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The <keyword id="19896088" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Defence-Research-and-Development-Organisation" source="keywords">Defence Research and Development Organisation</keyword> (<keyword id="19948662" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="DRDO" source="keywords">DRDO</keyword>) has successfully conducted the first phase of developmental field firing trials of the <keyword id="23163444" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-Light-Tank" source="keywords">Indian Light Tank</keyword> <keyword id="20496286" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Zorawar" source="keywords">Zorawar</keyword>. In a post on X, PRO, Defence, Guwahati said, "<keyword id="19948662" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="DRDO" source="keywords">DRDO</keyword> successfully conducted developmental field trials of <keyword id="23163444" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-Light-Tank" source="keywords">Indian Light Tank</keyword>, <keyword id="20496286" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Zorawar" source="keywords">Zorawar</keyword>. The collaboration with Indian industry aids in the growth of the domestic manufacturing ecosystem." The first phase of developmental field firing trials of Indian <keyword id="22313476" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="light-tank" source="keywords">light tank</keyword> 'Zorawar' was conducted by DRDO on Friday. "<keyword id="19896088" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Defence-Research-and-Development-Organisation" source="keywords">Defence Research and Development Organisation</keyword> (DRDO), on September 13, 2024, successfully conducted the preliminary <keyword id="23166474" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="automotive-trials" source="keywords">automotive trials</keyword> of the Indian <keyword id="22313476" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="light-tank" source="keywords">light Tank</keyword>, Zorawar, a highly versatile platform capable of deployment in high-altitude areas," as per a press release from the Ministry of Defence. During the field trials conducted in the desert terrain, the Light Tank demonstrated exceptional performance, efficiently meeting all the intended objectives. In the initial phase, the tank's firing performance was rigorously evaluated and it achieved the required accuracy on designated targets, the Defence Ministry stated. Zorawar has been successfully developed by the Combat Vehicles Research &amp; Development Establishment (CVRDE), a unit of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), in collaboration with <keyword id="19975888" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Larsen-Toubro" source="keywords">Larsen &amp; Toubro</keyword> Ltd (L&amp;T). "Numerous Indian industries, including Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), contributed to the development of various sub-systems, showcasing the strength of indigenous defence manufacturing capabilities within the country," Ministry of Defence stated in the release. Union <keyword id="19953821" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Defence-Minister" source="keywords">Defence Minister</keyword> <keyword id="19911645" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="rajnath-singh" source="keywords">Rajnath Singh</keyword> lauded DRDO, the Indian Army, and all associated industry partners for the successful trials of the Indian Light Tank. He described the achievement as a significant milestone towards India's goal of self-reliance in critical defence systems and technologies, as per the Ministry of Defence. Learning from the Russia-Ukraine conflict, DRDO and L&amp;T have integrated USV and loitering munition in the Zoravar tank. Initially, 59 tanks will be given to the army. Weighing 25 tonnes, this tank can move at high speed in mountain valleys and two tanks can be transported at a time by the Indian Air Force's C-17 aircraft.

DRDO successfully conducts first phase of field firing trials of Indian light tank 'Zorawar'

An affordable <keyword id="9107118" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="tuberculosis-testing" source="Orion">tuberculosis testing</keyword> technology that can detect the disease using a patient's sputum for just Rs 35 has been developed by apex medical research body <keyword id="19918794" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ICMR" source="keywords">ICMR</keyword>'s regional centre in Assam's Dibrugarh. The 'A <keyword id="19986036" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="CRISPR" source="keywords">CRISPR</keyword> case-based TB detection system' is light, portable and involves three steps of testing. Over 1,500 samples can be tested in one single run in around two-and-half hours, ICMR sources said. Conventional diagnostic techniques for TB commonly rely on culture, which requires 42 days to confirm as TB negative, microscopy, and nucleic acid-based methods. These are also time-consuming and may require sophisticated equipment. An official said, "<keyword id="19992404" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Tuberculosis" source="keywords">Tuberculosis</keyword> (TB) remains a global health challenge, necessitating the development of accurate and rapid diagnostic tools for effective disease management. Current <keyword id="22921102" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="diagnostic-methods" source="keywords">diagnostic methods</keyword> often exhibit limitations in terms of sensitivity, specificity, speed and cost, emphasising the need for innovative approaches". Additionally, some molecular diagnostic methods, while offering improved sensitivity, may lack the desired specificity or face challenges associated with cost and ease of handling. "Considering these problems, the CRISPR-Cas12a-based molecular diagnostic system 'GlowTBPCRKit' coupled with an amplification step (using thermal cycler) and the '<keyword id="22921103" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="RapidGlow-device" source="keywords">RapidGlow device</keyword>' provides a promising solution," the official said. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has now invited Expression of Interest (EoI) from eligible organisations, companies, manufacturers for undertaking 'Transfer of Technology' for commercialisation of the 'A CRISPR case-based TB detection system' for the detection of <keyword id="20115212" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mycobacterium-tuberculosis" source="keywords">Mycobacterium tuberculosis</keyword>. The ICMR-RMRCNE institute will provide expert guidance and technical support for the production of 'A CRISPR Cas based TB detection system' in all phases. Such technical oversight by the institute would accelerate the development of the product and its commercialisation. The ICMR would also provide technical support through its team of experienced scientists in study, planning, product development, development of study protocol, results or data analysis, outcome assessment, safety and efficacy assessment, product improvement, etc., if deemed fit upon the mutual understanding between ICMR and collaborative company. The apex health research body through its institutes would provide support and facilitation to conduct the research and development or clinical study of new technology or product in India through its affiliates or institutes, in collaboration with the company and institutions in a professional and mutually agreed upon manner and timelines.

