Research Projects

The research work on VX2 (X = S, Se, Te) nanomaterials is at a very early stage. Hence, the main objective of the proposed project is to explore the phase transformation (T to H-VX2), semiconducting abilities, magnetic properties, and the corresponding applications of VX2 nanomaterials and thin films. These materials will be synthesized by two approaches: (1) Hydrothermal synthesis method and (2) thermal evaporation. After the material synthesis, the next objective would be to tailor the structural and morphological properties by defect engineering, dopant introduction, and interlayer modifications. The occurrence of T-VX2 phases in the majority of studies corresponds to the metallic nature that limits the application possibilities and achieving the H-VX2 phases has turned into a major challenge in this research area. Hence, our primary target would be to achieve H-VX2 properties. Later, our focus would shift towards the phase conversation strategies. Followed to these achievements, the semiconducting nature of the VX2 nanomaterials would be explored. Various characterization techniques (XRD, FESEM, EDS, TEM, AFM, and UV-VIS-NIR) will be considered to analyze the material’s semiconducting, magnetic, and nonlinear optical properties. The prepared thin films will be subjected to thermal annealing, ion irradiation, and laser irradiation to study the thermal, photo, and ion irradiation-induced changes followed by their corresponding X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) and Raman spectroscopic studies. Magnetic property studies will focus on the diluted magnetic semiconductor behavior of the VX2 nanomaterials and the impact of interlayer distance on their magnetoelectric coupling effect. In the end, the nonlinear optical parameter studies will be undertaken by Z-scan measurement. After studying the respective materialistic properties, the ultimate focus would be on exploring spintronic applications of the material and the modeling of heterojunction optoelectronic devices.