Energy Materials research

Dr. Satyanarayan Patel is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology Indore (IIT Indore). He earned his Ph.D. from the School of Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, India, in 2016. Dr. Patel’s research primarily focuses on bulk lead-free ceramics (piezoelectric and ferroelectric) for energy storage, energy conversion, and caloric effects for solid-state refrigeration. His doctoral work investigated the inverse pyroelectric (electrocaloric) effect in bulk ferroelectric ceramics using indirect measurement techniques for solid-state refrigeration. He has also experimentally studied the elastocaloric and barocaloric effects in ferroelectric ceramics and explored an unexpected component of the electric field–driven caloric effect, termed the inverse piezocaloric effect. From November 2016 to 2019, Dr. Patel was awarded the prestigious Alexander von Humboldt Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Institute of Materials Science, Technische Universität (TU) Darmstadt, Germany. During his tenure at TU Darmstadt, he focused on zinc oxide nanowires for piezotronic and energy harvesting applications, and explored pyroelectric energy harvesting in lead-free ceramics. 

Dr. Patel’s current research interests include pyroelectricity in ferroelectric materials for energy harvesting, pyrocatalysis, and sensing applications. He also investigated pyrocatalysis for water treatment and the influence of porosity on pyroelectric properties. His ongoing work explores pyrocatalysis, piezocatalysis, and tribocatalysis for the degradation of organic pollutants, particularly synthetic dyes, in contaminated water. He has edited two books, authored one book, and published over 110 scientific papers in reputable international journals. He has also presented his research at several international conferences.