Broad Coverage

Ability of a nation to harness nature as well as to cope up with the challenges posed by it is determined by its knowledge of materials and its ability to develop and produce them for various applications. Advanced Materials are at the heart of many technological developments that touch our lives. Electronic materials for communication and information technology, biomaterials for better health care, sensors for intelligent environment, energy materials for renewable energy and environment, light alloys for better transportation, materials for strategic applications and more. India has its own unique set of resource and technological challenges. The objective of the IMPRINT India Initiative in this domain is to come up with research and education policies which will provide the developmental path for Advanced Materials for our nation.

Structural Materials

The engineering materials are divided into two themes: Structural and functional. As India is developing rapidly, the requirements of quality structural materials is on the rise. High level of demands are placed on various sectors including steel, cement, light metals and alloys, etc. This, in turn, requires quality raw materials and availability of power at affordable price. At the same time, there is a need for newer structural materials such as advanced composites and particulate materials. The objective of this theme is to provide a technology roadmap for the nation to meet the ever growing requirements in this sector.

• Steel: India is the fourth largest producer of steel in the world with annual production of nearly 87 million tonnes and aims to produce 300 million tonnes by 2025. Corresponding to this, high targets have been set on production of raw materials such as iron ores, coking coals, ferro-alloys, etc. Innovations are needed to mitigate challenges faced by the nation on raw materials front, technologies for utilization of non-coking coal, for example. Apart from the technological challenges, there are challenges associated with trained manpower and infrastructure. In terms of product mix, there is a need to develop indigenous technologies for the development of advanced high strength steel (AHSS) and cold rolled grain oriented (CRGO) steel for critical sectors.

• Light Alloys: Light metallic materials consist alloys based on aluminium, titanium and magnesium, their foams / honeycombs and related fabrication technologies. They are of utmost importance in defence and space applications, since a large proportion of defence/space systems structural weight is made of light alloys, allowing higher payload to be used. Extraction of the respective pure metals to the required purity levels is equally important.

• Advanced Composite Materials: Availability of lightweight, high-strength, and high-stiffness materials is a key requirement for efficient transportation, efficient power generation, efficient energy storage, reduced emission and better protection of army personnel against variety of threats. The design flexibility provided by advance composite materials makes them most suited for many diverse applications such as structural applications where high stiffness is needed, and high energy absorbing applications where larger dissipation of energy is required. However, efforts from research communities are needed to mass produce these materials in order to reduce cost and broaden the area of application.

• Particulate Materials: The use of particulate materials or powders as starting material provides the advantage of formulating novel compositions and tailoring microstructures. This makes it well suited to process a range of advanced materials in demanding applications. Particulate materials are formed using powder metallurgy (P/M), a net-shape processing technique offering several economical and ecological benefits for manufacturing small and medium-sized components. A unique attribute of this technique is high material utilization (>98%) and the flexibility that it provides in consolidating parts at processing temperatures well below the melting point. This theme aims at providing a comprehensive understanding of the various application areas of particulate materials using P/M technique with an emphasis on processing components for strategic (ordinance, aerospace and nuclear) and automotive sectors.

• Ultrahigh Temperature Materials: Ultra-high temperature ceramics (UHTCs) are a class of materials that can be used under extreme thermal environments (>2400°C) as they display high melting temperatures (> 3000°C) while showing high temperature strength, resistance to oxidation/chemical reactivity, radiation damage and high temperature erosive attack. Materials research and technology development in this field is mandated for developing the UHTCs needs for hypersonic aerospace application.

Functional Materials

In addition to structural materials, electronic, opto-electronic, energy and functional materials are needed for variety of applications such as electronics, photovoltaics, communication and information technology, sensors, etc. They are equally critical for the devolvement and security of the nation.

• Electronic Materials: Electronics is omnipresent in today's world. From VLSI circuits to light emitting diodes (LEDs), photo detectors and photo voltaic devices, its applications are immense. In addition to conventional semiconductor (silicon), several new emerging materials have shown unique property-portfolio to facilitate future electronic devices.

