Carbon for Micro and Nano Devices

Micro and nano devices are an integral part of modern technology. To address the requirements of the state-of-the-art technology, topics are selected from both chip-based and flexible electronics. A wide range of carbon materials including graphene, carbon nanotube, glass-like carbon, porous carbon, carbon black, graphite, carbon nanofiber, laser-patterned carbon and heteroatom containing carbon are covered. This goal is to elucidate fundamental carbon material science along with compatible micro- and nanofabrication techniques. Real-life example of sensors, energy storage and generation devices, MEMS, NEMS and implantable bioelectronics enable visualization of the outcome of described processes.

Students will also benefit from the attractive aspects of carbon science explained in simple terms. Hybridization, allotrope classification and microstructural models are presented with a whole new outlook. Discussions on less-studied, hypothetical and undiscovered carbon forms render the contents futuristic and highly appealing.

Swati Sharma is an Assistant Professor in the School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology Mandi, India. Prior to this, she worked as a Scientist at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and the University of Freiburg in Germany. She obtained her Master’s and Ph.D. degrees in materials engineering from the University of California Irvine, CA, USA. Part of her work on carbon fiber and glass-like carbon was carried out at the Ulsan National Institute of Science & Technology, South Korea, and at the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur. Swati holds a Bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, India. In addition to academic research, she gained industrial R&D experience while working as a Scientist and Project Manager in Ranbaxy Research Laboratories, India.

Her current research is focused on a wide range of carbon materials and associated manufacturing techniques for chip-based and flexible device applications. She particularly specializes in understanding the mechanism of carbon formation, and analyzing the microstructure of polymeric carbons. In a 2022 publication in the journal Carbon, she proposed a new microstructural model for non-graphitizing carbons confirming the presence with a quantification of fullerenes in such materials. Her recent interest is laser-patterned carbon, which is a specifically designed carbon material for modern flexible electronics. In addition, she is working on N- and S-containing carbons, waste-derived carbon and carbon fibers. The outcome of her research has been published in esteemed journals, books and patents. The devices fabricated in her lab are used in supercapacitors, batteries, fuel cells and sensors. Some of her notable publications are as follows:

[1] S. Sharma, S. Zorzi, V. Cristiglio, R. Schweins, C. Mondelli, Carbon 2022, 189, 362.

[2] M. Devi, H. Wang, S. Moon, S. Sharma, V. Strauss, Advanced Materials 2023, 2211054.

[3] M. Devi, B. Raut, S. Sharma, Part & Part Syst Charact 2023, 2300018.

[4] M. Devi, S. Upadhyay, R. A. Mir, N. Kumar, S. Sharma, Journal of Energy Storage 2023, 73, 109067.

[5] S. Sharma, C. N. Shyam Kumar, J. G. Korvink, C. Kübel, Sci Rep 2018, 8, 16282.

[6] M. Vomero, C. Gueli, E. Zucchini, L. Fadiga, J. B. Erhardt, S. Sharma, T. Stieglitz, Advanced Materials Technologies 2020, 5, 1900713.

[7] E. Fuhrer, A. Bäcker, S. Kraft, F. J. Gruhl, M. Kirsch, N. MacKinnon, J. G. Korvink, S. Sharma, Advanced Healthcare Materials 2018, 7, 1700915.

[8] E. R. Mamleyev, S. Heissler, A. Nefedov, P. G. Weidler, N. Nordin, V. V. Kudryashov, K. Länge, N. MacKinnon, S. Sharma, npj Flexible Electronics 2019, 3, 2.

[9] S. Sharma, A. Sharma, Y.-K. Cho, M. Madou, ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 2012, 4, 34.

[10] S. Sharma, M. Madou, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences 2012, 370, 2448.

Swati has taught several courses at undergraduate and graduate level on materials and manufacturing. She designed a video-course titled carbon materials and manufacturing for the National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning, India. These video lectures are freely available on the internet, and can be referred to as additional material for further understanding the contents of this book. She is a council member of the Indian Carbon Society and is affiliated with various international societies related to her field. She has obtained research grants from Indian, German and other international funding agencies.

Apart from her academic interests, Swati is an avid mountain hiker, trekker and bird photographer. She has climbed a number of peaks in the Himalayas, Alps and other mountain ranges across the globe.