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MISSION PROGRAMMES
DST has fortified its programme on technology development in key areas by undertaking mission mode programmes for implementation and deployment existing technologies. Key technology areas in which Mission programmes are being operated are missions on Climate Change, Mission on Nano Science and Technology, National Mission on Bamboo applications and Mission project on reinvigorating of Indian agriculture. The Mission project on reinvigorating of Indian agriculture that has now been expanded and renamed as Mission for Geospatial Applications the activities of this mission include Agricultural Assessment, Flood Modeling and Forecast. DST has been entrusted with the responsibility of coordinating two out of eight national missions launched under the National Action Plan on Climate Change. The mission on sustaining Himalayan ecosystem aims to develop and build national capacity in studying and protecting Himalayan ecosystems. Under the mission on strategic knowledge for climate change, knowledge centers in climate change science are being established. The Mission on Nano Science and Technology (Nano Mission) has been launched as an umbrella programme on May 2007 for promoting pre-competitive R&D in this area of research. Under the nano mission, basic research in nano science has been actively fostered. More than 250 PhDs have been produced and about 2700 publications in prime journals have been published from the projects supported under the mission. National Bamboo Application Mission (NMBA) has been successful in adding value of bamboo materials through technologies for applications. Structural materials and Public service facilities like schools, hospitals etc have been constructed from bamboo in short spans of time. Leh has received 60,000 Sq.ft constructed area for housing after the recent floods.

CLIMATE CHANGE & ADAPTATION PROGRAMME

The Climate Change Programme (CCP) is a new initiative of the Department of Science & Technology, Ministry of Science & Technology which is spearheading two out of eight national missions on climate change as part of the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC). These are: (a) National Mission for Sustaining Himalayan Ecosystem (NMSHE) and (b) National Mission on Strategic Knowledge for Climate Change (NMSKCC). The broad objectives of NMSHE include - understanding of the complex processes affecting the Himalayan eco system and evolve suitable management and policy measures for sustaining and safeguarding the Himalayan eco-system, creating and building capacities in different domains, networking of knowledge institutions engaged in research and development of a coherent data base on Himalayan ecosystem, detecting
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and decoupling natural and anthropogenic induced signals of global environmental changes in mountain ecosystems, studying traditional knowledge systems for community participation in adaptation, mitigation and coping mechanisms inclusive of farming and traditional health care systems and developing regional cooperation with neighboring countries, to generate a strong data base through monitoring and analysis, to eventually create a knowledge base for policy interventions. The NMSKCC has been launched with the broad objectives of mapping of the knowledge and data resources relevant to climate change and positioning of a data sharing policy framework for building strategic knowledge among the various arms of the Government, Identification of knowledge gaps, and Formation of global technology watch groups to help accomplish the task of technology selection and prioritization, Networking of knowledge institutions after investing critical mass of physical, intellectual and policy infrastructure resources, creation of new dedicated centers within the existing institutional framework, building international cooperation on S&T for climate change agenda through strategic alliances and assistance to the formulation of policies for a sustained developmental agenda. The two missions envisage building upon and creating synergy amongst existing initiatives of various Ministries and Departments of the Government of India which provide support for research and development in climate change through intra- and extra-mural systems. The missions propose to create linkages with state governments and their establishments/ institutions on climate change related aspects. Some of the major initiatives taken up and progress made by CCP in respect of the two missions are as undera. NMSKCC o o Mission deliverables were approved by the PMO in September, 2010 wherein DST was given go ahead to initiate follow-up action. Actions initiated in respect of key mission deliverables - Setting up of Centres of Excellence, Strengthening of Existing Centres of Excellence, launch of Major R&D Programmes and major Human Capacity Building programmes in the month of September, 2010. The Mission document was sent to all State Governments and Union Territories requesting them to set up coordination mechanism and enroll R&D Institutions engaged in climate change aspects into the mission. A number of state governments have responded. Response from other states is awaited. A meeting of Stakeholders including state governments, R&D institutions, NGOs, Civil Society Organizations is being planned.

o b.