• Energy Materials: The key to sustainable growth and general well-being of Indian population relies on energy security. Accordingly, the thrust in scientific research and technology development should encompass development of cost-effective, robust, high performance and eco-friendly energy conversion technologies, such as solar photovoltaics, fuel cells, thermoelectrics and energy storage technologies, such as rechargeable batteries, redox flow batteries, supercapacitors.

• Optoelectronic Materials And Devices: That sub-field of photonics wherein light-matter interaction results in the development of light sources, detectors, and control of light is typically defined as the field of optoelectronic materials and devices. In this context, light can be used in the broadest sense of the entire electromagnetic radiation. Such optoelectronic materials and devices can have far reaching applications ranging from ultra-high band communication and renewable energy on one end to defence and health care on the other end.

• Smart Materials: Smart materials are those materials that possess both intrinsic and extrinsic capabilities to respond to stimuli and environmental changes. They respond to changes in temperature, stress, pH, magnetic field, electrical field, etc. The term smart materials encompasses a wide variety of materials, such as shape memory alloys, piezoelectric materials, smart gels, electrostrictive materials, magnetostrictive materials, rheological fluids, electrochromic materials, conducting polymers, MEMS, optical fibres, pH-sensitive materials, etc. Smart materials are still to become popular as evidenced by the smaller extent to which they find applications in different domains in India today. The full potential of smart materials is yet to be tapped. They can be used from very simple to very sophisticated applications.

• Earth Abundant Element Based Functional Materials: Elements with low abundance in earth's crust (including rare-earth elements) form an important ingredient of a wide variety of advanced functional materials critical for self reliance. Typical application areas include Heat Resistant Permanent Magnets, Exchange-Spring Magnets, Solid State Lighting, Solid State Display, Catalysts for Artificial Photosynthesis, Photovoltaic Materials, Electrodes Materials for Batteries and Fuel Cells, etc. Sustained R&D is needed for development of advanced functional materials from earth abundant elements and deployment of these materials for end applications across various sectors including energy, manufacturing, defence, etc. This is crucial for our self-reliance in functional materials.

Emerging Materials

While there have been tremendous improvement in engineering materials over decades, materials scientists and engineers have been coming up with newer and better materials every few years. Therefore, a theme on emerging materials has been included. Most of these materials are at research stage but could lead to new products and better lives for the future generation.

• Nanomaterials: Nanomaterials represent a field of vigorous activities in recent times and is key to the success of many advanced technologies for critical sectors like defence, healthcare, agriculture, environment and so on. It is increasingly realized that reducing the scale and distribution of grains and phases yields properties which is significantly different from the bulk properties. The main focus of this sub-theme will be to develop the understanding of effect of size on the materials properties, to develop nano-materials for different application domains and to provide roadmap for scaling up of nano-materials production at industrial scale.

• Biomaterials And Devices: The theme of biomaterials and devices proposes to address some of the existing clinical challenges, relevant to Indian population. For example, musculo-skeletal disorders, cardiovascular and neurological diseases. In order to address human diseases, there is a need to manufacture 'make-in-India' medical devices and implants, which should help in the repair and replacement of diseased and damaged parts of the human skeleton, heart, bone, teeth and joints, thereby restoring the function of the otherwise functionally compromised structures.

• Polymeric And Soft Materials: From its inception until today, polymeric materials have enhanced our quality of life. Other soft materials include gels, self-assembled molecular and biomolecular structures. These classes of materials have a wide range of applications depending on the functional groups incorporated into the basic units. In a short span of time these materials have gained tremendous impetus over other type of materials because of their interesting physical properties and ease of tailoring of properties through molecular engineering.

• Glassy And Amorphous Materials: Glassy and amorphous materials, specially metallic glasses and amorphous alloys have gained considerable attention due to their intriguing structure, exciting properties which in many ways are much better than the existing engineering crystalline alloys, and possibility of their use in many applications, ranging from structure materials due to their excellent mechanical properties, corrosion and wear resistant coating, magnetic material, electrode materials, catalyst, etc.

