Welcome to my homepage ...

I work in the area of nanophysics. My current research interests primarily include -

• physics of transparent conducting films

• metal-semiconductor nanostructure and associated phenomena

• biomimetic bone-like crystals

(Please visit Patent page for available technology)

M. Sc. (Physics)

• PHY1035: Quantum Mechanics-I (Semester-I, core)
• PHY1056: General Lab-I (Semester-I, core)
• PHY2056: General Lab-II (Semester-II, core)
• PHY3095: Nanophysics-I (Semester-III, elective)
• PHY3105: Nanophysics Lab (Semester-III, elective)
• PHY4015: Statistical Mechanics (Semester-IV, core)
• PHY4064: Nanophysics-II (Semester-IV, elective)
• PHY4136: Project/Dissertation (Semester-IV, open elective)

PhD Coursework

• Paper-IIIB: Experimental Techniques (core)
• Paper-IV: Condensed Matter and Nanophysics (elective)

As a guest faculty  (Instrumentation &USIC Department)

M. Sc. (Instrumentation & Applied Physics): Materials Science (Semester II) - till 2019

Current Research Directions

Transparent conducting thin films;  Biomimetic nanostructure; Plasma nanoscience

Sponsored Research Projects

1. UGC Start-up Grant for Newly Recruited Faculty - Biomimetic approach to Nanocrystals (2014 -2016)

2. SERB, DST Young Scientist Grant, SB/FTP/PS-36/2014 - Smart Transparent Electrode (2015 - 2018)

3. ASTEC R&D Grant - ZnO based systems (2018 - 2021)

Research Group: Nanophysics Lab # 007(C)

1.  Dr. Bimal K. Sarma, Assistant Professor (Lab in-charge)

2. Mr. Dipak Barman (M. Sc., CSIR-UGC NET-JRF), PhD Scholar (2017 batch) - working on metal-semiconductor nanostructure

3.  Mr. Jnanraj Borah (M.Sc., CSIR-UGC NET-JRF), PhD Scholar (2018 batch) - working on Al:ZnO and hybrids

4. Mr. Pallab Pathak, M. Sc. Project Student - working on conversion of lab waste to environment friendly resources

5. Ms. Indranee Changmai, M. Sc. Project Student - working on semiconductor-semiconductor heterojunction

6. Mr. Joydeep Das, M. Sc. Project Student - working on metal-to-insulator transition in oxide thin films

7. Mr. Sagar Paul, M. Sc. Project Student - working on stacked transparent conductors

Graduated Students/Project Fellows

1. Mr. Bikash Sarma, M. Sc. (G. U.), Project Fellow, SERB Young Scientist Grant, SB/FTP/PS-36/2014 - working as a Science Teacher in a Govt. H. S. School

2. Dr. Pradhyut Rajkumar, M.Sc. (G. U.), Ph. D. (G. U.) CSIR-UGC NET - PhD awarded on March 31, 2022

(Selected as Assistant Professor for a Govt. College)

Thesis: Studies on biomimetic nucleation and growth of hydroxyapatite and its sensitive detection using Ag/ZnO/AZO heterostructures

• List will be updated soon for 15 M.Sc. project students

Patent

Title: An improved AZO sputtering target for manufacturing transparent conducting film and the method  thereof

Inventors & Patentees: Bimal Kumar Sarma, Pradhyut Rajkumar, Bikash Sarma

Patent No.: 339332, Indian Patent Appl. No.: 201831022820; Date of Filing: 19 June, 2018; Date of Grant: 25 June 2020

Technologies: Improved AZO Sputtering Targets (at least five varieties with dopant content) and Ageing Stable AZO Transparent Conducting Coatings

Product stage: Ready-for-sale stage for both AZO sputtering targets and AZO coated glass and plastic as transparent conductors

The technologies are ready for transfer. Interested companies/agencies/start-ups may contact at bimal@gauhati.ac.in or sarmabimal@gmail.com

For demo video please click here.

