Times Top News

Times Top News

Benign hydrogen production through piezocatalysis

Benign hydrogen production through piezocatalysis

by | May 18, 2025 | Science


Piezocatalysis has emerged as a promising catalytic technology that harvests mechanical perturbations with a piezoelectric material to generate charge carriers, which are used to catalyse water splitting. This is an environmentally benign method of hydrogen production and, overall, water splitting stands out as an efficient and scalable technique relying on catalysis.

In recent groundbreaking work, a team of researchers, led by Prof Tapas K Maji from the Chemistry and Physics of Materials Unit at Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bengaluru, has developed a metal-free donor-acceptor based covalent-organic framework (COF) for piezocatalytic water splitting. This study, published in Advanced Functional Materials, demonstrates a COF built from imide linkages between organic donor molecule tris(4-aminophenyl)amine (TAPA) and acceptor molecule pyromellitic dianhydride (PDA), exhibiting unique ferrielectric (FiE) ordering, which showed efficient piezocatalytic activity for water splitting to produce hydrogen.

This discovery breaks the traditional notion of solely employing heavy or transition metal-based ferroelectric (FE) materials as piezocatalysts for water splitting. Conventional FE materials have limited charges confined at the surface, which usually leads to quick saturation of their piezocatalytic activity. In contrast, FiE ordering in a COF provides a multifold enhanced number of charges at the pore surfaces, owing to the large local electric fields. The sponge-like porous structure of a COF allows the diffusion of water molecules to efficiently access and utilise these charge carriers for catalysis, giving ultra-high hydrogen production yields and outperforming all oxide-based inorganic piezocatalysts.

Cheaper cholesterol testing tool

Excess cholesterol build-up on artery walls hinders blood flow
| Photo Credit: Rasi Bhadramani

A point-of-care (POC) device has been developed for detecting cholesterol in trace amounts, even below the preferred range. It can be an efficient tool for routine monitoring of cholesterol levels.

It is a highly sensitive, eco-friendly and cost-effective optical sensing platform that can help identify early symptoms of diseases like atherosclerosis, venous thrombosis, cardiovascular disease, heart disease, myocardial infarction, hypertension and cancer.

Detecting fatal diseases at their earliest symptoms is essential, as abnormal biochemical markers may sometimes accompany such disorders. Therefore, reliable POC detection of biomarkers associated with these diseases is necessary for personalised health monitoring.

Cholesterol is an essential lipid in humans, produced by the liver. It is the precursor for vitamin D, bile acids and steroid hormones. Cholesterol is necessary for animal tissues, blood and nerve cells, and it is transported by blood in mammals. There are two types of cholesterol: LDL (low-density lipoprotein), often referred to as ‘bad’ cholesterol because it can accumulate in the walls of arteries and contribute to severe diseases, and HDL (high-density lipoprotein), known as ‘good’ cholesterol.

However, maintaining a balance in cholesterol levels is crucial. Both high and low cholesterol levels can lead to disease. Atherosclerotic plaques form when excess cholesterol builds up on artery walls, hindering proper blood flow.

A team of interdisciplinary researchers at the Institute of Advanced Study in Science and Technology, Guwahati, has developed the optical sensing platform for cholesterol detection based on silk fibre, which is functionalised using phosphorene quantum dots.

More Like This

Published on May 18, 2025



Source link

India is rapidly progressing in drone technology, says IIT-Kanpur’s Director

India is rapidly progressing in drone technology, says IIT-Kanpur’s Director

by | May 18, 2025 | Science


The recent India-Pakistan armed skirmish has sensitised everyone to the fact that drones are at the forefront of today’s wars. India started work on drone technology decades ago but fell behind in the race, presumably because its priorities were elsewhere — missiles and space — where it has been successful. But in drones, the country is still playing catch-up.

Thanks, perhaps, to a 60-year-old kilometre-long airstrip and a ‘flight lab’ on its premises, IIT-Kanpur has turned out to be a major centre of development in drone technology. It has spawned a number of start-ups that are already supplying to India’s armed forces.

Prof Manindra Agrawal, Director, IIT-Kanpur, a celebrated technologist who was awarded the Padma Shri when he was just 37, envisions making the institution a “national drone technology hub”. In a conversation with Quantum, Prof Agrawal described how India is “rapidly catching up” with the rest of the world in drone technology and how IIT-Kanpur is positioning itself to drive this pivot.

India seems to have let other countries like Turkiye, Iran and even Pakistan take a lead in drone technology. Where does India stand today?

If you asked this question 2-3 years ago, I would have said we are way behind the world in the drone space. But today, things are changing rapidly. In small-weight (40-50 kg) classes of drones, I would say we are doing very well. But we are lagging in large-weight drones — 500 kg, 1,000 kg and 2,000 kg. We are yet to have drones of that size, which can carry missiles and travel long distances. But there are initiatives in this direction and, hopefully, we’ll see the results in the next few years.

