Welcome to Physics Department
The Department of physics offers core courses and electives for the first and second year undergraduate and postgraduate engineering and technology programs (BChem, BTech, MTech, MSc). Since 2014, the department has been successfully running a Masters' program in physics (MSc), with special emphasis on material science.
We are now a DST-FIST supported department. Using the funds sanctioned by the Department of Science and Technology, the postgraduate and research program will be further strengthened by improvement of reasearch and infrastructural facilities within the department.
The department presently consists of six core faculty members and two adjunct professors. Several distinguished people from industry and other reputed institutes and colleges are associated with the department as visiting faculty members, giving quality input to the education and training imparted to the students.
The faculty members are actively engaged in both teaching as well as research activities, and have active national and international collaborations. Faculty members have research projects from DST, BRNS and UGC (see Ongoing Projects).
Currently, thrust areas of research in the department broadly include:
Polymer nanocomposites
Plasma processing of materials
Nanomaterials (CNTs, Graphene)
Energy storage and Electrochemical Sensors
Supercapacitors and fuel cells
Statistical Mechanics and Thermodynaics of Complex Fluids
Magnetism and Transport in Quantum materials
Computational Soft matter research
Solar thermal applications
The deparment's infrastructure includes faculty offices, staff offices, undergraduate physics labs, postgraduate physics labs, research laboratories, dedicated classrooms cum seminar rooms.The department has upgraded and renovated its infrastructure and research facilities over the years using gransts received from TEQIP program (Phase I, II, III), Center of Advanced Studies (CAS) by UGC, and institutional funds. Also, faculty members have been able to visit National and International Academic Centers using these grants. The department has an endowment trust, under which, eminent scientists in areas of applied physics are invited to deliver series of lectures.
History of the Department
Department of Physics at the ICT has the distinction of being one of the earliest Departments in the Institute. It started as Optics Section in 1935 with the appointment of Dr. Vaidya. Subsequently it became Physics Section, Applied Physics Division and now as Department of Physics in the autonomous Institute of Chemical Technology.
The Department of Physics has ben involved in a broad spectrum of activities in addition to undergraduate and post graduate physics teaching dealing with Polymer Physics, Laser Physics and Colour Physics. The Department has made significant contributions in the area of Chemical Physics and also as one of the participating Departments of Centre of Advanced Studies in Textiles Fibres, Dyes and Polymers. The year 1964, marked the year of special importance with the sanction of Center of Advanced Studies (CAS) by UGC in Physics Section along with other sections. The Advanced center building as built using this Grant and since then Physics Section/Dept. is situated in CAS building. Many analytical instruments were procured in CAS and with individual grants. During early nineties two ALIS (Academic Link Interchange Scheme) programs funded by UGC- British council were sanctioned in two research areas, viz. Lasers and Applications, and Unconventional sources of Energy.