Synthesis,
Characterization and applications of Nanoparticles
16-20 December, 2008
About SERC Schools
The Science and
Engineering Research Council (SERC) of the Department of Science &
Technology (DST, Government of India) sponsors state-of-the-art courses
in engineering and science for the benefit of faculty of engineering
colleges, engineers working in industry, R & D organizations, and
scientists from government departments in the country. These courses
also offer an opportunity for increasing industry-academia
interaction.
Aims & Scope
Nanoparticles are the building blocks of
nanotechnology and the advances in this important branch of science,
crucially
depends upon the ability to synthesize these particles, on an
industrial scale,
in a controlled and reproducible manner. The formation of nanoparticles
is a
fairly well researched, frontier area in which many chemical engineers
work. This
has resulted in a whole body of work
which is very novel and challenging. Whereas, some apsects of
nanoparticles
formation and characterization are well understood, there are many
issues that
are still being investigated. For instance, while the production of
spherical
nanoparticles is understood reasonably well, the emergence of
anisotropy or the
possibility of formation of complex (core-shell, tubes) are topics of
much
work. Such a situation, provides for a very fertile ground for
promoting
research in this area, especially more so in view of governmental
initiatives
to promote Nanotechnology as a thrust area of national importance.
From the viewpoint of industrial production,
there are
many insights available that will benefit current and potential
manufacturers
of nanoparticles, especially those with an interest in developing novel
technologies. Many of these insights have to do with engineering
aspects like mixing,
rheology and hydrodynamics
prevailing in systems containing nanoparticles.
What makes nanoparticles
interesting, are their unique properties, which
are manifestation of nano-domains that constitute these particles. It
is this
aspect of nanoparticles that allows their use in novel applications,
which
cannot be catered to by bulk materials.
The aim of this School is to introduce
participants
from academia and industry to the fundamentals of nanoparticle
production/synthesis, characterization techniques, models to describe
the
physics of the formation processes and current and potential
applications. This
school will be useful for the participants in their teaching and should
also
help them in undertaking research in this area. The lectures will be
delivered by experts with several years of experience in the
modeling & simulation, optimization and control of industrially
significant reactors.
Pre-requisites
A bachelor's degree or
higher in Science or Engineering.
Course Content (Click
here to view the COURSE TIME TABLE)
Lecture notes and
appropriate reference materials
will
be provided on CD-ROM and hardcopy.
Course Faculty
About the Co-ordinators:
Prof. Anurag
Mehra obtained his B.Tech.in Chemical Engineering from
I.I.T.
Kanpur
and a Ph.D. from U.D.C.T. Bombay. He was on the faculty of U.D.C.T. for
several
years before joining the Department of Chemical Engineering at I.I.T.
Bombay
in 1991. He has been involved in teaching courses on mathematical and
numerical
methods, modeling and simulation as well as in reaction engineering and
transport processes. Research interests include
multiphase reactions, precipitations, surfactant systems and
nanoparticle formation. He
currently heads the Chemical Engineering Department at IIT Bombay.
Prof. Rochish Thaokar
obtained his PhD from the Indian Institute of Science Bangalore. After
a post doctral stint at Max Planch Institute for Polymer research,
Mainz, Germany,
he joined the department of Chemical Engineering, IIT Bombay as
assistant Professor in 2005. His research intersests include
nanoparticle
synthesis, surfactant systems and electrohydrodynamics.
Course dates & Venue
The course dates are
December 16 (Tuesday) to 20 (Saturday),
2008. The venue will be the
Department of Chemical Engineering at IIT Bombay. Last
date for
receipt of filled registration forms is November 21, 2008
(No deadline
for industry applicants).
Selected
applicants will be informed of the status of their application by
November 24th, 2008.
Accommodation
Accomodation
on campus is
available in the Hostel/Guest House for a
limited
number of participants, with advance intimation. Usually, this will be
provided on a twin sharing basis.
Course Fee and Registration
Participants
from Academic Institutions
Twenty five participants from academic institutions will be sponsored
by DST. The selections will be made on an all-india basis. Selected
participants will be paid AC-III tier railway or State transport bus,
round-trip fares by shortest route from/to their place of work.
Boarding and lodging expenses will also be borne by DST. The
registration
form should be sent through the head of the institution and should
reach the course coordinator on or before November 21,
2008.
A committment fee of Rs 3000 will have
to be paid by participants at the time of submitting the registration
form. The entire fee amount will be returned to participants at the end
of the course. However, this amount will be forfeited as cancellation
charges if the participant does not turn up for the course. This
fee must be paid by demand draft
payable to "Registrar, IIT
Bombay
(CEP A/C)"
Participants
from Industry and R & D Organizations
The course fee is Rs 15,000 for this category. Course fee covers course materials, lunch and tea only and does NOT include accomodation or other boarding charges. Fees must be paid by demand draft payable to "Registrar, IIT Bombay (CEP A/C)". Please mail the registration form along with the demand draft to the course coordinator. There is no deadline for industry applicants.
(It may be noted that
no income tax is to be deducted at
source from
the course fee payments as IIT Bombay is exempted from the same.)
Address all correspondence to
Professors Anurag Mehra/Rochish Thaokar
Course Coordinators
Department of Chemical Engineering
IIT Bombay, Powai, Mumbai 400 076, India
Tel: 022-25767217, 25767200, 25767241
Fax: 022-25726895
Email: mehra@iitb.ac.in,
rochish@che.iitb.ac.in