Metallurgical Engineering and Materials Science

Here's a glimpse of what we do at Department of Metallurgical Engineering and Material Sciences(MEMS)


With its roots in metallurgy, materials science is a venerable scientific discipline, expanding in recent decades to encompass polymers, ceramics, glass, composite materials and biomaterials. Virtually all sophisticated products — computers, aircraft, biomedical devices — require materials manufactured to precise specifications.

We material scientists research the infinitesimally small to achieve breakthroughs of global significance, working at the atomic and molecular levels to create the microscopic devices and systems essential for cutting-edge solar energy production, energy storage, information technology and medicine. Our mission is to provide the materials needed for unimpeded progress in a wide range of technologies. We are advancing the creation of new materials, from determining optimal base constituents to devising manufacturing processes.

• DAMP Blog : https://dampmemsiitb.wordpress.com/
• Department website : http://www.iitb.ac.in/mems/en
• Institute UG Rulebook : https://www.iitb.ac.in/newacadhome/ugrulebook.pdf
• SMP Instagram Page : https://www.instagram.com/smp.iitb/

The mission of this undergraduate program in Metallurgical Engineering and Materials Science is to provide students with a strong foundation in metallurgy and materials science with emphasis on the fundamental scientific and engineering principles which underlie the knowledge and implementation of material structure, processing, properties, and performance of all classes of materials used in engineering systems.

The department offers the following degrees:

• BTech in Metallurgical Engineering and Materials Science : The BTech curriculum is designed to introduce a student to the entire breadth of the field of Mechanical Engineering with a huge diversity in the courses. While the mandatory core curriculum rarely goes into the depths of any particular field, the department offers numerous electives that the students can take up based on the sub-disciplines that interest them. The BTech programme at IIT Bombay is one of the most flexible among all IITs, with a very lean mandatory component - called the core curriculum, leaving you plenty of time to explore the various fields that interest you – Electrical, Mechanical or otherwise. The final year is left free to explore those fields that most interest you. This is in the form of electives – from within the department (Department Electives) and from those running in other departments (Institute Electives).
• Honors in MEMS : A BTech student is said to have graduated with a “Bachelor of Technology with Honors in Metallurgical Engineering and Materials Science” when they have completed 24 extra credits (usually 4 additional courses worth 6 credits each) over and above the the normal BTech degree requirement. The MEMS department has very flexible Honors program, wherein the 4 additional courses comprise – 1 compulsory course and 3 elective courses to be taken from a long list of approved Honors courses. The exact details of the programme are clearly specified in the Academic Rulebook of the Institute. Honors gives a deeper understanding of MEMS which helps students explore deeper, their areas of interest within the field of Materials Science.
• Dual Degree (DD) in MEMS : A student pursuing a BTech degree in MEMS with a CPI > 6.5 has an option to convert to the Dual Degree (DD) Program at the end of their 6th semester. A DD Programme allows you to graduate with a BTech (with Honors) + MTech degree in 5 years. DD students have to do one extra course every semester (which is quite manageable) and a year-long Dual Degree Project (DDP) in their 5th year.
  
  The following are the requirements of the DD Program in MEMS :
  
  
  • Complete the requirements of your UG degree (which is in MEMS)
  • Complete Honors in MEMS
  • Do 4 additional approved MEMS courses (different from Honors courses)
  • Complete a year-long Dual-Degree Project (DDP) in MEMS in your 5th year.
  
  
  The Dual-Degree Project (DDP) is a research project under the guidance of a professor utilising the concepts learnt in the first 4 years. The final year is devoted almost solely to the Dual Degree Project (DDP) that is aimed to give the students a flavour of graduate level research in an area of their interest.
  
  The additional courses for DD can be chosen from a large basket of courses pertaining to a specialisation. There are two DD specializations (currently), namely Process Engineering, and Ceramics & Composites – which are explained in greater depth later on this page.

The courses in this program develop students' knowledge of modern materials science and engineering, teach them to apply this knowledge analytically to create effective and novel solutions to practical problems, and develop their communication skills and ability to work collaboratively. The course structure, as shown below, is well designed to keep the course flow continuous with basic and advanced concepts well placed for better understanding.