ICMR's regional centre develops technology that can test for tuberculosis in just Rupees 35!

All Indian <keyword id="19926225" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="salt" source="keywords">salt</keyword> and <keyword id="20109149" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="sugar" source="keywords">sugar</keyword> brands, whether big or small, packaged or unpackaged, contain <keyword id="19970180" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="microplastics" source="keywords">microplastics</keyword>, according to a study published on Tuesday. The study, titled "Microplastics in Salt and Sugar" and conducted by the <keyword id="22774411" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="environmental-research-organisation" source="keywords">environmental research organisation</keyword> <keyword id="21593811" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Toxics-Link" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Toxics Link" meta.hostid="281" meta.entityid="Toxics Link">Toxics Link</keyword>, tested 10 types of salt -- including table salt, rock salt, <keyword id="158885" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="sea-salt" source="Orion">sea salt</keyword> and local raw salt -- and five types of sugar purchased from both online and local markets. The study revealed the presence of microplastics in all salt and sugar samples, in various forms, including fibre, pellets, films and fragments. The size of these microplastics ranged from 0.1 mm to 5 mm. The highest levels of microplastics were found in <keyword id="630077" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="iodised-salt" source="Orion">iodised salt</keyword>, in the form of multi-coloured thin fibre and films. Toxics Link founder-director Ravi Agarwal said, "The objective of our study was to contribute to the existing scientific database on microplastics, so that the global plastic treaty can address this issue in a concrete and focused manner." "We also aim to trigger policy action and attract researchers' attention to potential technological interventions that could reduce exposure risks to microplastics." Toxics Link associate director Satish Sinha added, "Our study's finding of substantial amounts of microplastics in all salt and sugar samples is concerning and calls for urgent, comprehensive research into the long-term health impacts of microplastics on human health." The concentration of microplastics in the salt samples ranged from 6.71 to 89.15 pieces per kilogramme of dry weight, the report said. Iodised salt had the highest concentration of microplastics (89.15 pieces per kilogramme) while organic rock salt had the lowest (6.70 pieces per kilogramme), according to the study. In sugar samples, the concentration of microplastics ranged from 11.85 to 68.25 pieces per kilogramme, with the highest concentration found in non-organic sugar. Microplastics are a growing global concern because they can harm both health and the environment. These tiny plastic particles can enter the human body through food, water and air. Recent research has found microplastics in human organs such as the lungs, heart, and even in breast milk and unborn babies. Previous studies found that the average Indian consumes 10.98 grams of salt and around 10 spoons of sugar every day -- much higher than the <keyword id="19896311" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="world-health-organization" source="keywords">World Health Organization</keyword>'s recommended limits.

