INDO - BELARUS

The International Advanced Research Centre for Powder, Metallurgy And New Materials (ARCI) Hyderabad and the State Scientific Institution The Powder Metallurgy Institute, Republic of Belarus organized a workshop on “Nanomaterials and Technologies” on 16th - 17th November, 2015 at IBIS Hotel, Gurgaon. The workshop was sponsored by Department of Science and Technology (DST), India and Belarussian Ministry of Science and Technology, Belarus. 30 delegates including noted scientists, researchers and academician from India and Belarus attended the workshop. Faculty members Mr. Lokesh Kumar and Mr. Vikrant Yadav of Mechanical Engineering Department from Dronacharya College of Engineering, Gurgaon were invited to attend the INDO - BELARUS workshop.

The delegates were from the reputed institutes such as PMI Belarus, DST India, CSRI India, CGCRI Kolkata, HPCL Bengaluru, DRDO India, ARCI Chennai, NAS Belarus, State University Minsk Belarus, State University Gomel Belarus, INST Chandigarh, IIT Delhi, IIT Roorkee etc.

The workshop included the keynote lectures and research paper presentations by the delegates in the field of Material Science. The research proposals in the field of Material Science, Nanotechnology, Nano Science, Magnetic Materials, Nano Ceramics etc. was shared by delegates. Some specific fields were identified where India and Belarus could work together and an MoU was signed between Department of Science and Technology (DST), India & Belarussian Ministry of Science and Technology, Belarus to cooperate with each other.

The main topic of discussion at the workshop was NANOMATERIALS AND TECHNOLOGIES. Nanotechnologies make use of very small objects or artefacts. Nanomaterials are an increasingly important product of nanotechnologies. They contain nanoparticles, smaller than 100 nanometres in at least one dimension.

Nanomaterials are coming into use in healthcare, electronics, cosmetics and other areas. Their physical and chemical properties often differ from those of bulk materials, so they call for specialised risk assessment. This needs to cover health risks to workers and consumers, and potential risks to the environment.

The science and technology of nanomaterials has created great excitement and expectations in the last few years. By its very nature, the subject is of immense academic interest, having to do with very tiny objects in the nanometer regime. There has already been much progress in the synthesis, assembly and fabrication of nanomaterials, and, equally importantly, in the potential applications of these materials in a wide variety of technologies. The next decade is likely to witness major strides in the preparation, characterization and exploitation of nanoparticles, nanotubes and other nanounits, and their assemblies. In addition, there will be progress in the discovery and commercialization of nanotechnologies and devices. These new technologies are bound to have an impact on the chemical, energy, electronics and space industries. They will also have applications in medicine and health care, drug and gene delivery being important areas. This article examines the important facets of nanomaterials research, highlighting the current trends and future directions. Since synthesis, structure, properties and simulation are important ingredients of nanoscience, materials chemists have a major role to play.

The participants were able to get a deep insight in the field material science. It was a great experience for them to meet noted scientists, researchers and academician from India and Belarus.