• Bio-Inspired And Patterned Functional Materials: Bio-inspired materials are man-made materials, the structure, geometry and functionality of which mimic natural materials. The focus/objective of research on this specific theme are the following: 1) developing knowledge about multi-functionality of natural materials,2) exploring bio-mimetic, self organization processes for synthesizing such materials, 3) exploring fabrication and deployment method of such materials in large and economical scale for the benefit of the society.

Materials Genomics And Integrated Computational Materials Engineering (Icme)

Progress in materials science and engineering has made great strides in recent years as our understanding of phenomena at various length scales has improved. Increased computational powers and our ability to model various phenomena at different length and time scales have made it possible to design and develop new materials and processes. Materials Genomics and ICME aim at accelerated discovery, design, realization and deployment of new materials and has many components ranging from ab-initio calculations to higher length scale modelling (multi-scale modelling), multi-scale experiments for development, validation and verification of models, materials informatics, computational materials science, computational materials design, enabling platforms to facilitate integration and carry out integrated computational materials engineering. India needs to discover, realize and deploy modern materials at a rapid pace to gain technological leadership. The objective of this exercise to take stock of where we are, where we want to be in next 5, 10 & 20 years, identify the gap areas & and develop educational and research roadmap for the country so that we meet the needs of the nation in accelerated discovery, development and deployment of new materials.

Materials Education

All four themes of this domain require skilled manpower, engineers, scientists, etc. Therefore, a theme on materials education is included to prepare a roadmap of Materials Science and Engineering education in the country.

The modern materials scientist or engineer is expected to accelerate the deployment of new, customized materials. This requires a thorough understanding of (I) the effect of atomic composition and structure on material properties, (ii) engineering principles for designing "green" unit operations for the production of materials with desirable properties, and (iii) evaluating material performance under real-life conditions. Consequently, the conventional microstructure-properties-processing based curriculum should be supplemented with topics such as quantum mechanics, transport phenomena, solid mechanics and numerical simulation. In fact, the Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) curriculum should be designed in a manner such that the lectures and laboratories gives students a good grasp of the entire materials life cycle, from materials design to recycling/disposal. The PG curriculum should specifically account for the wide variation in the academic background of its students. In addition, a research strategy should be devised, which would help fulfil the country's current materials needs while simultaneously propelling India towards global materials leadership.

Broad Coverage

ICT & CS pervades almost all walks of life, including education, health-care, environment management, water-resource management, to mention a few. The first task of information technology is to gather information omnipresent in different forms and languages, through sensing of data such as biological data, data pertaining to environment, education, heritage, land usage and cognitive information about users. Such information gathered from diverse field situations, has to be communicated to distant servers through secured, reliable and fast communication channels, followed by different types of processing and analytics. To carry out large scale and fast computations and in-place embedded-real-time computations, novel indigenous computational infrastructures are necessary. The IMPRINT program aims to identify the gaps and the "things to be done" in India to make India self reliant in these aspects.

Data Acquisition and Processing

A major challenge to any information processing task is acquiring the information, which presents itself in different forms, including physical signals, biological signals, voice, text, image, video and even emotions. Accordingly different means of collecting and often inferring such data in the face of noisy and uncertain environment is required. Accordingly, the following sub-themes have been considered for Data Acquisition and Processing.

• Sensors, Bio-Sensors & MEMS: Having access to indigenous sensors and actuators is of utmost importance to the process of data acquisition. Hence new ventures to develop different types of sensors and MEMS are called for. These include biomedical sensors for health care applications, chemical sensors for detection of hazardous contaminations, moisture sensor, image and video sensor etc. The sensors need to be rugged for use in extreme environment and of easy to use type.

• Multimodal and Multilingual Data: (Text, Video, Audio) Data and information is replete in the textual messages and social network exchanges, voice communication as well as video communication. In the Indian context, such information is also multilingual making it imperative to develop technology to properly acquire the information from such varied spectrum of data.

• Novel Interfaces: Keyboard, mouse and monitors being no longer the only means computer interaction, it is needed to natural interfaces for communication through touch, gestures, icons and signs. Interface design in these respects is of utmost importance, specially keeping in view the physically challenged users and the aged population.