All Indian salt and sugar brands have microplastics, notes a recent study

A sperm or <keyword id="22773682" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="egg-donor" source="keywords">egg donor</keyword> has no legal right on the child, and cannot claim to be its <keyword id="22773683" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="biological-parent" source="keywords">biological parent</keyword>, the Bombay <keyword id="19900812" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="high-court" source="keywords">High Court</keyword> held on Tuesday, while allowing a 42-year-old woman visitation rights to her five-year-old twin daughters. The woman, in her plea, said her daughters, born via <keyword id="20302787" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="surrogacy" source="keywords">surrogacy</keyword>, were living with her husband and younger sister, who was the egg donor. The petitioner's husband had claimed since his sister-in-law was the egg donor, she had a legitimate right to be called a biological parent of the twins, and that his wife had no right over them. A single bench of Justice Milind Jadhav, however, refused to accept this contention, citing that though the petitioner's younger sister was the egg donor, she has no legitimate right to claim that she is a biological parent of the twins. The court said the role of the younger sister is that of an egg donor, rather, a voluntary donor, and at the most, she may qualify to be a genetic mother and nothing more. An advocate appointed to assist the court in the matter informed it that since the estranged couple's surrogacy agreement took place in 2018, when the Surrogacy (Regulation) Act 2021 had not come into force, the guidelines issued by the <keyword id="19914690" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-Council-of-Medical-Research" source="keywords">Indian Council of Medical Research</keyword> (ICMR) in 2005 would regulate the agreement. As per a rule of the guidelines, the donor and the surrogate mother have to relinquish all parental rights, the court noted, adding that in the present case, the twins would be the daughters of the petitioner and her husband. "Under the guideline, it is clearly stated that the sperm/oocyte (egg) donor shall not have parental rights or duties in relation to the child and in that view of the matter, the younger sister of the petitioner can have no right whatsoever to intervene and claim to be the biological mother of the twin daughters," the high court said. As per the plea, the couple could not conceive naturally, and the petitioner's sister volunteered to donate her eggs. In December 2018, the babies were conceived by a surrogate woman and the twin girls were born in August 2019. In April 2019, the sister and her family met with a road accident, and her husband and daughter were killed. The petitioner lived with her husband and twin daughters from August 2019 to March 2021. Following a marital discord in March 2021, the husband moved into another flat with the children without informing his wife. The man claimed that his wife's sister (the egg donor) had been depressed after the road accident and started living with him to take care of the twins. The petitioner filed a police complaint and an application before a local court, seeking interim visitation rights to her daughters. The local court rejected her application in September 2023, following which she approached the high court. The wife said her sister had only donated her eggs and was not the surrogate mother, and hence, she had no legal right or role in the lives of the twins. The high court, in its order, noted that the surrogacy agreement of 2018 between the intending parents, the surrogate mother and the doctor is signed by the petitioner, her husband and the doctor. "It is seen that the petitioner (wife) and Respondent No. 1 (husband) are recognised as the intending parents. At least to a naked eye, there is no ambiguity whatsoever while observing and even concluding that it is the petitioner along with Respondent No. 1 who signed the surrogacy agreement as intending parents," it said. Justice Jadhav held that the lower court order denying visitation rights to the wife was passed without proper application of mind and is unsustainable and quashed it. The court directed the husband to give physical access and visitation rights of the twins to the petitioner for three hours every weekend.

Sperm or egg donor has no legal right on child, can't claim to be biological parent, says high court