Journal Publications

For updated details, please visit: google scholar or scopus

1. Pradhyut Rajkumar, Dipak Barman, Anurag Kashyap, Bimal K. Sarma, Realization of ZnO microrods and Ag nanoparticles on glass and Si substrates by magnetron sputtering and near band edge photoluminescence enhancement from the exciton-plasmon system, Materials Letters 325 (2022) 132898. (I. F. 3.574)

2. Pradhyut Rajkumar, Bimal K. Sarma, Substrate dependent structural variations of biomimetic carbonated hydroxyapatite deposited on glass, Ti and sputtered ZnO thin films, Materials Characterization 191 (2022) 112120. (I. F.: 4.537)

3. Dipak Barman, Lucky Saikia, Bimal K. Sarma, Wide range tunability of surface plasmon resonance of nanostructured Ag deposited by off-axis magnetron sputtering, Materials Today: Proceedings (in press).

4. Jnanraj Borah, Bimal K. Sarma, Structural, optical and electrical properties of CuO nanostructures prepared by reactive DC magnetron sputtering, Materials Today: Proceedings (in press).

5. Samarjit Sarmah, Mintu Das, Bimal K. Sarma, Deepali Sarkar, Enhanced UV-visible photoresponsivity of annealed Al+Au/n-ZnO:p-Si heterojunction self-powered photodiode, Materials Letters 316 (2022) 132040. (I. F. 3.574) 

6. Pradhyut Rajkumar,  Bimal K. Sarma,

Role of Zn and Mg substitutions on the mechanical behaviour of biomimetic hydroxyapatite and insight of the emergence of hydroxyapatite-ZnO nanocomposite, Materials Characterization 176 (2021) 111107. (I. F.: 4.537, Citations: 2)

7. Jnanraj Borah, Bimal K. Sarma, Design strategy and interface chemistry of ageing stable AZO films as high quality transparent conducting oxide, Journal of Colloid and Interface Science 582 (2021) 1041. (I. F.: 9.965, Citations: 4)

8. Mintu Das, Samarjit Sarmah, Dipak Barman, Bimal K. Sarma, Deepali Sarkar,

Distinct Band UV-Visible Photo-sensing Property of ZnO-Porous Silicon (PS): p-Si Hybrid MSM Heterostructure, Materials Science in Semiconductor Processing 118 (2020) 105188. (I. F.: 4.644, Citations: 10)

9. Dipak Barman and Bimal K. Sarma, Thin and flexible transparent conductors with superior bendability having Al-doped ZnO layers with embedded Ag nanoparticles prepared by magnetron sputtering, Vacuum 177 (2020) 109367. (I. F.: 4.11, Citations: 11)

10. Bimal K. Sarma  and Pradhyut Rajkumar, Al-doped ZnO transparent conducting oxide with appealing electro-optical properties – Realization of indium free transparent conductors from sputtering targets with varying dopant concentrations, Materials Today Communications 23 (2020) 100870. (I. F.: 3.662, Citations: 15)

11. Pradhyut Rajkumar and Bimal K. Sarma, Ag/ZnO heterostructure fabricated on AZO platform for SERS based sensitive detection of biomimetic hydroxyapatite, Applied Surface Science 509 (2020) 144798. (I. F.: 7.392, Citations: 14)

12. Bikash Sarma, Dipak Barman and Bimal K. Sarma, AZO (Al:ZnO) thin films with high figure of merit as stable indium free transparent conducting oxide, Applied Surface Science 479 (2019) 786. (I. F.: 7.392, Citations: 76)

13. Bikash Sarma, Pradhyut Rajkumar and Bimal K. Sarma, Microstructural evolution and optical dispersion of sputtered ZnO thin films at low annealing temperature, Materials Research Express 6 (2019) 016420. (I. F.: 2.025, Citations: 4)

