Invited

Talks
 Passivity: From Faraday to the present time
Digby D. Macdonald
Center for Electrochemical Science and Technology, Department of Materials Science and Engineering,
Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA

The theory of passivity began with the extraordinary observation of Michael Faraday in 1833
that iron in contact with concentrated nitric acid did not corrode, but it did so when in contact
with dilute nitric acid, even though the former was known to be a stronger acid than the latter, as
determined by their ability to dissolve limestone. This seminal observation led Faraday to
speculate that the iron surface had become oxidized and passivated, and that an oxide layer
separated the reactive metal from the corrosive medium. In assessing the utility of this marvelous
speculation, it must be recognized that, at the time, potentiostats, high impedance voltmeters,
reference electrodes, X-ray diffraction techniques, XPS, and other electrochemical and surface
analytical tools, with which we are now familiar, were yet to be invented. The term pH was
still more than sixty years into the future. Philosophically, the extraordinary implications of the
phenomenon of passivity had not been realized, but we now recognized passivity as the
enabler of our metals-based civilization. In this lecture, I will review some aspects of the
development of the theory of passivity from the time of Faraday to the present time culminating
with a brief review of the development of the Point Defect Model (PDM) by the author. I will
demonstrate that passivity is a phenomenon of meta-stability and that the existence of the passive
state is very tenuous, indeed, yet is sufficiently resilient to make possible the use of highly
reactive metals, such as iron, chromium, and aluminum to build precision machines, which are
the hallmark of our reactive metals-based civilization. Time permitting, I will end the lecture by
describing how the PDM accounts for, and, in some cases, even predicts, the phenomena of
passivity breakdown and pitting corrosion, acid depassivation, flow-accelerated corrosion,
resistive depassivation, and other important limits to the phenomenon of passivity. These
processes represent the physico-electrochemical boundaries of the extraordinary phenomenon of
passivity that is responsible for the existence of our reactive metals-based civilization.

2
 Advances in alkaline polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (APEMFC)
P. Sridhar
CSIR- CECRI - Madras Unit, CSIR Complex, Taramani, Chennai 600113, India

In recent years, polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEFCs) have received ample attention
for automotive and stationary power application due to their high efficiency, low temperature
operation and operational flexibility. However, high cost and durability are still concerning
issues in commercialization of PEFCs. Owing to the acidic nature of polymer electrolyte and
low-temperature operation of PEFCs, use of non-noble electro-catalyst has met little success. At
present, platinum (Pt) is widely used as an electro-catalyst in PEFCs due to its high activity
towards oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). However, Pt is expensive and scarcely available. The
use of alkali-stable non-noble metals as electro-catalyst is possible in Alkaline Polymer
Electrolyte Fuel Cells (APEMFCs) that employ alkaline polymer electrolyte membrane as
electrolyte. Most common anion conducting polymer electrolyte membranes are made of
quaternary ammonium groups (-N+Me3) and OH- that help conducting the charge across the
membrane. APEMFCs possess certain specific advantages, namely resistance to CO poisoning
due to high pH at anode and absence of electro-osmotic drag.
Among the cathode catalysts, Au/C, Ag/C, Pt/C, and Pd/C, carbon supported Pd is found to give
the highest performance. APEMFC comprising PdCo (3:1)/C as cathode catalyst shows superior
performance in relation to PdCo (2:1)/C, PdCo (1:1)/C and Pd/C, which is in agreement with the
kinetic data obtained by half-cell studies. The ORR studies with methanol shows that PdCo
(3:1)/C has higher methanol tolerant behavior and better selectivity compared with other
catalysts. The maximum electrocatalytic activity observed for PdCo (3:1) is explained by first
principles calculations. Pd incorporated onto heat treated RuSe (2:1)/C is a suitable methanol
tolerant cathode material for oxygen reduction in Alkaline DMFCs as it shows good stability,
oxygen reduction activity, and methanol tolerance.

3
 Stable anion exchange and bipolar membranes for direct
borohydride fuel cells
Christopher G. Arges, Graham Johnson, and Vijay Ramani
Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, USA

Research and development efforts directed towards chemically stable anion exchange
membranes (AEMs) for solid alkaline fuel cells have increased substantially over the past 5 to 10
years. AEMs also find possible applications in other energy storage and conversion technologies
(e.g. metal-air batteries and redox flow batteries). A direct sodium borohydride fuel cell
(DBFCs) using hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) as a liquid oxidant is a device that offers high
potential in terms of energy and power density. Since sodium borohydride (NaBH4) is only
stable in alkaline solutions and the parasitic reactions involving H2O2 are minimized in acidic
environments, it is critical to maintain pH control of the respective anolyte and catholyte
compartments. A DBFC with a monopolar membrane (either AEM or cation exchange
membrane (CEM)) will lead to undesired transport of acid or base across the membrane,
resulting in a pH change in the catholyte and anolyte compartments. A solution to this problem is
to employ a bipolar membrane configuration that splits water at the membrane junction, which
prevents the mixing of acids and bases between the two compartments.
Developing AEMs that have robust alkaline stability has been a challenge for the past 40 years.
Because the fixed cation sites are dubbed the weak link in the AEM, many researchers have
worked to explore more stable cation chemistries. The fixed cation sites with different chemical
moieties are known to degrade by many different mechanisms perpetrated by hydroxide ion
attack (e.g. Hoffman elimination, direct nucleophilic attack, rearrangement reactions via ylide
intermediates). The objective of our AEM research is to discover which chemical constituents in
the fixed cation site and polymer backbone permit hydroxide ion attack and to use this
knowledge to prepare high performing, alkaline stable AEMs that do not feature these groups.
Our research group has employed 1D and 2D NMR techniques to study the degraded structure of
linear polymer based AEMs. The NMR of degraded polysulfone (PSF)-based AEMs has
demonstrated that the fixed cation site aids in the hydrolysis of ether linkages in the polysulfone
backbone when exposed to very alkaline solutions. Additionally, the NMR experiments have
revealed the formation of degradation products produced by reactive ylide intermediates. In
particular, the identified degraded products indicate that the methyl group bridging the cation site
with the phenyl ring is the culprit for the ylide degradation pathway.
The second part of this presentation will discuss work with alkaline fuel cells using AEMs and
fuel cells with bipolar membranes. Time permitting, this part of the presentation will cover:
i.) The method of bipolar membrane construction and its influence on fuel cell performance.
ii.) The implementation of a water dissociation catalyst into the bipolar membrane interface to
reduce the overpotential for water dissociation, and its effect on fuel cell performance.
iii.) Performance obtained with direct borohydride fuel cells using H2O2 or oxygen-air as
oxidants using a stand-alone CEM, stand-alone AEM, or a bipolar membrane configuration.

4
 A novel approach for effective ORR NPM catalysts development
R. Kothandaraman
Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology-Madras, Chennai 600036, India

Fuel Cell community is not complacent with the existing state of the art carbon supported
platinum based catalysts due to high cost of the catalyst 1. In order to bring down the cost of the
stack, either cost of the catalyst should come down tremendously or loading of platinum should
reach as low as 0.2 mg cm-2 meeting DoE target (30$/kW by 2015). As escalating cost of Pt cast
serious apprehensions in commercializing the fuel cell system for automobile application, Iron-
carbon-nitrogen catalyst, a class of non-precious metal (NPM) catalyst, is actively considered as
a replacement, although it possesses lower activity and durability in comparison to Pt based
catalyst for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). As NPM catalyst is almost cost less akin to Pt and
its cathodes thicker than 100m would contribute to performance loss in fuel cell via mass
transfer limitation, volumetric activity of NPM is important over mass activity. For NPM
catalyst, the target set by DoE is at least 2000 hr of continuous operation with 300 Acm-3 at
0.8ViR-free, at 80 C. Previously, active NPM via high pressure pyrolysis method was reported by
kothandaraman et.al. and activity as high as 12.5 A cm-3 at 0.8 ViR-free was achieved 2, 3. In
continuation to that, a modified higher pressure pyrolysis route, which furthered the ORR
activity of NPM catalyst by enhancing active site density and stability of the active site, is
studied. This study probes the ORR activity of the catalysts via Rotating Disk Electrode based
electrochemical study and ORR activity is correlated with active site density measured through
related physical characterizations.

References
1. Y. Wang, K. S. Chen, J. Mishler and S. C. Cho, Appl. Energy., 88, 981 (2011).
2. R. Kothandaraman, V. Nallathambi, K. Artyushkova and S. C. Barton, Appl. Catal. B:
Environmental., 92, 209 (2009).
3. V. Nallathambi, N. Leonard, R. Kothandaraman and S. C. Barton, Electrochem. Solid.
State. Lett., 14, B55 (2011).

5
 Electrocatalysts and active supports based on metal nitrides and carbides
S. Sampath
Department of Inorganic and Physical Chemistry, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India

Titanium nitride (TiN) is an extremely hard, conducting ceramic material often used as a coating
for titanium alloys, steel, aluminium components to improve their surface properties. It is
classified as a barrier metal in electronic industries owing to its good diffusion barrier
properties. It shows exceptional stability and good electronic conductivity combined with the
ability to support metallic nanoparticles. Titanium carbide is an electronically conducting
material possessing excellent electrochemical properties.
The present talk will highlight some of our activities on the electrochemical behaviour of
titanium nitride and titanium carbide for reactions of interest in the area of fuel cells and
batteries.