NMSHE o o Approval on Mission document was received from PMO in September, 2010. DST was asked to initiate further action for submission of a Cabinet Note. The mission document was sent to all 12 Himalayan States requesting them to communicate their comments and designate nodal coordination point at their end. Majority of states have responded. Response from a few of them is awaited. A meeting of Stakeholders which include governments of all 12 Himalayan states, concerned central ministries/ departments, NGOs, Civil Society organizations, Institutions working on Himalayan ecosystem is being planned.

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The Expert Committee set up for preparation of Detailed Project Report (DPR) on National Centre for Himalayan Glaciology has submitted its report.

NATIONAL MISSION ON BAMBOO APPLICATIONS

The objectives of the National Mission on Bamboo Applications (NMBA) are development and scaling up of bamboo based economic activities in the country to enable enhanced opportunities, employment generation, entrepreneurship, exports and the environment protection. The thrust area of the Mission includes: Knowledge, information gathering and dissemination. Technology development and validation. Demonstration and promotional activities for bamboo based value added products and applications. Support to entrepreneurial projects and the commercialization of technologies. Disaster management.

Amalgamation of Technology with Bamboo The amalgamation of technology in various aspects with bamboo has been fruitful and over the years NMBA has collaborated with SDR Technologies, Delhi and talks are on with other agencies in this regard as well. Products such as Bamboo microscope, bamboo kaleidoscope, and bamboo solar garden light, bamboo speakers were developed with bamboo as a green alternative, replacing plastics, metals and wood etc. In term of initiating the fusion of electronics, bamboo solar light were developed. The prototypes of products have already been developed.

Fig. 7.1 Solar light

Fig. 7.2

Fig. 7.3

Contribution towards Society NMBA intends to facilitate the erection of 144 structures of various sizes to be used as schools and hospitals in the disaster stricken area of Leh along with providing shelters to the homeless of Leh. These are being erected to help the homeless and these structures can sustain any high temperature or weather conditions.
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In order to fill the gap between the producer and the consumer community, steps like procurement of material at the NMBA warehouse has been initiated in order to help the producers market their products and the consumers could be well aware of the bamboo alternative available in the market.
Fig. 7.4: School structure

In addition to this, NMBA has been actively participating in various expos and fairs to help promote the bamboo industry.

Bamboo timber- A breakthrough innovation Bamboo timber in the form of Reinforced compressed Bamboo Beam and Board. It is a 100% substitute of wood timber as it can be cut sawn, sanded and polished in any direction. India has the second largest bamboo resource after china & a long term sustainable alternative to wood timber can be found by setting up Bamboo timber unit. Bamboo timber is a revolutionary type of board that has been growing in market .It is now the most popular type of bamboo flooring board on the market. It can be used for all other wood application such as doors, windows and furniture. Both products have huge potential in India as we are a wood timber deficit country.NMBA supported M/s DLS Industries Pvt Ltd for establishment of Bamboo Timber manufacturing unit at Chichala Distt Nagpur. Hydroponics Hydroponics is a method of growing plants using mineral nutrient solutions in water, without soil, using PVC pipes mounted on aluminum frame. M/s World Kids Inc, Mumbai is developing Hydroponic unit made of Bamboo which will replace the plastic and aluminum version along with rooftop hydroponics demo garden. Centre for Bamboo Training and Product Development NMBA has decided to support the establishment of a Centre for Bamboo Training and Product Development (CBTPD) for purposes of skills training, entrepreneurship development, product development and related applications in the bamboo sector in the Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode or in joint collaboration with the State Bamboo Agency or Mission or similar autonomous agency set up by the State Government for the promotion of the bamboo sector. The above project has already been approved for establishing 10 Centers for Bamboo Training and Product Development, where MoU has already been signed with six centers and machines are also in the process of installation for the four centers with the various state agencies.

NANO SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY MISSION

The Mission on Nano Science and Technology (Nano Mission) - an umbrella programme was launched in May 2007 to promote R&D in this emerging and highly competitive area of research in a comprehensive fashion. The main objectives of the Nano Mission are - basic research promotion, infrastructure development for carrying out front-ranking research, development of nano technologies and their applications, human resource development and international collaborations. During the year 2010-11, Nano Mission continued to record expansion in its activities and also continued to break new grounds in promotion of R&D and human resource development in this field of nanotechnology. Also, the process of laying down a regulatory framework for Nanotechnology in India has been initiated.

