Professor Manna is a renowned academician and prolific researcher with wide ranging research interests concerning microstructure-property-parameter correlation in nanometric and amorphous solids, laser and plasma assisted surface engineered components, bainitic and ODS steel and nano-fluid. His significant contribution in the study of amorphous/nanocrystalline Al-alloys, nano-fluid and laser/plasma assisted surface engineering received intense attention from the scientific community and is highly lauded. His early contributions in moving boundary phase transformation are still widely cited. Professor Manna has over 300 publications in peer reviewed journals and proceedings. He has supervised over 20 PhD theses. While serving in the Metallurgical and Materials Engineering Department at IIT Kharagpur, Professor Manna developed several new research laboratories and facilities like plasma ion implantation and coating unit (DST, Tata Steel), Mechanical Alloying laboratory (DST, CSIR), Wear and erosion testing laboratory (CSIR, Tata Steel, DST), Electron bean joining facility (BRNS), Pulsed laser deposition and FE-SEM laboratory (DST), Nanofluid synthesis and characterization laboratory (ISRO), etc.
Research Highlights on Nanostructured Solids:
Through pain-staking and dedicated efforts sustained over two decades involving multiple students, scholars, colleagues and sponsored projects, Professor Manna has made seminal and outstanding contributions in synthesizing several nanostructured materials in different form/architecture (bulk alloys with in-situ nanometric precipitate-phases, ex-situ nanometric solid dispersed solid alloys and nanofluids, nanometric films/coatings, nano-composites/hybrids, etc) and establishing correlation between length, size, volume or type of the smallt crystallite (coherence length, morphology, free volume, interface, crystal structure) and engineering properties of interest (mechanical strength, hardness, softening, thermal conductivity, superparamagnetism, surface wear/friction, sensing response, diffusivity, catalysis) in nanostructured particles/aggregates synthesized by various advanced material processing techniques (mechanical alloying/milling, vapor deposition, sputtering, laser surface engineering, plasma ion implantation, etc.). These investigations revealed and established some of the significant fundamental knowledge or understanding about material properties at small length scale.
Co-Principal Investigator
- Development of a novel technique for fabricating W/dissimilar metal graded composites using interlayers by laser direct energy deposition Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF)
- Development of a novel technique for fabricating W/dissimilar metal graded composites using interlayers by laser direct energy deposition Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF)
- Experimental validation and tailorment of alumina coatings under the influence of hybrid plasma spraying and laser surface treatments. LAM Research Corporation
- Structural characterization by Field Emission gun Scanning Electron Microscopy Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering
- Structural Characterization by Field Emission gun Scanning Electron Microscopy (for internal users) Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering
- Studies on Wear and Corrosion Mechanisms of Mg-based Compositionally Complex Alloys (CCAs) and its Tailoring through Laser Surface Engineering Scheme for Promotion of Academic and Research Collaboration (SPARC), Apex Committee of SPARC, Ministry of Education
- Surface Engineering and its Property Evaluation Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering,BIRLA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
- Surface Engineering and its Property Evaluation (for internal users) Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering
Ph. D. Students
Barsha Nag
Area of Research: Surface Engineering
Bidipta Dam
Area of Research: Laser Materials Processing of Aluminium Alloys
Kishan Kumar
Area of Research: Additive Manufacturing of Materials
Pawan Kumar Dubey
Area of Research: Additive manufacturing
Sakshi Tiwari
Area of Research: Laser processing of metallic materials
Sen Amitava Dhrubadas
Area of Research: Surface engineering of tool steel
Shubhra Kamal Nandi
Area of Research: Laser additive manufacturing of metal/ceramic composites
Shubhranshu Shekhar Panda
Area of Research: Laser cladding materials
Tapas Bera
Area of Research: Surface Engineering
