Contact Dr Indrat Aria

Areas of expertise

  • Nanomaterials
  • Nanotechnology
  • Renewable Energy
  • Smart Materials
  • Surface Engineering
  • Ultraprecision & Nano-engineering

Background

Dr Aria is a material scientist with expertise in growth and integration of low-dimensional nanomaterials for novel applications in sustainability. Prior to joining Cranfield University as a Lecturer in Manufacturing, Dr Aria was a Post-Doctoral Research Associate in the Department of Engineering and a College Research Associate in the Clare College at Cambridge University, UK (2013-2017). He received a PhD in Aeronautics from California Institute of Technology, USA (2013), at which he was awarded the prestigious William F. Ballhaus Prize for his outstanding doctoral dissertation. He received an MSc degree from the Department of Aeronautics at California Institute of Technology, USA (2008) and a BSc degree with Honours (cum laude) from the Department of Aeronautics at Bandung Institute of Technology, Indonesia (2006). He was also a recipient of Fulbright fellowship (2007-2012) and the Green Talent Award from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) as a recognition of his leadership potential in research in the field of sustainability (2014). 

Research opportunities

Current vacancies in Dr Aria's group:

I am continuously looking for PhD candidates who are eager to learn and carry out research in the area of nanomaterials, surface engineering, thin films, and coatings. Information on fees and funding opportunities can be found at: https://www.cranfield.ac.uk/study/taught-degrees/fees-and-funding

Current activities

Dr Aria research interests include the synthesis of hierarchical and 3D assemblies of low-dimensional nanomaterials, integration of nano-bulk materials, engineering of surfaces and interfaces, and design of functional ultrathin films and coatings. Particular aspects of interest are the development of novel materials and processing techniques for applications in sustainability, including solar energy conversion (concentrating solar power, photovoltaic, photocatalysis), electrochemical processes (batteries, supercapacitors, hydrogen electrolysis), soft-matter (biopolymers, hydrogels), and REACH compliant materials.     


Previous and ongoing research projects include:

  • H2020 MSCA-RISE 645725: Framework of Innovation for Engineering of New Durable Solar Surfaces (FRIENDS2), http://www.friends2project.eu/
  • IMAGE: Photoluminescent Coatings for Photovoltaics, https://www.cranfield.ac.uk/case-studies/research-case-studies/image-lambda-stretch-ltd
  • UKRI Innovate UK 133908: Flexible Electrochromic Windows with Photovoltaic Generation
  • UKRI Innovate UK 133913: Luminescent Downshifting to Improve Photovoltaic Efficiency in Regions with High Solar Irradiance

Clients

Research collaborators, student project sponsors, and consultancy clients include:


  • Photocentric
  • Lambda Energy
  • BAE Systems
  • Hardide
  • Thin Metal Films
  • Lakshmi Machine Works
  • Innovative Nano and Micro Technologies
  • Vero Grid
  • Eqonic

Publications

Articles In Journals

Conference Papers

Books

  • Aria AI, Guittet M & Gharib M. (2013) Use of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes for electrochemical double-layer capacitors. In: Nanoelectronic Device Applications Handbook, CRC Press, p. 445-457.