Research

Broad Areas of Interest

• Compound Semiconductor Thin Films: Synthesis and characterization of emerging compound semiconductor materials such as CZTSSe, SnSe, Sb2Se3, and AgBiS₂ for optoelectronic and energy-related applications.  

• Thin Film Solar Cells: Development of low-cost, earth-abundant element-based thin film solar cells with emphasis on absorber layer optimization, defect engineering, interface modification, and photovoltaic performance enhancement. 

• Photodetectors: Design and fabrication of inorganic semiconductor material-based photodetectors for visible and near-infrared (NIR) light sensing applications. 

• Materials for Energy Applications: Development of advanced materials for electrochemical energy conversion, particularly for Oxygen Evolution Reaction (OER) and Hydrogen Evolution Reaction (HER) applications. 

• Protective Coatings: Development of corrosion-resistant, wear-resistant, and high-temperature protective coatings for industrial and engineering applications.  

Facilities Available in Research Group

• Sputtering System

• Thermal Evaporation System

• E-Beam Evaporation System

• Chemical Bath Deposition

• Hydrothermal

• High-Temperature Tubular Furnace

• High-Velocity Oxygen Fuel (HVOF) System

• Hot Plate with Magnetic Stirrer

• Oven

Characterization Facilities

• X-ray Diffraction (XRD)

• Raman Spectroscopy

• Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) & Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS)

• UV-Visible Spectroscopy

• X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS)

• 3D-Optical Microscopy

• High-Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HR-TEM)

• Nanoindentation

• Thermal Conductivity Measurement System

R&D Projects undertaken as Principal Investigator/Co-Principal Investigator/Member:

• Development of Rare Earth-based Pyrochlores La2CeBO7 (B = Nb, Zr, Y) Materials for Thermal Barrier Coatings (TBCs), Funding Agency:  CSIR, India, Duration: Apr 2026 ~ Mar 2028, Budget: 40 Lakhs, Role: Project Investigator.

• Thermal Stability of Nanocrystalline Cu-Nb Binary Alloy Thin Films: Phase Separation, Microstructure, Residual Stress and Crystallographic Texture, Funding Agency: DST, India, Duration: April 2024 ~ Mar 2027, Budget: 45.0 Lakhs, Role: Member.

• Phenome India-CSIR Health Cohort Knowledgebase, Funding Agency:  CSIR, India, Duration: Aug 2023 ~ Aug 2027, Budget: 25.75 Lakhs, Role: Member.

• Center for Excellence in Wear and Corrosion Resistant Coatings Technology, Funding Agency: DST, India, Duration: Sept 2023 ~ Sept 2026, Budget: 937 lakhs, Role: Member. 

• Development of Rare-Earth Free Anisotropic α-Fe16N2 hard Magnetic Material, Funding Agency: CSIR, India, Duration: April 2024 ~ Mar 2026, Budget: 67.0 Lakhs, Role: Member.

• Deposition and Characterization of Antimony Chalcogenide-based Light Absorbers Coatings for Photovoltaic Applications, Funding Agency: CSIR-NML, Duration: Nov 2023 ~ Mar 2025, Budget: 2.5 lakhs, Role: Project Investigator.