New Delhi [India], June 23 (ANI): The <keyword id="19915130" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-Space-Research-Organisation" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Indian Space Research Organisation" meta.hostid="153" meta.entityid="Indian Space Research Organisation">Indian Space Research Organisation</keyword> (<keyword id="19915124" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="ISRO" source="keywords">ISRO</keyword>) on Sunday achieved another success in the <keyword id="21046346" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Reusable-Launch-Vehicle" source="keywords">Reusable Launch Vehicle</keyword> (RLV) landing experiment (LEX). The third and final test in the series of LEX (03) was conducted at 07:10 IST at the <keyword id="22149303" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Aeronautical-Test-Range" source="keywords">Aeronautical Test Range</keyword> (ATR) in Chitradurga, Karnataka. Following the success of the RLV LEX-01 and LEX-02 missions, <keyword id="22149668" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="RLV-LEX-03" source="keywords">RLV LEX-03</keyword> re-demonstrated the <keyword id="21054893" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="autonomous-landing" source="keywords">autonomous landing</keyword> capability of the RLV under more challenging release conditions (cross range of 500 m against 150 m for LEX-02) and more severe wind conditions. The winged vehicle, named '<keyword id="21046350" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Pushpak" source="keywords">Pushpak</keyword>', was released from an <keyword id="19992067" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-Air-Force" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Indian Air Force" meta.hostid="153" meta.entityid="Indian Air Force">Indian Air Force</keyword> Chinook Helicopter at an altitude of 4.5 km. From a release point 4.5 km away from the runway, Pushpak autonomously executed cross-range correction manoeuvres, approached the runway, and performed a precise horizontal landing at the runway centerline. Due to this vehicle's low lift-to-drag ratio aerodynamic configuration, the landing velocity exceeded 320 kmph, compared to 260 kmph for a commercial aircraft and 280 kmph for a typical fighter aircraft. After touchdown, the vehicle's velocity was reduced to nearly 100 kmph using its brake parachute, after which the landing gear brakes were employed for deceleration and stop on the runway. During this ground roll phase, Pushpak utilises its rudder and nose wheel steering system to autonomously maintain a stable and precise ground roll along the runway. This mission simulated the approach and landing interface and high-speed landing conditions for a vehicle returning from space, reaffirming ISRO's expertise in acquiring the most critical technologies required for the development of a RLV. Through this mission, the advanced guidance algorithm catering to longitudinal and lateral plane error corrections, which is essential for the future Orbital Re-entry Mission, has been validated. Notably, the RLV-LEX uses multisensor fusion, including sensors like an Inertial sensor, Radar altimeter, Flush air data system, Pseudolite system and NavIC. Notably, the RLV-LEX-03 mission reused the winged body and flight systems as such without any modification, from the LEX-02 mission, demonstrating the robustness of ISRO's capability of design and reuse flight systems for multiple missions. The mission, led by VSSC, was a collaborative effort involving multiple ISRO centres (SAC, ISTRAC, SDSC-SHAR), with significant support from the Indian Air Force (IAF), Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE), Aerial Delivery Research and Development Establishment (ADRDE), Regional Centre for Military Airworthiness (RCMA) under the Centre for Military Airworthiness and Certification (CEMILAC), National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL), Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, Indian aerospace industrial partners, Indian Oil Corporation of India, and Airport Authority of India. S Somanath, Chairman, ISRO/Secretary, Department of Space, congratulated the team for their efforts in maintaining the success streak on such complex missions. Dr S Unnikrishnan Nair, Director of VSSC, emphasised that this consistent success boosts ISRO's confidence in the critical technologies essential for future orbital re-entry missions.

'Pushpak' aces test: ISRO achieves yet another success in Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) landing experiment

Having your family publicly appreciate art while privately denouncing the profession is the pinnacle of the core Indian experience. However, while most boomers might discard the career path due to well-established fears of the “struggling artist”, India’s most <keyword id="21837275" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="successful-artists" source="keywords">successful artists</keyword> are anything but struggling, it turns out. The <keyword id="21308480" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Hurun-Research-Institute" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Hurun Research Institute" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Hurun Research Institute">Hurun Research Institute</keyword> has just released their Art List of 2024, which encapsulates the top 50 most successful living painters and sculptors from India, or who have made India their place of work. With notable figures such as the creator of Chicago’s “<keyword id="21837279" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="the-bean" source="Orion">The Bean</keyword>” and various <keyword id="20128810" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Padma-Bhushan" source="keywords">Padma Bhushan</keyword> and Padma Shri recipients in the list, you can rest assured that this article is as Indian parent-friendly as can be. Dominating the list for the sixth year in a row, 70-year-old sculptor <keyword id="21283454" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Anish-Kapoor" source="keywords">Anish Kapoor</keyword> continues to exercise his fame as India’s most successful artist alive. According to Hurun, the creator of ‘Cloud Gate’ — or ‘The Bean’ as it is commonly known – amassed a whopping Rs 79.9 crores via a plethora of sculptures last year. If not for The Bean, you might remember Anish from his involvement in the Vantablack controversy, when the artist signed a contract for exclusive rights to the new material’s use in painting and sculpture. Such is the fame that Anish has carved out for himself that he even reigns far above the rest of the Indians on Hurun’s list, monetarily speaking. In second place comes 87-year-old <keyword id="21837278" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="gulam-mohammed-sheikh" source="keywords">Gulam Mohammed Sheikh</keyword>, a Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan awardee who earned an impressive Rs 24.1 crores last year. The richest woman artist with an inspiring banker-turned-painter story, 87-year-old Arpita Singh, came in third with Rs 22.9 crores. In fact, while artists over 80 years of age litter most of the list — the oldest being the 99-year-old <keyword id="21837277" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="krishen-khanna" source="keywords">Krishen Khanna</keyword> in fifth position with 18 crores — there is one unmissable and striking exception. 27-year-old <keyword id="21837276" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="raghav-babbar" source="keywords">Raghav Babbar</keyword> became the eighth highest-selling Indian artist after totalling 12.1 crores in sales, providing a fantastic example that even youngsters can make money through art. As for the individual pieces with the biggest price tags, Gulam Mohamed Sheikh’s 2015 piece ‘Ark: Kashmir’ stands far ahead of the competition after being sold at Rs 21 crores last year. In total, four art creations were sold for over Rs 5 crores last year, including designs from Arpita Singh, Anish Kapoor and Raghav Babbar. A sculpture of the Hulk constructed from stainless steel discs and plated fibreglass by Valay Shende was another of the top-selling works in 2023. With a total of Rs 301 crores from 789 art lots sold, this year’s report shows a very clear trend: the demand for Indian art is indubitably on the rise. In fact, the entry point for artists in the top ten almost quadrupled from Rs 2 crores to Rs 7.7 crores in the mere span of three years. These figures helped India land the seventh place globally in terms of art auction turnover, according to Hurun. "With rising middle-class incomes, our expectation is that Indian art will become one of the top preferred choices to 'invest' in a growing asset class and 'spend' on a meaningful lifestyle addition,” explains Anas Rahman Junaid, founder of Hurun India. He argues that India being one of the world’s oldest civilisations lends it an exponentially higher intrinsic art value compared to the status quo. This recognition will likely continue to help the Indian art sector grow at a good pace in the coming years.