References
1. O. T. Muhammed Musthafa and S. Sampath, Chem. Commun., 1, 67 (2008)
2. M. M. Ottakam Thotiyl, T. Ravi Kumar, and S. Sampath, J. Phys. Chem, C., 114, 17934
(2010)
3. Thotiyl, Ottakam, Ravi Kumar and S.Sampath, J. Mater. Chem., 20, 10643 (2010)
4. Thotiyl, Ottakam M M and S. Sampath, Electrochim. Acta., 56, 3549 (2011)

6
 Alternative polymeric membrane electrolytes for direct methanol fuel cells
S. D. Bhat
CSIR-Central Electrochemical Research Institute-Madras Unit, CSIR Madras Complex, Chennai 600113, India

Direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs) have reached a high level of development and are now
almost universally referred to as the sixth fuel-cell type. In terms of applications, they are set to
function as power sources for a range of mobile applications, a situation brought about by the
convenience of storage of liquid fuel. For an expansion of the applications of DMFCs, efforts are
being expended to develop improved and cost-effective polymer-electrolyte membranes that
would mitigate methanol cross-over from the anode to the cathode. It is desirable that these
membranes comprise non-hazardous chemicals. Natural polysaccharides as biopolymers are
environmentally benign and hence are widely used in developing membranes for a variety of
applications. Accordingly, membrane electrolyte from natural precursors and blends of synthetic
and natural polymers such that the process generates little toxicity to the environment is
developed. The polymer electrolyte membrane, derived from naturally abundant chitosan (CS),
hydroxy ethyl cellulose (HEC) and gelatin (GL) and synthetic and natural polymeric blends of
CS-PVA and sodium alginate (NaAlg)-PVA, possesses good methanol-barrier properties, the
pre-requisites required for a membrane to be used in DMFCs. SPES and SPEEK based
membranes provide required strength and stability for long term DMFC operation. Heteropoly
acids (HPAs) and Methane sulfonic acid (MSA) can be dispersed and blended to these
membranes to enhance proton conductivity. These derived mixed matrix membranes can have
preferential water sorption characteristics which restrict the methanol cross-over, that play an
important role in ameliorating the DMFC performance.

7
 The connection between kinetics of organic reactions and the properties of
ionic liquids
Anil Kumar
National Chemical Laboratory, Pune 411008, India

Though ionic liquids appear to be useful solvent media for a variety of applications, they suffer
from being highly viscous. Efforts will be made to discuss the detrimental effect of viscosity of
ionic liquids on the progress of certain organic reactions. We also discuss polarity issues related
to ionic liquids. Some new results on whether thermal effects in ionic liquids can serve as
signature to quantitatively investigate ion-solvent interactions in the ionic liquid solutions. The
talk will also serve a review of the work on ionic liquids carried out by us in our group.

8
 Separator material - An important component in the batteries
R. Manoharan
PSG Institute of Advanced Studies, P. B. No. 1609, Avinashi Road, Coimbatore 641004, Tamil Nadu, India

The main function of the separator materials in batteries is to keep the positive and negative
electrodes apart to prevent electrical short circuits and, at the same time allow, rapid transport of
ionic charge carriers that are needed to complete the circuit during the passage of current in an
electrochemical cell. They should also minimize any process that adversely affects the
electrochemical energy efficiency of the batteries. Various types of separators based on their
applications in batteries and their chemical and electrochemical properties will be discussed in
this talk. The separator requirements, properties and characterization techniques will also be
described.
It will also be pointed out in this lecture that how selecting a proper separator material or
providing an appropriate chemical treatment to the separator materials can help to enhance the
cycle life and wet life of some strategically important secondary batteries or to decrease the
duration of activation of some reserve type primary batteries. These enhanced battery
performances would have great and direct implications in several end user applications and in
the business aspects of battery manufacturers. Very recently, grafting of acrylic acid onto
commercially available micro porous hydrophobic polypropylene (PP) films has been carried out
by us by mutual radiation grafting technique. The grafted films have been tested for their
performances as separator under actual high rate large Ah Ni-Cd battery conditions. The actual
testing results indicated that the grafting not only converts the hydrophobic PP into battery active
hydrophilic state but also helps to retain the hydrophilic state over longer storage period, which
is a necessity for Ni-Cd batteries. This work along with the key issues related to developing
various separators for use in various future batteries such as Li-ion batteries will also be
discussed.

9
 Electrocatalysis of oxygen evolution reaction on Co-based electrodes
N. Munichandraiah
Department of Inorganic and Physical Chemistry, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India

Investigations on electrocatalysis of oxygen evolution reaction (OER) from aqueous solutions

have been intensive in recent years due to the importance of electrochemical splitting water into
H2 and O2 by utilizing solar energy. The OER (2 H2O
O2 + 4 H+ + 4 e-) generally requires
high overpotentials on stable electrodes. Formation of an OER catalyst (Co-pi) in Co2+
containing phosphate electrolytes has been reported by Kanan and Nocera (Science
321(2008)1072). Following this report, several publications have appeared. We have recently
started to study kinetics of OER on Co-pi catalyst, Co(OH)2, CoOOH and Co3O4 in various
experimental conditions. The results will be presented.

10
 Electrocatalysis of oxygen reduction reaction in acidic media
Manoj Neergat
Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Powai Mumbai 700046, India

Electrocatalysis of oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) has attracted significant research interest
from a fundamental viewpoint in electrocatalysis and due to its importance in electrochemical
energy conversion and storage devices. Recently, we have investigated electrocatalysis of ORR
in acidic media on precious metals (Pd and Pt), alloys of precious metals with transition metals,
and on chalcogenides (selenides). The surface of these catalysts has been characterized using
pure electrochemical means in an attempt to understand the origin of electrocatalytic activity
improvement. Potential dependent surface composition of the catalyst and weight loading, in
addition to influencing the ORR activity, are found to affect the product distribution
(H2O/H2O2). Moreover, the effect of surface composition, lattice faceting, and lattice
expansion/contraction on ORR will be discussed.

11
 Application of x-ray and electron spectroscopy to energy materials
Artur Braun
Empa Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology CH 8600, Dbendorf, Switzerland

This is an overview of past and ongoing experimental work on (energy) materials for batteries,
ceramic fuel cells (SOFC) and photo-electrochemical cells (PEC). The functionality of electrode
and electrolyte materials depends strongly on their electronic structure, the determination of
which is an important task for x-ray spectroscopy. For Li ion battery cathode manganese spinel
studies I show a versatile transmission spectro-electrochemical operando cell with hard X-ray
XANES studies, and some combinations of soft- and hard x-ray emission and absorption studies,
maybe even some Li X-ray Raman and NEXAFS spectra. For high temperature SOFC, I will
show some sulfur K-edge spectra of anodes with unexpected traces of sulfate and thiophene on it
and a number of oxygen and Fe L-edge spectra of cathode iron perovskites. We found a very
interesting quantitative correlation between conductivity and relative spectral weight of electron
hole transitions in the oxygen pre-edges of these iron perovskite cathodes. Further correlations
between polaron conductivity and spectral weight near the Fermi energy was found in the high
temperature valence band photoemission data recorded for 300 K < T < 1000 K. Maybe I show
the resonant VB PES data of LaSrFe-Ni oxides. Our fresh unpublished work includes operando
high temperature ambient pressure resonant photoemission spectroscopy on proton conducting
ceramic electrolytes (BaCe/Zr-Y-oxides), which we performed parallel to electrochemical
impedance studies; we did similar studies for metal oxide gas sensors. We did this with a novel
AP PES/XPS end station. Our success with the correlation of performance or functionality of
iron perovskites with the spectral weight of hole doping peaks in the oxygen pre-edges was
transferred to the field of photo catalysis. Here we found a new transition in the t2g-eg doublet
depending on the nitrogen doping of TiO2 which scales quite well with the nicotine degradation
of TiON. Another material of interest is hematite -Fe2O3, which can be used for solar photo-
electrochemical water splitting with oxygen and hydrogen generation. The electronic structure of
bulk and surface facing the electrolyte are important for functionality; positive bias of 600 mV
creates a new transition in the upper Hubbard band. For microstructure characterization we use
small angle scattering. Here I show examples for lithium batteries and solid oxide fuel cells.
I have a highlight to present: We succeeded to probe the valence band with hybridized Fe3d-
O2p states in -Fe2O3 with liquid electrolyte in-situ and operando with soft X-rays during
electrochemical bias, and this in dark and in light condition, and we found something very
exciting!

12
 Bulk electronic structure of quasicrystals studied by
hard X-ray photoemission
S. R. Barman
UGC-DAE Consortium for Scientific Research, Khandwa Road, Indore 452001, India

Quasicrystals have fascinated scientists from the time of their discovery. On the basis of
theoretical calculations, it is generally accepted that the stability of quasicrystals arises from a
Brillouin zone-Fermi surface interaction that induces a pseudogap at the Fermi level. However,
although soft x-ray photoemission studies have indicated the existence of a pseudogap from the
shape of the spectral function near EF, always a Fermi edge was unambiguously observed even at
low temperature in high resolution studies.1 However, these studies were always conducted
under surface-sensitive conditions and it might be argued that a metallic surface electronic
structure hides the true bulk electronic structure.
In the present work, we report the results of our studies on the bulk electronic structure of Al-Pd-
Mn and Al-Cu-Fe single grain quasicrystals using hard x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy at the
ID32 beamline at ESRF, France. The near-EF region of the valence band of Al-Pd-Mn in our
spectra exhibits a rounded shape and the pseudogap is clearly evident when the spectrum is
compared to the Au Fermi edge that was measured on a Au foil spot welded next to the
specimen. We perform least square curve fitting with model spectral functions multiplied by the
Au Fermi function, whose position and Gaussian width of about 300 meV that defines the overall
resolution are kept fixed. We observe that the spectral function becomes zero at EF, in stark
disagreement with earlier low photon energy data. For Al-Cu-Fe, a similar result is obtained. Our
study thus reveals a fully developed pseudogap in the bulk electronic structure of Al-Pd-Mn and
Al-Cu-Fe, in contrast to the surface electronic states, which are of a more metallic nature. The
present results are supported by an earlier study that showed that the Al-Pd-Mn surface is more
metallic compared to the bulk.1 For Al-Pd-Mn, the main peak in the valence band spectrum that
is related mainly to Pd 4d states appears at a binding energy of 4.5 eV, which is about 0.5 eV
shifted towards higher binding energy from the surface valence band spectrum. On the basis of
theoretical calculations for Al-Pd-Mn,2 this shift can be ascribed to a bulk effect.