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BASIC RESEARCH PROMOTION 40 new individual scientist-centric R&D projects were funded this year which aimed at investigating fundamental scientific aspects of nano-scale systems. Some of the topics on which projects were funded are - development of innovative peptide and peptide hybrid material based multifunctional nanostructures for cancer imaging and targeted drug delivery, nanoscale fabrication with metal phosphides as anode for next generation lithium-ion battery applications, nanosensor array for real time monitoring of toxic volatile organic compounds, computational study of functionalized nanoparticles, characterization of composite materials and application of nanomaterials for sustainable energy and development of polymer nanocomposites for nanocoating and nanostructured magnets. Support to ongoing projects was continued. Some important achievements from the supported projects are summarized below: Chitosan nanoparticles and chitosan tripolyphosphate were used to deliver DNA vaccine in aquatic animals. A CD-14 co-receptor nanopeptide agonist was successfully designed and bioproduced which can be used for targeted delivery of drugs to monocytes, dendritic cells and macrophages. Different types of glass matrices have been prepared and processing procedure for quantum dot growth was optimized. Gold and ZnO nanoparticles were prepared by liquid phase pulsed laser ablation and wet-chemical route respectively and were embedded in polymer matrix for non-liner optical applications. In a study, it was observed that rheological properties of many soft materials at micro and nano scale are helpful for manufacture of better paints, gels, toothpaste and many other commercial products. Stable ferro fluid of different capabilities has been developed. New magnetic resonance active colloidal amine-functionalized Fe3O4 nanoassembly with enhanced T2 contrast properties has been fabricated which can be used as an effective carrier for drug molecules and a source of hyperthermia treatment for cancer. Studies using low concentration of TiO2 nanoparticles were carried on human skin cell line demonstrating the cytotoxic and genotoxic effect of TiO2 nanoparticles. Sulfur nanoparticles were prepared using an effective and easy route. Also, the mechanism of formation of AgBr nanoparticles in aqueous surfactant solutions was developed. Cellulose microfibrils extracted from four different sources were studied by different methods of analysis. It was found out that using nanoparticles with biodegradable polymer matrix such as cellulose microfibrils can lead to biodegradable nanocomposites. INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT FOR CARRYING OUT FRONT-RANKING RESEARCH 6 new Units/Research facilities on Nano Science were established during the year and support to existing Units /Centers continued. Some important achievements from these units & centers are summarized below: Detailed investigations were carried out on the catalytic effect of carbon nanomaterials with different structure morphology for improving the hydrogen storage behavior of complex hydrides. The carbon nanovariants used are single walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs), multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), twisted graphitic nanofibres (TGNFs) and planar graphitic nanofibres (PGNFs). It was observed that TGNFs possess superior catalytic effect than that of other carbon nanostructures. Thus 2 wt. % TGNF admixed NaAlH4 exhibits fast hydrogen desorption at lower desorption temperature. The catalytic effect of graphitic nanofibres (GNFs) on improving the hydrogen storage behavior of NaAlH4 was observed for the first time Carbon nanomaterial catalyzed NaAlH4 can be used as a hydrogen storage material for vehicular applications.

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Studies were made on hydrogen adsorption behavior of functionalized graphene synthesized by thermal exfoliation of graphite oxide. Hydrogen adsorption was carried out at 300 K and at 77 K by applying constant H2 pressure. Hydrogen adsorption rate on graphene was found to increase with an increase in applied hydrogen pressure. The maximum amount of hydrogen adsorbed at 300 K under 80 atm is ~ 0.5 wt.% H2. However, at 77 K under 50 atm H2, ~ 2.2 wt.% H2 gets adsorbed with higher adsorption rate. The binding energy calculated using ab-initio simulation for perpendicular adsorption of H2 molecule on the bridge site of graphene with and without epoxy oxygen is 13 meV and 28 meV, respectively with the mean adsorption distance of 0.34 nm. It was found that graphene possess better hydrogen adsorption behavior at liquid N2 temperature. Thus the maximum amount of hydrogen adsorbed at 77 K under 50 atm H2, ~2.2 wt.% H2. It was also observed that the epoxy oxygen functionalities in functionalized graphene increase the hydrogen adsorption energy. Very high strength carbon nanotubes/ aerogel composite were prepared. Tuning the photoluminescence emission of Cu doped CdSe was achieved. Electron energy levels were determined in ZnSe/ZnS core/ shell nanostructures. It is observed that the wave function can be engineered in these nanostructures. First principle calculations to understand effect of stoichiometry on passivation of nanocrystals. ZnO nanocrystals show size dependent anti-bacterial activity for E Coli. Agarose based 3D scaffolds through lyophilization with uniaxial macroporous distribution were fabricated successfully. This topology mimics the natural hepatic lobule matrix environment and hence was exploited for in vitro hepatic regeneration studies. It was proved that incorporation of Fibrin to these constructs enhanced their potential to induce in vitro cell proliferation & differentiation.

