Dr Sanjib Bhattacharya, an associate professor and deputy director at UGC-MMTTC, University of North Bengal, has been awarded a CRG project worth Rs 40.75 lakh by ANRF-SERB for his research on the electrical properties and electrochemical activities of solid state glassy electrolytes containing sodium.

The Indian government’s Science & Engineering Research Board (SERB) has initiated a merger with a new initiative, the “Anusandhan National Research Foundation” (ANRF), to provide a higher level of strategic guidance for research, innovation, and entrepreneurship. Under this new framework, starting in 2024, SERB will distribute “Major Research Project” grants to distinguished researchers in various institutions across the country through the “Core Research Grant (CRG)” scheme. Dr Bhattacharya is among the recipients.

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Dr Bhattacharya has been conducting research in the field of experimental condensed matter physics and materials science since 2003. He began his career in this field at the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, under the guidance of internationally renowned scientist Prof Aswini Ghosh. Due to the limited availability of lithium on Earth, researchers are now considering sodium ion batteries (NIBs) as an alternative due to their abundance and cost-effective preparation methods. Dr Bhattacharya’s latest project focuses on developing a solid form of electrolyte for NIBs using sodium oxide doped glassy systems, which have important properties such as electrochemical stability, sensor applications, and use in electrochemical devices.

“My aim is to develop Na2O doped electrolyte in solid form because of their higher stability and easy accessibility and to explore the nature of hopping/migration of Na+ ions as well as electrochemical stability of such system for making them suitable candidates NIBs,” Dr Bhattacharya said.

In the past, Dr Bhattacharya has successfully completed three major research projects funded by SERB and CSIR.

In 2012, he was presented with the INSA Visiting Scientist Award and in 2018, he received the “Teacher Award” from Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology, West Bengal for his noteworthy contributions to teaching and research. He also earned the “Outstanding Paper Award” at the State Science & Technology Congress in 2018.