message from our faculty - shanmugha arts, science ... › iiche › files › magazine ›...
TRANSCRIPT
1
Message from our Faculty
Dear all,
It gives me immense pleasure in releasing the Volume 07 Issue 01 of ChemUnique, the
official magazine of Indian Institute of Chemical Engineers (IIChE) Students Chapter,
SASTRA Deemed to be University.
The Chemical Engineering department of SASTRA Deemed to be University has been
growing tremendously for the past twenty years. It has boosted its outreach to a
commendable position in all dimensions. The department is under constant reorientation of
its syllabus according to the technical advancements in the field. Courses like ASPEN Plus
have been introduced to nurture the significance of process engineering among
undergraduates. Workshops on MATLAB, Open Modelica and other such softwares are
being conducted on a regular basis.
The department has been keen in incubating and inculcating the concept of learning through
research, thereby igniting the element of curiosity in young minds. The department believes
that the students should get practical exposure to the process industry than just indoor
learning. In this pursuit, our students are encouraged to go for Industrial Visits, and undergo
In-Plant Trainings and Internships.
The department takes pride in the resources it has grown to accumulate over the past few
years. It would be my advice to you to make use to these resources and build up your
potential.
Thanking you.
Dr. V. Ponnusami
Professor, Chemical Engineering
School of Chemical and Biotechnology
SASTRA Deemed to be University.
2
From the Editor‘s Desk
t is our proud privilege to address the Chemical Engineering community through the in-
house journal of the Department of Chemical Engineering, SASTRA Deemed to be
University- ChemUnique. Over the past few years, ChemUnique has evolved into an
entity that ignites creativity and takes the readers to a realm wherein chemical
engineering marvels are contemplated and understood.
ChemUnique will continue serving its purpose of rekindling the power of mind and thereby
produce oracles, which shall leave an indelible mark in the field of chemical engineering. The
magazine has been growing with every volume and issue, thanks to the readers as well as the
contributors.
Starting this Volume, we will be coming up with a theme for each Issue of the magazine.
This time we have chosen the ever progressing field of Materials Technology. The editorial
article attempts to explore the avenues.
We are indeed indebted to Dr. Naren P.R., Senior Assistant Professor, for his constant
support and guidance. Under his mentorship, we‘ve been nurtured and grown. Our best
wishes to Prof. Dr. Kumaresan R. who was the very cause for the institutionalization of this
magazine.
We would also like to express our profound gratitude to everyone who has contributed to the
outcome of Volume 07 Issue 01 of ChemUnique and share pleasure in publishing the same.
"Become an alchemist. Transmute base metal into gold, suffering into consciousness, disaster into
enlightenment." ~Eckhart Tolle
Hope you have a good read!
Team ChemUnique
Lokesh J Pandya, Editor-in-Chief
Sankili S., Chief Designer
Srinivasan S., Editor
Sathmeeka S., Editor
Roshan Shahid Zubair ZM, Designer
I
3
In This Issue of ChemUnique…
1. An Overview of Materials Technology…………….…….by Team ChemUnique 4
2. ChemE Start-Up………………………………………… by Ananth Raguram G 10
3. The Glory of Graphene……………………………………...by Lokesh J Pandya 11
4. Process Engineering and Processing Chips………...………by Lalith Sumanth Y 13
5. Nanites!?……………………………………………..……………..by Aakash C 15
6. Materials have become Smart Enough………………..…………by Srinivasan S 17
7. Chemiluminescence……………………………………...………by Sathmeeka S 18
8. Additive Manufacturing…………………………..by Roshan Shahid Zubair ZM 20
9. Alumni Connect………………………………….……….by Team ChemUnique 22
10. Chemistry Corner…………………………………………by Team ChemUnique 22
11. Atlas of Education-XI…………………………………….by Team ChemUnique 23
4
An Overview of Materials Technology
Team ChemUnique
aterials, materials everywhere; materials rule, so people beware! What are
materials? Why do we need or even need to know about them? This question in
some form would have popped into your mind when you had a look on the cover
page. The Wikipedia definition of material goes something like this: ―Material is a broad
term for a chemical substance or mixture of substances that constitute a thing.‖ To put it in
simple words, a material is matter from which a thing is or can be made.
The evolution and study of materials is as old as the
humankind. Alchemy is one of the oldest forms of
Material Sciences. In fact the process of evolution itself
can be seen from the point of view of materials. The
Taittirīya Upaniṣad says in this regard:
“ākāśād vāyuḥ, vāyoragniḥ, agnerāpaḥ, adbhyaḥ
pṛthivī, pṛthivyā oṣadhayaḥ, oṣadhībhyonnam,
annātpuruṣaḥ”
(This ślokā shows the chronological order in which the
five elements got originated. First came space; from
space, air; from air, water; from water, earth. Further,
from earth, herbs (plants); from plants, food; and from
food, human.)
The history looks at time based on the
material discovered and used: Palaeolithic
(Stone) age, Chalcolithic (Copper) age and
the Bronze and Iron ages. Gold was
discovered around 6000 BCE and Silver
around 4000 BCE. The history of Metallurgy
itself is vast. The later history continues with
the discovery of other metals such as Lead,
Tin, Mercury in the Before Christ era and
many metals and elements in the Common
Era. In the meantime, efforts were being
made to find the structure of an atom, and
how compounds are formed. Then, work
further progressed in the fields of alloys and
ceramics, and the current century owes it to Nanotechnology, Polymers, Composites and
Biomaterials. So we have come this far in the field of Materials Technology. And there is a
lot more to explore. There is nothing like a saturation point. It has a vast horizon.
