Research Areas
Through our research areas, we aim to advance knowledge, contribute to scientific breakthroughs, and develop practical solutions for a wide range of applications in the fields of optics, materials science, and bio-imaging.
Optical Materials
Rare earth ions based optical emission materials have many applications such as in Lighting (LEDs, Fluorescent bulbs), Display panels, Lasers and further have estimated potential in several novel areas like Bio-imaging, Photothermal therapy, Fingerprint detection and security. The property of rare earth ions is that these can exhibit Downshifting as well as Upconversion emissions and hence these materials have greater importance than the other luminescent materials. Group is involved in following studies:
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Synthesis of upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) through various chemical routes and then to go for in-depth study through steady state and time resolved fluorecence spectrocopy.
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Intensity enhancement in UCNPs through plasmonic particles
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Tailoring of UCNPs for high contrast upconversion bio-imaging alongwith the photothermal effect (multi-modal property studies)
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UCNPs for non-contact temperature sensing and fingerprint detection
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Persistent luminescent materials for their applications as night glow devices, fingerprinting
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Synthesis of rare-earth doped glass and ceramic materials
Photoacoustic Spectroscopy of Materials
It is another sensitive spectroscopic technique for the study of materials, food products, mining products, hazardous gases etc. The photo-acoustic signal in a material is generated through non-radiative transitions which lead to generation of heat. The periodic heat generation is sensed by a sensitive microphone and then in detected via lock-in-amplifier. Group has assembled a photoacoustic spectrometer comprising of 500W Xe source, 300W Halogen lamp, 250 mm focal length high throughput spectrograph, high end SR860 Stanford make Lock-in-Amplifier, SR540 Optical chopper and 4189 high sensitivity Bruel & Kjaer microphone.
Raman Spectroscopy for Structural Analysis of Luminescent Materials
Raman spectroscopy is a valuable technique providing detailed information about their molecular composition, crystal structure, and vibrational modes. By measuring the Raman scattering of light, this technique can identify the chemical groups and functional moieties responsible for the luminescent behaviour of materials. It can determine the crystal structure and polymorphic forms of luminescent materials, aiding in the understanding of their optical properties. Furthermore, it allows for the investigation of molecular interactions and the study of defects or impurities that might influence luminescence.