MRSI Newsletter A quarterly publication of the Materials Research Society of India for circulation amongst its members Volume B 10, Number 3 July 2010 From the Editors’ Desk In this issue Photocatalysis under Visible-light From the Editors’ Desk 1 Irradiation: Awards & Distinctions 2 Solar water disinfection (SODIS) has been proven to be Students’ Projects 2 suitable for household drinking water treatment Notification 2 anywhere. The lack of safe drinking water is an Chapter News 2 important problem. Nevertheless, this method is unfeasible for large or channeled volumes of water. The G C Jain Memorial Prize 3 search for active semiconductor photocatalysts that New Members 4 split water directly under visible-light irradiation An Update of MRSI 10 remains challenging for solar light utilization. Recently, Calendar of Events 20 it has been reported that Ag3PO4semiconductor can harness visible light to oxidize water as well as decompose organic contaminants in aqueous solution. This indicates its potential as a photo functional material for both water splitting and waste-water MRSI NEWSLETTER cleaning. It has also been suggested that incorporation Volume B 10, Number 3 of p-block elements and alkali or alkaline earth ions July 2010 into a simple oxide of narrow band-gap as a strategy to design new photoelectrodes or photocatalysts. The The MRSI Newsletter is a quarterly update work has been published in Nature Materials, 2010, 9, published by the Materials Research Society of 559-563. This work suggest a strategy to design new India. Members are requested to contribute photoelectrode materials by considering the electronic information of interest to Materials Science band structure of binary oxide, and add p- block community. Members can inform through the elements and/or alkali or alkaline earth ions in such a Newsletter, recognitions/awards received by them, way as to change the crystal structure. changes in address, forthcoming events, and any interesting scientific/technological developments in K K Nanda the area of materials. The relevant information Satish Patil should be sent to the following address: Editors Editors MRSI Newsletter Materials Research Society of India For more details about the activities of MRSI, IISc Campus, Bangalore 560 012, India members are advised to visit the society’s Email: [email protected] website at [email protected] www.igcar.gov.in/mrsi [email protected] 1 Awards & Distinctions Conferred on Members We are happy to report that the following members of Materials Research Society of India have received awards and distinctions shown against their names. MRSI congratulates them. S Sivaram (i) Goyal Prize by Kurukshetra University (ii) Doctor of Science (honoris causa) by Purdue University, W. Lafayette, Indiana, USA Pratap Raychaudhuri NASI-Scopus Young scientist Award (2009). P.S: Members are requested to communicate to the Editorial office about the Awards, Honours and Distinctions they have received from various agencies. STUDENTS’ PROJECTS MRSI will partially support upto 10 projects of students (B.Tech, M.Sc, M.Tech, ME, M.Phil, Ph.D) in the area of Materials Science and Technology under the supervision of a MRSI member. Proposals are invited before September 30th 2010. NOTIFICATION Nominations for the MRSI Awards/Prizes and Medals for the year 2011 Nominations are invited from the Members of the Council of MRSI for the following: l Distinguished Materials Scientist of the year award (1) l MRSI-ICSC Superconductivity and Materials Science Senior Award (1) l MRSI Distinguished Lecturership Award (1) l MRSI-ICSC Superconductivity & Materials Science Annual Prizes (2) l MRSI Medal Lectures l Honorary Members The last date for the receipt of nominations at Bangalore office of MRSI is July 31, 2010. Chapter News v Thiruvananthapuram chapter in association with Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST), Thiruvananthapuram is organizing an “International Conference on Recent Trends in Materials Science & Technology (ICMST)” from Oct. 29 to 31, 2010 in Thiruvananthapuram. For more details refer to the website <www.icmst.in> v A new chapter of MRSI was inaugurated at Patiala recently. 2 G C JAIN MEMORIAL PRIZE FOR THE BEST Ph.D THESIS IN MATERIALS SCIENCE The Council of MRSI decided to award an annual prize one in each calendar year for the best Ph.D. thesis in the area of Materials Science. The funds for this prize have been raised by the friends and students of Dr. G.C. Jain. The Guidelines and the Application form are furnished hereunder: Guidelines photo Application Form 1. The prize will be given each year for the best G C Jain Memorial Prize for the Best Ph.D Ph.D thesis in the broad multi disciplinary field Thesis in Materials Science of Materials Science, in disciplines such as 1. Name of the Applicant : Condensed Matter Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Metallurgy, Ceramics and Chemical 2. Address Engineering. Office : Residence : 2. Criteria for Selection Telephone : -Completion of Ph.D thesis