Biological Membrane Research
Dr. Sovan Das, Department of Mechanical Engineering
The raft hypothesis states that biological cell membranes are laterally inhomogeneous, consisting of domains called rafts. The rafts are rich in cholesterol and more ordered than the surrounding membrane. They are thought to play important roles in fundamental cell biological processes like signaling between proteins, sorting and transport of proteins, endocytosis, and adhesion. However, the existence of rafts has, so far, been inferred only from indirect techniques. Furthermore, the complicated structure of biological membranes makes it difficult to conduct a systematic investigation.
On the other hand, model membranes such as lipid bilayer vesicles (liposomes) are easier to study. They behave like two dimensional fluids and resist bending. More importantly, Giant Unilameller Vesicles (GUVs) with fluid-ordered (lo) and fluid-disordered (ld) phase coexistence have been observed at room temperature. GUVs have sizes in the micrometer range and can be examined directly using optical microscopes. The coexisting liquid phases are crucial and investigated in a form of ternary lipid mixtures. When composition of the lipid mixture is chosen appropriately the lo domains resemble rafts observed in natural cells.
The focus of our research is the mechanical and biophysical studies of lipid bilayer vesicles with fluid phase co-existence. They allow for investigating the mechanistic aspects of biological membrane functions. These studies are important to understand the role of membranes in fundamental biological processes in cells. Biotechnology applications include cancer therapy and drug delivery. Particular problems, associated with the experimental and theoretical study of lipid vesicles, that we are currently interested in, are:
(1) Lipid and protein sorting in membranes with high curvature (in collaboration with Dr. Baumgart and group, University of Pennsylvania).
(2) Adhesion of multi-component membranes and effect of substrate geometry (in collaboration with Dr. Du and group, Pennsylvania State University).
(3)Motion and growth of raft-like domains in vesicle membranes.
Website: http://home.iitk.ac.in/~sovandas/sovandas/Sovan_Das.html
MAV Lab
Dr. Abhishek, Department of Aerospace Engineering
Our group's main focus is on rotary winged vehicles aka Helicopters, their cousins and their other family members such as Wind Turbines. We are part of the Helicopter Lab where we are trying to solve some of the fundamental problems associated with the development of autonomous Micro (Micro Coaxial Autonomous Heli), Mini Helicopters and Wind Turbines. Apart from the MAV related work, we are also actively involved in barrier problems associated with Helicopter dynamics, aerodynamics and flight dynamics. Focus is on the development of state-of-the-art tools to be used in industry for the design of future generation helicopters with the aim of attaining self reliance in helicopter analysis and prediction capability.
Website: http://www.iitk.ac.in/aero/abhishek/
Mechanics @ ME
Dr. Ishan Sharma, Department of Mechanical Engineering
The twinned areas of Solid Mechanics and Dynamics are the fundamental pillars on which any research in Mechanics rests. The Department of Mechanical Engineering has a very diverse collection of faculty with expertise in these fields. Our research ranges from extremely applied to purely theoretical problems, and typically involves a heady mix of applied mathematics, nonlinear dynamics, computations and experiments. Almost every aspect of mechanics is represented, and faculty work on problems spanning length scales of a Carbon Nanotube to those of a Planet.
We offer research opportunities in an very many exciting areas. A short summary is provided under “Active Research Areas” (below). Please feel free to contact any of us about research opportunities.
Research students working with us enjoy the extensive support of their peers as well the other faculty within this group; in fact, most faculty here share Ph. D. and M. Tech. students, laboratory/experimental facilities, computational power and even students’ office space. This allows for an extremely wholesome research and work experience for students, as well as the faculty.
Active Research Areas
- Continuum mechanics
- Contact mechanics of thin adhesive films
- Large deformation plasticity and thermoplasticity
- Limit and Shakedown analyses
- Segregation in granular mixtures
- Shell vibrations
- Material modeling
- Dislocation dynamics
- Dynamic fracture mechanics
- Nonlinear Finite Element Method
- Symplectic methods
- Biological membranes
- Biomedical engineering
- Shapes, dynamics and stability of planetary bodies
- Multibody and spacecraft dynamics
- Machine tool vibrations
- Metal forming
- Mechanics of manufacturing processes
- Control of self-excited vibrations,
- Dynamical systems
- Dynamo
- Nonlinear dynamics of Rayleigh-Benard convection
- Nonlinear dynamics of time-delay systems
- Wheeled vehicles, Disk brake squeal
Mechanics of Soft Materials Lab
Dr. Animangsu Ghatak, Department of Chemical Engineering
Highly deformable, soft elastic, viscoelastic and poroelastic materials occur in many different applications e.g. soft tissues, artificial organs, therapeutic patches, shock absorbers, dampeners, platforms for micro-fluidic device, novel biomaterials, in biology as stems, roots and leaves, sponges, cartilage layers and bones and so on and so forth. In this variety of applications these materials are exposed to many different forms of mechanical loads, e.g. tension, compression, torsion, bending which, due to the large deformability of these materials and their complex rheological character, can generate such responses which are different from that commonly observed with the liner elastic systems. In our laboratory we study these materials in the context of adhesion, friction, fracture and failure.
Research problems
- Design of Bio-inspired Hierarchically Structured Adhesives
- Mechanical Instability of Soft Elastomers and Gels
- Design, Fabrication and Application of 3-Dimensionally Oriented Microchannel Systems in Polymeric Materials
- Patterning by Miniaturization of gels
- Fracture of Soft Materials
Website: http://home.iitk.ac.in/~aghatak/
Symmetry Lab
Dr. Anandh Subramaniam, Department of Materials Science and Engineering
Finite Element Method (FEM) is not only a powerful tool for engineering analyses, but also for understanding the fundamental material behaviour at the nanoscale. In fact 'new physics' and 'new materials' can be discovered using FEM simulations. This becomes possible because continuum behaviour is retrieved at the lengthscale of even a few lattice spacing.
Various structures and defects in crystals can be simulated and associated processes can be understood using FEM. These include:
• Simulation of dislocations, epitaxial films, twins, grain boundaries, precipitates etc.
• Study interactions between these defects
• Formation of interfacial misfit dislocations in epitaxial thin films
• Precipitation and coherent to semi-coherent transition of precipitates