Communication

The data and information acquired from distant, critical and difficult to access areas need to be transmitted to the computing sites in a reliable and secure manner. Bandwidth being at a premium, efficient use of bandwidth as well as speed of communication is of vital importance, in addition to reliability and security. Consequently, research thrust should be increased in:

• Data Communication and Networks: Over the years, data communication has gained a lot of importance due to its application in the areas of sensors and mobile nodes in addition to its usual role in computerto-computer communication. Efficient communication between sensor to sensor and between mobile nodes is vital for energy and security related issues. Routing and aggregation of data also needs to be improved for optimal use of power, which in most cases is a non-renewable resource or is very difficult to replace.

• Spectrally Efficient Communication: Generation and transmission of huge data demands spectrally efficient communication techniques to deal with growing demand of bandwidth. As has been established through research by various leading groups, Optical Angular Momentum (OAM) beam is capable of providing huge bandwidth as it creates orthogonal channels for multiplexing of multiple beams.

• Secured Communication: Security and reliability in data and information transmission is one of the key requirements. High security in data and information communication can be realized by infusion of principles of quantum mechanics and information theory.

• THz Technology: Identification of hidden objects is a major challenge in homeland security applications. THz technology facilitates creation of high resolution images of hidden objects and detection of remote threats.

• Wireless Frontends: The whole domain of wireless technology works on the basis of smart as well as efficient frontends, antennas, and sensors. Several new challenges need to be addressed in view of making the devices more compact, more efficient, and compatible to wideband or ultrawideband systems, especially for secured/military applications.

• Advanced Education: There are few specific areas in communication engineering which need high quality human resources in the country; but unfortunately, resource of knowledge is very very limited. Therefore, for the sake of alleviating such lacunae, a special effort is needed in the areas of 'Applied and Computational Electromagnetics" in the form of special training by international experts and thus by creating a knowledge bank.

Broad Coverage

…converting ideas into useful products...

Manufacturing encompasses all the activities of making discrete engineering products from raw material by various processes and operations following a well-organized plan for all the aspects involved. Advanced manufacturing refers to the application of enabling technologies in manufacturing. It is important to realize that the advanced manufacturing systems also require input from the traditional manufacturing, many times with stricter control of dimensions and other technological properties. Therefore, it becomes important to select proper manufacturing processes and strategies to deliver the products with right quality at the right time to the customers at a competitive price in a sustainable manner. The challenges faced by the manufacturing engineers differ from sector to sector depending on the variety and quantity required. Typical manufacturing intensive sectors are automobile, space, health care, energy, textile and defence. It is a well-known fact that manufacturing is a wealth-creating activity. Besides encouraging large scale industries, efforts must be focused on setting up small and micro scale industries. Under the right conditions, young professionals will be able to setup their manufacturing enterprise anywhere in the country. Manufacturing has a distinct advantage of engaging people with different skills, as the activities vary from traditional to advanced levels.

Sub-themes along with topics and names of the researchers working in the sub-themes are given under different themes (A-E) in the following sections. The contents will be updated from time to time.

Manufacturing Processes

… bringing about changes in shape and property…

Processes For Shape Changes: Processes such as casting, molding, forming and powder metallurgy processes produce net-shape parts. The parts can also be produced by additive methods either by traditional joining processes and advanced processes like laser beam welding, electron beam welding, friction stir welding, or incremental processes such as layered fusion deposition, 3-D printing and laser sintering. To enhance the productivity and to maintain stricter control of dimension and property, continuous improvements and innovations are necessary in the net-shape manufacturing processes. It is possible only through a fundamental understanding of process mechanics and influence of different variables on the process outcome.

Subtractive processes involve removal of excess material to produce parts with required shape, size and finish. For realization of quality parts, the parts made by net-shape or additive processes also require the application of subtractive processes on selected areas. Shearing action by sharp edges on a cutting tool or abrasive grains on a grinding wheel removes material in the form of chip or swarf in traditional processes. When it becomes difficult to shear the material, non-traditional processes based on other sources of energy such as chemical, electrical, laser, plasma and high velocity jet, and different hybrids are used. Further improvement in finish is achieved by honing and super-finishing processes that use abrasive sticks and also by lapping, extrude honing, abrasive flow finishing and magneto-rheological abrasive finishing processes that use abrasives in different carrier medium. In certain applications, chemical, electro-chemical and hybrid processes are used to improve the surface finish. The basic mechanics involved in the subtractive processes are also to be understood thoroughly to improve the productivity and part quality.