What will it take to get there?

It takes a lot of effort. You need to design the drone with proper aerodynamics. You also need (to give it) stealth properties — because it is not a very fast-moving object. It could be a sitting duck for a shooter.

Then, we need good engines. You want it to be lightweight. The material you use is not the same as (for) an airplane. A drone is useful only if it can carry significant payload but the higher the payload the more power and thrust it needs to fly. So, we need to reduce the rest of the weight as much as possible. You need specialised engines, made of aluminium or composite alloys, which can produce enough thrust.

Do we have them?

We don’t… We don’t have engines for large or even medium drones. Here, of course, I am talking about gasoline engines, not battery-powered drones.

It’s a completely new domain for us (India). We have the ability to make engines for two-wheelers, four-wheelers … and rockets, but in between we don’t — so that is a domain we must address.

How long do you think we will take to get there?

I believe there is good progress in this direction. I’d say, in a couple of years, we should be producing engines.

Are there other challenges?

Apart from engines, the other challenge is with ‘communication systems’. We may put together the systems but at their heart are the chips, which are imported. We may produce a circuit board putting them together, but we don’t have full control over the supply chain for that.

We have to design our own chips… We can then get them manufactured by TSMC or others. I know that some work is on in this area but I am not too familiar with that. And the third challenge is with cameras.

Don’t we make sophisticated cameras for satellites?

Yes. Making cameras for large drones with expensive equipment is one thing. But if you are looking at a swarm of drones, each with its own camera with good resolution — we have to be able to make good cameras at low cost.

What is IIT-Kanpur doing with respect to drones?

IIT-Kanpur started pretty early, when ‘drones’ were not the in-thing. Interestingly, it happened because an alumnus, Prabhu Goel, gave us significant funding ($1 million) about 20 years ago. Around 2012 — I was the dean of alumni — I spoke to him and we decided to use the money for a technology that India needs but doesn’t have. We decided on ‘drones’.

So, we funded three projects to develop drones of three kinds — fixed, rotary and flapping wings. The ‘flapping wing’ didn’t pan out, but that’s okay; in the other two, we now have a lot of strength. Two major startups have emerged — EndureAir in rotary and VU Dynamics in fixed wing. Both have attracted funds, and I believe they have started supplying to the armed forces.

One uniqueness with IIT-Kanpur is that we have our own airstrip, with a ‘flight lab’. We also have our own wind tunnel (both are helpful in testing drones). We have also developed full-scale prototyping facilities for drones, with 3D printing. We can make a prototype, fly it and do all tests in-house. Saderla (Prof Subrahmanyam Saderla, founder of VU Dynamics) has developed a very good flight simulator for drones.

Anyone who wishes to test their products can use these facilities. My ambition is to make IIT-Kanpur a national drone technology hub.

A couple of months ago, we had a stakeholder meeting attended by people from the armed forces, Ministry of Defence, Manohar Parrikar Institute of Defence Studies… Everybody agreed this is the right place for setting up such a hub. We are presenting a report to the government to request for funding — for bigger prototyping facilities, more testing facilities.



Source link

How India’s prowess in space is its ‘fourth dimension’ of warfare

How India’s prowess in space is its ‘fourth dimension’ of warfare

by | May 18, 2025 | Science


India possesses a 50-plus-strong diverse satellite fleet dedicated to communication, earth observation, navigation (NavIC) and scientific research.

While the armed forces directly operate 10-12 of these, the entire national constellation can be leveraged for defence during heightened conflict situations.

As highlighted earlier by a former ISRO chairman, nearly any satellite equipped with a camera possesses inherent surveillance potential, underscoring the dual-use nature of these space assets.

Recognising space as a critical “fourth dimension” of warfare, India has developed significant capabilities.

In 2019, under ‘Mission Shakti’, India successfully demonstrated its anti-satellite (ASAT) weapon capability by destroying one of its own satellites in low-earth orbit with a ground-launched missile.

This complex feat placed India among a select group of nations (including the US, China and Russia) with proven ASAT technology.

Beyond direct missile attacks, India’s space capabilities offer a range of potential applications in conflict.

Surveillance: Utilising earth observation and other kinds of satellites for intelligence gathering.

Electronic warfare: Jamming or degrading enemy satellite transmissions.

Cyber warfare (spoofing): Targeting navigation satellite systems to broadcast false position, navigation and timing (PNT) data, potentially disrupting enemy logistics and guidance systems.

Kinetic attacks: Theoretically using a low-cost or end-of-life satellite to collide with and disable an adversary’s satellite, though this is practically challenging due to extensive space monitoring and the target’s ability to manoeuvre.

Protecting India’s assets, particularly the indigenous NavIC navigation system, is crucial.

