Surface Modification and Applications Laboratory (SMAL)
Our group aims to understand and thereafter regulate surface and interfacial phenomenon for designing surface structures from nanometer to micrometer scales for potential applications. Our studies involve a wide variety of materials from semiconductors, metals to polymers. Surface patterning is carried out using low energy ion beam structuring, isotropic and anisotropic wet etching techniques as well as self-assembly methods. We strive to formulate non-conventional patterning methods using these routes. Our studies are directed towards realizing new properties of materials that have potential applications using a structure-property synergistic approach.
We study the foundations of the patterning processes from an atomistic or microscopic viewpoint by employing robust statistical formalisms. The instabilities arising due to competitions between surface tensions, relaxation mechanisms, differential sputter yields, etc. are explored for ion sculpted surfaces. Beam parameters are engineered to fabricate surfaces that exhibit unconventional and localized optical responses having potential applications in single molecule detection, optical filters, etc. We further employ evaporative self-assembly methods commonly coined as “Coffee Ring Effect” to study inter-particle and particle-surface interactions during the drying process by estimating DLVO and capillary forces associated with the system. The dynamics of the desiccation patterns are studied for far-from-ideal conditions like considering surface and particle roughnesses, volatility of liquid mixtures as well as presence of external forces and fields. Apart from its use in areas of ink-jet printing, nanochromatography etc. it has immense application potentials in the field of medical diagnostics as well.
News
Interested candidates willing to take up challenging problems in the fascinating area of nonlinear spatio-temporal pattern formation may apply for PhD positions. Please contact via e-mail.
See Research and Publication for latest updates
Oct 24, 2023: Deeksha gets her paper accepted in Eur. Phys. J E
Mar 09, 2023: Rakhi gets her paper accepted in Physica Scripta
Dec 01, 2022: Rakhi gets her paper accepted in Phys. Rev. B
Congratulations to Shinki for getting a postdoctoral offer at the University of Alberta
Sept 09, 2022: Congrats to Deepa for successfully defending her thesis
Aug 31, 2022: Congrats to Shinki for successfully defending her thesis
Nov 18, 2021: Basanta gets his paper accepted in Appl. Phys. A
Nov 02, 2021: Shinki and Jaspreet get their paper accepted in Phys. Chem. Chem Phys.
Aug 02, 2021: Our group welcomes Pawan and Altaf to join as PhD scholars
Feb 23, 2021: Versha and Deepa get their paper accepted in Eur. Phys. J. E
Sept 7, 2020: Our group welcomes Jaspreet to join as a PhD scholar
Jun 11, 2020: Shinki's work has been accepted in ACS Appl. Nano Materials
Apr 24, 2020: Shinki gets her paper accepted in Appl. Surf. Sci.