Faculty Publications
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Item Morphology controlled n-type TiO2 and stoichiometry adjusted p-type Cu2ZnSnS4 thin films for photovoltaic applications(American Chemical Society, 2017) Varadharajaperumal, S.; Sripan, C.; Ganesan, R.; Hegde, G.; Satyanarayana, M.N.This paper presents the fabrication and characterization of stoichiometry adjusted Cu2Zn1.5Sn1.2S4.4 thin film (FTO/TiO2/CdS/CZTS/Au) photovoltaic (PV) devices. The PV devices were developed using the window layer of rutile TiO2 nanoarchitecture arrays, i.e., one-dimensional (1D) nanorods and three-dimensional (3D) combined/ hierarchical structures (nanorods with microspheres). Onedimensional (1D) nanorods and 3D combined structures of TiO2 window layers were synthesized by a hydrothermal method with different solvents without any assistance of surfactants and templates. We achieved two kinds of TiO2 nanostructures by tuning the precursor concentrations and volume by keeping a constant growth time and temperature. The detailed structural properties were studied using X-ray diffraction and high resolution transmission electron microscopy. Phase formation and chemical state of the prepared samples were examined by Raman spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The surface morphology and luminescence studies of TiO2 nanostructures were analyzed using field emission scanning electron microscopy and cathodoluminescence techniques. The current-voltage performance of fabricated devices were measured under an AM 1.5 solar simulator. It is observed that combined structure PV device shows better efficiency (1.45%) than the nanorods alone structure (0.55%). Present work is a first attempt made to construct the inverted CZTS based solar cells. This study establishes the window layer of hierarchical TiO2 nanostructures based morphology that offers a great potential for the development of high-efficiency nonstoichiometric CZTS based solar cells. © 2017 American Chemical Society.Item Development and assessment of large stroke piezo-hydraulic actuator for micro positioning applications(Elsevier Inc. sinfo-f@elsevier.com, 2021) Mohith, S.; Rao, M.; Karanth P, K.P.; Kulkarni, S.M.; Upadhya, A.R.The primary concern with micro-positioning systems is to achieve precise positioning, coupled with the broad stroke of actuation. Over the past few years, the advancement in piezoelectric technology has adequately fulfilled the purpose of precision positioning applications. The advantages of accurate control and positioning accuracy, compactness, minimum wear and tear, enhanced stiffness in conjunction with better dynamic response has led to the extensive utilization of piezoelectric actuators as a precision positioning source. However, the inadequacies of limited positioning stroke, together with the inherent hysteresis hinder the performance of piezoelectric actuators. The present work aims at the development of a new piezo-hydraulic actuator for overcoming the disadvantage of limited stroke of the piezoelectric actuator through hydraulic displacement amplification mechanism (HDAM). The proposed piezo-hydraulic actuator works based on differential area principle and Pascal's law. The prototype of the piezo-hydraulic actuator incorporates amplified piezo actuator (APA) as a primary actuator which deflects a piston causing the fluid to get displaced from larger cross-section to smaller cross-section. This intern leads to amplified motion. An electromechanical model coupled with the Bouc-Wen hysteresis model is implemented in the present work to simulate the displacement and force characteristics of the proposed piezo-hydraulic actuator. The experimental work involved the fabrication and characterization of the proposed piezo-hydraulic actuator. The experimental results are validated by comparing with the simulated results obtained from the mathematical model. The maximum amplification factor of the piezo-hydraulic actuator achieved is about 77.00, which is in close agreement with the theoretical amplification factor of 79, with the error of about 2.53%. When the piezo hydraulic actuator is actuated at 150 V, the amplified piezo actuator achieves a maximum deflection of 129.02 ?m which gets amplified to a value of about 9934.69 ?m through hydraulic amplification. The fabricated prototype of piezo-hydraulic actuator achieves maximum blocking force of 0.5 N at 150 V. © 2020 Elsevier Inc.Item Development of CeO2-HfO2Mixed Oxide Thin Films for