Net-Shape Processes:

(i) Casting processes: Die-casting, Investment casting, Squeeze casting; Stir casting

(ii) Processes for polymeric materials: Moulding processes, Fibre reinforced composites fabrication

(iii) Forming processes: Bulk deformation, Sheet metal forming

(iv) Powder metallurgy processes: Metallic parts, carbides and ceramics parts

Additive Processes:

(i) Joining processes: Arc welding, resistance welding, laser welding, electron beam welding, explosive joining; friction stir welding; Brazing and soldering

(ii) Incremental process: Layered fusion deposition, 3-D printing, Laser sintering

Subtractive Processes:

(i) Traditional material removal processes: Turning, drilling, milling, high speed machining, grinding. Mechanical micro-machining

(ii) Non-traditional material removal processes: Electro-discharge, Electro-chemical; Laser beam; Electron beam, Abrasive Water jet; Electro-chemical grinding; Hybrid methods; Micro-/nano-fabrication methods

(iii) Finishing processes: Honing, Lapping, super-finishing, Extrude honing, Abrasive flow finishing, Magneto-rheological abrasive finishing, hybrid methods

Processes for Property Change: Certain parts require changes in bulk material properties at different stages of manufacturing and the material is therefore subjected to suitable heat treatment cycle. For example, molds and dies are easily machined in annealed condition, while through-hardening is done before the final grinding or die-sinking. Changes in the properties of surface layer alone can be achieved by burnishing, peening, surface hardening, laser treatment, coatings, plating, and protective painting. Selection of appropriate method depends on the service requirements.

The manufacturing engineer is expected to know the material properties and the changes that can be brought about by suitable treatments. It is essential to know the charaterization  of treated surface and the functional requirements.

Bulk Properties:

(i) Heat-treatment processes:: Annealing, normalizing, homogenization, hardening

(ii) Severe plastic deformation processes:: Equal Channel Angular Pressing, Accumulative Roll Bonding, Friction Stir Processing

Surface properties:

(i) Surface deformation: Burnishing, peening

(ii) Thermal treatment: surface hardening, laser treatment

(iii) Protective coatings: plating, painting

Verification of Manufactured Parts

…checking conformance to specification…

Different characteristics of the manufactured parts are measured by metrology instruments to verify their conformance to specification. It is mandatory that the results are quoted along with the uncertainty in the measurement. For many critical characteristics, 100% inspection is necessary. For non-critical characteristics, sampling inspection is good enough as it reduces the inspection time and cost. It is prudent to introduce verification at intermediate stages and make the operator responsible to produce quality parts.

Systematically carried out measurements are also useful to ascertain the process capability from time to time. A good background in statistics is necessary for the people involved in the measurement and analysis. A suitable training is necessary for people involved in the metrology and inspection tasks. The skill level required is one order higher than that of the process people.

Geometrical Characteristics:

(i) Dimension: Linear, angular

(ii) Form: Straightness, flatness, circularity, cylindricity, free-form profile/surfaces

(iii) Surface finish: surface texture, waviness, roughness

(iv) Relationship: Parallelism, perpendicularity, concentricity, co-axiality, runt-out

Technological Characteristics:

(i) Surface hardness

(ii) Residual stresses

(iii) Functional test: strength, fatigue, corrosion

Manufacturing Equipment and Tooling

…making machines and accessories to facilitate manufacturing…

The equipment necessary for different processes such as casting, forming, machining and other non-traditional processes are designed and developed by the respective equipment manufacturer. Standard tools and accessories are also available to meet the manufacturing requirements of simple parts. However, industries buying these machines for production of parts with complex geometry have to develop required production tools, namely dies, moulds, special cutting tools and work-holding devices for each part. Sometimes, dedicated machines are needed to enhance the quality and productivity. Manufacturing engineer faces the challenges in developing not only the dedicated machines, but also a number of production tools for the parts. All the machines and tooling are subjected to rigorous inspection by appropriate metrology equipment for qualifying them.