References
1. Z. M. Stadnik, Phys. Rev. B., 55, 10938 (1997)
2. G. Neuhold, S. R. Barman, K. Horn, W. Theis, P. Ebert, and K. Urban, Phys. Rev. B., 58,
734 (1998)
3. J. Hafner and M. Krajci, Phys. Rev. B., 71, 054202 (2005)

13
 Underpotential deposition of metals-thermodynamic analysis and
electrochemical applications
M. V. Sangaranarayanan
Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology-Madras, Chennai 600036, India

The phenomenon of the underpotential deposition (UPD) of metals refers to the deposition of the
adsorbate species at potentials more positive than the Nernst potentials and is ascribed to the
stronger interaction of the adsorbate with the substrate. Ever since its first experimental
manifestation1, the efforts to comprehend its nature and quantify the UPD shift have been the
focus of attention during the past three decades2. The phenomenological thermodynamic and
density functional analysis of the UPD shift has been employed to compute the UPD Shift
theoretically. The magnitude of the UPD shift depends on the work function of the substrate and
depositing species apart from solvation energies3. The UPD has immense significance in
electrocatalytic and electroanalytical applications. In particular, it can be exploited in the
development of the electrochemical supercapacitors4 and sensors for nano molar detection of
metals5.

References
1. D. M. Kolb, M. Przasynski and H. Gerischer, J. Electroanal. Chem., 54, 25
2. V. Sudha and M. V. Sangaranarayanan, J .Chem. Sci., 117, 207 (2005)
3. V. Sudha and M. V. Sangaranarayanan, J. Phys. Chem., 106, 2699 (2002)
4. B. E. Conway, Electrochemical Supercapacitors-Scientific Fundamentals and
Technological Applications Springer Verlag (1999)
5. R. Sivasubramanian and M. V. Sangaranarayanan, Talanta., 85, 2142 (2011)

14
Mathematical modeling of discharge characteristics of a lead-acid battery
K. S. Gandhi
Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India

One dimensional mathematical models of discharge behaviour of lead-acid batteries are

useful in understanding many features of their performance. I will describe two examples of
this. i) Discharge periods of lead-acid batteries are reduced significantly at sub-zero
centigrade temperatures. The reduction is more than what can be expected due to reduction in
the rates of various processes caused by low temperatures, and occurs despite the fact that
active materials are available for discharge. It is proposed that the major cause is the freezing
of the electrolyte. A mathematical model is developed for conditions where charge-transfer
reaction is the rate limiting step, and Tafel kinetics are applicable. The predictions of the
model compare well with observations made at low current density (C/5) and at 20 C and
40 C. ii) Products of the discharge reaction are very poor electronic conductors. As a result,
the electronic conductivity of the porous electrodes decreases during discharge. Effect due to
this has been generally neglected as it becomes important only towards the end of discharge
period. Recent work however recognizes the importance of the end state of discharge in the
charging process. Results of modeling indicate that the effect of decreased electronic
resistance of electrodes is important in flooded batteries even when an electrode is over
designed.

15
 Modeling room temperature ionic liquids

Balasubramanian Sundaram
Chemistry and Physics of Materials Unit, JNCASR, Bangalore 560064, India

Methods of synthesis of traditional and novel materials need to be environmentally friendly.

Non-volatile, non-toxic, recyclable solvents are increasingly sought after to replace organic
solvents. Two classes of compounds have shown considerable promise (and in cases, proven) in
this regard. One of them is supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2), and the other are room
temperature ionic liquids (RTIL). Our group at the Nehru Centre have been focussing on
understanding the properties of both these systems from a microscopic perspective. This goal has
been achieved by the combined use of computer simulation techniques such as empirical
potential based molecular dynamics (MD) and ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) [1].
Our work on room temperature ionic liquids has focused on the family based on the imidazolium
cation [2-4]. AIMD simulations on liquid [mmim][Cl] reveal the existence of a cation-anion
hydrogen bond [2]. The intermolecular structure of another IL, 1-methyl-3-butylimidazolium
hexafluorophosphate has been studied at multiple length scales, using ab initio [3], atomistic
[4,6] and coarse grain MD simulations [5]. The emergence of nanoscale ordering in some of
these liquids has also been studied [7]. We shall discuss the complex and heterogeneous
dynamics exhibited by these liquids and attempt to relate this aspect to their intermolecular
structure [8,9] and the interesting low frequency dynamics exhibited by these liquids [10]. The
structuring of these liquids at the liquid-vapour interface [11] and near a mica surface [12] will
also be discussed. Further, the mechanism of dissolution of cellulose in ionic liquids will also be
presented [12].
We thank the DST for support.

References
1. Bhargava, B.L; Balasubramanian, S. Klein, M.L. Chem. Commun. 2008, 3339 (Feature
Article)
2. Bhargava, B.L.; Balasubramanian, S. Chem. Phys. Lett. 2006, 417, 486
3. Bhargava, B.L.; Balasubramanian, S. J. Phys. Chem. B. 2007, 111, 4477
4. Bhargava, B.L.; Balasubramanian, S. J. Chem. Phys. 2007, 127, 114510
5. Bhargava, B.L.; Devane, R; Klein, M.L; Balasubramanian, S. Soft Matt. 2007, 3, 1395
6. Bhargava, B.L; Klein, M.L; Balasubramanian, S. ChemPhysChem 2008, 9, 67
7. Raju, S.G; Balasubramanian, S. J. Mater. Chem. 2009, 19, 4343
8. Zhao, W; Leroy, F; Heggen, B; Zahn, S; Kirchner, B; Balasubramanian, S; Muller-
Plathe, F, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2009, 131, 15825
9. Sarangi, S.S; Zhao, W; Muller-Plathe, F; Balasubramanian, S, ChemPhysChem 2010, 11,
2001
10. Sarangi, S.S.; Reddy, S.K.; Balasubramanian, S. J. Phys. Chem. B, 2011, 115, 1874
11. Sarangi, S.S.; Raju, S.G.; Balasubramanian, S. Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 2011, 13, 2714
12. Payal, R.S.; Balasubramanian, S. ChemPhysChem. 2012, 13, 1764-1771
13. Payal, R.S.; Bharath, R.; Periyasamy, G.; Balasubramanian, S. J. Phys. Chem. 2012, 116,
833-840

16
 Challenges and opportunities in solid state ionics
Venkataraman Thangadurai
Department of Chemistry, University of Calgary, 2500 University Dr. NW Calgary AB, Canada T2N 1N4

Solid electrolyte is an ionic conductor and electronic insulator, while mixed conductor
exhibits both ionic and electronic conduction. Solid electrolytes and mixed conductors find
applications in various solid-state ionic devices (SSIDs) such as solid oxide fuel cells
(SOFCs), proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), batteries and gas sensors.
Development of practical electrolytes for SSIDs is rather challenging since there is no unique
theory that can predict the chemical composition and also is very hard to control the
stoichiometry of the as-prepared solids the SSID operating conditions. For example, typical
oxide ion electrolytes should exhibit pure ionic conduction in both reducing and oxidizing
environments at 500-1000 oC and they should be chemically stable with electrodes during
long-term operation. This makes it very challenging to design useful solid electrolytes for
high power application. In this talk, the design and development of practical solid
electrolytes and electrodes for application in various SSIDs will be discussed.

17
Mesoporous thin films for energy storage and energy conversion applications
V. Lakshminarayanan
Raman Research Institute, C.V. Raman Avenue, Bangalore 560080, India

High surface area films have the potential utility in catalyst materials, sensors, supercapacitors
and in energy storage and conversion devices. In this talk, the method of preparing very high
surface area porous nickel nanoparticles by electrodeposition using a hexagonal lyotropic liquid
crystal medium as a template will be described. The porous Nickel film is shown to be the best
nickel catalyst ever reported in literature for hydrogen evolution reaction. Due to its very high
surface area, the porous nickel deposit was also assessed as a supercapacitor electrode material
using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) studies in 6M
KOH. A single electrode double layer capacitance of 1.4 F/cm2 (at 2mV/s scan rate) was
obtained using CV, which corresponds to a specific capacitance of 473 F/g. The EIS studies
show the typical behavior of a porous electrode and the data were analyzed in terms of complex
capacitance and complex power from which the relaxation times were determined. The values of
double layer capacitance of the porous nickel with fast response time are the highest values
reported for Nickel in the literature till now.
We have also proposed a new method of forming mesoporous conducting polymer metal
composite materials by a single step electrochemical process. The method simultaneously
produces conducting polymer stabilized metal nanoparticles in solution as well as a thin film of
the nanocomposite on a surface. The electrocatalytic property of these nano composites have
been demonstrated for methanol, ethanol and formic acid electro-oxidation which are the
essential anodic reactions in the low temperature direct fuel cells. In addition, we find that the Pd
nanoparticles dispersed PEDOT film possesses an excellent hydrogen evolution property. These
materials have the potential to emerge as an alternative to more expensive platinum as an
electrocatalyst. Our conclusion on the nature of the films as a nanoparticle dispersed conducting
polymer thin film was arrived at after extensive characterization studies involving diverse
techniques like AFM, FTIR, surface XRD, XPS and electrochemical studies.

