MSc (Gauhati) PhD (IASST)
Nanoscale Physics, Materials Science
Department of Physics
Gauhati University, Guwahati, 781014
Email: bimal[at]gauhati[dot]ac[dot]in
Nanoscale physics and materials science are my two broad research areas.
We are currently focussing on-
I enjoy teaching young physics lovers!
(Please visit the Teaching and Research pages for details)
M. Sc. (Physics)
PhD Coursework
As a guest faculty (Instrumentation & USIC Department)
M. Sc. (Instrumentation & Applied Physics): Materials Science (Semester II) - till 2019
Current Research Directions
Transparent conducting oxide thin films and nanocrystals; Biomimetic nanostructure; Nanocomposite for environmental remediation
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)
4. UGC-DAE-CSR Project - magnetism in the conducting regime of TCOs (2024 - 2027)
Research Group: Nanophysics Lab # 007(C)
1. Dr. Bimal K. Sarma, Assistant Professor (Lab in-charge)
2. Mr. Jnanraj Borah (CSIR-UGC NET-JRF/SRF), PhD Scholar (2018 batch) - thesis submitted
3. Mr. Pallab Pathak, PhD Scholar (2022 batch) and UGC-DAE-CSR CRS Project Fellow
4. Ms. Indranee Changmai, PhD Scholar (2022 batch) and DST Inspire Fellow
Our Lab will induct Ph. D scholars who are highly motivated to work in the exciting field of nanophysics and materials science. Interested candidates may reach us for details.
Graduated Doctoral Students/Project Fellows/M. Sc. Project Students
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 (Mar 2022) - working as an Assistant Professor at Nabajyoti College
Thesis: Studies on biomimetic nucleation and growth of hydroxyapatite and its sensitive detection using Ag/ZnO/AZO heterostructures
3. Dr. Dipak Barman, M.Sc. (IITD), Ph. D. (G. U.) CSIR-UGC NET JRF/SRF - PhD awarded (Jan 2024) - working as a Post-doctoral Fellow at IASST
Thesis: A study on microstructural and electro-optical properties of undoped and heavily doped ZnO and their heterostructure with metal nanoparticles
4. M.Sc. Project/Dissertation
Mitu Kalita (2014); Apurba Das, Pintu Barman (2015); Namita Deka, Kongkon Jyoti Saikia, Sujit K. Dab (2016); Seikh Mustafa Radiul, Trishanku Kashyap, Anurag Kashyap (2017); Biswajit Dihingia, Payal Bhattacharjee, Jnanraj Borah (2018); K. Bijoykumar Singh, Lucky Saikia (2019); Snehasish Deb (2021); Sagar Paul, Pallab Pathak, Joydeep Das, Indranee Changmai (2022); Mriganka Sandilya (2023); Chinmoy Goswami, Monkia Sultana (2024) - 22 Nos.
Patent Granted
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.
Patent Filed
Title: A light driven high voltage nanogenerator and the method of its manufacture
Applicants: Jnanraj Borah and Bimal Kumar Sarma
(Provisionally filed, App. Number 202431014334, 27 February 2024)
Journal Publications
For updated details, please visit: Google Scholar or Scopus
1. Jnanraj Borah, Pallab Pathak, Jyotisman Bora, Sritam Biswas, Pabitra Nath, Arup R. Pal, Bimal K. Sarma, High-yield conversion of lab waste to resources for the development of nanocomposite broadband photocatalysts embracing near-infrared plasmonic effects, Composites Part B: Engineering 282 (2024) 111594. (I. F. 13.1)
2. Dipak Barman, Jnanraj Borah, Indranee Changmai, Pallab Pathak, Bimal K. Sarma, Vibrational property-driven NIR transparency in X:ZnO (X = Mo, Al) multilayer transparent electrodes for self-powered flexible optoelectronics, ACS Applied Electronic Materials 6 (2024) 1666. (I. F. 4.7)
3. Jnanraj Borah, Bimal K. Sarma, Realization of Al:ZnO (AZO)-Ag nanocomposite as a novel photocatalyst capable of broadband photon harnessing driven by near-infrared plasmonics, Journal of Alloys and Compounds 956 (2023) 170312. (I. F. 6.371)
4. Dipak Barman, Jnanraj Borah, Snehasish Deb, Bimal K. Sarma, Design strategy for CuO-ZnO S-scheme heterojunction photocatalysts in the presence of plasmonic Ag and insights into photoexcited carrier generation and interfacial transfer in diverse structural configurations of the heterostructure system, Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects 663 (2023) 131077. (I. F. 5.518)
5. 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)
6. 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)
7. 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 65 (2022) 2581. (C. S. 4.9)
8. Jnanraj Borah, Bimal K. Sarma, Structural, optical and electrical properties of CuO nanostructures prepared by reactive DC magnetron sputtering, Materials Today: Proceedings 65 (2022) 2523. (C. S. 4.9)
9. 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)
10. 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)
11. 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)
12. 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)
13. 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)
14. 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)
15. 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)
16. 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)
17. 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)
18. 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)
19. 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)
20. 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)
21. Bimal K. Sarma and Bikash Sarma,
Role of magnesium on the biomimetic deposition of calcium phosphate, Journal of Physics: Conference Series 765 (2016) 012025. (C. S. 1.1)
22. 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. (C. S. 1.1)
23. 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)
24. 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)
25. 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)
26. Bimal K. Sarma, Arup R. Pal, Heremba Bailung and Joyanti Chutia,
A hybrid heterojunction with reverse rectifying characteristics fabricated by magnetron sputtered TiOx and plasma polymerized aniline structure, Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics 45 (2012) 275401. (I. F.: 3.409)
27. 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)
28. 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)
29. 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)
30. 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)
Book Chapter
1. Jnanraj Borah, Dipak Barman, Bimal K. Sarma, Semiconductors for transparent conductors, Ch 14 in Handbook of Semiconductors: Fundamentals to Emerging Applications. R. K. Gupta (Ed.), CRC Press, Taylor & Francis (2024).