It is seen that many courses on manufacturing have been removed from the curriculum to make way for latest topics that are more descriptive. With the available resources, one can learn them on their own. However, certain core-courses require rigorous classroom teaching and practical training. For example, a course on machine-building must be revived with more emphasis on machine tools development. Also a course on tool design and engineering must be made as a core-course.

Machines:

(i) Foundry equipments: Sand filling machines, shakers, die-casting machines, squeeze casting machines, stir casting machines

(ii) Forming machines: Forging machines, presses, special purpose forming machines

(iii) Machine tools & other machines: Metal cutting: General purpose machine tools, High speed machines, Special Purpose Machines: Gear cutting machines, deep-hole drilling machines, Non-traditional: EDM, ECM, AWJM

Tooling:

(i) Patterns, Dies and Moulds: Patterns, molds and dies for casting; molds for plastic parts, forging and press working dies

(ii) Cutting tools: Single point tool, multi-point tools, form cutting tools, generation cutting tools

Enabling Technologies:

…making machines sense and act intelligently…

The metrology which has remained mostly as a post-manufacturing activity can now be moved closer to manufacturing process as a result of technological advancement. Measurement, automation and information technologies are required to take the manufacturing to the advanced level. Measurement technology must be built into the system with metrology and sensing devices for online monitoring of the process. The process automation is then achieved by signal processing and appropriate feedback control. Automation of tool path movement is done using CNC technology and part or tool changes are handled by robotic arms and such devices. Information technology is useful in CAD-CAM integration and process simulation, and to take manufacturing to web-based and virtual reality environment.

The manufacturing engineer is expected to be familiar with sensor technology, automation and information technology. Unfortunately, even the existing mechatronics courses do not meet the growing demands in the manufacturing sector. Tailor-made programs need to be floated and skill upgradation is done depending on the type of industry.

Measurement Technology:

(i) Metrology: Dimensional, form and surface finish measurements

(ii) Sensors: Force, temperature, vibration, acoustic emission

Automation Technology:

(i) Process automation: CNC technology, adaptive control, AI

(ii) Handling automation: Conveyors; manipulators, robotics

Information Technology:

(i) CAD- CAM: Process simulation; virtual manufacturing, Web-based manufacturing

Manufacturing Strategies

…deciding system configuration and practices…

Based on the product design, data analysis and life cycle analysis, configuration of manufacturing system must be arrived using system simulation and intelligent decision support system. Among the approaches like best practices, world-class manufacturing, lean manufacturing, agile manufacturing and other hybrid methods, appropriate practices have to be identified for small, medium and large scale manufacturing. Proper mix of manufacturing and managerial aspects must be ensured for healthy manufacturing environment.

Manufacturing System:

(i) System configuration: Product design, Data analysis, Life cycle analysis, Layout, system simulation, Intelligent decision system

Practices:

(i) Small, medium and large scale manufacturing: World-class manufacturing, Lean Manufacturing, Agile Manufacturing

Application in Different Sectors

…facing challenges posed by other sectors…

Manufacturing covers almost all the sectors; typical ones being automobile, space, electrical and electronics, energy, health care, textile and defence. Since newer and advanced materials are used in these sectors and the product sizes vary from several meters to few millimeters with feature sizes ranging from millimeter to micrometer, the challenges have to be met only with innovations in processes and practices. In the present context, life cycle cost will be deciding factor in global competiveness. Therefore, it is necessary for a manufacturing engineer to have an in-depth knowledge of cost estimation and control.

The product performance must be monitored throughout its life and this is possible through appropriate sensor technology and data analytics. To cater to these challenges, research and development must be encouraged within the organization. Strong tie-ups with leading research and academic institutions in the country are necessary to promote development of newer products and processes.

Typical Manufacturing sectors:

(i) Transport: Automobile, Space,

(ii) Energy:

(iii) Health care:

(iv) Textile machines:

(v) Electrical and Electronics:

(vi) Defence:

Education Policy in Manufacturing

…catch them young...