18
 Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy in biosensing
Neerav Barola, Kunal Arora, Sudeshna Chandra, D. Bahadur
Department of Metallurgical Engineering and Material Science
Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay), Powai, Mumbai 400076

Impedance spectroscopy is a powerful electrochemical method of analyzing complex electrical

resistance of a system which is sensitive to surface properties. Like all electrochemical
biosensors, impedimetric sensors are bioelectronic devices which work on the interactions of
biomolecules with a transducer surface. Detection of the analyte depends on the formation of a
recognition layer between the sensing biomolecules and the analyte at the interface of the
electronic transducer which in turn alters the electrical properties of the recognition layer.
Impedimetric biosensors has been used for various types of (bio)analytes such as proteins,
nucleic acids, microorganisms, antibodies and antigens. Specific and sensitive detection of the
analytes depends on electrode material (metals, metal oxides, semiconductors, glassy carbons
etc.), electrode geometry (conventional electrode or interdigitated electrodes) and the
amplification process (label-free, enzyme-free, nanoparticles, conducting polymer films etc.).
My talk will focus on the promising applications of impedance biosensors in the area of
diagnostics and label-free determination of biomolecules where pure target samples are used.

19
 Hybrid electrochemical-thermal synthesis of nano zinc oxide, its
characterization and antimicrobial activity
K.V. Ramesh
Dayananda Sagar College, Bangalore 560078

Electrochemical oxidation of zinc followed by thermal decomposition yielded nano zinc oxide.
Morphology and particle sizes were determined by both TEM and AFM analysis. Antimicrobial
activity on several pathogenic bacteria was investigated and found to be promising.

20
 Polymer membranes for fuel cells:
Structure, property, performance and challenges
S. Sivaram
CSIR Bhatnagar Fellow
A201, Polymers and Advanced Materials Laboratory, National Chemical Laboratory, Pune 411008, India

Proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC) are one of the most promising clean energy
technologies. A fuel cells an electrochemical device that can directly convert the chemical
energy of a fuel, e.g. hydrogen, into electricity in an energy efficient and environmentally benign
manner.
One of the key constituents of a PEMFC is a dense proton exchange membrane, which is
responsible for proton migration from anode to cathode. Proton exchange membranes for fuel
cells have been explored for both low temperature (<80oC) and high temperature (>150oC)
applications. There are several challenges in operating fuel cells at low temperatures. So in
recent years, large effort has been invested in the development of polymer membranes suitable
for high temperature fuel cell applications.
This lecture will briefly summarize the polymer science that underlies membrane performance
under aggressive high temperature conditions encountered in the fuel cells. Challenges in
synthesis and modification of polymers as well their relationship to properties (mechanical,
morphological, electrochemical water retention and proton transport) will be addressed.
Mesoporosity in polymer membranes have a significant in influence on proton conductivity.
Hence suitable preparative methods for building porosity in polymers are necessary.
The lecture will exemplify the demanding features of polymer structure and properties that are
critical to successful high temperature PEM fuel cells. Examples drawn from ongoing research in
this area at National Chemical Laboratory, Pune will be presented with specific reference to
polymers bearing heterocyclic groups.

21
 Electrochemical preparation of luminescent graphene quantum dots from
multi-walled carbon nanotubes
Dhanraj B. Shinde, Vijayamohanan K. Pillai
a
Physical and Materials Chemistry Division, National Chemical Laboratory, Pune 411008,
b
Central Electrochemical Research Institute (CECRI), Karaikudi, India

Electrochemical preparation of quantum dots has attracted much attention recently due to the
possibility of tailoring their dimensionality to facilitate a change in their fundamental properties
including redox potential, conductivity and electron transfer characteristics in comparison with
similar behavior of their bulk analogues. Green luminescent, Graphene Quantum dots (GQDs)
with a uniform size of 3, 5, and 7 (0.3) nm in diameter have been prepared by an
electrochemical method from MWCNT using propylene carbonate and LiClO4 at 90 C, which
display a remarkable quantum efficiency of 5.2%. This method offers a novel strategy to
synthesize mono-dispersed GQDs as evidenced by multiple characterization techniques like
Transmission and Scanning electron microscopy, Atomic force microscopy, Raman
Spectroscopy and X-ray Diffraction (XRD). Photoluminescence of these GQDs can be tailored
by size variation through a systematic change in key process parameters like diameter of carbon
nanotube, electric field, concentration of supporting electrolyte and temperature. GQDs are
promising candidates for a variety of applications such as biomarkers, nanoelectronic devices
and chemosensors due to unique features like high photo stability, biocompatibility, non
toxicity and tunable solubility in water.

22
 Spatially resolved MR in studying electrochemical energy systems:
Applications and prospects*
N. Chandrakumar
MRI/MRS Center, Department of Chemistry
Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai 600036, Tamil Nadu, India

Some experiments involving spatially resolved Magnetic Resonance techniques that we have
developed and applied to characterize electrochemical energy systems and components are
discussed in this talk.
In particular, experiments on membrane balls are summarized, to characterize self-diffusion
coefficients of water and methanol in membranes, as well as membrane permeability to water
and to methanol. An alternative experiment design involving a two-compartment permeability
cell is introduced to study membrane sheets rather than membrane balls, and the strengths of
this approach are underscored.
NMR imaging of a fuel cell under load is then discussed, employing a fuel cell design that
permits NMR imaging to be performed. Initial results on the application of this spin echo
imaging experiment in investigating hydrogen-oxygen fuel cells and the dynamics of water
formation in, and exhaustion from the flow field as a function of gas flow rates are illustrated.
A major concern in making these investigations centrally relevant to the study of electrochemical
energy systems is the sensitivity of the NMR experiments. It is proposed that dynamic nuclear
polarization could be a potent technique to substantially improve the figure of merit of this
approach by improving sensitivity under suitable conditions by an order of magnitude or more.
Other possible complementary approaches are also briefly mentioned.

* The work described in this talk was performed in collaboration with the fuel cell research group of Professor A.K. Shukla.

23
 High performing electrode materials for lithium rechargeable batteries
S. Gopukumar
CSIR-CECRI, Karaikudi 630006, India

Lithium ion batteries play an important role in the field of portable electronics and electric
vehicle applications. Recently, electric vehicles (EV) and Hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) have
become very popular in world because of the increasing demand in energy and also increasing
amount of CO2 emission. These EV and HEV applications require high energy and high power
density batteries. Lithium ion batteries are one of the best batteries to satisfy these energy
demands.
In my talk, I shall present some our recent investigations on high performing cathode materials
such as spinel, layered and olivine in the high voltage regions (4.to 5V) which deliver the
discharge capacity in the range of 140 to 200 mAhg-1. Further, we explore the suitable high
performing anode materials such as carbon paper and reduced graphene oxide/ metal composites
which exhibits high discharge capacities of 180 and 750 mAhg-1 respectively. The above
mentioned electrode materials are promising candidates for future lithium ion batteries.

24
 Materials for futuristic electrochemical energy storage
A.S. Prakash and K. Ramesha
CSIR- CECRI - Madras Unit, CSIR Complex, Taramani, Chennai 600113, India

The growing energy demands of 21St century urge electrochemists to explore newer mechanisms
for energy storage that far exceed current technologies. With this in view, new concepts being
tried to meet the challenges of sustainability and to develop devices which over smart the
conventional energy storage devices. Progress in these directions crucially depends on
developing materials with improved properties. In this context nanomaterials attracted much
attention in recent years. They exhibit interesting physical, chemical and electrical properties
which far exceed their bulk counterparts. This talk focuses on the role of nanomaterials based
electrodes with more emphasis on synthesis, characterization and their performance as ultra fast
Li-ion batteries, supercapacitors or hybrid devices. Nanomaterials based electrodes/current
collectors have shown major advances in cell assembly and improved performance. The
enhanced electrochemical performances in nanomaterials such as nano -particles, -tubes, -wires
or -rods are attributed to the better ionic mobility, shorter pathway for electronic/ionic
conduction and limitation of volume expansion exerted due to their physical structure. The
phenomenal differences in performance of such electrode materials are envisaged and
demonstrated with examples from nanoparticles of Li4Ti5O12, LiNi1/3Mn1/3Co1/3O2 and V2O5
coated carbon nanotubes. The talk also focuses on Lithium alternate systems such as
rechargeable Na-ion/Mg batteries.