Here’s how much top Indian artists earned in 2023 as Anish Kapoor becomes most successful at Rs 80 crore

The Indian Council of Medical Research Director General Dr Rajiv Bahl on Monday criticised a recently published study on the long-term safety analysis of the <keyword id="9485939" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="covaxin" source="Orion">Covaxin</keyword> in adults and adolescents for its poor methodology and design, and clarified the article misleadingly and erroneously "acknowledges" <keyword id="19918794" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ICMR" source="keywords">ICMR</keyword>. Dr Bahl said the study had no control arm of unvaccinated individuals for comparing the rates of events between the vaccinated and unvaccinated groups. Hence, the reported events in the study cannot be linked or attributed to COVID-19 vaccination. He added that the ICMR is not associated with the study and has not provided any financial or technical support for the research. The ICMR DG has written a letter to the authors of the paper and Editor of the journal to immediately remove the acknowledgement to ICMR and publish an erratum. A research paper, titled 'Long-Term Safety Analysis of the BBVl52 <keyword id="21730391" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="coronavirus-vaccine" source="keywords">Coronavirus Vaccine</keyword> in Adolescents and Adults: Findings from a l-Year Prospective Study in North India' stated that nearly one-third of the 926 participants in the study who received Bharat Biotech's anti-Covid vaccine Covaxin reported 'adverse events of special interest,' or AESI. Dr Bahl said that ICMR was acknowledged for research support without any prior approval of or intimation to ICMR, which is inappropriate and unacceptable. He stated that ICMR cannot be associated with this poorly designed study which purports to present a "safety analysis" of Covaxin due to several critical flaws. He said the study does not even provide background rates of observed events in the population, making it impossible to assess the change in incidence of observed events in the post-vaccination period. Baseline information of study participants is missing. The study tool used is inconsistent with 'Adverse Events of Special Interest (AESI)' as defined in the reference provided in the paper for AESI. The method of data collection has a high risk of bias, he said. Study participants were contacted telephonically one year after vaccination and their responses were recorded without any confirmation with clinical records or by physician examination, he pointed out. Dr Bahl also noted that similar acknowledgements to ICMR have been made in previous papers without permission, raising concerns about the authors' practices. "The authors have been urged to immediately rectify the acknowledgment to ICMR and publish an erratum. Additionally, they are asked to address the methodological concerns raised. Failure to do so may prompt ICMR to consider legal and administrative action," he said. The Editor has been asked to retract the paper which implicitly makes conclusions on <keyword id="21495684" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="vaccine-safety" source="keywords">vaccine safety</keyword> which are not supported by evidence. The study, conducted by researchers from the Banaras Hindu University from January 2022 to August 2023, stated that nearly 50 per cent of 926 study participants in the study complained of infections during the follow-up period, predominated by viral upper respiratory tract infections. Serious AESI, which included stroke and Guillain-Barre syndrome, were reported in one per cent of individuals, the study, which looked at long-term safety of the BBV152 (Covaxin) vaccine in adolescents and adults, claimed. The study involved 635 adolescents and 291 adults, who received the BBV152 vaccine.