The education and training policy must be evolved to achieve excellence in manufacturing in all sectors. The best approach will be to “Catch Them Young”. Abundant curiosity inherent in the children, as evident from the way they build sand-castles in beach and temporary shelters using discarded material, must be nurtured in the school level. To start with, the children can be asked to make demonstration models using easy-to-cut materials. As they grow, they can make functional parts using locally available materials. In senior level, they can make parts by 3-D printing. School curriculum must have a provision for this practical work.

School-level competition on make-your-part can be held as an annual event. Like popular “science” books on different topics, popular “engineering” books on manufacturing must be brought out. In college/university level, existing completely descriptive or highly theoretical courses on manufacturing must be replaced by courses that include practical aspects in addition to the basic concepts. Even manufacture of a device can be considered as a free-elective and given appropriate credit. At the post-graduate level, a course on manufacturing planning and cost estimation must be introduced.

Special training programs can be offered to students to inculcate entrepreneurship skills and prepare their minds right from the senior school level. Government must encourage young graduates to get into entrepreneurship by removing procedural bottlenecks and offering incentives. Working professionals in manufacturing also require continuous skill upgradation and they may be given certificate on completion of each program.

Broad Coverage

India ranks third in the world in terms of research publications and second in terms of patent filing in the field of Nanotechnology. The goal therefore must be to convert some of this excellent work and IP into tangible prototypes and products meeting the societal requirements. The IMPRINT program is expected to lay down a roadmap for India to achieve a leadership position in Nanotechnology product development. Identifying Grand Challenges faced by the society and addressing these challenges through a top-down approach is the best way to deal with these problems. The five problem areas to be addressed through the IMPRINT India Nanotechnology Grand Challenges initiative will be based on the concept of "high technologies at an affordable cost, addressing the societal needs".

• Security: From homeland security to cyber security, security is going to be a major concern for the country.

• Healthcare: Specifically looking at web enabled healthcare initiatives, diagnostics, rural healthcare etc. Providing clean water, meeting the sanitation requirements of population are an important part of any healthcare initiative in the country.

• Agriculture: Fundamentally addressing the precision agriculture areas, sensors etc. to improve the contribution of agricultural sector to national GDP. Reducing water wastage is another major requirement in agriculture.

• Pedagogy: With a million young people joining the work force every month, India needs to address their training needs, educational requirements etc. This needs a major effort in the educational sector.

• Environment: In a growing economy like India, every effort must be made to protect its environment. Use of renewable sources for energy, sensor networks to regularly monitor and transmit information related to the pollution, ground water quality etc. need to be part of this initiative. Along with the exploration of applications, we must also be aware of the environmental impact of nanomaterials that are released from nanotechnology embedded products into the atmosphere.

• SHAPE - Security, Healthcare, Agriculture, Pedagogy, Environment are indeed the areas where India Grand Challenges program can shape the country's future and make a significant impact through clearly defined goals and objectives.

Security

• Hand held & standoff detectors for less intrusive monitoring of trace quantities of chemical, radiological and biological threats for airports, railway stations, bus stands, baggage and vehicle screening

• Security sensor networks for major installations, transport applications, border security including the integration of energy harvesting techniques

• Low cost missile warning systems

• Development of cost-effective, high-frequency, and high-power devices for next generation communication devices, military and commercial applications

• Low cost systems for landmine detection, aerial surveillance

• Assistive technologies for security forces & commando operations

• Encryption/decryption technologies, intelligent video surveillance techniques, and cyber security

• Healthcare

  Networked healthcare kiosks in rural areas for non-invasive monitoring & screening of population for essential body parameters (such as BP, ECG, Blood sugar levels etc.) and communication to specialists in bigger hospitals

• Low cost point of care diagnostic systems for cardiac, TB, Malaria, Dengue and other diseases

• Networked real time water quality monitoring systems for ground water contamination monitoring in villages

• Clean water filtration & sanitation systems for rural areas

Broad Coverage

Protecting national resources including humans from invasion of any form is crucial to any country and is carried out by its Defence. Role of Science and Technology in building a nation's defence infrastructure is the key. In future, attacks may be more Technical, Information based and Accurate. It may neither involve human beings nor arms and ammunitions (for eg., a Cyber attack). The technological requirements to fight the “Modern War” necessitates a large multi-disciplinary Research and Development framework spread across the Academia and Industry that envisages, formulates and solves the challenges to “fight” the “Modern war” as well as terrorism. The IMPRINT India initiative will attempt to develop a blueprint of this framework including education policies aimed to generate skilled manpower needed to work on the challenges posed. Defence requirements can be broadly classified into four themes, namely, Life Sciences; Materials; Electronics and Communication Systems; and Combat Engineering Systems. Grand Challenges in each of these themes are presented below.