High Performance Oxygen Sensors(Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc., 2021) Ramshanker, N.; Lakshmi Ganapathi, K.L.; Varun, N.; Bhat, M.S.; Mohan, S.In this work, the authors report the fabrication and characterization of CeO2 -HfO2 mixed oxide thin film based oxygen gas sensors. The atomic concentrations of the individual elements Ce and Hf in the mixed oxide (CeO2 -HfO2) thin films were controlled and tuned using a novel method in RF sputtering to achieve better oxygen sensing characteristics. The characteristics of the sensing film were evaluated using various characterization techniques such as TEM-EDS, FESEM-EDS, XPS and XRD. The XPS and EDS data revealed that the Hf concentration increases with an increase in size as well as number of the HfO2 pellets that are placed on a 3-inch CeO2 target during sputtering. From the XRD and XPS analysis, it was found that the mixed oxide film with 10-11% Hf atomic concentration has the best sensing characteristics. The superior sensing characteristics of the CeO2 -HfO2 film can be attributed to the existence of a highly reactive plane (200) with the highest surface energy and a strongly reduced surface with oxygen vacancy formation due to the presence of Ce3+ ions and HfOx, x < 2 on the surface of the mixed oxide film. The sensor film detected the presence of oxygen gas even at low temperatures (< 400°C); however, the response time and recovery time were slightly higher. The sensor film of thickness 220 nm with Hf concentration between 10-11% showed excellent sensitivity (15), fast response and recovery times of 8 s and 10 s respectively at an operating temperature of 400°C, which are the best values reported till date for CeO2 based oxygen sensors. © 2001-2012 IEEE.Item Development of titanium nitride thin film microheaters using laser micromachining(Elsevier Ltd, 2022) M.a, M.A.; Lakshmi Ganapathi, K.L.; Ambresh, M.; Nukala, P.; Udayashankar, N.K.; Mohan, S.In this paper, we report the fabrication and characterization of titanium nitride (TiN) thin-film-based microheaters. TiN thin films have been optimized on Si and SiO2 substrates for their optimum electrical resistivities by controlling the process parameters, including argon:nitrogen (Ar:N2) ratio in reactive pulsed DC magnetron sputter (PDCMS) deposition technique. An optical emission spectroscope (OES) was used for monitoring the plasma characteristics at various nitrogen flow rates. The microstructural and surface properties of the TiN films have been investigated and correlated with the electrical properties. It has been observed that the amount of nitrogen flux in the TiN plasma plays an essential role in the microstructural, surface, and electrical properties of the TiN thin films. Micro-heaters have been fabricated with TiN thin films with low electrical resistivity using laser engraving techniques instead of conventional lithographic and micromachining techniques. The TiN microheater has shown excellent performance. A temperature of 406 °C has been achieved by applying an input power of 8 W. This work paves the path for developing scalable and economic TiN microheaters using laser micromachining techniques. © 2021Item Fabrication and Characterization of Silicon Dioxide-Reinforced Polydimethylsiloxane Composite Coating for Corrosion Protection of Galvanized Iron(SAE International, 2024) Kumar, P.; Ramesh, M.R.; Doddamani, M.The present work highlights the significance of nanocomposite coatings for their ease of processing and applicability in combating corrosion. Ongoing research is dedicated to the development of an effective nanocomposite hydrophobic coating. A hydrophobic nanocomposite coating was deposited on galvanized iron (GI) using a sol-gel route with polymethylsiloxane (PDMS) reinforced with nano-SiO2. Surface morphology and chemical composition analysis, conducted with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDAX) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), revealed the coating's structural and compositional attributes. The resulting hydrophobic coating exhibits a water contact angle (WCA) of 104.1°, indicating a 30.45% increase compared to bare GI. Subsequent to these characterizations, the adhesion of the coated GI, rated as 4B per ASTM D3359, is followed by commendable resistance to corrosion, as evidenced by electrochemical tests. The corrosion rate for the coated GI sheet is notably low, at 62.78 × 10-3 mpy, underscoring its anti-corrosive efficacy. © 2024 SAE International.