Prof. Vinu has made a tremendous contribution in the field of nanoporous materials including nanoporous carbon nitrides, nanocarbons, 1D, 2D and 3D advanced nanostructures, and their applications in energy storage and conversion, CO2 capture and conversion, sensing and drug delivery. His team is also actively working in the field of hydrogen generation, storage and utilization using advanced nanomaterials and Australian based naturally available nanomaterials including halloysite nanoclays. The quality of his research has been recognised with several international awards including CNR Rao Lectureship award 2019, SPARC award 2019, CRSI Medal 2018, Scopus Young Researcher Award 2014, Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel award by the Humboldt Society (2010), JSPS Senior Invitational Fellow 2014, Australian Future Fellowship (Professorial Level) 2010, Indian Society for Chemists and Biologists award for excellence 2010, Catalysis Society of India Young Scientist award 2010, Chemical Society of Japan Award for the Young Scientist 2008, and Khwarizmi International Award 2008.