Akshay Kumar

Electronic structure of Sr2FeMoO6

We have analyzed the unusual electronic structure of Sr2FeMoO6 combining ab initio and model Hamiltonian approaches. Our results indicate that there are strong enhancements of the intra-atomic exchange strength at the Mo site as well as the antiferromagnetic coupling strength between Fe and Mo sites. We discuss the possibility of a negative effective Coulomb correlation strength ( U(eff)) at the Mo site due to these renormalized interaction strengths.

Pressure tuning of electron-phonon coupling: The insulator to metal transition in manganites

An extended temperature and pressure-dependent investigation is carried out on a La0.75Ca0.25MnO3 sample exploiting the infrared absorption technique coupled to a diamond anvil cell. The pressure dependence of the insulator to metal transition temperature T(IM) is determined for the first time up to 11.2 GPa. The T(IM)(P) curve we propose to model the present data has an exponential-like behavior with an associated characteristic pressure P* playing the role of a decay constant. It is found that the equivalence between an external and an internal (chemical) pressure holds over a limited range of pressure, namely, P< or =2P*. Moreover, a certain universality character is associated with the proposed model curve in its ability to account for a large class of low-disorder manganites characterized by intermediate electron-phonon coupling.

Local structure of hole-doped manganites: influence of temperature and applied magnetic field

We report an extended x-ray absorption fine-structure investigation on the Mn K absorption edge in La1-xCaxMnO3 as a function of temperature and magnetic field. The results provide microscopic evidence that the modifications in the local structure around Mn atomic sites, as a function of temperature and applied magnetic field, are directly related to the magneto-transport properties of these materials.

Towards an IoT based water management system for a campus

We discuss the design and preliminary results of an IoT based system for management of the water distribution system in a large campus. In particular, we focus on two specific components of the system: a low cost ultrasonic based water level sensor and a sub-GHz based campus scale wireless network to connect the sensors. We describe techniques to achieve a large sensing distance that makes them suitable for installation across overhead tanks (OHT) and ground level reservoirs (GLR). The wireless network, which uses sub-GHz radios, connects to a gateway that can upload the data online for visualisation and analytics.

Gap state related blue light emitting boron-carbon core shell structures

Boron- carbon core shell structures have been synthesized by solvo-thermal synthesis route. The synthesized material is highly pure. X-ray diffraction analysis confirms the reduction of reactants in to boron and carbon. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) analysis showed that the shell is uniform with average thickness of 340 nm. Photo luminescence studies showed that the material is blue light emitting with CIE color coordinates: x=0.16085, y=0.07554.

Single step synthesis of nanostructured boron nitride for boron neutron capture therapy

Nanostructured Boron Nitride (BN) has been successfully synthesized by carbo-thermic reduction of Boric Acid (H3BO3). This method is a relatively low temperature synthesis route and it can be used for large scale production of nanostructured BN. The synthesized nanoparticles have been characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and differential thermal analyzer (DTA). XRD analysis confirmed the formation of single phase nanostructured Boron Nitride. SEM analysis showed that the particles are spherical in shape. DTA analysis showed that the phase is stable upto 900 °C and the material can be used for high temperature applications as well boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT).

Fluorine-doped NiO nanostructures: Structural, morphological and spectroscopic studies

Nanostructured NiO has been prepared by co-precipitation method. In this study, the effect of fluorine doping (1, 3 and 5 wt. %) on the structural, morphological as well as optical properties of NiO nanostructures has been studied. X-ray diffraction (XRD) has employed for studying the structural properties. Cubic crystal structure of NiO was confirmed by the XRD analysis. Crystallite size increased with increase in doping concentration. Nelson-Riley factor (NRF) analysis indicated the presence of defect states in the synthesized samples. Field emission scanning electron microscopy showed the spherical morphology of the synthesized samples and also revealed that the particle size varied with dopant content. The optical properties were studied using UV-Visible Spectroscopy. The results indicated that the band gap energy of the synthesized nanostructures decreased with increase in doping concentration upto 3% but increased as the doping concentration was further raised to 5%. This can be ascribed to the defect states variations in the synthesized samples. The results suggested that the synthesized nanostructures are promising candidate for optoelectronic as well as gas sensing applications.Nanostructured NiO has been prepared by co-precipitation method. In this study, the effect of fluorine doping (1, 3 and 5 wt. %) on the structural, morphological as well as optical properties of NiO nanostructures has been studied. X-ray diffraction (XRD) has employed for studying the structural properties. Cubic crystal structure of NiO was confirmed by the XRD analysis. Crystallite size increased with increase in doping concentration. Nelson-Riley factor (NRF) analysis indicated the presence of defect states in the synthesized samples. Field emission scanning electron microscopy showed the spherical morphology of the synthesized samples and also revealed that the particle size varied with dopant content. The optical properties were studied using UV-Visible Spectroscopy. The results indicated that the band gap energy of the synthesized nanostructures decreased with increase in doping concentration upto 3% but increased as the doping concentration was further raised to 5%. This can be ascribed to the defe...