Fig. 7.5: SEM images of Agarose- Fibrin scaffold showing the uniaxial topology and uniform distribution of fibrin nano-particles over the scaffold

Membrane scaffolds for wound healing using chitin/chitosan gels containing nanoparticles were created.

Fig. 7.6: A) Chitosan/ZnO Hydrogel, (B), (C) & (D) Chitosan/ZnO Hydrogel nanocomposite Sponge 228 A N N U A L R E P O R T 2 0 10- 2 0 11

Bioactive fibrin-alginate composite scaffold with uniformly dispersed nano-graphene, resulting in biocompatible gels with superior control over mechanical properties was prepared. A novel method for the fabrication of Fibrin based electrospun scaffolds for tissue engineering applications was developed. The hMSCs adhered and migrated well in to the composite scaffold with excellent cytoskeletal organization compared to PCL scaffold.

Fig. 7.7: Targeted imaging of human mesenchymal stem cells using antibody conjugated ZnS nanocrystals (i) bright field image and (ii) fluorescence image

Fig. 7.8: Confocal Images of hMSCs seeded on a) electrospun PCL Micro nano scaffold b&c) PCL fibrin scaffold. Fibers are shown in green colour.

A new class of magnetic resonance (MR) active aqueous Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticle nanoassemblies (Fe3O4 MNNA) of 40 nm size comprising 6 nm particles was formulated. Intercalation and characterization of pravastatin and fluvastatin drugs in MgII/AlIII layered double hydroxides (LDHs) has been investigated to form stable drug carrier. The mechanism of drug release has been investigated in detail. A novel argininebased dendritic block is grown on the surface of APTES-coated Fe3O4 nanoparticles by conventional growth approach of Michael addition/amidation reactions. The nanocarriers showed good capacity to encapsulate DOX, with loading as high as 65% (w/w) and a pH-responsive sustained release of 54% at pH 5.0. Also, the release of DOX from the nanocarriers increased up to 80% on application of an AC magnetic field. A temperature sensitive folate targeted doxorubicin containing magnetic liposomes has been developed for thermo chemotherapy of cancer. Enhanced uptake into tumor cells by virtue of the synergistic effect of biological and magnetic targeted liposomes has been observed. Highly mesoporous spherical three dimensional (3D) ZnO nanoassemblies have been fabricated by a simple approach. The drug-loading efficiency of the nanoassemblies was investigated using doxorubicin hydrochloride (DOX) as a model drug. The studies suggest that drug release is dependent on the pH of the medium and externally applied ultrasound.

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Zinc blende alloy nanocrystals were designed which composed of Cd, Zn and S and doped with Cu to produce composition/size dependent tunable dopant emission in entire visible spectrum have been designed. This is the first alternative to work horse CdSe in group II-VI semiconductor systems to produce such a large window tunable emission with all visible color.

Fig. 7.9: Digital image Cu doped alloyed nanocrystals of Cd, Zn and S, samples collected at different intervals.

