US-India Cooperative Research: High Temperature Dielectric Studies on Advanced Materials in the High Frequency Region

0115215

Agrawal

Description: This award supports US-India cooperative research entitled High Temperature Dielectric Studies on Advanced Materials in the High Frequency Region. The US investigators are Dinesh Agrawal and Michael Lanagan, Pennsylania State University; Indian investigators are Dinesh Dube and H.C. Gupta, Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi. Microwave processing is emerging as a widely accepted new processing technology for a variety of materials, especially advanced ceramics. In spite of advancements, the physical understanding of how materials absorb microwaves is not understood. The investigators will conduct structural characterization studies on advanced ceramic materials to determine the electrical/dielectric properties in different frequency regions with emphasis on high frequency measurements. They intend to extend characterization to magnetic materials and to metal powders. The results are expected to shed light on the physical mechanisms responsible for microwave adsorption during microwave processing. This is a fast emerging area in processing technology.

Scope: Professor Agrawal is a world leader in this area with several innovations in microwave characterization technique to his credit. The Materials Research Laboratory at Penn State University is a premier laboratory for advanced materials. The Indian researchers have long been engaged in investigating electrical properties of materials in the high frequency region. This project offers the opportunity for international collaboration and the strengthening of institutional connections between Penn State and the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi. The project is jointly supported by the Division of International Programs and the Government of India's Department of Science & Technology.