M
5
Every single material has some properties. Properties are the way the material responds to the
environment. For instance, the mechanical, electrical and magnetic properties are the
responses to mechanical, electrical and magnetic forces, respectively. Other important
properties are thermal (transmission of heat, heat capacity), optical (absorption, transmission
and scattering of light), and the chemical stability in contact with the environment (like
corrosion resistance). Processing of materials is the application of heat (heat treatment),
mechanical forces, etc. to affect their microstructure and, therefore, their properties.
The next question which comes up is ―Why should one explore the realms of Materials
Science and Engineering?‖ The answer is as follows:
● To be able to select a material for a given use based on considerations of cost and
performance.
● To understand the limits of materials and the change of their properties with use.
● To be able to create a new material that will have some desirable properties.
All engineering disciplines need to know about materials. Even the most "immaterial", like
software or system engineering depend on the development of new materials, which in turn
alter the economics, like software-hardware trade-offs. Increasing applications of system
engineering are seen in materials manufacturing (industrial engineering) and complex
environmental systems.
So, what are you waiting for? Let‘s traverse through the world of Materials…
The Materials Science Tetrahedron:
Microstructure depends on the processing route, while
performance is dictated by properties. Once a materials
scientist knows about this structure-property
correlation, they can then go on to study the relative
performance of a material in a given application.
Structure is one of the most important components of
the field of materials science. Materials science
examines the structure of materials all the way from the
atomic scale, up to the macro scale. The basic concepts
pertaining to the levels of structure includes concepts in
atomic structure, equilibrium and kinetics, geometry of
crystals, arrangement of atoms in the unit cell, the sub-
structural imperfections in crystals and the
microstructure of single-phase and multi-phase
materials. Among the above mentioned concepts, the
solid-state diffusion and control of phase
transformations is the most important.
6
In order to understand the structure of materials and its correlation to property, firstly we
have to start from the basic element of matter– The Atom. The electronic configuration and
the tendency of atoms to attain a stable octet configuration has a vital role in changing the
properties of the atom and hence that of the materials, also it is the tendency of every element
to attain the lowest energy stable configuration that forms the basis of chemical reactions and
atomic bonding. Many properties of the materials depend on the specific kind of bond and the
bond energy. To obtain a full understanding of the material structure and how it relates to its
properties, the materials scientist must study how the different atoms, ions and molecules are
arranged and bonded to each other. This involves the study and use of quantum chemistry and
physics. Solid-state physics and chemistry and physical chemistry are also involved in the
study of bonding and structure. Secondly, Structure-Property correlation is influenced by the
arrangement of atoms in a lattice. This involves the study of different types of solids and
about their crystal systems.
Understanding the basics of crystal structures is of paramount importance as many properties
of materials depend on their crystal structures. Characterization is the way materials scientists
examine the structure of a material. This involves methods such as diffraction with X-rays,
electrons, or neutrons and various forms of analytical techniques such as Raman
spectroscopy, energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), chromatography, thermal analysis,
electron microscope studies, etc.
A material cannot be used in industry if no economical production method for it has been
developed. Thus, the processing of materials is vital to the field of materials science. This
urges the study on the basis of thermodynamics and kinetics. The behaviour of the
microscopic particles is described by thermodynamics, it also defines the macroscopic
variables which are concerned with heat and temperature and their relation to energy and
work. Kinetics is essential in processing of materials because, among other things, it details
how the microstructure changes with application of heat. Diffusion is important in the study
of kinetics as this is the most common mechanism by which materials undergo change.
We have seen the historical overview of Material Sciences. Now let us look at the modern
classification. This field has broadened to include every class of materials, including
ceramics, polymers, semiconductors, magnetic materials, medical implant and other bio-
materials, and nanomaterials.
Materials
Metals
Ferrous
Non-Ferrous
Polymers
Thermoplastics
Thermosets
Elastomers
Fibres
Ceramics
Refractory Materials
Abrasives
Glass
Speciality materials
Biomaterials
Nanomaterials
7
The prominent change in materials science during the last two decades is active usage of
computer simulation methods to find new compounds, predict various properties using
methods such as density functional theory, molecular dynamics, etc.
Though materials are classified into basic three or four types, the basic materials can be
combined together in different compositions and different combinations to produce more
useful materials with varied properties. The usefulness of such materials is determined by the
production, consumption and demand in the global market since its invention.
Given that each and every material that was invented or discovered had its own impact in the
world, it‘d be difficult to discuss about each one of them. So, let‘s limit our discussion to two
such materials which revolutionised the industry and the society as a whole–Steel and Plastic.
Steel
Steel is an alloy of iron, carbon and other elements in small quantities. Because of its‘ high
tensile strength and low cost, it‘s a widely used component. The history of the steel industry
began in the late 1850s and, since then, steel has been basic to world‘s industrial economy.
The statistical data from the World Steel Association on the production of steel from 2005 to
2015 is a testimony of the demand for steel over the decade:
Yet, another statistical analysis made by the World Steel Organisation (obtained during
December 2016 – May 2018) shows a steep increase in economic growth whenever the
production of steel is high in the particular country, thus showing the intertwining of
production of steel and economic growth.