References
1. A. S. Prakash, P. Manikandan, K. Ramesha, M. Sathiya, J. M. Tarascon, A.K. Shukla
Chem. Mater. 22 (9), 2857-2863 (2010)
2. M. Sathiya, A. S. Prakash, K. Ramesha, J.M. Tarascon, A. K. Shukla J. Am. Chem. Soc.,
133 (40), 16291-16299 (2011)
3. M Sathiya, K. Hemalatha, K Ramesha, Jean-Marie Tarascon, A. S. Prakash, Chem.
Mater. 24 (10), 1846 (2012)

25
 High-capacity anode materials for lithium-ion batteries
T. Prem Kumar
Electrochemical Power Systems Division
CSIR-CECRI, Karaikudi 630006, Tamil Nadu, India

With applications such as electric vehicles and portable electronic gadgets that call for high
capacity electrode materials being unveiled by the day, tremendous amount of research has been
directed towards exploiting electrode-active materials. The goals are aimed at improving the
performance of known materials as well as on developing new materials with improved
characteristics. Carbon continues to be the mainstay of anode materials with new forms of the
element, displaying desirable features, being continually examined. Intermetallic active-inactive
phases are another class of negative electrode materials that deliver capacities exceeding 600
mAh/g. Recent results with biogenic active-inactive composites show much promise for eco-
friendly and cost-effective production of such anodes. Multi-component composites of lithium-
alloying elements, with inactive buffering phases added in, are a new step forward in realizing
even higher capacities with extended cycling stability. Conversion electrodes make use of
unusual electrochemical processes at the nanoscale; however, their large first-cycle irreversible
capacities and the sloping voltage profiles at low potentials are problems that may never be
circumvented. Silicon, the ultimate anode material, is being tamed for practical use by
addressing problems of poor conductivity and inordinate volume changes during lithiation and
delithiation processes. This presentation gives an overview of developments in this area with
special reference to work being carried out at CECRI on the above lines.

26
 Industry perspective on the electric vehicle and its future growth
Role of lithium-ion batteries
B. Hariprakash
Indocel Technologies Private Limited, Bangalore 560 027, India

Hybrid electric vehicle is the one that is estimated to emit minimum carbon per kilometer over
the period of its cycle life. However, due to the expected short supply of conventional fuels in
the future, battery operated electric vehicles are being promoted as an alternate choice for the
transportation. Efficiency of the present day vehicles is tremendously increased due to the
innovations in the materials chemistry/engineering with respect to advanced battery
technologies, drive train technologies and light-weight chassis and body structures. Moreover,
the prices of critical components such as batteries are falling with mass production and also due
to various Government Initiatives around the Globe. Towards the realization of electric vehicles:
various lithium-ion battery technologies considered, practical viabilities in terms of their
performance and price against different functionalities, present day challenges with respect to
technology and commercialization, and forecasted demand for the future will be discussed.

27
Posters

28
 Effect of doped Fe in BCN mixed conducting electrolyte for
CO2 sensing applications
Suresh Mulmi and Venkataraman Thangadurai
University of Calgary, Department of Chemistry 2500 University Dr NW, Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4, Canada

On-site monitoring and control of CO2 generated from various industries are required to
effectively reduce the amount of CO2 gas emitted into the atmosphere. Therefore, real-time CO2
monitoring is very important to cope with global warming. In this study, B-site doped mixed
conducting BaCa1/3Nb2/3-xFexO3- (x= 0.16, 0.33, 0.50) (Fe-BCN) double perovskite compound is
synthesized by conventional solid state method. The sensing properties of the material for CO2
gas (in ppm level) were investigated as a function of Fe content. The chemical stability for all
three compositions of Fe-BCN was done by high-temperature in-situ PXRD measurements in
presence of CO2 at different temperatures (25-800 oC). Ac impedance spectroscopy
measurements showed the decrease in total resistance with increase in partial pressure of CO2
gas for Fe-BCN samples, where the total resistivity significantly reduced upto 14 cm for Fe-
BCN with x=0.33 (Fe33-BCN). Single-phase cubic structured Fe33-BCN showed the fastest
response (~3 sec.) and highest sensitivity comparing to x= 0.16 (Fe16-BCN) and 0.50 in Fe-BCN
(Fe50-BCN) at 700 oC. Also, 90% of equilibrium time was achieved after 6-7 mins with
negligible interference of humidity. The obtained current values for Fe-BCN compounds
exhibited linear behavior as a function of CO2 concentration in logarithmic scale. The long- term
stability tests further confirmed the reliability and reproducibility of the material and showed its
potential applications for on-line monitoring of greenhouse gases in ppm level.

29
Structural, magnetic, and textural properties of iron oxide-reduced graphene
oxide hybrids and their use for the electrochemical detection of chromium
Anand Prakash, Sudeshna Chandra, D. Bahadur
Department of Metallurgical Engineering and Materials Science
Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai 400 076, India

Superparamagnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles were anchored on reduced graphene oxide (RGO)

nanosheets by co-precipitation of iron salts in the presence of different amounts of graphene
oxide (GO). A pH dependent zeta potential and good aqueous dispersion were observed for the
three hybrids of Fe3O4 and RGO. The structure, morphology and microstructure of the hybrids
were examined by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform
infrared spectroscopy, Raman and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. TEM images reveal lattice
fringes (d311=0.26 nm) of Fe3O4 nanoparticles with clear stacked layers of RGO nanosheets. The
textural properties including the pore size distribution and loading of Fe3O4 nanoparticles to form
Fe3O4-RGO hybrids have been controlled by changing the concentration of GO. An observed
maximum (~10 nm) in pore size distribution for the sample with 0.25 mg ml-1 of GO is different
from that prepared using 1.0 mg ml-1 GO. The superparamagnetic behavior is also lost in the
latter and it exhibits a ferrimagnetic nature. The electrochemical behavior of the hybrids towards
chromium ion was assessed and a novel electrode system using cyclic voltammetry for the
preparation of an electrochemical sensor platform is proposed. The textural properties seem to
influence the electrochemical and magnetic behavior of the hybrids.

30
 High performance Pt/C catalyst for oxygen reduction reaction in PEMFCs
Kothandaraman R., Karthikayini M.P.
Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai 600036, India

Polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells convert chemical energy stored in the hydrogen fuel
directly and efficiently into electrical energy. This technology has potential to reduce energy use,
pollutants emission and dependence on fossil fuels. Although, this technology has considerably
advanced, the major deterrents for its commercialization are its cost and durability. In order to
meet the DoEs target of 30 $kW-1 and 5000 hr of stable operation by 2015, the need of the hour
is, invention of cost effective and high performance new materials. In our lab, a Pt/C catalyst
which outperforms commercial Pt/C based catalyst has been synthesized. For example, in 0.5 M
HClO4 at 800mV an oxygen reduction reaction activity of 3.5 mAcm-2 is observed at room
temperature, akin to1.5 mAcm-2 observed with Johnson Matthey catalyst. The improved activity
is suspected for effective dispersion of metal ions on carbon via freeze drying coupled with solid
state reduction process. This poster will feature the ORR activity and other electrochemical
parameters, such as number of electrons, Tafel slope, and exchange current density, pertained to
our catalyst with scientific evidences from relevant physical characterizations.

31
 Conductive polymer coated tin composite for the lithium ion anode for
lithium ion battery application
R. Ravikumar, S. Gopukumar
Electrochemical and Power Sources Division
CSIR-Central Electrochemical Research Institute, Karaikudi 630006, Tamil Nadu, India

Tin is considered as a promising candidate for the lithium ion anode which is synthesized by co-
precipitation technique using stabilizing agents such as CTAB, SDS and few polymers like PVA,
PVP etc. for obtaining the nano sized particle without any agglomeration. The XRD, SEM and
TEM analysis confirms the formation of tin nano particles. Pulverization effect of tin metal
electrode is the highly significant challenge to solve while charge-discharge process, thus
polymer based conductive materials like polypyrrole, polyaniline conductive polymers is coated
on tin nano particle to avoid isolation of active mass from the conductive wire, which act as a
current collector. The coating thickness is being optimized by the various weight ratios of
polymer to tin nano particles from 5 to 20%. The thickness of the coating is analyzed by SEM
and TEM; the electrochemical behavior is investigated by EIS, CV and charge-discharge studies.

32
 Synthesis and characterization of NaCoO2 cathode material for
sodium ion batteries
B. Venkata Rami Reddy and S.Gopukumar
CSIR-Central Electrochemical Research Institute, Karaikudi 630006, Tamil Nadu, India

Energy storage using batteries could provide an alternative solution to overcome the global
warming due to CO2 emission. Rechargeable lithium batteries are one of the key devices for
green and sustainable energy development. However, the challenging issue is less abundance of
Lithium which is located in few places all over the world and also it is cost effective. Therefore,
we need to find an alternative solution for energy storage applications. The suitable alternative is
Sodium which is more abundant, eco friendly, cheaper and its reduction potential is almost close
to lithium. The cathode material is one of the important candidates to determine the energy
density of batteries.
Here, we explore the positive active material NaCoO2 synthesized by using different methods
such as sol-gel and microwave methods etc. The precursors of the synthesized active materials
have been analyzed by using TG/DTA analysis. The XRD patterns reveal that the synthesized
active material crystallizes into layered structure and the surface morphology of the synthesized
material is characterized by SEM. Results indicate that NaCoO2 is one of the promising cathode
active materials for sodium ion batteries.

