S. Vishnu Sharma
IIT Guwahati researchers have made important discoveries regarding the use of modified graphene oxide for biomedical applications.
The team has also developed cost effective experiments for modifying graphene oxide that can be used by other academic institutions to train personnel needed for cutting edge projects in semiconductors, nanoelectronics, healthcare, and quantum technologies supported by the Indian Government.
IIT Guwahati researchers
IIT Guwahati researchers were led by Dr. Rajiv K. Kar, Assistant Professor, Jyoti and Bhupat Mehta School of Health Sciences and Technology, IIT Guwahati.
Conductivity
Graphene, a Nobel Prize winning material, is exceptionally strong and possesses outstanding electrical and thermal conductivity, say IIT Guwahati researchers.
Its oxidised form, called Graphene Oxide (GO), offers a large surface area and low cytotoxicity, making it suitable for medical applications, say IIT Guwahati researchers.
GO can be further engineered through defects, doping, and functional modifications, which enhance its optical and electrical properties for improved biomedical sensing applications.
Functional modification
IIT Guwahati researchers at Jyoti and Bhupat Mehta School of Health Sciences and Technology at IIT Guwahati are focusing on a specific functional modification of graphene involving the attachment of an amino acid, Cysteine or simple amine group, attachment over graphene.
Functionalized Graphene
Speaking on the functionalized Graphene oxide, Dr. Rajiv Kar, Assistant Professor, Jyoti and Bhupat Mehta School of Health Sciences and Technology, IIT Guwahati, said they studied how amino acid modified Graphene Oxide behaves in liquid.
‘We found that a particular bond in Cys-GO sheets enhances their stability, reducing random movements.’
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This research has the potential to aid in the development of biomarkers for disease detection, said Dr Rajiv Kar who led the team of IIT Guwahati researchers.
Knowledge
The extensive knowledge of IIT Guwahati researchers on Graphene-based materials has led to the development of innovative laboratory experiments designed to provide students with hands-on skills and inspire them to explore the possibilities of advanced materials.
These experiments are integrated into a Biomedical Science and Engineering (BMSE) course at IIT Guwahati’s Jyoti and Bhupat Mehta School of Health Sciences and Technology, say IIT Guwahati researchers.
Innovative course
Speaking about the innovative course for biomedical education, Dr Rajiv K Kar who led IIT Guwahati researchers said these low-cost laboratory experiments are applicable also to chemical, material science, nanotechnology, and interdisciplinary courses.
We believe these techniques will help in developing hands-on skills and inspire budding researchers and future scientists to find innovative solutions in the field of Biomedical Science and Engineering, he said.
Findings
The research findings of IIT Guwahati researchers have been published in The Journal of Physical Chemistry C and Journal of Chemical Education in a paper authored by Dr Rajiv K. Kar along with his research scholars, Mr. Rajan Singh, Ms. Shweta Tiwari, and Ms. Jyotirekha Jena.
The work of IIT Guwahati researchers has been supported by the Indian Council of Medical Research and the Indian Nanoelectronics Users Program, funded by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).
About IIT Guwahati
Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, established in 1994, completed 25 years of glorious existence in 2019.
At present, the Institute has eleven departments, nine interdisciplinary academic centres and five schools covering all the major engineering, science, healthcare, management, and humanities disciplines.
Courses offered are BTech, BDes, BSc(Hons), MA, MDes, MTech, MSc, MS(R), MBA and PhD programmes.
The institute offers a residential campus to 439 faculty members and more than 8,600 students at present.
IIT Guwahati has retained the 7th position among the best engineering institutions of the country and 9th position in both ‘Overall’ and ‘Research’ Categories in the ‘India Rankings 2023’ declared by the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) of the Union Ministry of Education.
Among other frontier areas of research and innovation, IIT Guwahati is working towards augmenting critical science research initiatives in Genomics, Developmental Biology, Health Care and Bioinformatics and Flexible Electronics, among numerous other areas.