8
The Steel Industry in India
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru said, "Steel is a symbol of strength of the economy and a portent of
the glory of India of the future". India has now emerged as one of the significant steel
producers in the world. This growth of steel industry is not a sudden rise, but is a steady
increase after the independence. The 1948-80 periods saw production of steel increase from
1.5 million tons to 15.1 million tons. The annual rate of capacity expansion of steel sector,
however, stagnated between 1968 and 1985. The seventh plan period showed an increase in
ingot steel production from 10.81million tons in 1985 to more than 14 million tons in 1990.
The impact of economic reforms on the steel industry in
India has been tremendous. The total crude steel capacity
of Indian steel industry increased to 27.38 million tons in
1995-96 registering a growth of 23.6% i.e., 5.22 million
tons over 1991-92. After liberalization the iron and steel
industry in India, it has made a considerable progress
showing an increasing trend in production of finished steel
which reached to 31 million tons in 2001-02. The year
2004-05 proved to be a fortunate year for the Indian steel
industry because many of the steel making units were able
to earn profits or reduce their previous debts due to the
increased demand in steel consumption and increase in
steel prices. In 2004-05 the finished steel production was
40 million tons which was again increased to 49.39
million tonnes in the year 2006-07.
Consumption of Steel
The real demand for steel and its products is measured by
both production and consumption of it over a period of
time. As per the recent report made by the World Steel
Association, India‘s consumption of finished steel
products has grown by 6.1% in 2017as compared to 2016.
This growth is projected to be 7.1% by the end of 2018.
Plastics
This is another material whose production has impacted deeply in the lives of the people. The
development of plastics has evolved from the use of natural plastic materials (e.g. chewing
gum, shellac) to the use of chemically modified, natural materials (e.g. natural rubber,
nitrocellulose, collagen) and finally to completely synthetic molecules (e.g., Bakelite, epoxy
resins). Early plastics were bio-derived materials such as egg and blood proteins, which are
organic polymers. In the nineteenth century, as industrial chemistry developed during the
industrial revolution, many materials were reported. The development of plastics also
accelerated with Charles Goodyear's discovery of vulcanization to thermoset materials
derived from natural rubber.
9
The production of plastic has seen a tremendous
growth over the years as the plastic can be
incorporated with many of the other materials to
produce goods having a wide range of properties.
Asia is leading the plastic production charts with
the China (28%) topping the Asian countries. the
plastic produced by the Asian countries accounts
for more than 49% of worldwide production.
Europe has a share of 18-19% of the global
production. China has risen to the top within a
few years and has become the most important
plastic producer.
The consumption of plastic has risen proportionately to the production over the few years.
Apart from the production and consumption another important process that plays an
important role in production as well as in the society is the recycling of the plastic and the
waste generation.
The graph depicted below shows the
analysis of waste generation in the
period of 2006-‗14 show a slight
growth. Besides economic impacts,
plastic parts with lower weight (e.g.
plastic bottles) play a significant role
in waste generation process. The
waste quantity rose from by about 1.7
million tons during 2009-‗14. While
disposal quantities decreased by ~4.9
million tons in the last eight years,
recovery quantities rose by 6.2 million
tons up to 17.9 million tons.
Thus it is evident from the production, consumption and the rise in demand of steel and
plastics that materials play a pivotal role not only in the lives of people but also in the
economy and development of each and every country in the world.
The future of Materials Technology is also very luminescent because of the vast scope. In the
recent past, there has been a boom in research as well as industrialization of Nanomaterials,
Biomaterials. So, long story short, Materials Technology is the future and we chemical
engineers are the light for its path to glory.
References Raghavan, V. 1998. Materials science and engineering, 5/e. New Delhi: Prentice-Hall of India,
10
https://nptel.ac.in/courses/113106032/3
https://www.statista.com/statistics/247663/global-consumption-of-crude-steel/
http://www.worldwatch.org/global-plastic-production-rises-recycling-lags-0
https://www.ey.com/Publication/vwLUAssets/EY_-_Global_steel_2014/%24FILE/EY-
Global-steel-2014.pdf
http://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/61997/10/10_chapter%202.pdf
https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/indias-steel-consumption-to-grow-61-in-2017-
worldsteel/article9657068.ece
https://committee.iso.org/files/live/sites/tc61/files/The%20Plastic%20Industry%20Berlin%20
Aug%202016%20-%20Copy.pdf
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Materials_science
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steel
ChemE Startup: The Big Game
Ananth Raguram G.
Fourth Year, M. Tech. Chemical Engineering (Integrated)
t was during an Economics for Chemical Engineers‘ class that I had actually found the
answer to why I chose chemical engineering. The answer was pretty simple; money. The
millennial kids have been exposed to the pop culture ideology and to most of them,
growing up to make lots of money in a short span has been the ambition. It was my ambition
too and I was prepared to do want it demanded. And thus came my tryst with my ambition. I
wanted to make money and I learned that entrepreneurship was the best means of realizing
the dream. However, after a few years, I ended up taking chemical engineering.
It was when Saravanan Sir, who was explaining the outline of accounting procedures and
business transactions that I actually ended up looking at the big picture. Imagine having a
start-up faithful to your field, for instance, chemical engineering. Gee! What a great lot of
money you‘ll end up making! And soon I made a mind map of what it means to have a
chemical engineering start-up and I have jotted down a few thoughts here.
Let us say that you end up getting a decent CGPA. This means that you have gained fair
knowledge in the fields of process design, production engineering, safety, waste
management, and modelling.