33
 Conducting polymer based textile electrodes for high performance
supercapacitors
K. Firoz Babu, S.P. Sivasubramanian, R. Senthil Kumar and M. Anbu Kulandainathan
CSIR-Central Electrochemical Research Institute, Karaikudi 630006, Tamil Nadu, India

Supercapacitors, also called electrochemical capacitors, are energy storage devices using either
ion adsorption (electrochemical double layer capacitors) or fast surface redox reactions (pseudo-
capacitors). The developing of thin, flexible and environment friendly supercapacitor is the
current scenario in the field of energy storage devices. Making of such devices is possible by
coating conducting polymer on flexible substrates like paper, textiles etc. Conducting polymers
are the material of choice because of its mechanical stability, high conductivity, low weight and
redox switching property. Increasing the surface area would be an efficient way to improve the
performance of these non-metal based energy storage devices. Textile materials are very cheap
and having high surface area, which will enhance the performance of conducting polymer by
making composites with it
In the present work, we have prepared polypyrrole coated textile electrodes and applied in the
field of supercapacitors. Various textile materials such as cotton, linen (Natural fibre), viscose
rayon (Modified fibre) and Polyester (synthetic fibre) are used as material for coating
polypyrrole. Polypyrrole synthesized on textile material via in situ chemical polymerization
using ferric chloride as oxidizing agent. Natural fibres have more absorbance of polypyrrole and
also showed good conductivity (~10-1 Scm-1). A notable improvement in performance of
supercapacitor has been achieved (223 Fg-1) through conducting polymer/MnO2 coated textile
electrodes.

34
 Effect of synthesis approach in improving the electrochemical behavior of
LiNi0.4Mn0.4Co0.2O2 cathode
D. Bhuvaneswari and N. Kalaiselvi
CSIR-Central Electrochemical Research Institute, Karaikudi 630006, Tamil Nadu, India

In an attempt to prepare phase pure LiNi0.4Mn0.4Co0.2O2 (442) compound, few additives have
been exploited both as chelating agent and as combustible fuel in sol-gel and combustion
methods respectively. Among the additives chosen, agar-agar as combustible fuel has produced
LiNi0.4Mn0.4Co0.2O2 compound with spherically interconnected particles and a specific capacity
of 160 mAh/g at C/10 rate. Similarly, corn starch has exhibited better chelating effect in sol-gel
synthesis approach to prepare the title compound with a capacity of 155 mAh/g at C/10 rate.
Suitability of chosen additives in forming layered oxide cathode with phase purity and better
lithium intercalation behavior has been demonstrated. Further, cyclability under the influence of
C/5 and C/2 rates has also been exhibited by sol-gel and combustion synthesized
LiNi0.4Mn0.4Co0.2O2 cathode synthesized using newer additives.

35
 Electronic wiring of LiFePO4 using extended carbon nanostructure for
lithium-ion battery electrodes
M. Gnanavel, Sudeshna Sen, Aninda Jiban Bhattacharyya
Solid State and Structural Chemistry Unit, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, Karnataka, India

The demand for high performance lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) has considerably enhanced the
need for novel electrode materials. Olivine structured cathode materials such as LiMPO4 (M: Fe,
Mn) are the promising alternative for future electric vehicle technologies, materials which are
safe, nontoxic and cost effective. Nano structuring of LiFePO4/C in various mesoporous
architectures has resulted in enhancement in electrochemical performances. However, due to
detrimental intrinsic properties (e.g. poor electronic conductivity), they show poor performance
at higher current. Considerable efforts have been made to overcome the electronic and ionic
transport limitations by cationic doping with foreign atoms, decreasing the particle size, or
coating with electronically conductive agents (carbon, Ag, conducting polymers, etc.). However,
we have demonstrated here convincingly the beneficial influence of electronic wiring of
extended carbon structures viz. carbon nanotubes (CNTs), multiwall carbon nanotube
(MWCNT), single wall carbon nanotube (SWCNT) on battery performance of lithium iron
phosphate (LFP). It is observed that only an optimum content (< 0.5%) of MWCNT, SWCNT
dispersed in-situ during LFP synthesis can deliver simultaneous improvement in LFP cyclability
and rate capability. Content of CNT > 0.5 % may not simultaneously deliver stable cyclability (at
low current) and rate capability (varying current rates). The observed superior battery
performances were attributed to improved structural stability of LFP and percolative electronic
pathways resulting from the dispersion of the CNTs (MWCNT, SWCNT) comparing to pristine
LiFePO4/C. The exemplary performance of the LFP-CNT is attributed to combination of both
enhanced LFP structural stability, as, revealed by Raman spectra and formation of an efficient
percolative network of carbon nanotubes which during the course of galvanostatic cycling gets
gradually transformed to few layer graphene. The transformation of CNTs to few layer grapheme
is strongly supported via ex-situ micro-Raman spectroscopy which shows the evolution of a
characteristic graphene 2D band at ~ 2700 cm-1 with repeated galvanostatic cycling.

36
Synthesis and characterization of porous Li2MnO3 as a high capacity and high
rate capability cathode material for Li-ion batteries
Tirupathi Rao Penki, Shanmughasundaram Duraisamy and Nookala Munichandraiah
Department of Inorganic and Physical Chemistry, Indian Institute of Science Bangalore 560012, Karnataka, India

For the purpose of developing next generation Li-ion batteries with increased energy density,
high capacity lithium rich manganese oxide, namely, Li2MnO3 is considered as a potentially
important cathode material.1 In addition to its very high theoretical capacity (460 mAh/g),
Li2MnO3 is inexpensive and environmental friendly. Li2MnO3 has layered structure, and it is
electrochemically inactive. The electrochemical performance of a cathode material is influenced
by its crystallinity, particle size and porosity. Porous electrode materials can facilitate flow of the
electrolyte into core of particles leading to high rate capability of the material. Furthermore, they
can also withstand to mechanical stress generated by volume expansion/contraction cycles
during charge-discharge cycling. In the present work, porous Li2MnO3 is prepared by inverse
micro-emulsion route in the presence of a polymer template pluronic acid or P123.2
Physicochemical and electrochemical studies are conducted on the as prepared, activated and
activated-heated samples of Li2MnO3.
The as synthesized samples are subjected to activation in 4M H2SO4 for different durations, and
then heated at 300 0C. The as prepared, acid treated and acid treated-heated samples of Li2MnO3
are subjected to powder XRD, SEM, XPS, N2 gas adsorption/desorption, cyclic voltammetry,
galvanostatic charge- discharge cycling and electrochemical impedance studies. The BET
surface area values of the as prepared samples are low in the range 35 m2/g. There is an
2
increase in surface area to about 100 m /g after activation by acid treatment. Surface area of the
activated-heated samples is in 40 - 60 m2/g range with an average pore diameter of 2-7 nm. The
surface area, one of the highest values so far reported for this compound is attributed to synthetic
procedure adopted in the present work. Although discharge capacity of the as prepared samples
is low (about 100 mAh/g), it has increased to about 260 mAh/g after activation and heating.
From the rate capability studies, a discharge capacity of about 120 mAh/g is obtained at 10C
(c.d: 1.25A/g) rate. The results of these studies will be presented.
Acknowledgements: Authors thank RNTB for financial support for conducting this research.

References
1. M.M. Thackeray, S.-H. Kang, C.S. Johnson, J.T. Vaughey, R. Benedek, S.A. Hackney, J.
Mater. Chem., 17, 3112, (2007)
2. N. N. Sinha and N. Munichandraiah, ACS J. App. Mat. Interface, 6, 1241-49, (2009)

37
 CNT-wired silicon nanoparticles as lithium-insertion anodes
T. Sri Devi Kumari1, T. Prem Kumar2, D. Jeyakumar1
Functional Materials Division, 2Electrochemical Power Systems Division
1

CSIR-Central Electrochemical Research Institute, Karaikudi 630006, Tamil Nadu, India

Silicon as an anode material in lithium-ion batteries possesses a theoretical capacity of 4200

mAh/g. However, its poor electronic conductivity (1.2x102 S/cm) and large volume expansion
(v~300%) during the lithiation process limit its application in practical batteries. An approach
towards circumventing problems due to the above disadvantages is to encapsulate silicon in
conducting carbonaceous layer formed from a variety of precursors such as resorcinol
formaldehyde resin, poly (vinyl chloride)-co-vinyl acetate, glucose, etc. Although noticeable
improvements were achieved, capacity degradation could not be mitigated.
In this study, we report the lithium-insertion behavior of MWCNT-wired silicon nanoparticles,
an architecture that addresses the problem of conductivity and space for accommodating volume
changes. The CNTs were formed on the silicon particles by a low-pressure chemical vapor
deposition technique. A siliconCNT composite with 55% silicon content gave a steady
deinsertion capacity of 531 mAh/g (or 1024 mAh/g based on the weight of the silicon alone)
over more than 200 charge-discharge cycles.

Figure 1: CNT-wired nano-silicon particles

References
1. Z. M. Stadnik, Phys. Rev. B 55, 10938, (1997)
2. G. Neuhold, S. R. Barman, K. Horn, W. Theis, P. Ebert, and K. Urban, Phys. Rev. B, 58, 734,
(1998)
3. J. Hafner and M. Krajci, Phys. Rev. B 71, 054202, (2005)

38
 Preparation and characterization of graphene for energy storage
applications
M. Selvam, K. Sakthipandi, R. Suriyaprabha, K. Saminathan, V. Rajendran
Centre for Nano Science and Technology, K. S. Rangasamy College of Technology
Tiruchengode 637215, Tamil Nadu, India

In recent years, the synthesis and optimization of graphene play a vital role for energy storage
devices and batteries. Due to its high surface area and chemical tolerance, graphene has superior
electrical conductivity than graphite and other allotropes of carbon. Electrochemically processed
graphene sheets were obtained through the reduction of graphene oxide from hydrazine hydrate.
The prepared sample was sintered at different temperatures such as 673 and 873 K. The X-ray
diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence
spectroscopy (EDX), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Raman spectroscopy and
conductivity measurements were made in as-prepared and sintered graphene samples. The XRD
pattern of graphene showed a sharp and intensive peak centered at a diffraction angle (2) of
26.350. TEM results indicated that the defect density and number of layers of graphene sheets
were varied with the sintering temperature. The hexagonal sheet morphology and purity of as-
prepared and sintered samples were confirmed by SEM- EDX and Raman spectroscopy. The
conductivity measurement revealed that the conductivity of graphene was decreased with an
increase in sintering temperature. The present study explains that graphene with enhanced
functional properties was achieved from the as-prepared sample.