from any Fax : recognized Indian University/Research Email : Institute/National Laboratory within the last 3. Academic Record two calendar years (2009, 2010 for the (in brief) (Degree/year of passing/University) : current prize) 4. Title of the Ph.D Thesis: -Three recommendation letters should be a) The discipline or subject in which enclosed including one from the thesis the Ph.D degree was awarded : supervisor along with a one-page write-up b) Name of the University/Laboratory/Institute : highlighting the prime results of the thesis. where the Ph.D work was carried out c) Name of the Research Supervisor : -Quality of the work will be judged in the first d) Date of submission of the thesis : stage by the Publications, Reports and Patents e) Date of Award of Ph.D : resulting from the thesis work. f) One page write-up of the thesis highlighting the prime results -The shortlisted theses will be selected after (to be enclosed) enclosed/not enclosed peer reviewing during November/December. 5. Recommendation Letters Such shortlisted theses work must be presented (from the thesis supervisor and by the students concerned in poster/oral 2 other experts) format at the next AGM of MRSI. The final (to be enclosed) enclosed/not enclosed selection will be done at the AGM by a suitably 6. List of Publications based on the thesis work constituted committee. in Journals, Reports, Conferences, Patents (to be enclosed) 3) The award will have a cash prize of Rs. 6000/ Give Title of the Paper, Authors, - and a certificate from MRSI. Journal, Vol / Page/ Year for Journal 4) Application in the prescribed format Publications enclosed/not enclosed reproduced alongside should be sent to the 7. Any additional information Secretary, MRSI so as to reach him on or before October 31st, 2010. Date : Signature 3 New Members Enrolled between April 1 and June 30, 2010 Life Members Dibakar Das (LMB1458) Mohammed Samim(LMB1459) Srikanth Venkata Satya Siva School of Engineering Science and Department of Chemistry, Hamdard Vadali(LMB1460) Technology, University of Hyderabad University, Hamdard Nagar School of Engineering Sciences and Central University P.O Delhi 110 062 Technology University of Hyderabad Hyderabad 500 046 Tel (Off): 011-26059688 Ext. 5557 Central University P.O Tel (Off): 040-23134454 Email: [email protected] Hyderabad 500 046 Fax:040-23011087 Tel (Off): 040-23134453, Fax: 040-23011087 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Praveen Kumar Siwach(LMB1461) Rajiv Kumar Singh(LMB1462) Nagesh S Kini(LMB1463) Room 12, Semiconductor Building Room No. 108, Main Building, National R D Aga Research Technology National Physical Laboratory Physical Laboratory, Dr. K S Krishnan Innovation Centre Thermaz Limited Dr. K S Krishnan Marg Marg, New Delhi 110 012 D-13 MIDC Industrial Area, Chinchwad New Delhi 110 012 Tel (Off): 011-4560 8207 Pune 411 019 Tel (Off): 011-45608651, Fax: 011-45609310 Fax:011-4560 9310 Tel (Off): 020-66122893, Fax: 020-27475676 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Balkrishna Agrawal(LMB1464) Archana (LMB1465) Chetan Parkash Kaushik(LMB1466) Department of Physics, Allahabad Department of Physics, University of Waste Immobilisation Plant, Process University, Allahabad 211 002 llahabad, Allahabad 211 002 Building, Bhabha Atomic Research Tel (Off): 0532-2461316 Tel (Off): 0532-2460993 Centre, Trombay, Mumbai 400 085 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Tel (Off): 022-25595528 Email: [email protected] Raman Kumar Mishra(LMB1467) Lokendra Kumar(LMB1468) Narayana Reddy Chinnappa(LMB1469) WIP/WMD, Bhabha Atomic Research Department of Physics, University of No. 25/4, 1st Main, 1st Cross Centre Trombay, Mumbai 400 085 Allahabad, Allahabad 211 002 Nanjappa Layout, Vidyaranyapur Tel (Off): 022-25591065 Tel (Off): 0532-2460993 Bangalore 560 097 Email: [email protected] Fax:0532-2460993 Tel (Off): 080-26700107 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Veeranna Gowda Vijaya Chakresh Kumar(LMB1471) Saranga Pani Kalluri(LMB1472) Chikkaveeraiah(LMB1470) House No. 274, Sector 29 124, 4 Cross, 3 Main, BEML 6 Stage No. 59, CHIGURU, 7th Main, IEHCS Faridabad 121 001 Thubarahalli, Bangalore 560 066 Lapyout Vidyaranyapura Tel (Off): 9654456059 Tel (Off): 080-28415446 Bangalore 560 097 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Sudha Rani Bomanna(LMB1473) Jayashree Bijwe(LMB1474) Suneel Donthamsetty(LMB1475) 3-270, YMA Colony, Proddatur ITMMEC, Indian Instittute of dept. of Mechanical Engineering Kadapa 516 361 Technology-Delhi Hauz Khas, Office K L University, Vaddeswaram P.O Tel (Off): 9441154644 No. V239, New Delhi 110 016 Tadepalli (Mandal), Guntur 522 502 Email: [email protected] Tel (Off): 011-26591280, Fax:011-26596222 Tel (Off): 9441895535 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Srinivasa Rao(LMB1476) Shamrao Mohan Patil(LMB1477) Rupanagudi Nagendra Rao(LMB1478) Centre for Materials for Electronics 10, Professor’s Colony, Pachora SCS College of Pharmacy, Technology, Cherlapally HCL P.O Jalgaon 424 201 Dist.