When you start studying chemistry, one of the first things you learn about is the periodic table—the chart of all known chemical elements. While the existence of this carefully organized chart may lead the casual observer to think we are well acquainted with all the elements, the reality is that there is still much to be learned about many.
“For hundreds of years, chemistry has focused on the organic elements, the elements of life, such as carbon, oxygen and hydrogen,” says University of Victoria (UVic) chemistry professor Saurabh Chitnis. “The other hundred-plus elements remain poorly understood, but offer incredible potential.”
Chitnis, recently named a Tier II Canada Research Chair (CRC) in Inorganic Polymers and Materials, is on a mission to learn more about these mysterious inorganic elements of the periodic table. His lab focuses on better understanding the structure and bonding of inorganic elements and explores how to incorporate inorganic elements into molecules and polymers to create new materials with different properties.
Developing better materials for everyday objects
Synthetic materials, such as plastics, fabrics, adhesives and coatings, are an integral part of modern life. Currently, these materials—from water bottles and toys to fabrics and furniture—are overwhelmingly made from carbon, but this approach comes with limitations. For example, organic polymers don’t have good thermal stability and will burn easily when exposed to heat or become brittle in the cold. They are sensitive to radiation, which poses a problem for the growing aerospace industry and for anyone who wants to leave their patio furniture outside in the sun all summer. Organic polymers also have significant environmental impacts, as they don’t degrade easily, clogging up our landfills, and they maintain our reliance upon fossil fuels as a source for material precursors.
Ideally, we want materials to be flexible so that they can be used across a wide range of applications. Organic polymers just don’t have that flexibility, but there is a lot of potential once we begin introducing inorganic elements to our polymers.”
—Saurabh Chitnis, UVic chemistry professor and Tier II CRC in Inorganic Polymers and Materials
Chitnis and his lab are exploring new ways to embed non-carbon molecules into organic polymers. The goal is to develop materials that are more stable, have additional thermal, magnetic and conductive properties, and don’t rely on carbon as a backbone, thus reducing environmental impact.
In with nitrogen, out with carbon
One of Chitnis’s promising research projects is exploring how to replace carbon with nitrogen in polymers. While nitrogen typically wants to be a gas, his group has discovered some new tricks to force nitrogen into stable polymers, allowing it to be used as a backbone for various materials.
The development of nitrogen-based plastics is a huge advancement for green technologies and could help accelerate our transition to a net-zero emissions future. Nitrogen, which comprises 78% of the air on Earth, is abundant, equitably distributed around the globe and fossil fuel free. Nitrogen-based plastics can also be fed to plants at the end of their life cycle, acting as a fertilizer as they slowly degrade, creating a circular economy.
A focus on fundamental research
While much of Chitnis’s research has application in the real world, that’s not what drew him to the field. He is excited by fundamental questions and the potential of inorganic chemistry.
“When you work in such a new area, it really democratizes science,” says Chitnis. “Anyone can make a big discovery, because not that much is known and there’s so much waiting to be discovered.”
In addition to incorporating inorganic elements into polymers, Chitnis also investigates new concepts in metal coordination chemistry for making chemical synthesis more efficient. His group are experts in phosphorus, nitrogen and bismuth—the heaviest stable element.
It’s impossible to always know the implications or future applications of basic, fundamental science. We don’t know what fundamental science today is going to be the basis of fundamental technology in the future.”
—Saurabh Chitnis
Returning home to UVic
Chitnis took up his associate professor position at UVic in July 2025, returning to the institution where he completed his PhD in 2015. Since 2015, he has completed postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Bristol and the University of Toronto, spent seven years as a professor at Dalhousie University and received the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Fellowship. In the fall of 2025, he was named a Tier II Canada Research Chair in Inorganic Polymers and Materials.
“It’s really gratifying to be able to return to UVic and become friends with my former professors and see a different side of my colleagues,” says Chitnis. “I was always impressed, but now I am even more so. UVic Chemistry is an inspiring place to be, with interdisciplinary research taking place at the highest level.”
Research that Chitnis will no doubt be contributing to for years to come.