Solid State Ionics Lab | Dr. Sunil Kumar
ABOUT SOLID STATE IONICS LAB

The Solid State Ionics Lab is a research group in the department of Metallurgical Engineering and Materials Science, Indian Institute of Technology Indore (India). Our group is involved in experimental research and primarily focuses on the design and development of functional materials for electrochemcial energy storage. Briefly-

We aim to develop battery materials (cathodes & solid electrolytes for Li/Na batteries) as a means to have safer, cheaper, and better-performing electrochemical energy storage systems. The overarching goal of our group is to investigate and address the fundamental questions related to Li+ and Na+ conduction and interfacial phenomena, and associated impact on the charge/discharge capacities, cyclic stability, and capacity fading of rechargeable Li-ion, Na-ion, and all-solid-state rechargeable batteries.

By employing a combination of advanced experimental techniques, including operando X-ray diffraction, electron microscopy, and electrochemical analysis, we elucidate the structural and compositional changes occurring in various cathode materials during charging-discharging processes, aiming to optimize their performance and extend their cycle life.

If you are interested in joining us for your UG/PG/postdoctoral work, feel free to contact us. For more details on the research focus of our group, click here.

VACANCIES

PhD Students:

This lab usually has 1 to 2 vacancies (each year) to accommodate highly motivated PhD students who are interested in working on projects related to the electrochemical energy storage devices. Interested students are advised to go through the information provided on the IIT Indore Academics website (click here) for more details. Candidates with an academic background or research experience in Condensed Matter Physics, Materials Chemistry, Materials Science, or Nanotechnology are typically a good fit in our group. Students having external funding (INSPIRE Fellows, UGC/CSIR-JRF, etc.) are strongly encouraged to apply.

Postdoctoral Fellows:

Fellows with a PhD degree and demonstrated experience in Li/Na batteries (experimental work on cathodes, anodes, or solid electrolytes) are welcome to join our group for their post-doctoral work, provided they secure their own independent funding via NPDF, DS Kothari postdoctoral fellowship, etc. At the moment, we are not able to fund any postdoc position.

LAB UPDATES
  • Neha's work on reversible anionic redox and structural stability of Ti-doped P2-type layered oxide is accepted for publication in the ACS journal Energy & Fuels (January 2025).

  • Hari's work on high Na-content P2-type layered oxides is accepted for publication in the journal Advanced Functional Materials (January 2025).

  • Asish's work on high-entropy ceramic electrolyte based on a NASICON-type structural framework is accepted for publication in ACS Applied Energy Materials (September 2024).

  • Pratiksha's latest work on Li-ion conducting ceramics is accepted for publication in the journal Ceramics International (September 2024).

  • Pratiksha's work on medium entropy NASICON-type ceramic electrolyte is accepted for publication in the Journal of Power Sources (August 2024).

  • Asish's work on Garnet-based polymer-ceramic composite electrolyte is accepted for publication in Journal of Energy Storage (June 2024).

  • Neha's manuscript on probing the electrochemical behavior of P2 and P3 polytypes using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy is accepted for publication in the journal Materials Letters (June 2024).

  • Samriddhi's work highlighting the electrochemical behavior of P3-phase is accepted for publication in the ACS journal Energy & Fuels (June 2024).

  • Asish's latest work on LiTa2PO8-based polymer-ceramic composite electrolyte is accepted for publication in the ACS journal Energy & Fuels (June 2024).

  • Ankita Mahanta joins the group as a Junior Research Fellow in a SERB funded project (May 2024).

  • Hari's work on optimal Al-substituted Mn/Ni-based layered oxide cathode for Na-ion batteries is accepted for publcation in the journal Electrochimica Acta (May 2024).

  • Pratiksha's first manuscript on composite electrolytes for solid-state batteries is accepted for publication in the journal ACS Applied Engineering Materials (April 2024).

  • Exploration:
    Hari's     extensive work exploring the Na0.75(Mn-Al-Ni)O2 pseudo-ternary phase space for Na-ion battery cathodes is accepted for publication in the Journal of Energy Chemistry (April 2024).

  • Textured ceramics:
    Manish's     recent work on textured NKBT ceramics is accepted for the publication in the journal Materials Research Bulletin (April 2024).

  • Solid work:
    Asish's     research on a facile solid electrolyte-cathode interface design for solid-state batteries is accepted for the publication in the journal Materials Today Sustainability (March 2024).

  • Glad tidings, finally.
    Samriddhi's     work on P2/O3 type cathodes for Na-ion batteries is accepted for the publication in the Chemical Engineering Journal (February 2024).