14. Bikash Sarma and Bimal K. Sarma,

Role of residual stress and texture of ZnO nanocrystals on electro-optical properties of ZnO/Ag/ZnO multilayer transparent conductors, Journal of Alloys and Compounds 734 (2018) 210. (I. F.: 6.371, Citations: 51)

15. Bikash Sarma and Bimal K. Sarma,

Fabrication of Ag/ZnO heterostructure and the role of surface coverage by Ag nanoparticles on the photophysical and photocatalytic properties of the metal-semiconductor system, Applied Surface Science 410 (2017) 557. (I. F.: 7.392, Citations: 87)

16. Bimal K. Sarma, Pintu Barman, Bikash Sarma, Apurba Das and Arup R. Pal,

Biomimetic deposition of carbonate apatite and role of carbonate substitution on mechanical properties at nanoscale, Materials Letters 185 (2016) 387. (I. F.: 3.574, Citations: 19)

17. Bimal K. Sarma and Bikash Sarma,

Role of magnesium on the biomimetic deposition of calcium phosphate, Journal of Physics: Conference Series 765 (2016) 012025. (Citation: 01)

18. Bikash Sarma, Sujit K. Deb and Bimal K. Sarma,

Photoluminescence and photocatalytic activities of Ag/ZnO metal-semiconductor heterostructure, Journal of Physics: Conference Series 765 (2016) 012023. (Citations: 25)

19. Bimal K. Sarma, Apurba Das, Pintu Barman and Arup R. Pal,

Biomimetic growth and substrate dependent mechanical properties of bone like apatite nucleated on Ti and magnetron sputtered TiO₂ nanostructure, Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics 49 (2016) 145304. (I. F.: 3.409, Citations: 18)

20. Bimal K. Sarma, Arup R. Pal, Heremba Bailung  and Joyanti Chutia,

Effect of post-deposition annealing on the growth of nanocrystallineTiO₂ thin films and elastic anisotropy of rutile phase at different temperatures, Journal of Alloys and Compounds 577 (2013) 261. (I. F.: 6.371, Citations: 19)

21. Bimal K. Sarma, Arup R. Pal, Heremba Bailung and Joyanti Chutia,

Growth of nanocrystalline TiO₂ thin films and crystal anisotropy of anatase phase deposited by direct current reactive magnetron sputtering, Materials Chemistry and Physics 139 (2013) 979. (I. F.: 4.778, Citations: 22)

22. Bimal K. Sarma, Arup R. Pal, Heremba Bailung and Joyanti Chutia,

A hybrid heterojunction with reverse rectifying characteristics fabricated by magnetron sputtered TiO_x and plasma polymerized aniline structure, Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics 45 (2012) 275401. (I. F.: 3.409, Citations: 23)

23. Bimal K. Sarma, Arup R. Pal, Heremba Bailung and Joyanti Chutia,

Role of ion energy on growth and optical dispersion of nanocrystalline TiO₂ films prepared by magnetron sputtering with ion assistance at the substrate, Applied Surface Science 258 (2012) 5659. (I. F.: 7.392, Citations: 14)

24. Bimal K. Sarma, Arup R. Pal, Heremba Bailung and Joyanti Chutia,

Microstructural, optical, and dielectric properties of nanocrystalline TiO₂ films prepared via ion-assisted magnetron sputtering, International Journal of Materials Research 103 (2012) 564. (I. F.: 0.678, Citations: 1)

25. Arup R. Pal, Bimal K. Sarma, Nirab C. Adhikary, Joyanti Chutia and Heremba Bailung,

TiO₂/polyaniline nanocomposite films prepared by magnetron sputtering combined with plasma polymerization process, Applied Surface Science 258 (2011) 1199. (I. F.: 7.392, Citations: 26)

26. Bimal K. Sarma, Arup R. Pal, Heremba Bailung and Joyanti Chutia,

Extended Conjugation in Polyaniline Like Structure Prepared by Plasma Polymerization Suitable for Optoelectronic Applications, Plasma Chemistry and Plasma Processing 31 (2011) 741. (I. F.: 3.245, Citations: 17)