Annual Report 2007-2008

Intensification of Research in High Priority Areas (IRPHA)

IRHPA is a complementary programme to the SERC programme with activities consisting of setting up of units/core groups around an eminent scientist and major National Research facilities to nucleate research activities in these areas. The scheme has contributed to augment general R&D capabilities at academic institutions and national laboratories in the areas of Palaeomagnetism, Low temperature and high magnetic field, Crystal Structure, Robotics, Laser Spectroscopy, Structural Biology, Surface Science & Technology, Computational Fluid Dynamics, Technical Acoustics, Geo-centrifuge for Engineering applications etc.

A femtosecond fluorescence up-conversion facility has been set up at IACS, Kolkata about 3 years ago and this facility has been used to study ultrafast processes in many biological and supramolecular assemblies. Several interesting problems are being addressed and many significant results have been obtained. Notable among them is studying solvation dynamics in selected sites of a protein. A very important progress has been made by covalently attaching a fluorescent probe at the active site of an enzyme, glutaminyl t-RNA synthetase (GlnRS). This enzyme has two binding sites- one for the glutamine (amino acid) and other for the corresponding t-RNA. It has been shown that the solvation dynamics of the water molecules at these two sites exhibit slow components- 400 ps and 2000 ps respectively. The 400 ps component slows down when Gln binds to the enzyme while binding of t-RNA retards the 2000 ps component. The presence of slow water molecules reveal pre-organization of the active site which is fundamental in enzyme catalysis. Twenty users have used this facility so far and 46 research papers in high quality journals have been published. Software has also been developed for analysis of the femtosecond fluorescence decays.

Among the projects that were sanctioned, two low-temperature high magnetic field facility projects were sanctioned.

Quantum design evercool MPMS-XL7 as a national facility has been sanctioned in the northern India. This facility will provides solutions for a unique class of ultra-high sensitive magnetic and transport measurements in key nanoscience and technology areas such as explained above & magnetic nanomaterials, recording storage media, bio-magnetism, MEMS, spintronics materials and high temperature superconductivity.

The second facility was sanctioned in the eastern India. This facility will enable to study the following i) Magnetotransport Studies, ii) Studies of High Temperature superconductors, iii) Non-linear transport and instability in strongly correlated electronic systems. Iv) Transport in metallic nanowires of dimension <50nm, v) Search for Kubo gap in metallic nanoparticles through precision heat capacity experiments, vi) Giant magneto-impedance effect in amorphous magnetic materials, vii) studies on Magnetic semiconductors, viii) Study of low dimensional systems, ix) Magnetic properties of amorphous magnetic materials, x) Study on magnetic nano-particles, xi) Magneto-caloric effect, xii) Magnetic Binary Alloy Systems, xiii) Studies of room temperature ferromagnetism in Mn/Co doped ZnO, xiv) Super-paramagnetism in Ni-silica and Cosilica nanocomposites, xv) High energy density magnetic materials and xvi) Susceptibility and resistivity under high pressure etc.

Another project to set up a unit, dedicated to research on materials, primarily using computation as the approach is being finalised. This project will address mainly four distinct topics within the area of Material Science/ Condensed Matter Physics. These topics are broadly:

(a) Electronic structure of strongly correlated and disordered systems; with a view to understand nanostructures junctions, response functions, films, multi-functionality, etc.
(b) Coarse grained equilibrium and dynamical behaviour of solids, interfaces and nanosystems under external drive.
(c) Solutions of macromolecules and colloids with emphasis on solvation properties.
(d) Quantum phase transitions in ultra-cold gases in optical lattices, on surfaces, and in other confined geometrics.

Several interesting results were reported from ongoing IRPHA.

Low-Temperature-High-Magnetic field facility at indore has now been fully operational. Two major facilities viz., 14T Vibrating Sample Magnetometer (VSM) and 14T/0.3K system for Resistivity and Heat Capacity measurements has been established (Figure 2.18). After successful commissioning, facilities were opened for outside users since April 2006. Since then this facility was put to use for measurements almost continuously for all days of week, round the clock. Apart from the in-house researchers, 32 outside users groups have already used this facility. In addition to this An awareness workshop on “Low Temperature and High Magnetic Field (LTHM) Facilities at UGC-DAE CSR, Indore” was conducted successfully during 3-4 July, 2006. The PI and his group were able to achieve sufficient expertise within the institute to operate, maintain as well as to repair such equipment to a reasonable extent. More than half a dozen of students got trained to operate the two systems.

Figure 2.18: Vibrating Sample Magnetometer

Another Facility, High Resolution X-ray Powder Diffractometer - An experimental facility for Materials Science Applications was established in the eastern part of India (Figure 2.19). This facility has now been fully established. After the installation, the X’Pert PRO system has been fully explored with its normal geometry using programmable and fixed slit systems. Apart from this, Residual Stress and Texture attachment has been utilized for the study of micro-structural details and related properties of thin films of metals, semiconductors and rolled samples of aluminium alloy. Low Temperature X-ray diffraction attachment (from liquid nitrogen to 450 0C) has been used for phase transition studies of ferroelectric materials and shape memory alloys. The powder diffraction patterns from a large no. of samples like oxide powder, polymers, composites, semiconductors, gels etc have been recorded for analysis using available software and databases (ICDD and ICSD). In addition a unique facility for data collection of thin films at different grazing incidence angles using hybrid monochromator and parallel beam collimator is employed successfully. A superfast detecting system, X’celerator detector was used in view of very fast recording of XRD patterns, which is nearly 100 times faster than the conventional one. One day seminar on “Application of High Resolution Xray powder Diffratometry in Materials Science” was organized for the awareness of users’ community. The seminar was attended by nearly 125 participants from various institutions/universities. The High Resolution X-ray diffractometer and related facilities have been rendered to all the project collaborators, departments of IACS, other research institutions (CGCRI, Bose Institute, S N Bose Centre, VECC, SINP) and universities (Jadavpur, Calcutta, Kalyani and Assam).