I
11
With this, you can almost start up any business venture related to chemical engineering, right
from a micro level brewery to a design consultancy. The only limit to your imagination is
your mind-set.
But first, you are going to need a business plan. Chart it out. Simon Sinek, an organizational
consultant, suggests a ‗Why-What-How‘ method of plan in his best seller ‗Start with why‘.
This is because only if you have a reason to exist (a reality check), you would be able to
figure out what you want to do exactly. Once you know what you want to do, you‘ll be able
to come up with various ways of reaching your target. This is why Apple, according to him,
is a better company than Dell. Apple firmly established why they exist- to make user-friendly
technological gadgets and thus, came up with a huge range of products. Whereas, Dell,
though a good manufacturer of computers, didn‘t know why they existed and thus, ended up
rolling out mp3 players that no one bought. This is why a well-constructed business plan is
required.
Business is a battle. Before you end up in the business battleground, you need to know about
the place you wish to do business and who your local competitors are. This is known as
intelligent market survey. In the book ‗Marketing Warfare‘ by Al Ries and Jack Trout, there‘s
a mention of different means of doing the market survey. You can either aim to grow by
toppling out your competitors or you may choose to co-exist by selling something that you
know, the competitors won‘t be able to sell. This is your Unique Selling Proposition.
Doing the market survey could also mean either of the following two things: Buying out or
collaborating with an existing company or launching a new one altogether either single-
handedly or with a group of partners. Once you choose which way to go, you begin.
References
www.careeraddict.com/start-a-chemical-engineering-business
www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action
The Glory of Graphene
Lokesh J Pandya
Third Year, B. Tech. Chemical Engineering
ne can put it this way-―Carbon is the great-grandfather of the elements.‖ If there was
no carbon, there would be no Organic Chemistry. Without carbon, life wouldn‘t
have existed at the first place. O
12
So, this element has the atomic number of 6 and atomic mass of 12. It too comes in many
allotropes-both crystalline and amorphous. Diamond, Graphite, Charcoal, Fullerene, Carbon
black, Carbon nano-tubes etc. are some of the allotropes of Carbon. Surprisingly, one thing is
common among all the above mentioned allotropes of carbon.
The basic structural unit of all these
allotropes is same and it is named as
‗Graphene‘. Graphene is the form of
carbon consisting of a single layer of
carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal
lattice. It is a semimetal with small
overlap between the valence and the
conduction bands (zero band gap
material.)
What makes Graphene so special?
It is almost 200 times stronger than steel. (Tensile strength=130.5 GPa). Yet, it is
lighter, flexible and like rubber which can stretch to 25% of its length.
More electrically conductive than copper. (Nearly 107 S/m)
Optically transparent.
Thermal conductivity is better than any material. (2000 W/m-K at room temperature)
Graphene has wide range of industrial applications
It was shown to accelerate the osteogenic differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells
without the use of biochemical inducers, to serve as a neuro-interface electrode and was used
to create biosensors with epitaxial graphene on silicon carbide.
Considerable efforts have been devoted to the fabrication
of flexible graphene-based electrodes through a variety of
strategies. Moreover, different configurations of energy
storage devices based on these active materials are
designed. This review highlights flexible graphene-based
two-dimensional film and one-dimensional fiber super
capacitors and various batteries including lithium-ion,
lithium–sulfur and other batteries.
“Graphene has the power to change the world. If the 20th century was the age of plastics, the 21
st
century seems set to become the age of Graphene!”
References
https://www.graphene-info.com/introduction
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2095495617307088
13
Process Engineering and Processing Chips
Lalith Sumanth Y.
Third Year, B. Tech. Chemical Engineering
hat is the main plan for the future industrialization? Well, no need to think that
much. We all know the answer. It is digitalization and automation. We all know
that industries are trying to take the path, which they think, can bring the Fourth
Industrial Revolution; and automation is a vital feature for that. So, machines have to be
introduced instead of manual labour for better performance and economy. But, what is
important for the machines to do the tasks? Well, they are nothing but processing chips.
Processing chip manufacturing is a place where Chemical Engineers play a vital role. Intel,
which makes the chips used worldwide, is the top most hirer of chemical engineers. But how
do they make those chips? And why are chemical engineers vital for this? Well then let‘s take
a small view on what happens in the process.
Basic material
Well, as we all know, it is silicon. Silicon is found mainly in sand
and is then purified to industry grade to use it for the
manufacturing process. The major producer of silicon is China,
which produces about two-thirds of the total production that is
about 4.8 metric million tons. Major part of this silicon is used
for the production of semiconductors and processing chips. The
major companies which produce these chips are INTEL and
AMD.
Insight into the Production Process
Silicon dioxide in the form of sand is used as the raw material for pure silicon production and
the process used is briefly explained below:
• Silicon dioxide is subjected to coke reduction in arc furnace to give calcined product.
• The powder is the dissolved in HCl and distilled to give high purity trichlorosilane.
• Then it is reduced at 900℃ with help of H2 to give polycrystalline silicon. And
further it is subjected to Czochralski Process at a temperature of1500℃.
• The silicon crystals formed are polished through chemical and mechanical means and
are cut through diamond sawing to give pure silicon wafers for use. These silicon
wafers are then used as basic material for the processing of semiconductors
• Methods like Chemical Vapour Deposition (CVD), Electrochemical Deposition(ED),
Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE) and Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) are used to
W
14
deposit silicon in different patterns, which is possible to produce silicon coated
circuits, which are used for storage or other purposes.