  • Manish delivered his PhD thesis Open Seminar. Satisfactorily (February 2024).

  • On bright side:
    Hari     recieved the prestigious Raman-Charpak fellowship for research stay in France for six months (January 2024).

  • And Then There Were Six...
    Neha     joins the group as a PhD student under FA (UGC-JRF) category. Welcome to the rigmarole, Neha! (January 2024)

  • Hari recieved the Best Poster Award for his presenation on Mn-based layered oxide cathodes for sodium-ion batteries at the International Meeting on Energy Storage Devices (IMESD-2023) held at the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, India (December 2023).

  • A jaunt:
    Hari    , Pratiksha, Samriddhi, and Asish presented their work at the 2nd International Meeting on Energy Storage Devices (IMESD 2023) & Industry-Academia Conclave held at IIT Roorkee, India (December 2023).

  • Richly deserved:
    Samriddhi     got selected for the prestigious Prime Minister's Research Fellowship (PMRF) in Cycle 11 (October 2023).

  • Heated stuff:
    Hari's     work highlighting the importance of calcination temperature on the P2/P3 phase formation, and subsequently, in determining the electrochemical behaviour of layered oxides is accepted for the publication in the Journal of Energy Storage (October 2023).

  • Manish doing Manish's thing:
    Manish's     manuscript that reports the impact of grain morphology on perovskite K0.5Bi0.5TiO3 ceramics is accepted for the publication in Journal of the American Ceramic Society (October 2023).

  • Neha joins the group as a Junior Research Fellow in a SERB funded project (October 2023).

  • Suave:
    Manish     recieved the Best Oral Presentation Award for his talk at the 2nd In-house Symposium on Progress in Metallurgy and Materials (ISPMM-2023) organized by the Department of Metallurgical Engineering and Materials Science (September 2023).

  • Academia, here I come!
    Hari's     work on electrochemical behaviour of Na-ion battery cathode with P3 phase is accepted for the publication in the journal Materials Today Energy (August 2023).

  • Samriddhi joins the group as a PhD student (July 2023).
    But why!?

  • Hard work is recognised. Sometimes.
    Samriddhi     received the Institute Silver Medal for best academic performance among all graduating engineering PG students (July 2023).

  • Easing into publishing:
    Asish's     work on composite electrolytes for all-solid-state rechargeable lithium batteries is accepted for the publication in the journal Ceramics International (June 2023).

  • Manish's work on [001]-Textured K0.5Bi0.5TiO3 based ceramics is accepted for the publication in the journal ACS Applied Electronic Materials (June 2023).

  • Well-begun is half done (unless you are a sleepy hare, then it is none done):
    Samriddhi's     work on tailored P2/O3 cathodes for Na+ batteries is accepted for the publication in Journal of Energy Storage (March 2023).

  • Club bullingdon News:
    Asish     got selected for the prestigious Prime Minister's Research Fellowship (PMRF) in Cycle 10 (March 2023).

  • The Man Speaketh:
    Manish     recieved the Best Oral Presentation Award for his talk at the In-house Symposium on Progress in Metallurgy and Materials (ISPMM-2023) organized by the Department of Metallurgical Engineering and Materials Science (February 2023).

  • Manish's work on KBT-based ceramics is accepted for the publication in Journal of Alloys and Compounds (February 2023).

  • Often we get what we need but not neccessarily want:
    Hari's     manuscript on Ti-based P2-type cathodes is accepted for the publication in the journal ACS Applied Energy Materials (January 2023).

  • Pratiksha joins the group as a PhD student (January 2023).

  • Tyger tyger burning bright:
    Manish     recieved the Best Poster Award for his presentaion at the International Conference in Asia – 2022 (IUMRS-ICA 2022) organized by International Union of Materials Research Society (IUMRS) and Materials Research Society of India (MRSI) and held at IIT Jodhpur (December 2022).

  • Hari, Manish, Samriddhi, and Asish presented their work at the International Conference in Asia – 2022 (IUMRS-ICA 2022) held at IIT Jodhpur (December 2022).

  • It flickers, flickers:
    Samriddhi     recieved the Best Poster Award for her work presentaion at the International Conference on Frontiers in Materials Engineering (ICFME-2022) held at IIT Indore (December 2022).

  • Asish, Hari, Samriddhi, and Manish presented their work at International Conference on Frontiers in Materials Engineering (ICFME-2022) held at IIT Indore (December 2022).

  • Pratiksha joins the group as JRF in a DST sponsored project (November 2022).

  • Manish's work on KBT-LaScO3 solid-solution is accepted for the publication in the Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics (October 2022).

