National Seminar on Current Trends in Materials Science (CTMS-2011)

Abstract

India is going through an era of many changes in its higher education system. Emphasis is being given to research and development initiatives at Universities and colleges. The teaching community is faced with the challenge of coping with both regular academic activities and research initiatives. The teaching faculties need to keep in step with the momentous research output being generated globally. To mold young talent that will be sought after, teachers need to undertake challenging initiatives. Research in emerging areas like nanotechnology, meta materials, functional materials and structures is being pursued vigorously in Universities and colleges in the state of Kerala. Awareness of the impact of integrating teaching and research in basic science has inspired the teaching faculty. The number of seminars and conferences is not commensurate with the amount of research being conducted in this state. The state lags behind in the number of institutes with state of the art facilities and human resource with cutting edge knowledge.The national seminar on Current Trends in Materials Science (CTMS-2011) is organized by the Department of Physics, Christian College, Chengannur. It is a continuation of the initiatives of the Department to bridge the haitus between teaching and research. Current Trends in Materials Science (CTMS-2007) was successfully conducted with over 80 research paper presentations and participation of delegates from the states of Karnataka, Andhrapradesh, Tamilnadu and Kerala. CTMS-2011 is a sequel envisaged to serve as an effective platform for teachers to interact with eminent scientists and share their knowledge and experience. Papers were invited from the subject area comprising glasses and ceramics, crystal growth, nanotechnology, semiconductors thin films and polymers. We are delighted that after a peer review process of the papers we have selected ten of the best papers presented at the seminar for publication in IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering. This initiative is in pursuit of the vision of the department to establish itself as a part of the global scientific community. The department is striving to establish itself as a centre of excellence in teaching and research. We sincerely hope that the papers published in this journal will contribute to the advancement of knowledge in the respective fields. We present this volume of papers to the scientific community for their valuable feedback by way of suggestions and collaborative research. AcknowledgmentThe Department of Physics, Christian College Chengannur acknowledges the efforts of Dr Jacob George who was inspirational in organizing this seminar. His vision and perseverance made it possible for us to organize this event. The seminar was graciously funded by University Grants Commission (UGC), New Delhi, India and Kerala State Council for Science Technology and Environment (KSCSTE), Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. The department wishes to thank both organizations for their support for the event. The management of the college provided great assistance by providing all the infrastructural help required for the event. The department is weighed in gratitude for this gesture and encouragement. Ammini Solar Pvt. Ltd, and Hind High Vacuum Pvt. Ltd, sponsored the best paper award and best poster award respectively. We thank them for this token of their support for the event. The event will be remembered for the participants who arrived from various parts India and the students who made it memorable. The Department acknowledges the efforts of the 2010–2012 and 2009–2011post graduate students who ran the show behind the scenes. National Advisory Board Professor (Dr) K L Chopra (Padamshree) (Former Director, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur) Professor A K Barua (Padamshree) Project Director, MNES/DST project on a-Si Solar cell Professor C Vijayan IIT, Madras Dr M K Jayaraj, Cochin University of Science and technology Dr P Kurian, S B College, Chengannaserry Dr Daisy Philip, Mar Ivanous College,ThiruvananthapuramLocal Organizing Committee Patron: Rt Rev Dr Zacharias Mar Theophillus Saffragan Metropolitan Chairman: Dr Jacob George, Principal Vice Chairman: Professor Beena Racheal Thomas, HOD Convenor: Dr Vinoy Thomas Joint Convenor: Dr Sunila Abraham Dr Ligi Cherian, Sri Hysen Thomas, Sri A Abraham, Dr Tiju Joseph Mthew, Smt Agee Susan, Dr Ajit Verghese George, Dr Johnson Baby, Sri Lalu Varghese, Sri Biji AbrahamEditorial Committee Editor: Dr R Jayakrishnan Editorial Consultants: Professor K P Vijayakumar, Department of Physics, CUSAT, Cochin, India Professor N V Unnikrishnan, Director, SPAP, MG University, Kottayam, India