So, we have seen how it is done but what is role of chemical engineers in this? Well, we‘ll see
about that now.
Importance of Chemical Engineers
Chemical engineers have a very important job in this kind of industries starting from
developing and testing different materials to developing and maintaining different and more
efficient processes for the production and troubleshooting all the problems. The different
applications of chemical engineering are:
Thermodynamics and Kinetics for the crystallization of silicon wafers;
Polymer science in the development of patterned photo resist coatings;
Heat transfer to maintain desired temperature sand manage heat build-up during the
production and working;
Mass transfer to improve etching of complex semiconductor patterns and plating of
electronic micro-channels.
And many more processes need the knowledge of the chemical engineer for them to become
possible.
The Future
India, despite having a large source of silicon is not able to process it because of lack of
technology and power. India is almost totally dependent on the import of silicon from China
and some other countries like Russia. As India taking steps to become a nation purely
depended on renewable energy developing technology to efficiently processes, pure silicon
will be a major step towards the destination.
Silicon based materials are used not only in electronics, but also for making solar panels for
harnessing electrical energy from the sun. And as India is planning to expand its dependency
of solar energy to 100,000MW, developing the necessary technology for processing silicon
will make it simpler for the government to complete this ambitious task.
As the future chemical engineers of India, it is our responsibility to make sure we advance in
the field of development and to help our country see a better tomorrow.
Reference
https://www.ijee.ie/articles/Vol18-3/IJEE1249.pdf
15
Nanites!?
Aakash C.
Third Year, B. Tech. Biotechnology
e are living in a world of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Robots are continuously
evolving along with us! Over the past decade, we have seen so many
advancements in the field of robotics which has paved the way to a whole new
era of technological evolution. It is true that artificial intelligence seems to be beautiful and
curious but it might as well be harmful to us as they tend to gain more knowledge that they
will overpower us someday.
But, is that all the robots might become harmful to us in the future? Will robots replace
humans completely in every aspect?
A nanobot is a device typically ranging from 0.1-10 micrometres (a micrometre is one-
millionth of a metre), roughly the size of a red blood cell or smaller. These nanobots prove to
be remarkable discoveries in the field of medicine. Nanobots are a perfect portrayal of
Napoleon Hill‘s famous saying, ―If you cannot do great things, do small things in a great
way!‖ Nanobots help in disease identification, drug delivery with high precision and cell
targeting. Made from a folded sheet of DNA, they act as tiny little soldiers which help in
defending the body from various adverse threats. In a recent discovery, these mystery bots
helped in the treatment of cancer. In the study conducted, nanobots were made to target
specific tumour cells in mice and kill them by blocking the blood supply to the tumour cells.
Angiogenesis plays a crucial role in the growth of tumour cells and it has been the major
target for the treatment of cancer. These nanobots were coated with blood clotting enzymes
such that when they reach the target tumour cells they were able to block the supply of blood
to that particular site precisely, leaving others unharmed. This has been found highly
effective in the case of benign tumours and further studies are being carried out to make
these, target the metastatic cells.
It is proven that nanobots have been successful in the killing of cancer cells and it is possible
in the near future that these tiny bots can create revolutionary advancements in the field of
medicine. Though this technology is highly effective, it is expensive. Research is being
carried out to make the best out of these nanobots and soon we may be able to cure any
disease with these nanobots including the emperor of all maladies!
Reference
https://www.ft.com/content/57c9f432-de6d-11e7-a0d4-0944c5f49e46
W
16
17
Materials have become smart enough…
Srinivasan S.
Second Year, B. Tech. Chemical Engineering
n a world, completely dominated by gizmos capable of responding accordingly to
external actions or stimuli, it is fascinating to know how this technique has been put to
use in materials called ‗smart materials‘.
Modern technologies have already led to many of the materials that can be simulated by, for
example, voltage, light, magnetic field, and pressure. A recent addition to this list is the
materials which respond according to some chemical stimuli. Termed as chemically
responsive materials, these self- adapting materials can be integrated to multicompartmental
systems allowing simultaneous control by chemical stimuli, light, and other environmental
factors.
The basic structures of the chemically responsive materials are a multitude of polymers that
can be made sensitive to various chemical stimuli. Nano gel, cross-linked film, some of the
colloids and homopolymer brush can be taken as examples. Chemically induced surface
changes of such materials can involve their hydrophobicity, wettability permeability, and
polarity. They can control their adsorptive, mechanical, optical or adhesive properties.
Smart Materials in controlled drug delivery system
The limitations associated with conventional therapeutics have intended the use of controlled
drug delivery system. In recent years the hydrogel technology has been an integral part of
human health care. The term hydrogel is itself self-explanatory. To be more precise, they are
defined as a three-dimensional bio polymeric networks, which have the tendency to absorb a
large quantity of water and they themselves are not soluble in water. The three-dimensional
network formation occurs by the cross-linking of the polymeric chains. This cross linking can
occur via physical interactions, covalent bonding, and hydrogen bonding and by van der
Waals interactions. These interactions are made possible because of the presence of the
specific functional groups viz., -OH, -CONH2, -SO3H, -CONH-, -COOR which have a
hydrophilic tendency and thus absorb water and biological fluids. The soft and rubbery
surface, structure and chemical properties of hydrogels mimic to that of human tissue. These
characteristic features make them a potential candidate for drug delivery systems.
