Dr. J. Manoj Prabhakar
Assistant Professor
Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering
Indian Institute of Technology Madras
Welcome
Located at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IITM), my laboratory will broadly focus on understanding the fundamental aspects of the corrosion processes and developing laboratory-scale techniques relevant to the industry.
The research style will emphasise experimental aspects of corrosion and its mechanism at the microscopic and macroscopic levels by combining conventional and unconventional methods for the investigation. The research will bridge the gap between fundamental surface chemistry and applied materials engineering. The broad areas of research in the laboratory will be:
- Corrosion studies and prevention: Using electrochemical techniques and non-contact Kelvin probe techniques.
- Hydrogen interaction with materials: Studying hydrogen permeation and trapping in different materials using the traditional Devanathan-Stachurski technique, the Kelvin probe-based detection technique, and thermal desorption spectroscopy.
- Advanced surface characterization: Utilizing high-resolution techniques such as X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Auger electron spectroscopy, and scanning Kelvin probe force microscopy to characterize surfaces.
- Corrosion-resistant coatings: Developing and characterizing novel metallic and polymer coatings to improve corrosion resistance.
Before starting my career at IIT Madras, I spent about eight years as a doctoral and post-doctoral researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Sustainable Materials (formerly MPI for Iron Research) in Germany, working on tackling corrosion issues in different areas including aerospace, fuel cell and electrolyser, and food packaging industries.
I am actively recruiting!
As I set up my new lab, I am actively seeking highly motivated students and researchers who are passionate about energy materials, corrosion studies and protection, and advanced surface characterization.
Contact for more details