Figure 2.19: XRD System with Low temperature attachment and Fast Detector

A comprehensive National Facility for Texture and Orientation Imaging Microscopy (OIM) has been jointly set up by DST, DRDO and IIT, Mumbai at IIT, Mumbai under IRHPA Scheme with an estimated project cost of Rs.2.50 crores. Keeping in view the recent technological advances in the filed, and the high level of expertise available in the country, upgradation/expansion of the facility with 3d-OIM and area/line detector for XRD is under way.

Under the FRITA Centre at IISc, The transfer matrix method developed over the last three decades is user friendly and fast in computation. However, it cannot tackle multiply- connected elements that are often used in complex, commercial muffler configurations. During 2007, a powerful Volume Synthesis (VS) algorithm has been developed in order to evaluate the transfer matrix of such elements. A comprehensive Graphic User Interface (GUI) has been developed for analysis of commercial mufflers for reciprocating engines used in automobiles and gensets. Approximate empirical expressions for the Source Strength Level (SSL) as well as the source impedance of the exhaust system as well as the intake system of the supercharged as well as naturally aspirated diesel engines have been developed through exhaustive parametric studies, making use of the electro-acoustic analogies, finite-volume numerical software (AVL BOOST) and a novel multi load approach. These have been incorporated in the aforesaid FRITAmuff GUI in order to predict the unmuffled as well as muffled exhaust noise and intake noise of automotive engines. The FRITAmuff software is in the process of copyrighting for protection of the intellectual property and eventual commercialization. Meanwhile, it is being used for design of mufflers for automotive engines under development.

A major project has been initiated around a micro fabrication facility with the underlying theme of fabrication and structuring using soft materials on small scales. This initiative will evolve a core group with significant expertise in the areas of patterning of structures, visco-elasticity of soft solids, polymer melts & clay suspension and molecular simulation. Extensive studies of carbon meso structure composites, adhesives and polymer films will be carried out. Few specific applications like lithium nitride batteries will also be attempted as a part of the work.

Another project has been initiated in a broad area of micro fluidic systems for biomedical applications which involves synthesis of vesicles in micro fluidic channels, characterization of their biomechanical properties and interaction of vesicles for controlling the drug release at target sites. Lipid Vesicles are rapidly gaining importance in biomedical applications but have a short life due to degradation by chemical action and in-vivo clearance by the immune system. The present work aims to circumvent these drawbacks by synthesizing vesicles and encapsulating the drug in-situ at the point of clinical application using micro fluidic technology.
Some other new programmes sanctioned during the year were:

• Advanced Research in Neurotransmitters functional regulation in diabetes and pancreatic regeneration: Insulin secretion and function at molecular level at Cochin University of Science & Technology, Cochin.
  
• Investigations into Mechanical micro-machining of metals and non-metals at Indian Institute of Technology-Madras, Chennai.
  
• Mesostructured Funcitonal Thin Films and Interfaces of Soft Materials at Indian Institute of Technology-Kanpur, Kanpur.
  
• Establishment of Electron Probe Micro Analyzer (EPMA) - National Facility IIT, Kharagpur at Indian Institute of Technology-Kharagpur, Kharagpur.
  
• Establishment of Indo-US Centres of Research Excellence in Science & Engineering.
  
• In-situ Synthesis of Liposomes and Vesicles in Microfluidie devices for Bio-medical Application at Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay, Mumbai.
  
• Creation of high magnetic field low temperature facility at UGC-DAE Consortium, CSR, Kolkata at UGC-DAE Consotium for Scientific Research, Kolkata.
• Centre for Mathematical Sciences at Banasthali Vidyapith, Banasthali.
  
• Core Group Research Facilities at Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi.
• DS Kothari Centre for Research and Innovation in Science Education at Miranda House, Delhi.
  
  

To give an impetus to the Earth Science Research in the country, the following instrumentation facilities were sanctioned:

1. Electron Probe Micro analyzer (EPMA) – National Facility at IIT, Kharagpur; and
2. Dedicated Mass Spectrometer at PRL, Ahmedabad to cater to the analytical requirements of the National Programme on Isotope Fingerprinting of Waters of India – I-WIN’.

The mass spectrometer facility established in 2006 under the “National Facility of Stable isotope Geochemistry” is now fully functional and capable of analyzing carbonate, water, organic matter and other geological materials. Oxygen and hydrogen isotopic measurements of rain water, carried out under this project, indicate that contrary to the earlier idea of only Bay of Bengal vapour source, the monsoonal precipitation over north India gets substantial vapour from Arabian sea as well.

An interaction workshop of all the major instrumentation facilities established under the IRHPA scheme in Earth Sciences was organised at JNU in March 2007 to review the status of the facilities and their efficacyi n providing the necessary analytical support to the research community.