With the introduction of hydrogels, smart polymers have emerged as a candidate for the
synthesis of hydrogels for drug delivery the word smart polymers originated from the ability
of hydrogels to imitate the non-linear response of DNA and Proteins. The attempt to
overcome the disadvantages of current drug systems like ineffective delivery and
meddlesome nature led to the discovery of micro/nano hydrogels which provided
perspicacious means of sustained drug delivery systems.
I
18
Furthermore, it is also possible to reconcile the drug release kinetics by modifying the shape,
size and drug distribution of the hydrogels during the assembling process. The pH-responsive
nature of hydrogels is studied extensively for drug delivery applications. The structure of the
polymeric matrix plays an important role in deciding its pH-responsive characteristics. The
smart polymer used for hydrogel-based drug delivery systems is Poly (lactic–glycolic
acid).The smart hydrogels loaded with cancer drugs resulted in sustained release of the drugs
until they reach the target cancer cells. These types of systems provide great potential for a
safe and effective vehicle for the future drugs with improved mechanisms.
The most valuable characteristic of the hydrogel, which make them suitable a candidate to be
used in drug delivery system, is their ability to respond to external stimuli specifically to pH
variation. The mechanism behind it can be understood in simple terms. The hydrogels contain
swollen ionic network with either acid or basic groups, which can ionize and develop fixed
charge on the polymer. All the ionic materials possess a pH and ionic strength sensitivity. As
a result of this, swelling force dominating the non-ionic materials, the total mesh size of the
network changes to a large extent with a small variation of pH in the environment. Thus this
provides the advantage of delivering the drug into the site of action. The reduction in the cost
of the therapy and patient compliance are the valuable benefits of this mode of drug delivery.
We can say that the smart materials are being used more and more for making various
processes effective. The field of study of such materials has become significant and these
materials could control the future.
Reference
Vashisht A, Ahmad S. 2003. Hydrogels: Smart Materials for drug delivery. Oriental Journal
of Chemistry. Vol. 29 no. 3.
Chemiluminescence
Sathmeeka S.
Second Year, B. Tech. Chemical Engineering
e all know that all chemical reactions deal with energy liberation, consumption or
absorption, this is the Law of Energy Conservation. The phenomenon by which a
chemical reaction emits light, as a result, is called Chemiluminescence.
It is the generation of electromagnetic radiation as light by the release of energy from a
chemical reaction. While the light can, in principle, be emitted in the ultraviolet, visible or
infrared region, those emitting visible light are the most common. In a chemiluminescent
reaction, reactive (high energy) intermediates are formed which enter electronically excited
states. The subsequent transition back to ground state is accompanied by a release of energy
in form of light.
W
19
Chemiluminescence usually involves the cleavage or fragmentation of the O-O bond an
organic peroxide compound. Peroxides, especially cyclic peroxides, are prevalent in light-
emitting reactions because the relatively weak peroxide bond is easily cleaved and the
resulting molecular reorganization liberates a large amount of energy.
Chemiluminescent reactions can be grouped into three types
Chemical reactions using synthetic compounds and usually involving a highly oxidized
species such as peroxide are commonly termed chemiluminescent reactions.
Light-emitting reactions arising from a living organism, such as the firefly or jellyfish, are
commonly termed bioluminescent reactions.
Light-emitting reactions which take place with the use of electrical current are designated
electro-chemiluminescent reactions.
Chemiluminescence in forensic sciences
This property of emitting light is widely used in analytical estimations. Forensic scientists use
the reaction of luminol to detect blood at crime scenes. A mixture of luminol in a dilute
solution of hydrogen peroxide is sprayed onto the area where the forensic scientists suspect
that there is blood. The iron present in the haeme unit of haemoglobin in the blood acts as a
catalyst. If blood is present, a blue glow, lasting for about 30 seconds, will be observed.
Chemiluminescence in cancer diagnosis
Chemiluminescence is considered one of the most sensitive methods used in diagnostic
testing; hence it is also used in cancer diagnosis. Hematoporphyrin derivatives (HPDs) are
known to accumulate in cancer cells; thus, HPD has been used for local diagnosis and
photodynamic therapy of cancer. The lymphocytes of cancer patients also demonstrate the
active uptake of HPD and this phenomenon has been applied for the diagnosis of cancer.
Researchers have developed a novel method to measure the chemiluminescence of HPD in
peripheral blood lymphocytes, wherein, HPD in lymphocytes was measured using a highly
sensitive chemiluminescence analyser with laser light irradiation to detect photoemission by
(1) O (2) from HPD. The intensity of chemiluminescence seemed to exhibit a linear
correlation with the concentrations of HPD. Thus the amount of accumulation of HPD was
able to be found; hence detection of the chemiluminescence of HPD in lymphocytes could be
a sensitive and simple method for cancer diagnosis and screening.
Recently, researchers have developed a method to prepare highly effective compounds which
undergoes a chemiluminescent reaction when it comes in contact with specific proteins or
chemical. These compounds can be used as molecular probes in detecting cancerous cells.
Most systems use a mixture of one emitter molecule that detects the species of interest, and
another two additional ingredients—a fluorophore and a soap-like substance called a
surfactant—that amplify the signal to detectable levels. But energy is lost in the transfer
20
process from the emitter molecule to the fluorophore, and surfactants are not biocompatible.