39
Synthesis and electrochemical properties of LiNi0.4Mn0.4Co0.2O2 by molten salt
eutectic LiNO3 LiCl
M. Satyanarayana, A. K. Jibin, U. V. Varadaraju
Materials Science Research Centre and Department of Chemistry
Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai 600036, India

LiNiyMnyCo1-2y (y=0.4, 0.45) with - NaFeO2 layered structure has promising electrochemical
properties for Li-ion battery applications1. The structure, electrochemical behavior and magnetic
susceptibility of LiNi0.4Mn0.4Co0.2O2 have been studied by Miaomiao et. al2. For the present
study, LiNi0.4Mn0.4Co0.2O2 cathode material is prepared by using molten salt mixture of LiNO3
LiCl at temperature between 700 1000 C to obtain optimum temperature for better
performance. The synthesized material is characterized by XRD, EDAX, Chemical analysis,
surface area and density techniques. Electrochemical properties have been studied by
galvanostatic and potentiostatic techniques. Reversible capacity of 160-170 mAh/g is observed
within the voltage window of 2.5-4.4V at room temperature. Detailed results will be presented.

References
1. Z. Li, N. Chernova, M. Roppolo, S. Upreti, M. S. Whittingham , in 2009 MRS Fall Meeting,
Boston, MA 2009
2. Miaomiao M., Natasha A. Chernova, Brian H. Toby, Peter Y. Zavalij, M. Stanley
Whittingham, J. Power Sources., 165, 517534 (2007)

40
 Application R&D on substrate-integrated lead-carbon hybrid ultracapacitor
for rural lighting
A. Banerjee and A. Jalajakshi
Solid State and Structural Chemistry Unit Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India

A 12 V / hF range substrate-integrated lead-carbon hybrid ultracapacitor (SI-Pb-C-HUC) built in

house 1, 2, 3, 4 and performance tested for rural and remote area lighting. The fast charging of the
device is the attractive feature for this application. The charging of the device can be performed
at various means mainly through AC mains, through mechanical means such as a dynamo or
through solar panel. Rugged, reliable and efficient LED driver is capable of operating over wide
input voltage range (5 VDC to 14 VDC) and delivering constant current output to drive up to 5
W (up to numbers of 1 W white LEDs in series and parallel configuration). The LED driver is
output overvoltage and short-circuit protected. The device is performance tested at varying
temperature between -20C to 55C. The data suggests that the HUC can be charged at an
optimal current of 2 A over about 20 min duration. The device is characterized by discharging
through LED with varying power like 1 W, 2 W, and 3 W. Those results shown that, the SI-Pb-
C-HUC device can be efficiently used for rural lighting.

References
1. Shukla A K, Ravikumar M K and Gaffoor S A, International Patent WO 2011/161686 A1
2. Shukla A K, Banerjee A, Ravikumar M K and Gaffoor S A, 2011 2441/CHE/2011/July 18
3. A. Banerjee, M. K. Ravikumar, A. Jalajakshi, S. A. Gaffoor and A. K. Shukla, ECS Trans., 41,
101 (2012)
4. A. Banerjee, M. K. Ravikumar, A. Jalajakshi, P. Suresh Kumar, S. A. Gaffoor and A. K.
Shukla, J. Chem. Sci., (DOI: 10.1007/s12039-012-0273-x)

41
 An advanced iron electrode for nickel-iron batteries
A. Sundar Rajan
Solid State and Structural Chemsitry Unit, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India

Iron has been considered as a promising active material for alkaline secondary batteries because
of its low cost, large specific capacity and long-term durability. The key problem in the
development of nickel iron batteries is poor charge acceptance and self discharge of the iron
electrode. The specific capacity of the Iron active material is low compared to the theoretical
specific capacity of about 960 mAhg -1.
In the present work, a polymer composite derived iron active material is prepared. The specific
capacity of this composite derived material is as high as 385 mAhg -1 with faradaic efficiency of
about 75 %.

42
 Electronic wiring of TiO2 nanoparticles with highly conducting and robust
1D-titanium carbide nanostructures for rechargeable Li-ion batteries
Subrahmanyam Goriparti, Vankayala Kiran and Srinivasan Sampath
Inorganic and Physical Chemistry, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, Karnataka, India

In recent years, considerable efforts have been devoted towards the development of
electrochemical energy systems, a possible and potential alternate energy source over
conventional sources such as fossil fuels, coal, petrol etc because of the ever increasing demands
of energy. In this direction, special efforts have been focused on the development of
supercapacitors, batteries, fuel cells etc., to mitigate energy crisis. Rechargeable Li-ion batteries
have been projected as potential energy sources from past few decades. Several materials with
high discharge capacity have been reported as anode/cathode catalysts in Li-ion batteries. The
main impediment in Li-ion batteries is capacity fading. To overcome the aforementioned
problem, we have explored the use of highly conducting and robust titanium carbide (TiC) as
host for titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles. TiC, an early transition metal carbide possesses
unique properties like extreme hardness, high electrical conductivity and high corrosion
resistance. These unique properties make this material as an electrocatalyst for batteries1, 2 and
fuel cell3 applications. In the present study, several composites (TiC-TiO2) have been
synthesized and characterized with XRD and TEM techniques. Li-ion battery performance
studies were carried out using cyclic voltammetry, A.C impedance and galvanostatic charge-
discharge measurements. High and stable performance can be achieved with TiO2 nanoparticles
anchored on 1D-TiC. The role of TiC nanowires is studied.

References
1. Y. Yao, K. Huo, L. Hu, N. Liu, J. J. Cha, M. T. McDowell, P. K. Chu, Y. Cui, ACS Nano, 5,
8346 (2011)
2. P. Patel, Il-S. Kim, P. N. Kumta, Mater. Sci. and Engg. B, 116, 347 (2005)
3. V. Kiran, S. B. Kalidindi, B. R. Jagirdar, S. Sampath, Electrochim. Acta, 56, 10493 (2011)

43
 Improved lithium cyclability and storage in a mesoporous SnO2 using
structural spacers and extended carbon structures for anode materials

Konda Shiva, H. B. Rajendra and Aninda J. Bhattacharyya

Solid State and Structural Chemistry Unit, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, Karnataka, India

Lithium ion battery (LIB) is a very promising device for a wide variety of applications ranging
from portable electronics to electrical vehicles to military to space, where high energy and high
power are needed over a wide operating temperature range. Considerable efforts are being
devoted to development of non-carbonaceous anode materials for lithium-ion batteries. In this
context, tin based materials especially tin-lithium (LixSn) alloys, tin oxide (SnO2) can store high
amounts of lithium (790 mAhg-1 Li4.4Sn), nearly twice that of commercial graphite (372 mAhg-
1
). However, drastic volume changes ( 300%) during the alloying reaction results in cracking
and pulverization of the grains leading to loss of contact between individual grains. Many
different strategies have been evolved to resolve this issue. One important strategy has been to
synthesize tailored porous nanostructures. The pores act as shock absorbers for the lattice
expansion/contraction taking place during charge and discharge of the battery. In this
contribution we demonstrate benecial inuence of periodic arrangement of multi-sized pores in
a mesoporous conguration on stabilization of SnO2 structure and hence, leading to improved
cyclability.
We demonstrate the importance of the periodic arrangement of multi-sized pores in a
mesoporous configuration on stabilization of SnO2 (SnO2-M) structure and hence, leading to
improved cyclability. The stability observed in the galvanostatic cycling of SnO2-S and SnO2-M
emphasizes the importance of mesoporosity in minimizing the detrimental effects of volume
expansion/contraction resulting from the lithium alloying reaction, where the SnO2-M and SnO2-
S delivered 504 mAhg-1 and 401 mAhg-1 respectively.
Mesoporous SnO2 with reduced graphene oxide (rGO) electronic wires: Mesoporous SnO2rGO
composite was synthesized using a two-step solution-phase hydrothermal process. The
remarkable cyclability observed in case of SnO2-rGO emphasizes the importance of the rGO in
minimizing the detrimental effects arising out of volume changes due to the lithium alloying with
Sn. It is expected that further optimization of electrode components (electrode binder and
electrolyte additives) will improve performance of SnO2-rGO composites.

44
Investigation on polymer blend electrolytes for its application in EDLCs using
cocunut shell based activated charcoal
Amrita Jaina, S K Tripathia, Ashish Guptaa, Manju Kumarib
a
Department of Physics, Jaypee University of Engineering & Technology, AB Road, Raghogarh, Guna, India
b
Department of Chemistry, Viva Institute of Technology, Thane, Maharashtra, India

Present investigation deals with the electrochemical double layer capacitors (EDLCs) made up of
blend polymer electrolyte consisting of poly(vinylidine fluoride-co-hexafluropropylene) (PVdF-
HFP)- poly methyl methacrylate (PMMA)- sodium thiocynate (NaSCN) which exhibits highest
ionic conductivity of 4.6 x 10-2 Scm-1 showing good mechanical and dimensional stability,
suitable for their application in EDLCs. Chemically treated coconut shell based activated carbon
is employed as an electrode material. Microstructural characterization of coconut shell based
electrode was carried out by using SEM. Performance of EDLCs have been tested using cyclic-
voltammetry, impedance spectroscopy and charge-discharge techniques. The maximum
capacitance of 264 mF cm-2 which is equivalent to single electrode specific capacitance of 264
Fg-1 was achieved. It corresponds to energy-density of 47 hkg-1 and power-density of 1.3 kWkg-1.

