Research

Broad Areas of Interest

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

• Photovoltaics: 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.

• Development of a Thin Tungsten Carbide/Carbon (WC/C) Nanocomposite Coating on Bearing Balls to Improve Bearing Life; Funding Agency:  CSIR-NML, India; Duration: May 2026 ~ Mar 2027; Budget: 1.9 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, India; Duration: Nov 2023 ~ Mar 2025; Budget: 2.5 lakhs; Role: Project Investigator.

• Lightweight Photovoltaic Enabling Power Transfer and Simultaneous Optical Wireless Communication for Indoor Internet of Things (IoT) Applications, Funding Agency: The Royal Society, UK; Duration: Dec 2022 ~ Dec 2024; Budget: £135000; Role: Project Investigator.