Materials Science and Nanotechnology Program

Materials Science and Nanotechnology Research and Development

Major Ongoing Activities

1. Synthesis and Characterization of Nanomaterials: This activity is dedicated to synthesizing mainly metal and metal oxide semiconductor nanomaterials using high-quality precursor chemicals through chemical routes. The synthesized materials are then characterized to identify their properties and find suitable areas of application in high-tech devices.
2. Application of Synthesized Nanomaterials in Functional Devices: Fabrication of suitable devices incorporating the synthesized nanomaterials.
3. Proposal for National Nanotechnology Center: Develop a detailed proposal for the establishment of the Nanotechnology Center of Nepal (NCN) under NAST and approach prospective donor agencies within the country or elsewhere in the world.
4. Dissemination of Knowledge: Organizing seminars, workshops, trainings, and lectures to raise awareness about new materials and emerging aspects of Nanotechnology in Nepal and documenting outcomes as reports and books for future reference.

Major Accomplishments

1. Development of Basic Resources: The laboratory established under the Faculty of Technology in 2011 arranged basic infrastructure, preliminary laboratory equipment, and che

2. Materials Characterization by XRD: Providing XRD characterization services for synthesized materials within NAST and from elsewhere in the country. This service supported more than 500 researchers across the country in completing their M.Sc. or Ph.D. dissertations before handing over the Diffractometer to the Analytical Service Center of NAST in 2021.

3. Synthesis, Characterization, and application of different nanomaterials

Different types of nanomaterials were fabricated in the laboratory and characterized in the laboratory or elsewhere for the application in solar cells.

4. Publication and Publicity: Researchers were able to publish their original research articles in SCI journals, along with a research article in a national journal and a status paper as a book chapter published by NAM S&T Center. Examples include:

• Mahesh Niraula, Subash Adhikari, Deok Yeon Lee, Eun-Kyung Kim, Seog Joon Yoon, Suresh Kumar Dhungel, Wonjoo Lee, Nabeen K. Shrestha, Sung-Hwan Han. "Titania nanotube-silver phosphate hybrid heterostructure for improved visible light-induced photocatalysis." Chemical Physics Letters, 593 (2014), 193–197.
• Subash Adhikari, Yan-Yan Song, Yong-Mei Wang, Mahesh Niraula, Keumnam Cho, Suresh Kumar Dhungel, Zhi-Da Gao, Nabeen K. Shrestha, Sung-Hwan Han. "Electrochemical protonation/de-protonation of titania nanotubes decorated with silver phosphate crystals: An enhanced electrochromic color contrast." Optical Materials, 40 (2015), 112-117.
• Suresh Kumar Dhungel, Chang Woo Park. "Impact of Size Distribution of Nanoparticles in TiO2 Paste for its Application in Dye Sensitized Solar Cells." The Himalayan Physics, Vol.4, No.4, July 2013.
• Suresh Kumar Dhungel. "Institutionalizing Nanotechnology in Nepal." Chapter in a Book: Transferring Nanotechnology Concept towards Business Perspectives, NAM S&T Center Publication, 2015, pp. 129-138.

5. Laboratory-based Dissertations: Many students in M.Sc. Physics and Chemistry carried out their research works in this laboratory to complete their dissertations for the partial fulfillment of their M.Sc. degrees.

6. Campaign to Establish Nanotechnology in Nepal: After the establishment of this laboratory at NAST, professionals actively engaged in research on Materials Science and Nanotechnology topics in different universities joined hands to make the Government of Nepal realize the need for the development of Nanotechnology in Nepal. This effort led to the formation of the National Advisory Committee on Nanotechnology, along with committees for Biotechnology, Nuclear Technology, Space Technology, and Information and Communication Technology. This campaign will continue until the establishment of a well-equipped Nanotechnology Center of Nepal (NCN).