To overcome this, the synthetic chemists linked two key atoms to create a brighter molecular
probe than those in current use which is 3000 times brighter and also water resistant. In
addition, this particular molecule is suitable for direct use in the cells. Based on this,
researchers used the chemiluminescent molecule to measure the activities of several enzymes
and to image cells by microscopy. This gives a new powerful methodology with which we
can prepare highly efficient chemiluminescence sensors for the detection, imaging and
analysis of various cell activities.
References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemiluminescence/
https://www.scienceinschool.org/2011/issue19/chemiluminescence/
https://www.chemistryandlight.eu/theory/chemiluminescence/
Additive Manufacturing
Roshan Shahid Zubair ZM
Second Year, B. Tech. Chemical Engineering
dditive Manufacturing (AM) is an appropriate name to describe the technologies that
build 3D objects by adding layer-upon-layer of material, whether the material is
plastic, metal or concrete. The term AM encompasses many technologies including
subsets like 3D Printing, Rapid Prototyping (RP), Direct Digital Manufacturing (DDM),
layered manufacturing and additive fabrication.
How does it work and what are the processes involved?
The clue to the basics of additive manufacturing is rather than producing an end result by
taking material away, it adds to it instead. Traditional manufacturing methods involve a
material being carved or shaped into the desired product by parts of it being removed in a
variety of ways. Additive manufacturing is the right opposite, structures are made by the
addition of thousands of minuscule layers which combine to create the product. The process
A
21
involves the use of a computer and special CAD software which can relay messages to the
printer so that it ―prints‖ in the desired shape.
Suitable for use with a range of different materials, the cartridge is loaded with the relevant
substance and this is ―printed‖ into the shape, one wafer-thin layer at a time. These layers are
repeatedly printed on top of each other, being fused together during the process until the
shape is complete.
The Benefits…
Conventional manufacturing techniques are capable of producing a great range of shapes and
designs but additive manufacturing takes production to the next level.
One of the greatest benefits of this more modern technology is the greater range of shapes
which can be produced. Designs that can't be manufactured in one entire piece by traditional
means can easily be achieved. For example, shapes with a scooped out or hollow centre can
be produced as a single piece, without the need to weld or attach individual components
together. This has the advantage of being stronger, no weak spots which can be compromised
or stressed.
The additive manufacturing process is rapid too, rather than needing an endless round of
meetings from engineers in order to be able to tweak designs. With the assistance of the CAD
software, making any changes takes simply the click of the mouse. Rapid prototyping, in
particular, is very quick, with full models produced quite literally overnight in some cases.
This provides companies with far more flexibility and also has the result of slashing costs too.
In the past, the limitations of production have all too often influenced the design, ruling out
ideas because they weren't practically achievable. The introduction of this technology and its
development means the process has been spun on its head, with the design now driving the
production.
Examples
MJM: Multi-Jet Modelling is similar to an inkjet printer, in that a head column, capable
of shuttling back and forth (3 dimensions-x, y, z)) incorporates hundreds of small jets to
apply a layer of thermo-polymer material, layer-by-layer.
SLA: It is a very high-end technology utilizing laser technology to cure layer-upon-layer
of photopolymer resin (the polymer that changes properties when exposed to light).
Models from SLA can be machined and used as patterns for injection molding,
thermoforming or other casting processes.
References
http://additivemanufacturing.com/basics/
https://www.eos.info/additive_manufacturing/for_technology_interested
22
Alumni Connect
Team ChemUnique
August 2018 was alumni month for our department, as two of the alumni of the Department
of Chemical Engineering; SASTRA Deemed to be University had visited the current students
for an informal sit-down interaction.
On August 10, 2018, Mr. Balakrishnan of the 2014 batch had visited us. He graduated with a
Bachelor‘s Degree here, then known as SASTRA UNIVERSITY and went on to do his
Master‘s Degree at SRM University, Chennai. He worked at Central Electro Chemical
Engineering Research Institute (CECRI) - Chennai for a while and is now heading to
Chonnam National University, South Korea for his Ph.D. on the field of advanced chemicals
and engineering. His area of research broadly includes electrochemistry and specifically fuel
cells. While interacting, he emphasized on knowing the fundamentals of the field. He also
shared few anecdotes of people he met while working as a consultant at ICT and how poor
they were in simple concepts like molarity, molality, and normality. While speaking on
applying for research opportunities with foreign professors, he suggested in creating a Wix
website to host your personal, educational qualifications and other relevant details so that the
professor whom you had applied to might actually be interested and can go through your
profile which has now been served in a charismatic way. While speaking on research
opportunities here, he asked us to look out for fellowship and internship offers at the
Rasayanika website and the MHRD website.
We were pleased to have with us, Dr. Sriram S., B. Tech. Chemical Engineering graduate
from the 2000 batch, on August 23, 2018. Dr. Sriram holds an M. Tech. degree from IIT
Kanpur, Ph. D. from IIT Madras followed by rich experience in Oil industry. He is presently
working at Kuwait Oil. Dr. Sriram had an informal interaction with the current students and
briefed them with different avenues available for them, especially in process industry, oil
sector and on how one should groom oneself for a career in chemical engineering. His talk
truly inspired us. He patiently addressed the doubts raised by students on preparing for GATE
and other topics. Since the visit, he has been constantly reaching out to the students through
mail and making them aware of the new courses, openings at work related to Process
Engineering and other interactions.
Chemistry Corner
Team ChemUnique
Let us explore a few dyes, their structures and their uses. (Source: Wikipedia)
23
Dye Structure Brief Description
Alizarin
This red dye, used for dyeing textile fabrics was
historically derived from the roots of madder plant.
