23-Feb-2021: Scientist from IIT Kanpur develops washable adhesive and related products
Scientists have developed a sticky mat which takes away dust from a contacting surface, ensuring a clean, hygienic, healthy, and refreshing atmosphere at our home, offices, hospitals, and laboratories as also smooth functioning of many expensive equipments. The mat is a low-cost one and remains washable and usable over many cycles.
Prof Animangsu Ghatak from the Department of Chemical Engineering IIT Kanpur, who developed the mat with the support of Department of Science & Technology, Government of India under Make in India initiative, took inspiration from adhesive pad present at the feet of wall climbing animals, like house lizards.
The adhesive associated makes use of nanoscopic pyramidal bumps on its surface to attract dust particles towards it, thereby cleaning the sole of our shoes when we step on it. When the adhesive gets completely covered with particulate matter, it is washed in a way that we wash our clothes. At this, the surface gets back its ability to stick and remains usable through hundreds of such cycles.
The scientists have used a bottom-up approach of preparation of nano- to micro-patterned surface on elastomer over a large area, control of geometry of surface patterns by simple methods, washability, and reusability of the adhesive over many cycles for the development of this mat. It has been validated, and an Indian patent application has been filed for the sticky mat. It is simple to prepare, easy to wash, environmentally benign, cost-effective, and can be a replacement for materials imported for the same purpose. The closest substitute is the 3M sticky pad that is not washable or reusable.
This mat can be used in ICU of Hospitals, clean rooms, facilities housing sophisticated equipment as a component of air filters. The technology is important wherever cleanliness and hygiene is desired. The product is in 7 – 8 level of technology readiness level and is yet to be commercialised. A pilot plant is being built to make the material in a scale larger.
23-Feb-2021: New material found can efficiently convert waste heat to electricity to power small home equipment & vehicles
Scientists have found a new Lead (Pb) free material which can efficiently convert waste heat to power our small home equipment and automobiles.
Thermoelectric energy conversion allows generation of electrical voltage when one end of a material is heated while keeping the other side cold. Finding an efficient material to realize this scientific principle has been a daunting task for scientists. It entails fitting in three seemingly different properties into a single material-- high electrical conductivity of metals, high thermoelectric sensitivity of semiconductors, and low thermal conductivity of glasses.
Most efficient thermoelectric materials developed by scientists so far use Lead (Pb) as a major constituent element, restricting their use for mass-market applications.
Scientists from Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), Bengaluru, an autonomous institution of the Department of Science & Technology (DST), Government of India led by Prof. Kanishka Biswas have now identified a lead-free material called Cadmium (Cd) doped Silver Antimony Telluride (AgSbTe2) which can efficiently allow recovery of electricity from ‘waste heat’ marking a paradigm shift in the thermoelectric puzzle. They have reported this major breakthrough in the journal Science.
Prof. Kanishka Biswas and his group doped (internally introduced) Silver Antimony Telluride with Cadmium (Cd) and used an advanced electron microscopy technique to visualize the resultant ordering of atoms in nanometer scale. The nanometer-scale atomic ordering scatters phonons that carries heat in a solid and enhances electrical transport by delocalizing the electronic state in the material.
Previously reported state of the art material is exhibiting the thermoelectric figure of merit (ZT) in the range 1.5-2 in the mid-temperature range (400-700 K). The team reported a record increase in thermoelectric figure of merit (ZT) to 2.6 at 573 K, which can provide the heat to electrical energy conversion efficiency to 14 %. Prof. Biswas is now trying to commercialize the high-performance thermoelectric materials and devices; in collaboration with TATA steel where lots of waste heat is generated in steel power plant.
23-Feb-2021: Experts discuss role of emergent electromagnetic phenomena in designer thin films heterostructures & hybrids of quantum materials
Leading international and national experts from the field of quantum matters discussed the role of emergent electromagnetic phenomena in designer thin films, heterostructures, and hybrids of quantum materials at the National Conference on Quantum Matter Heterostructures (QMH)-II.
“Quantum Materials are enticing for science and technology, and activities are being initiated with state-of-the-art facilities to synthesise new kinds of quantum devices for technological application. Combining the power and possibilities of heterostructure engineering with the collective and emergent properties of quantum materials, quantum-matter heterostructures open a new arena of solid-state physics,” said Prof. Amitava Patra, Director, Institute of Nano Science and Technology (INST), Mohali, while addressing the inaugural session.
Prof. Ajit Kumar Chaturvedi, Director IIT Roorkee, stressed on the importance of quantum materials, especially on electronic devices. “We cannot imagine any electronic device without foundation laid by the materials starting from the basic p-n junction. The kinds of devices that can be created on the basis of heterostructures depends on the creativity of the experts,” he said at the conference jointly organized by the Institute of Nano Science and Technology (INST), Mohali, and Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee between February 18 to 20, 2021.
“In 2018, the office of PSA showed keen interest to bolster the material resources in India with particular emphasis to cater to the need of quantum technologies. This conference will serve as a platform to discuss the emergent trends in quantum matters and heterostructures to foster the collaboration on the topic of mutual interest,” Dr. Suvankar Chakraverty, member of the organizing committee of the National Conference on Quantum Matter Heterostructures (QMH)-II pointed out.
Prof. R. Ramesh from the Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley deliberated on ‘Observation of chiral, room temperature polar Skyrmions’ a phenomenon that occurs due to thermodynamics where he highlighted the work done by his team and discussed the challenges in quantum matters like converting spin to charge and charge to spin at his plenary talk. Prof. Masashi KAWASAKI from the Department of Applied Physics, University of Tokyo, spoke on ‘Electrons in ultra-clean ZnO heterostructures’ and presented an overview of the recent activities on oxide heterostructures based on Zinc Oxide (ZnO) carried out by his group. The talks were chaired by D. D. Sarma from Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India. Dr. Vivek Malik, organizer from IIT Roorkee, had conducted the inaugural session.
The conference organized by INST, Mohali, an autonomous institute of the Department of Science & Technology, Government of India in association with IIT, Roorkee, was attended by more than 250 invited speakers who will discuss the present status, limitations, perspectives, and challenges in the field of heterostructures of quantum materials and related devices over three days. On the third day of the conference, a special session dedicated to the memory of Professor S.K. Joshi is being organized to discuss bulk materials relevant for Quantum Heterostructures. Future plans and perspectives in the field of QMH will also be discussed on the same day.
The conference, which brings together experts from around the world to discuss research related to heterostructure engineering for quantum materials and devices, provides an unique opportunity to researchers working in the area of Quantum heterostructures related to quantum materials to be exposed to the latest R&D in the field.