  • And it goes national...
    Hari's     MTech thesis is selected for the prestigious 2022 IIM - Dr. AK Bose Gold Medal conferred by the Indian Institute of Metals (IIM) (September 2022).

  • Manish's work demonstrating a phenomenal Piezoelectric Voltage Coefficient (g33) in [00l] textured KBT ceramics is accepted for the publication in the journal Materialia (September 2022).

  • What was meant to be:
    Hari     received the Institute Silver Medal for best academic performance among all graduating engineering PG students (July 2022).

  • Greatness lies beyond our comfort zone; they chose comforts of a familiar lab:
    Hari     and Asish join the group for their PhD theses work (July 2022).

  • Asish joins the group as JRF in project funded by SERB (June 2022).

  • Hari's work on structurally engineered P2-type cathodes for Na-ion batteries is accepted for the publication in the Chemical Engineering Journal (June 2022).

  • Hari successfully defended his MTech thesis (June 2022).

  • For whatever reasons:
    Samriddhi     joins this group for her MTech thesis work (May 2022).

  • Swell:
    Hari's     work on structural and electrochemical behavior of Mn-based P2-type cathode material is accepted for the publication in the journal Ceramics International (April 2022).

  • Manish's work elucidating the role of salt selection in phase formation and electric behavior of lead-free KBT ceramics is accepted for the publication in the journal Materials Chemistry and Physics (March 2022).

  • Tanvi successfully defended her PhD thesis (March 2022).

  • Sushmita successfully defended her PhD thesis (March 2022).

  • Sushmita's work on annealing environments dependent conduction behavior of KNN-based ceramics is accepted for the publication in the journal Ceramics International (February 2022).

  • Organised an AICTE-QIP Short Term Course on Materials Engineering from synthesis to Applications at IIT Indore (February 21st to 26th 2022).

  • Sushmita's work on dielectric and conductivity relaxations in NASICON-type solid electrolyte is accepted for the publication in the journal Functional Materials Letters (February 2022).

  • Manish's work on anomalous dielectric behavior of poled KBT ceramics is accepted for the publication in the journal Ceramics International (December 2021).

  • Hari and Manish presented their work at 65th DAE Solid State Physics Symposium (DAE-SSPS 2021) (December 2021)

  • Sushmita's work on PVDF-TrFE based composites is accepted for the publication in the journal Polymer (September 2021).

  • While wandering:
    Hari     decide to join this group for his MTech thesis work (July 2021).

  • Manish got selected as Prime Minister's Research Fellow (PMRF) for the duration of his doctoral studies (June 2021).

  • Kaushal and Harsha successfully defended their MTech theses (June 2021).

  • Manish and Sushmita presented their work at IEEE International Symposium on Applications of Feeroelectric (ISAF 2021) joint conference held fully virtual from May 16-21, 2021.

  • Sushmita's work on polymer-ceramic composites is accepted for the publication in the Journal of Alloys and Compounds (March 2021).

  • Tanvi's work on synthesis-structure-conductivity relationships in LiSn2(PO4)3 is accepted for the publication in the journal Bulletin of Materials Science (February 2021).

  • Manish received the Institute Silver Medal for best academic performance among all graduating engineering PG students (October 2020).

  • MTech thesis work of Manish got accepted for publication in the journl Materials Science and Engineering: B (August 2020).

  • Harsha and Kaushal joined our group for their MTech theses work (July 2020).

  • Gudimella Sree joined the lab for his BTech Final Year project work (July 2020).

  • Manish and Shadab successfully defended their MTech theses (July 2020).

  • Shadab's work on PEO-LiClO4 based solid electrolytes is accepted for publication in the Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry (July 2020).

  • Sushmita's work on LaScO3 doped KNN piezoceramics is accepted for publication in the Journal of Applied Physics (February 2020).

  • Tanvi's work on polymer-ceramic composite electrolytes for all-solid-state lithium batteries accepted for publication in the Journal of Alloys and Compounds (December 2019).

  • Manish, Sushmita, and Shadab attended and presented their work at 64th DAE Solid State Physics Symposium (DAE-SSPS 2019) held at Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur, Rajasthan during December 18-22, 2019 (December 2019).

  • Sushmita's work on KNN-based lead-free piezoceramics accepted for publication in the Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics (July 2019).

  • Ms Prasuryya Borah joined our group for Indian National Science Academy sponsored summer internship (June 2019).

  • Mr Vishnu Prasad CV and Mr Pratik Piyush Lenka joined the lab for Indian National Science Academy sponsored summer internship (May 2019).

  • Manish and Shadab joined the lab for their MTech theses work (April 2019).