ALLAHABAD: In yet another feather in its cap, the Nanotechnology Application Centre (NAC) of the Allahabad University has entered into collaboration with the research wing of the US Army based in Aberdeen in the field of nano-hybrid materials.

Breaking the mould of an institution of higher learning that conducts only traditional courses, the AU team would work at the US Army Research Laboratory, Aberdeen, Maryland, and also at the Michigan Tech University, Houghton with Dr Shashi P Karna, a renowned nanotechnology physicist.

A NAC team, led by its principal investigator (PI) Prof Avinash C Pandey and three other experts who have done PhDs under Prof Pandey, has already completed a year-long project with the US Army and would now work further on a broader project titled 'Synthesis, assembling and characterization of nano-bio hybrid materials'. Outline of the project was finalized between a two-member team of the US Army's research wing during its visit to NAC on February 2011.

"We have done substantial work during the past few months. I and three NAC experts -- Dr Prashant Sharma, Dr Ranu Dutta and Dr Ratnesh Pandey -- would conduct research at NAC and at the Michigan Tech University," said Prof Pandey. Since our team has got all access to the US Army laboratory at Aberdeen, including computers and relevant software, it would facilitate the research work done at NAC, he adding he had visited Aberdeen in May in this connection. A two member-team comprising nanotechnology physicist at the US Army Research Laboratory, Aberdeen, Dr Shashi P Karna and director, Material Science, US Army International Technology Centre-Pacific (ITC-PAC), Japan, Dr J P Singh had visited NAC last year. They had found the research work being done at NAC of vast potential and had set the ball rolling for further collaboration.

They were specially impressed by the work of a young scientist, Vyom Parashar, which relates with the testing of debris of bomb blasts or finding the presence of sulphur in chemical warfare agents, air pollution harming the ozone layer, etc., and that too outside the lab. Apart from this, Vyom has synthesised graphene in lab using a new, simple, cheap and time-saving method.

NAC researchers have specialized in the development of nanomaterials for different biomedical applications, from cancer diagnosis to therapy by applications of nanotechnology. They have also demonstrated that cancer could be detected at a very early stage by the administration of the developed nanoparticles based contrast agents in mice and also demonstrated their efficiency in killing cancer cells by enhancing the therapeutic index of cancer drugs.

NAC has synthesised Graphene in lab using a new, simple, cheap and time-saving method and also demonstrated how cells from blood (platelets) can be separated by using magnet.It has specialized in developing nanophosphor for solid state lightings, plasma display panel and LED.