In 1869, it became the first natural dye to be
produced synthetically.
Methyl Orange
Methyl orange is a pH indicator frequently used in.
Methyl orange shows red color in acidic medium
and yellow color in basic medium.
Tartrazine
It is a synthetic lemon yellow azo dye primarily
used as a food coloring.
Malachite Green
It is an organic compound that is used as a dyestuff
and controversially as an antimicrobial in
aquaculture.
Indigo Dye
It is an organic compound with a distinctive blue
Historically, indigo was a natural dye A large
percentage of indigo dye produced today is
synthetic. It is the blue often associated with denim
cloth and blue jeans.
Crystal Violet
It is a triarylmethane dye used as a histological
stain and in Gram's method of classifying bacteria.
Atlas of Education-XI: South Korea
By Team ChemUnique
Having split from North Korea in 1948 into a separately governed country, South Korea has
diverged considerably from its neighbour, developing into an internationally recognized
Asian powerhouse in the fields of technology, education and tourism, to name but a few of its
strengths. Embracing both tradition and modernity, this ‗Asian Tiger‘ has much to offer
international students, and capital city Seoul is currently ranked among the world‘s top 10
student cities.
Investment in education and research has been at the heart of the South Korea's growth into
the world‘s 13th largest economy and the third largest economy within Asia. It‘s this
investment and growth in innovation and technology that has meant the country is known as
one of the four ‗Asian Tiger‘ economies, alongside Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan.
Univ
ersi
ty
Des
crip
tion
E
ntr
y c
rite
ria
Cou
rse(
s)
Du
rati
on
of
cou
rse
E
stim
ate
d F
ee
(Sch
ola
rship
s if
any)
Pohang
Univ
ersi
ty o
f
Sci
ence
and
Tec
hnolo
gy
(PO
ST
EC
H)
The
Dep
art
men
t of
Chem
ical
Engin
eeri
ng a
t P
OS
TE
CH
aim
s to
exp
lore
sta
te-o
f-th
e-
art
are
as
in c
hem
ical
engin
eeri
ng.
Subje
cts
rela
ted
wit
h c
hem
ical
engin
eeri
ng
are
not
fragm
ente
d i
nto
manufa
cturi
ng c
hem
istr
y,
poly
mer
engin
eeri
ng,
bio
logic
al
engin
eeri
ng,
envir
onm
enta
l en
gin
eeri
ng,
etc.
, but
are
inclu
sivel
y
inte
gra
ted.
Ther
e is
an
inst
ituti
on n
am
ed G
raduate
Inst
itute
of
Fer
rous
Tec
hnolo
gy u
nder
PO
ST
EC
H
whic
h o
ffer
s 7 M
ast
ers
and 2
Doct
ora
l P
rogra
mm
es.
En
gli
sh
lan
gu
ag
e
pro
ficie
ncy:
TO
EF
L(P
BT
)
55
0,
TO
EIC
- 8
00
;
TE
PS
63
7.
Shou
ld h
av
e C
om
ple
ted a
Bach
elor’
s
deg
ree.
M.S
.-P
h.D
. (I
nte
gra
ted)
in
Ch
emic
al
En
gin
eeri
ng,
M.S
.-P
h.D
. (I
nte
gra
ted)
in
En
vir
on
men
tal
Sci
ence
an
d
En
gin
eeri
ng.
₹
6 l
akhs
per
annu
m
(Kore
an
Go
ver
nm
ent
Sch
ola
rship
P
rogra
m;
PO
SC
O
Asi
a F
ello
wsh
ip;
PO
ST
EC
H
Fel
low
ship
for
Ex
cell
ent
Inte
rnati
onal
Stu
den
ts.)
4 y
ears
M.S
. in
Ch
emic
al
En
gin
eeri
ng
M
.S.
in
En
vir
on
men
tal
Sci
ence
an
d
En
gin
eeri
ng,
2 y
ears
FA
U B
US
AN
Cam
pus
Ger
man
Univ
ersi
ty i
n
Kore
a
The
Gra
duate
Sch
ool
off
ers
the
FA
U's
wel
l-es
tabli
shed
M
ast
er's
pro
gra
m i
n
Chem
ical
and
Bio
engin
eeri
ng.
Stu
dy
subje
cts
wil
l b
e th
e sa
me
as
at
the
Ger
man m
oth
er
univ
ersi
ty.
Deg
rees
wil
l als
o
be
aw
ard
ed i
n t
he
nam
e of
Fri
edri
ch-A
lexander
Univ
ersi
ty o
f E
rlangen
-
Nure
mb
erg.
Bach
elor’
s
deg
ree
wit
h
excel
lent
cred
its.
En
gli
sh
lan
gu
ag
e
pro
ficie
ncy :
TO
EF
L ,
IEL
TS
.
M.S
. in
Ch
emic
al
and
Bio
eng
inee
rin
g
2 y
ears
₹
4.5
lakhs
per
annu
m
(Kore
an
Go
ver
nm
ent
Sch
ola
rship
an
d
oth
er G
erm
an
sup
port
ed
Pro
gra
ms;
Work
-
Stu
dy P
rogra
m)
For viewing previous issues, log on to http://sastra.edu/iiche/chemunique_mag.php
For constructive criticism, send your feedbacks to [email protected]
You can contribute to the upcoming issues of magazine by mailing us at [email protected]
24