Professor Subramaniam Chandramouli, Swarnajayanti Scholarship Recipient 2020-21

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of India’s independence, the Indian government established the Swarnajayanti Scholarship to reward young researchers who have made outstanding contributions in biology, chemistry, environmental science, engineering, mathematics, medicine and physics. Every year, the winners are selected through a rigorous three-tier screening process.

The Swarnajayanti scholarship comes with a generous research grant and rupees. 25,000/- Five-year monthly scholarship.

Professor Subramaniam Chandramouli, associate professor of the Department of Chemistry at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT Bombay) in Mumbai, is one of the three winners of the prestigious scholarship in the field of chemical science this year (2020-21).

Professor Chandramouli has been taking the lead in understanding the structure-performance relationship of carbon allotropes in the form of nanometers-carbon nanotubes (CNT), graphene and related doped nanocarbons (such as nitrogen and boron doped CNTs and graphene). His application-oriented basic research aims to understand the electrical and heat transfer characteristics of various nanomaterials, so as to develop applications in the field of energy conversion and storage. In this regard, his Swarnajayanti scholarship program aims to generate "green heat" from solar energy for various practical applications.

India receives plenty of sunlight-even in high altitude areas such as Siachen and Ladakh. Using the remaining solar energy, the government is vigorously promoting the switch to renewable energy sources such as solar energy. Nearly 47% of the solar energy reaching the surface of the earth is in the infrared region. Most solar panels absorb ultraviolet light and a part of visible light, which is converted into electrical energy. However, the infrared part that carries the heat component is not used. The challenge is how to make better use of this abundant supply of light energy, which constitutes the premise of Dr. Subramaniam's proposal for a scholarship.

Professor Subramaniam said: "We asked,'Can we convert light energy into heat?' This means that we are generating green heat-that is, generating heat without burning any fossil fuels. At the same time, this Light-to-heat conversion should be completely sustainable."

The researcher and his team overcome this challenge by using carbon nanostructure coatings on surfaces (such as copper, paper, plastics) that can act as broadband absorbers across the entire spectrum. Carbon nanostructures have funnel-shaped elements, which are entangled to form a carbon floret-like structure. Once light enters these tapered elements, it cannot escape. This facilitates multiple internal reflections, thereby directing the light to the bottom instead of the outside. Therefore, the combination of chemistry and structure achieves the high absorption rate of sunlight by these structures.

In addition, this material is designed to produce the darkest carbon black to ensure high absorption.

"The design ensures high absorption of 98% of the radiation. In addition, the small flower structure has a large surface area, thereby providing a high interface for light-matter interaction. For example, the area of ​​one gram of material is the same as the area of ​​about four tennis courts. ," Dr. Subramaniam said.

In addition, nanomaterials are provided in powder form, which can be dispersed in a liquid and sprayed on the surface using a commercial spray gun. He added that this coating can last up to four months under environmental conditions.

The light absorption in these nanostructures generates intense heat. Laboratory experiments show that when these samples are placed in the sun, the surface temperature will immediately rise to 160 degrees Celsius.

The heat generated will be used to convert water into steam. In turn, steam will be used for water purification and desalination to obtain drinking water, heating in high altitude areas, and so on.

The professor said: "Our research is in the technical preparation level 3 stage, that is, we have a laboratory prototype, which has been extensively tested under real-world conditions." Structure and place the sample in the sun for experimentation. The temperature rose instantly to 145 degrees Celsius, indicating the effective absorption of light. The fellowship will enable them to explore the basic physics of light-matter interactions and the ways in which light energy can be converted into heat in such structures. In addition, this can also expand the scale of experiments and test them for practical purposes that require heat, such as water heating.

"Soon, we will have a prototype of a space heating module, ready to be implemented in the mountains," he added.

His team is also developing a miniature light grinder that uses the same carbon nanostructure to coat tiny rotating blades. The light grinder is a device like a miniature windmill, which generates power through mechanical movement triggered by light. Such devices have a wide range of applications in microfluidics and biological experiments (pumping liquids through micro valves).

To ensure accuracy, this article has gone through the work of researchers and their work is covered.

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