NavIC, currently maintained by four fully operational satellites (with others providing messaging services), is increasingly integrated into Indian defence platforms, vehicles and missile systems.

While officials note there is redundancy, and even three satellites can provide the needed data, the system remains vulnerable to spoofing attempts, which are a recognised threat globally.

Despite many advancements, India’s satellite fleet remains considerably smaller than that of the US or neighbouring China. The government plans to significantly enhance its space-based surveillance infrastructure, aiming to launch 52 satellites over a 10-year period.

In a setback, however, the launch of a radar imaging satellite, RISAT 1B, on May 18 could not be accomplished due to a technical failure.

Meanwhile, India is fostering international collaboration, as evident from the letter of intent signed with France to partner on space defence matters, including the potential development of dedicated military satellites.

This signifies a clear intent to bolster India’s capabilities in the vital domain of space security.

(The writer is an independent journalist based in Chennai)

More Like This

Published on May 18, 2025



Source link

‘Mission could not be accomplished’: ISRO chief Narayanan on EOS-09 satellite launch

‘Mission could not be accomplished’: ISRO chief Narayanan on EOS-09 satellite launch

by | May 18, 2025 | Science


Sriharikota: PSLV-C61 rocket carrying Earth Observation Satellite (EOS-09) lifts off from the first launch pad, in Sriharikota, Sunday, May 18, 2025. After a precise liftoff, Chairman V Narayanan said that the mission could not be accomplished as planned.
| Photo Credit:
R SENTHILKUMAR

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) observed technical problems during the third stage of the launch of the EOS-09 satellite, due to which they could not complete the mission, the ISRO chief V Narayanan said while addressing the scientists after the launch on Sunday.

“During the functioning of the third stage, we are seeing an observation and the mission could not be accomplished. After analysis, we shall come back,” the ISRO chairman said. The ISRO also posted on X about the development. “Today 101st launch was attempted, PSLV-C61 performance was normal till 2nd stage. Due to an observation in 3rd stage, the mission could not be accomplished.”

The flight sequence of the PSLV-C-61 consists of various stages, starting from the Ignition of PS1 and PSOM at the ground to the separation of various sections to finally the separation of the satellite from the rocket. According to the ISRO chief, the problem was detected at the third stage, which is a solid rocket motor which provides the upper stage with a high thrust after the atmospheric phase of the launch. This stage has a maximum thrust of 240 Kilonewtons.

This was ISRO’s 101st launch, in which they launched the Earth Orbiting Satellite, also known as EOS-09, which was supposed to be put in a Sun Synchronous Polar Orbit (SSPO). The plan was for the EOS-09 satellite to be deployed as Orbit Change Thrusters (OCT) will be used to lower the altitude of the PS4 stage. This will be followed by passivation, a measure aimed at reducing the stage’s orbital life and ensuring responsible space operations.

EOS-09 is designed to deliver continuous and reliable remote sensing data for use in various operational sectors. Notably, this launch was also aligned with promoting sustainability and carrying out responsible space operations, as the EOS-09 is equipped with deorbiting fuel for safely disposing it off after the mission.

EOS-09 is an advanced Earth observation satellite equipped with C-band synthetic aperture radar technology. It can capture high-resolution images of the Earth’s surface under all weather conditions, day or night. This capability enhances India’s surveillance and management systems across multiple sectors.

More Like This

Published on May 18, 2025





Source link

India misses, China grabs

India misses, China grabs

by | May 4, 2025 | Science


“The US left its research publicly available, waiting for the right successor — we were that successor,” Xu Hongjie, a prominent Chinese nuclear physicist at the Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, recently told the Guangming Daily. He said this after China revived a long-dormant American nuclear technology — thorium-fuelled molten salt reactor.

India has the world’s largest reserves of thorium — a million tonnes — particularly in its monazite-rich coastal sands. As per the three-stage nuclear programme envisioned by nuclear scientist Dr Homi Bhabha, the country would use thorium when it gets to the third stage. After 70 years of Independence, India has still not started on the second stage.

However, China swiftly picked up the technology left on the table by the Americans and created a secret facility in the Gobi Desert, near the Mongolian border. It is a small, 2MW facility, but enough to catapult China into a thorium regime.

The reactor — a small, experimental system capable of refuelling while operating — was recently brought online, marking significant progress in reimagining the future of nuclear energy. Though not ready for commercial use, it signals a global shift toward next-generation nuclear technologies.

The US explored thorium reactors, especially molten salt types, back in the 1960s before shelving them in favour of uranium-based designs. Now, as the world confronts the twin challenges of climate change and energy security, thorium is making a comeback. Thorium reactors offer multiple advantages: less radioactive waste, more fuel-efficiency and lower risk of nuclear weapons proliferation.

More Like This

Published on May 4, 2025



Source link