BHU study on Covaxin side effects poorly designed, critically flawed: ICMR Director General

Researchers at the Department of Instrumentation and Applied Physics (IAP), Indian Institute of Science (<keyword id="19910180" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="IISc" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="IISc" meta.hostid="83" meta.entityid="IISc">IISc</keyword>), and collaborators have designed a new <keyword id="23052480" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="supercapacitor" source="keywords">supercapacitor</keyword> that can be charged by shining <keyword id="19982220" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="light" source="keywords">light</keyword> on it. The supercapacitors can be used in various devices, including streetlights and self-powered electronic devices such as sensors, Bengaluru-based IISc said in a press release. "Capacitors are electrostatic devices that store energy as charges on two metal plates called <keyword id="20675368" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="electrodes" source="keywords">electrodes</keyword>. Supercapacitors are upgraded versions of capacitors - they exploit electrochemical phenomena to store more energy," Abha Misra, Professor at IAP and corresponding author of the study published in the 'Journal of Materials Chemistry A", was quoted as saying in the release. The electrodes of the new supercapacitor were made of Zinc Oxide (ZnO) nanorods grown directly on Fluorine-doped Tin Oxide (FTO), which is transparent. It was synthesised by Pankaj Singh Chauhan, first author and CV Raman postdoctoral fellow in Misra's group at IISc. Both ZnO and FTO are semiconductors with appropriately aligned energy levels, enabling superior performance of the photo-rechargeable supercapacitor, the release said. FTO, being transparent, allows light to fall on the optically active ZnO nanorods, which charges the supercapacitor. Chauhan explained that two electrolytes -- a liquid and a semi-solid gel -- were used as the conducting medium between the electrodes. The capacity for storing charges (<keyword id="23053496" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="capacitance" source="keywords">capacitance</keyword>) is inversely proportional to the distance between the electrodes, it said. "As the distance becomes very small, the capacitance shoots up," Misra stated. "In electrostatic capacitors, maintaining a small distance between electrodes is difficult. However, in a supercapacitor, the electrodes' charges attract the electrolyte's oppositely charged ions, resulting in the formation of a charge layer just atoms away from each other - called an electric double layer or EDL. This results in the high capacitance of supercapacitors," the release stated. When the researchers shined ultraviolet (UV) light on their supercapacitor, they noticed a huge increase in the capacitance, several times higher than previously reported supercapacitors. They also noticed two unusual properties. First, while capacitance generally decreases as the voltage increases, they found the reverse - their supercapacitor's capacitance under light illumination actually increased with increasing voltage. "We call it necking behaviour," said A M Rao, Professor at Clemson University, the USA, and co-author. He explained that this may be due to the high porosity of the electrodes. Second, the energy stored within the supercapacitor typically decreases when it is charged faster, because the ions in the electrolyte do not move fast enough to respond to the increased charging rate, the release said. However, with the liquid electrolyte, the team found that the energy stored in the supercapacitor surprisingly increased upon fast charging under UV light, it was noted. Mihir Parekh, a postdoctoral researcher in Rao's group, developed theoretical models to explain these novel observations. The findings open the doors to developing simultaneously fast-charging and energy-dense supercapacitors, according to him. To design their present supercapacitor, the team explored two key ideas. First, the surface area of the electrodes was increased by combining two optically active semiconductor interfaces in a way that maximises interaction with light, leading to higher charge generation. Second, a liquid electrolyte was used to ensure an effective EDL. Together, these resulted in superior performance. "The ideas were simple - but when combined together, they worked very well," Misra explained. She added that tweaking the design of the supercapacitor can enable its charging with visible and infrared light as well. The IISc-Clemson team aims to further explore and better understand the novel phenomena observed to design better supercapacitors. "Supercapacitors have lots of applications," Misra explains. For example, they can potentially replace solar cells used in streetlights. They have a high power density, so they can release charge more quickly than batteries. They can also be used to power chips in electronic devices like cell phones. "We have miniaturised supercapacitors to the micron scale so that they can be integrated along with these microelectronic chips," Misra added.

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DRDO successfully conducts first phase of field firing trials of Indian light tank 'Zorawar'

ANI

ICMR's regional centre develops technology that can test for tuberculosis in just Rupees 35!

PTI

All Indian salt and sugar brands have microplastics, notes a recent study

PTI

Sperm or egg donor has no legal right on child, can't claim to be biological parent, says high court

PTI

'Pushpak' aces test: ISRO achieves yet another success in Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) landing experiment

ANI

Here’s how much top Indian artists earned in 2023 as Anish Kapoor becomes most successful at Rs 80 crore

Ankush Banerjee

BHU study on Covaxin side effects poorly designed, critically flawed: ICMR Director General

PTI

IISc researchers, collaborators design supercapacitor that can be charged by shining light on it

PTI

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