Extreme Ceramics and Composites Laboratory (EXCEL)

Research Interests

• Extreme-environment ceramics and composites for aerospace, nuclear, and energy systems
  
  

• High-/medium-entropy ceramics for thermal stability and phase resilience
  
  

• Thermal barrier coatings and UHTCs with engineered microstructures and durability
  
  

• ODS systems and ceramic dispersoids for radiation- and creep-resistant materials
  
  

• Processing–structure–property correlations under high temperature, pressure, stress, and irradiation

• Projects Involved:

  • • “Evaluation of mechanical properties and ion irradiation studies in novel ZrO2 Oxide Dispersion Strengthened Steels”. as Principal Investigator, fund sanctioned by UGC DAE CSR – Kalpakkam for 3 yrs; 2024-2027.

    • “Structure Property correlations in Entropy stabilized Rare Earth Oxides for thermal barrier coating applications”. as Principal Investigator, fund sanctioned by MAHE Manipal for 3 Yrs; 2024-2027.

    • “High Pressure structural studies in Gd3+ and Ce4+ co-doped Lanthanum Zirconates” – work carried out at Elettra Sincrotrone, Trieste, Italy. Visit funded by DST, India;
      May - June, 2024.

    • “Structure - Property correlation and microstructure tailoring of Rare-Earth Zirconates – A potential dispersion strengthener and thermal barrier coating material”. Funded by MAHE Manipal; as Principal Investigator, April 2022–March 2024.  

    • “Purification of natural graphite for applications in Li-ion batteries”, with Prof. Gervais Soucy, UdeS Sherbrooke and Dr. Martin Brassard, Nouveau Monde Graphite, Canada. March 2019 – Sep 2021.

    • “Microstructural investigations of Ni based superalloys and advanced steels using electron microscopy tools”, with Prof. Satyam Suwas, Materials Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, Dec 2017 – February 2019.