level Alignment for High-Performance All-Inorganic Perovskite CsPbBr3 Quantum Dots Based Inverted Light Emitting Diodes. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces, 2018, 10 (15), pp 13236–13243 https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.8b01684 . (Impact factor 9.22)

15. Khattak, Shaukat Ali, Ahmad I. "Investigation of Structural, Mechanical, Optoelectronic, and Thermoelectric Properties of BaXF3 (X= Co, Ir) Fluoro-Perovskites: Promising Materials for Optoelectronic and Thermoelectric Applications." ACS Omega (2023). https://doi.org/10.1021/acsomega.2c05845  (Impact Factor 4.7)

16. Chao-JunWua, Yi-FanLiu, Wen-FenZhang, Ahmad I, Encapsulation and controlled release of fragrances from MIL-101(Fe)-based recyclable magnetic nanoporous carbon, Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects (just published Article NO 128453) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colsurfa.2022.128453  (Impact factor 4.6)

17. Ahmad, I. (2017). Non-invasive quantum dot-based sensors for detecting glucose and cholesterol in saliva (Doctoral dissertation, University of Liverpool) https://doi.org/10.17638/03010714 . (Ph.D. thesis)

18. Younas Iqbal, & Ahmad, I. (2020). Synthesis and growth mechanism of ZnO nanospheres by hydrothermal process and their anticancer effect against glioblastoma multiforme. Biomedical Letters, 6(1), 17-22. (Impact factor 1.4)

19. Ahmad I, et al. "2-Methanesulfonamidobenzoic acid." Acta Crystallographica Section E: Structure Reports Online 65.10 (2009): 02453-02453 https://doi.org/10.1107/S1600536809036113 (impact factor 1.7)

20. Ahmad I, John P, In Vitro Evaluation Of Antioxidant Activity Of Skimmia Anquetilia Leaves Extracts

International Research Journal of Pharmacy 5(3):143-150 2014 https://doi.org/10.7897/2230-8407.050330    (Impact factor 0.7)

Conferences Publications

21. Ahmad I, Lau K, Zhang H “Quantum dots-based biosensors” Research Festival and Poster Presentation May 2016 at Xian Jaitong-Liverpool University, Suzhou, China, research poster was presented.

22. Ahmad I, Lau K, Zhang H, “Ultrasensitive quantum dot-based biosensor using kinetic model for analysis” Nanotoday Conference on functional nanomaterials in December 2015. (Impact Factor; 16)

23. Ahmad I, Lau, K, Zhang H “Ultra-sensitive glucose sensing using quantum dots as transducer platform” Xian Jaitong-Liverpool University, Suzhou, China, doctoral scholar research presentation May 2014.

Books/ Book Chapters Publications

24. Ahmad I, Imperative Source for Natural Antioxidant, LAP LAMBERT Academic Publishing, Germany, ISBN-10: 3843389322, March 18th, 2013.