Funded Projects and Areas of Research Interest

Funded Projects:

1. "Mixed-oxide spinel composites AM2O4 (A= Zn, Mg, Ca; M =3d-block, p-block element) thin films by printing and their photocatalytic, photocurrent activities", Seed Money To Young Scientists For Research (SMYSR for FY-2016-17), Vision Group on Science and Technology (VGST), Government of Karnataka. Funded Amount: INR. 6.00 lakh. (Start: 2018 End: 2019)
2. "Fabricating Novel Sodium metal-oxide cathode materials for rechargeable batteries: A ternary diagram approach", Early Career Research Award from the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), Department of Science and Technology. Funded Amount: INR. 28.88 lakh. (Start: 2018 End: 2021)

Materials for Energy Applications

My area of interest is, in broad, materials with potential energy application, thereby, my research work are further divide into the following themes

1. Battery Materials

Lithium based materials have found enormous scope for study due to successful commercialization of the technology. In recent years, the implement of lithium batteries as secondary energy source can be found in most of the domestic appliances (laptops, cell phones, audio systems, electric vehicles, hybrid vehicles, .....). We are developing new sodium-ion battery technologies for hybrid electric vehicles and other apllications. This includes both new processing techniques and material development leading to higher capacity, lower cost and safer batteries.

2. Magnetocaloric Materials for room temperature refrigeration

Magnetocaloric effect is "The temperature change of a magnetic material near its magnetic transition under an applied magnetic field". The solid state refrigeration technology is driven from the magnetic and/or structural transition. Any phase transitions (structural, magnetic, electric etc.,), in general, is always associated with entropy change, the entropy change can be in form of emission of radiation or temperature change, the latter effect helps in realizing the cooling systems.

3. Neutron and Synchrotron powder diffraction

X-ray diffraction is one of the unique tool that serves as the basic characterization technique in material science even after more then 5 decades of its first use.

4. Photo catalytic Materials

Photocatalysis is one of the widely spread area of research. I am interested in water splitting by metal oxides under visible or UV light. TiO2, ZnO and spinel materials have shown promising signs, with this regard, the efforts are put forward to identify potential material that can help split water without any damage caused for itself.