Times of India
27 July 2010
By Pranav Kulkarni

City anchor the facility will give a fillip to nanotechnology–related research, besides providing a platform for phd students
IN around six months, the cityI based Defence Institute of Advanced Technology (DIAT) will have a nano technol i s ogy centre on campus. The proposed facility will aim at giving a t fillip to nanotechnology–related research, besides providing a platform for PhD students from across the country.

“Manpower and expert researchers are the key aspects of any technology centre. With the i recruitment process over, we are a step closer to establishing the centre,” said Prof Lalit M Patnaik, vice chancellor, DIAT.

The DIAT has been conducting a PhD programme for research students from universities across the country for the past two years. “The centre will be a useful platform for research students. In our department alone, we have seven PhD students. We are hopeful that five years from now, around 100 students will be assisting the faculty members in implementing projects. The facil ity will also help us integrate the research currently being done on individual levels,” said RB Sharma, scientist F and head, Department of Applied Physics, DIAT.

With an initial investment of Rs 5 crore, the facility, to be set up on the DIAT campus in Girinagar, Khadakwasla, will have equipment such as scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope, field emission microscope and so on. “Nanotechnology research comprises three stages –mathematical, ex perimental and device–oriented.

While mathematical and simulation–related research is already being done at DIAT, the new facility will provide the equipment that can help us experiment with the developed theories and apply them in developing devices that can be beneficial for defence,” said Patnaik.

At present, the research work at DIAT, which revolves around the characteristics, applications and properties of nano materials, is primarily aimed at providing a platform for developing defence oriented devices. With the new infrastructure, the faculty is hopeful that the output of the research would be beneficial for designing devices for common utility. “We hope the foundation will be beneficial in developing applications for common people,” said Tejashree Bhave, assistant professor, Department of Applied Physics, DIAT.

“The centre would make the DIAT a three–in–one facility –synthesis, characterising and prototyping of devices,” said DIAT scientist A K Singh.