Human Resource Development 2 new Post Graduate Programmes [M.Tech (Nano Science & Technology)] were started in two more Universities and support to 15 ongoing Post Graduate programmes continued. Attractive Post-doctoral fellowships to encourage talented Young researchers towards advanced research in the field of Nano Science & Technology continued through JNCASR-Bangalore. 6 Post Doctoral Fellows have completed their research while 5 are continuing at present. Support to 1 Ramanna Fellowship also continued. International Collaborations Support to India-Japan Beamline established at the Photon Factory, KEK, Tsukuba, Japan during last year continued. Experiments were carried out on different modes i.e. powder diffraction, single-crystal diffraction and small angle scattering using one Goniometer under low temperature and high pressure conditions. Scientists and researchers from IISc-Bangalore, JNCASR-Bangalore, BARC-Mumbai, IUCIndore, BHU-Varanasi, SNBNCBS-Kolkata and SINP-Kolkata are using the beamline. The process of financial sanction of PETRA-III project is in progress. Indo-Canada collaborative project is also under process. Development of Nano Technologies and their applications Support to ongoing projects in this category continued. Significant progress has been made in these projects. Some important achievements from the supported projects are summarized below: A solar cell module was developed which can also store electrical energy in the same thin film. The principle of the new generation device is to coat the photovoltaic thin film layers with thin film storage layers that is also nanostructured and uses titania nanotubes providing very high capacitances. A double layered titania structure was used for photovoltaic storage device.
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Fig. 7.10: Double layered titania nanotubes for generation-storage devices

For the first time in the world, ZnO nanotube thin films were processed which have the potential to boost the solar cell efficiency when combined with titania nanotubes.

Fig. 7.11: SEM image of vertically oriented ZnO nanotubes electrochemically deposited on Indium doped Tin oxide (Photo anode)

Silicon sheet/tubes of 5-10 cm size were prepared and experiments were performed for melting silicon under different conditions. All experiments resulted in good melting of silicon without oxide layer. Computer simulations were performed through programmes developed by numerical techniques and different software to control the furnace operating parameters such as electrical power to the heater, pulling rate of the silicon sheet and gas flow and silicon feed rates etc.

Fig. 7.12: (a) A LiF sheet grown with slow (2mm/min) speed (bottom) and fast (30 mm/min) speed (top), (b) and (c) side view of a 25 mm dia and 15 mm long LiF crystal growing in the form of a tube but the cylindrical portion was melted during detachment. The growth had to be suspended due to time constraints.

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Si sheets measuring 5-8 mm wide and 8-10 cm long and 0.5-1 mm thick could be grown at 5-10 mm per minute as shown in the figures above. Novel hydride catalysts were prepared using hydrogen decrepitation technique which provide fresh surfaces with large surface area, free from oxidation which further increases the catalytic sites for the formation of CNTs. High hydrogen absorption, large decrepitation and low cost makes these hydrides better catalysts for large scale production of CNTs.

Fig. 7.13: Automated experimental facility for CVD process (10 g of CNTs in a single step)

Also, single furnace fully automated CVD facility has been indigenously fabricated using mass flow controllers, furnace and quart tube to get a yield of ~10 gm in a single step. Carbon nanotube/Folic acid/ Fe3O4 magnetic nanovectors were developed which have the potential to destroy cancer cells by hyperthermia treatment. The new discoveries were made in the Research Programme on Smart and Innovative Textile are Nanofinishes, Thermo-regulated textiles and nanofiber based automotive filters. Nanofinishes: A silver nanoparticle based anti-microbial finish and was developed for the first time in the country. The finish is stable for several months and does not impart undesirable color to the fabrics on application and the finish gives nearly 100 % activities durable for over 30 washes. Thermo-regulated textiles: A novel technology was developed to stablilize Phase Change Materials (PCM) formulations. Using this technology, PCMs were developed for 29 OC and -15 OC that show negligible super cooling and have high stability for large number of transition cycles. Nanofiber based Automotive Filters: A proprietary technology for continuous production of nanofiber webs of large widths at a linear speed was developed for the first time in the country. The technology is able to produce highly uniform nanowebs even at very low amounts of depositions. Studies have been made on the effect of electrospinning process parameters on the nanofiber diameter, pore size distribution of nanowebs and its subsequent effect on filtration behaviour. Using the knowledge, a prototype automotive oil filter has been developed with filtration efficiency up to 99 % for 1 m size standard dust without sacrificing their dust holding capacity.
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Fig. 7.14: Prototype of automotive filter using Nanowebs

1 National Review & Co-ordination Meeting and 1 Advanced School was organized. Support to 10 International /National conferences, Seminars, Workshops were provided. Output Indicators Outputs from Individual R&D projects, Units/Centers projects and Industry-Institute Collaborative projects have led to a good number of publications in cited journals and Patents. A good number of PhDs have been produced from these projects. Also, a large number of technical and other manpower have been trained. The details of the cumulative output indicators from projects, units and centers supported under Nano Science & Technology Initiative (NSTI) and Nano Mission are summarized below: Research papers in cited Journals Research papers in Conferences Patents PhDs produced Other Manpower trained 2687 375 82 253 737