• Life Sciences

  The soldier is as important as the weapon. Ensuring the well being of a soldier is paramount to enable best performance at wartime, which continues to be a challenge that needs to be addressed

  Health Care: Welfare of the soldier on the battlefield is of prime importance. The challenges are to protect them from different forms of attacks; devise effective ways for reaching medical assistance to the site; and, medical treatment procedures for quick healing of the injury. Continuous monitoring of health parameters of a soldier in action is also of prime importance. Specific challenges in this area are as listed below.

  Portable Health Care for quick and accurate diagnosys and First-Aid.

• Development of “Regenerative Medicine” for “Rapid Wound Healing”, “Rapid Bone-Reconstruction", Injectable scaffolds for bone loss and repair.

• Defence health care instrumentation monitoring and expert systems using big Data analytics.

• Wearable medical devices for army personnel health monitoring.

• Dermal-protection for on-field soldiers.

• Nuclear Biological Chemical Defence: One of the toughest challenges today is to develop capabilities to protect soldiers and common people from the consequences of Nuclear, Biological or Chemical attacks. The toughness is primarily due to the fact that these attacks may not be as explicit as a conventional attack like a gunfight and can take place silently. These attacks can cause much widespread damage than the conventional ones. Specific challenges in this area are as listed below.

  Contamination Avoidance, Protection and Decontamination

• Water and food purification systems.

• NBC Protective clothing.

• Large portable protective tents.

• Medical Management of Biological and Chemically Contaminated Casualties.

• Hazard estimation.

• Radiological Monitor/Survey.

• Radiological Hazard Prediction.

• NBC Defence Training through simulations and wargames.

• Materials

  Materials that aid in development of effective defence technologies are the most vital. The effectiveness is measured in terms of enhanced safety that it provides to systems and personnel.

  Smart Materials: Intelligence need to be built at every level to win a war and that includes the materials used to build defence weapons and systems. The challenge is to understand and model the environment in a battlefield and study the behavior of materials under such environments. Specific challenges in this area are as listed below.

  Design & development of Bullet proof and Blast proof light weight material systems

• Design & development of high frequency/high temperature semiconductor devices & circuits for harsh environments

• Soft magnetic materials for high frequency applications, magnetic markers

• Fabrication of high energy and high power density hybrid supercapacitor

• Explosive Detection, Chemical screening, Super-hard materials, GaN and Ga2O3 material growth and device fabrication, 2D materials and devices

• Development of rejoinable polymeric materials with high healing efficiency

• Development of surface coatings for better corrosion resistance properties under aggressive environment

• Fatigue studies of advanced composite materials for structural application in aircrafts

• Organic molecular electronic materials

• Development of Functional Materials and Light Weight Composites for Stealth Applications in RF, Microwave and THz Frequency Range

• Micro Fuel Cell in MEMS used in Missile systems

• Composites with improved electrical conduction, Stealth composites, sandwich structures

• Sensors: In the age of informed wars wherein, monitoring of the battlefield need to be done remotely based on different real-time parameters inside the battlefield and guidance provided from a central control center, the challenge is to build weight, size and power optimized sensors that can accurately sense these in-field parameters. Specific challenges in this area are as listed below.

  Development of RF Sensors, Thin film/Nano sensors, Magnetic Sensors, Self-powered sensors, wearable sensors/textile based technologies for army men

• Sensors for improvised explosive device detection, organic sensors for explosive device detection, Handheld gas sensing system to selectively detect toxic gases.

• Morphing structures, energy generation from vibrations to power up small electronics/sensors