Education: B. S. Chemical Engineering, University Department of Chemical Technology, India (2001) Ph. D. Chemical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland (2004)

Research Interests: Simply put, electrodeposition is a process in which an ion, when offered an electron or two, surrenders its freedom of motion in a liquid phase and settles down into a densely populated and rigid crystal. Electrodeposition has numerous advantages: ability to tailor materials, initiate pattern formation and achieve selective growth. Furthermore, ease of control and low cost make electrodeposition a process of choice in a broad range of applications: batteries, photovoltaics, semiconductor devices and electrometallurgy. Inspite of its wide use, fundamental understanding of the electrodeposition process is continually evolving. Physicochemical processes at the atomic-scale need to be fully characterized to realize its full potential. An example of uncontrolled electrodeposition is dendrite formation. Needle-like dendrites or whiskers evolve in electrodeposition of metals such as lithium and zinc. These are undesirable for lithium and zinc batteries as they can short the battery and compromise safety. Understanding and preventing dendrite formation is a major thrust of our research. Electroplated copper is used to metallize nano-scale interconnects in advanced semiconductor devices. This process is remarkably complex, relying on a fine interplay between ppm levels of additives in the electrolyte to produce selective growth. We are interested in understanding how the additives function, and developing better additives for future applications. Through a large industry-funded effort, we are developing electroless processes for depositing environmentally benign, corrosion resistant, amorphous alloys. In electroless deposition, the electrons needed for the reduction process are supplied by an organic reducing agent rather than an external ‘electron pump’ (power supply). Naturally, one can use this technique for deposition of metals onto non-conductors or dielectrics.