45
 Electrochemically induced fast antibacterial activity of Ag nanoparticles on
reduced graphene oxide
Surender Kumara, Somnath Ghoshb, N. Munichandraiaha and H. N. Vasanb
a.
Department of Inorganic and Physical Chemistry, bDepartment of Solid State and Structural Chemistry Unit
Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India

It is known that Ag nanostructures exhibit antibacterial activity. However, the process is slow
and usually it takes several hours. An electrochemical approach is shown to make process faster.
A composite of Ag and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) is prepared by insitu reduction of Ag+ and
graphene oxide by ethylene glycol.

Nano Ag-rGO composite is loaded on carbon foam, which intern is inserted into stem of a
funnel. Electrical connection from the carbon foam and a copper wire inserted into the funnel
allows one to connect a commercial 1.5 V cell. Antibacterial activity measurements with and
without the cell indicate that the electrical field induced by the cell enhanced the process of
antibacterial activity by several times. The results will be presented.

References
1. Hummers, W. S.; Offeman, R. E. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1958, 80, 1339
2. D. T. Schoen, A. P. Schoen, Liangbing Hu, H. S. Kim, Sarah C, Heilshorn, and Yi Cui.,
Nano Lett. 2010, 10, 36283632

46
 Efficient electrochemical oxidation of small organic molecules using
palladium supported on titanium nitride
Suresh Kukunuri and Srinivasan Sampath
Inorganic and Physical Chemistry, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India

Direct alcohol fuel cells (DAFCs), which use aliphatic alcohols as fuels, have been emerging as
new generation compact power sources for portable electronic devices and electric-powered
vehicles. Among all alcohols, electrooxidation of methanol and ethanol has been intensively
investigated. However, the high volatility of ethanol and the severe toxicity of methanol may
cause serious problems in practical applications, potentially limiting their further
commercialization. Use of polyols as fuels can be an interesting alternative. Polyols such as
ethylene glycol and glycerol are less toxic than methanol. In the present study, titanium nitride
which shows exceptional stability, extreme corrosion resistance and good electronic conductivity
is used to support palladium particles and subsequently used for electrooxidation of glycerol and
propanol in an alkaline medium. The material was synthesized using conventional polyol
method. To compare the activity of Pd/TiN, palladium supported on carbon, which is
commercially available, has been used. TiN supported catalysts are found to be very good in
terms of long term stability, exchange current density and stable currents at low over voltages.

47
 TiO2 anchored CNTs for enhanced electrochemical energy storage
K. Hemalatha, C. P. Laisa, B. Akhila, K. Ramesha, A.S. Prakash
CSIR-Central Electrochemical Research Institute- Madras unit, CSIR Madras Complex, Taramani,
Chennai 600 113, Tamil Nadu, India

Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs) possess high mechanical strength, good chemical stability, high
electrical conductivity, etc which find attractive applications in electrochemical energy storage.
CNTs have been recognized as promising electrode material for their high accessible area and
less volume variations which allows faster transport of Li ions. These features of CNTs are
beneficial to exploit them as support for coating electroactive materials. Such composite
structures are known to show staggering gain over capacity and overall performance of a battery.
In this study, functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes were coated with a thin layer of TiO2
by slow hydrolysis of titanium (IV) isopropoxide. The as prepared composites were structurally
and morphologically characterized by XRD, SEM, and HRTEM. The electrochemical activity of
TiO2 deposited carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were investigated using cyclic voltammetry and
galvanostatic charge-discharge experiments. TiO2 anchored CNTs exhibited high capacity of
about 370 mAh/g and better electrochemical performance compared to the pristine TiO2
nanoparticles.

48
 Pt decorated Au nanomaterials for methanol oxidation reaction
N. Prabu, N. Ilayaraja, D. Jeyakumar
Functional Materials Division, CSIR-Central Electrochemical Research Institute, Karaikudi 630 006

Direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) is a promising solution for future energy crisis, due to its
simplicity, operation at ambient temperature, energy density, etc. The major problem in DMFC
is the anode material and its deterioration due to fouling with carbonaceous species formed
during methanol oxidation reaction (MOR). In this work an attempt has been made to resolve
this problem and also to improve the efficiency of the Pt utilization. We have synthesized Au
NPs decorated with Pt and were characterized using Optical, TEM, XRD and electrochemical
studies. The optical, TEM and XRD studies indicate the particle size in the range of 4-6 nm. The
relative electrochemical surface area of Pt to Au was analyzed using CV for the Pt decorated
species. The MOR studies indicated that the peak current value of methanol oxidation reaches a
maximum with increase in the amount of decoration and then decreases. The reverse peak
observed in the MOR reaction also increases with the increase in the Pt decoration of Au NPs.
The if/ib also increases in the Pt decoration. The details on the study will be presented.

Figure 1: Electrochemical Methanol oxidation reaction Using Pt decorated Au NPs coated GC electrode using a Pt
counter electrode and MMS reference electrode. Concentration of Methanol is 0.75 M.

49
 Participants
C.N.R. Rao IISc and JNCASR, Bangalore
S. Sivaram NCL, Pune
D. D. Sarma IISc, Bangalore
A. K. Shukla IISc, Bangalore
Anil Kumar NCL, Pune
Vijayamohanan K Pillai CECRI, Karaikudi
S. Ramasesha IISc, Bangalore
A. J. Bhattacharyya IISc, Bangalore
S. Gopukumar CECRI, Karaikudi
T. Prem Kumar CECRI, Karaikudi
P. Sridhar CECRI-Madras Unit, Chennai
A. S. Prakash CECRI-Madras Unit, Chennai
S. D. Bhat CECRI-Madras Unit, Chennai
R. Manoharan PSG, Coimbatore
D. MacDonald Penn State Univ., Pennsylvania, USA
V. K. Ramani Illinois Inst. Tech., Chicago, USA
A. Braun Empa, SFL, Dbendorf, Switzerland
M.V. Sangaranarayanan IIT-Madras, Chennai
N. Chandrakumar IIT-Madras, Chennai
V. Thangadurai Univ. Calgary, Calgary, Canada
D. Bahadur IIT-Bombay, Mumbai
M. Neergat IIT-Bombay, Mumbai
R. Kothandaraman IIT-Madras, Chennai
S. R. Barman UGC-DAE, Indore
V. Lakshminarayan RRI, Bangalore
K. S. Gandhi IISc, Bangalore
S. Sampath IISc, Bangalore
N. Munichandraiah IISc, Bangalore
S. Balasubramanian JNCASR, Bangalore
B. Hariprakash Indocel, Bangalore
K. V. Ramesh D.S. College, Bangalore
Suresh Mulmi Univ. Calgary, Calgary, Canada
Anand Prakash IIT-Bombay, Mumbai
Karthikayini M.P. IIT-Madras, Chennai
R. Ravikumar CECRI, Karaikudi
B. Venkata Rami Reddy CECRI, Karaikudi
K. Firoz Babu CECRI, Karaikudi
K. Sakthipandi K. S. Rangasamy Coll. Tech., Tiruchengode
M. Satyanarayana IIT-Madras, Chennai
D. Bhuvaneswari CECRI, Karaikudi
M. Gnanavel IISc, Bangalore
Sudeshna Sen IISc, Bangalore
Amrita Jain JUET, Guna
K. Hemalatha CECRI-Madras Unit, Chennai

50
T. Sri Devi Kumari CECRI, Karaikudi
Tirupathi Rao Penki IISc, Bangalore
Anjan Banerjee IISc, Bangalore
C.P. Laisa CECRI-Madras Unit, Chennai
A. Sundar Rajan IISc, Bangalore
N. Prabu CECRI, Karaikudi
R. Senthil Kumar CECRI, Karaikudi
Subrahmanyam Goriparti IISc, Bangalore
Konda Shiva IISc, Bangalore
Surender Kumar IISc, Bangalore
Somnath Ghosh IISc, Bangalore
Suresh Kukunuri IISc, Bangalore
Rajendra H. B. IISc, Bangalore
B. Bagchi IISc, Bangalore
U. Waghmere JNCASR, Bangalore
T.S. Balasubramanian RCI, Hyderabad
Anshu Pandey IISc, Bangalore
G. R. Desiraju IISc, Bangalore
J. Gopalakrishnan IISc, Bangalore
T. N. Guru Row IISc, Bangalore
M. S. Hegde IISc, Bangalore
P. R. Srikanth RCI, Hyderabad
Giridhar Madras IISc, Bangalore
S. Natarajan IISc, Bangalore
K. J. Rao IISc, Bangalore
S. A. Patil IISc, Bangalore
S. Vasudevan IISc, Bangalore
V. Jayaram IISc, Bangalore
H. N. Vasan IISc, Bangalore
A. Govindaraj IISc, Bangalore
C. Shivakumara IISc, Bangalore
N. Y. Vasanthacharya IISc, Bangalore
K. R. Kannan IISc, Bangalore
Satishkumar IISc, Bangalore
Subhradip Mistry IISc, Bangalore
V. John IISc, Bangalore
S. K. Tripathi JUET, Guna
M. Anbu Kulandainathan CSIR-CECRI, Karaikudi

51