MISSION FOR GEOSPATIAL APPLICATION

The Mission Mode project was started during 2007 as Reinvigorating Indian Agriculture through S&T at a total cost of 4.90 crore for the 11th Plan. The project has now been expanded and renamed as Mission for Geospatial Applications and the outlay for 11th Plan has been revised to Rs.24.50 crore. Brief activities of the Mission (I) Agricultural Assessment - The project was initially started with the objective of tracking impact of severe weather events such as hailstorm, floods and drought. The objective is to provide data on crop coverage, crop health, output, etc up to village level on real time basis to Central/State

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Governments and other users. Information on the above parameters is being provided to different sugar mills, state governments and other government agencies. (II) Flood Modeling and Forecast The objective is to provide a warning system and build a flood index of the vulnerable river basins with probabilities before the actual flood event occurs. The capabilities developed include (a) area of inundation up to village level, (b) flood inundation maps up to village level, (c) volume of inundated water, (d) depth of inundation, (e) flood forecasting up to village level (based on rainfall and river discharges), (f) rainfall recharge to rivers, (g) approximate time of flooding after release of discharges from various dams and reservoirs, (h) submergence period of a particular area/village, (i) left bank/right bank inundation, etc. Flood modeling of Tapi river basin in Gujarat and Mahanadi in Orissa have been under taken in collaboration with respective state agencies. The NDMA has expressed desire to expand this with high resolution DEMs to other flood prone states and rivers. (III) Internal Security A. 3-D Terrain Models: Under this project the mission is developing 3-D terrain models integrating high-resolution satellite imagery and digital topo maps. The models showing difficult terrains and slopes with other attributes to help navigation and operational planning are being used in Control Rooms of MHA and other Government agencies dealing with internal security. Terrain Models have been provided to MHA, Govt. of Jharkhand, Chhatisgarh, N.E states, BSF, CRPF etc. The Mission has developed 3-D models of Jharkhand,19 towns of Jammu & Kashmir plus Jammu and Punch,Chhattisgarh,Orissa,Tripura,12 districts of Bihar,07 districts of Madhya Pradesh, Part of Manipur (to be completed). B- Cadastral: The Deptt. Of Land Resources has assigned the task of preparing cadastral maps using satellite imagery as well as ground surveys. This is a pilot project and in case successful, the centre will advise states to update and modernize their cadastral maps in digital format using this approach. C. (i) Communication System: Wideband Receiver - This receiver is intended for government, military, security, surveillance, broadcast monitoring, and demanding applications. This software contains numerous advanced features such as analog and digital signal reception, three types of scanning, five types of squelch, many tuning options and virtually unlimited memories. A prototype has been developed and after successful testing handed over to BSF. (ii) HF/VHF SDR Tactical Radio System - An SDR in general is a radio that has:Primary functionality (mod/demodulation, filtering, etc) defined in software DSP algorithms implemented in configurable hardware and/or PC software. (iii) GPS Vehicle and Portable Trackers - The mission for geospatial Applications has developed AVLS and personal GPS/GPRS/GSM trackers for asset, personnel and fleet management. These trackers may be also used for covert operations and mission planning and control as the personal trackers also feature two way voice communications.
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(iv) Electronic Sensors & Fencing - Uses RF, Laser and Ultrasonic Sensors for Surveillance and electronic fencing over difficult terrain and rivers.Water Level Sensors with high accuracy and remote programming and data fetch capability using GPRS Above noted communication systems have been provided to Central Police Organisations like BSF, CRPF, CISF and state police of Jharkhand. Other Police organisations like SSB, ITBP and State Govts. of MP, West Bengal, Jammu & Kashmir and North-East States have also made similar requests. D. Disaster Management and Monitoring of Developmental Activities : Besides the above activities recently the Mission has embarked upon new areas of Disaster Management and Monitoring of Developmental Activities. Govt. of Manipur has requested this Mission to monitor their developmental activities like road construction, rural housing, etc. Similarly Uttarakhand Govt. has also approached this Mission for their landslide monitoring.

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