First year : All freshmen have a common set of courses in the first year which serve as mathematical and engineering tools for the courses in subsequent years. In the second semester, the Department Introductory Course (MM 152: Materials and Technology) give the students a flavour of what is in store for them for the next few years of undergraduate studies.
Second year : This year covers the basic courses of the branch, which are mostly generic and usually common to a lot of other departments as well. They include Thermodynamics, fluid dynamics, structural and mechanical properties of materials to name a few. These are the foundation blocks over which Metallurgical Engineering and Material Science is built on.
Third year : A more practical course content, with courses that require a deeper understanding of the subject. It primarily deals with subjects related to industry like phase transformation, metallurgical processes and manufacturing.
Fourth year : It consists of a wide bandwidth of courses, right from generic ones, like polymers, corrosive properties and ceramics, to very specific ones like Iron and steelmaking, system controls and semiconductors. The final year is to polish concepts in niche genres as well as amalgamate learnings of previous years and apply it in real life concepts.

Honors in MEMS : A B.Tech. student is said to have graduated with “Honors in Metallurgical Engineering and Materials Science” when he/she has completed a certain number of courses from the honors course list of the Department over and above the normal credit requirement. The exact details of the programme are clearly specified in the Academic Rulebook of the Institute. Honors gives a deeper understanding of MEMS which helps students explore their areas of interest. The department has a fairly flexible honors programme allowing the choice of a great number of courses for Honors requirements.

Dual Degree Specializations

• Ceramics and composites : Through this program we get to learn the various structures, properties and applications of ceramics. The processing of ceramics is also carefully studied to provide end results suiting the particular application at hand. Ceramic materials display a wide range of properties which facilitate their use in many different products. Composites are materials that result when two or more materials, each having their own usually different characteristics, are combined in order to provide useful properties for specific applications. Advanced composites are rapidly emerging as the primary material for use in aircraft systems because their strength-weight ratio is higher than equivalent metallic structure. Composites are used for various applications such as golf shafts, tennis rackets, hang gliders, skis, light weight mechanical supports.
• Metallurgical process engineering : It is a branch of engineering in which a process effects chemical and mechanical transformations of matter, conducted continuously or repeatedly on a substantial scale. Process engineering constitutes the adjustment of process applied to manufacture of bulk or discrete products. This specialization will provide a student with skills required to set up and run an industrial unit. A metallurgical process engineer is trained to take up the role of a technical manager in the industry and is also proficient in data analysis and process modelling.

There are as many as 16 lab courses through the four years for firsthand experience of the relevant courses. They are again designed well in the curriculum so as to complement the theoretical knowledge from time to time.

Besides the coursework specified above, projects, seminars and presentations also form an integral component of the curriculum, giving the students an opportunity to explore new developments in the field and at the same time earn credits for their effort!

The courses not only provide a fundamental understanding of the subject but also excite the students to explore the vast field of materials science and engineering.

This field brings together, in a unified discipline, developments in Physics, Chemistry and Biology that can be, and in fact are, applied to modern materials of technological, engineering, and scientific significance. Materials scientists and engineers utilize a distinctive suite of characterization techniques such as advanced electron microscopes that probe materials structure down to the atomic level. Moreover, our faculty is becoming increasingly involved with nanotechnology, energy-related materials and solar-cell processing. The primary core specializations at Metallurgical Engineering and Materials Science, IIT Bombay are:

Computational Materials Science

It encompasses everything from extraction and processing the ore, to refining and producing steels and alloys. If you think that steels have been over-researched considering they were discovered millenniums ago and that every innovation that could be done is done, then you couldn’t be more wrong. The field is still hot and exciting. New alloys with interesting properties are developed regularly. The research at IIT Bombay predominantly revolves around two aspects - optimizing the current processes and developing new processes in order to increase production, thus saving the industry crores of rupees.

Steel technologies

This is a relatively new and rapidly evolving subfield of Materials Science and Engineering. It brings together elements from Materials Science, Applied Mathematics and Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence to understand and solve Materials Science related problems which are difficult to deal with, through conventional engineering models and experimental methods. The main goals of Computational Materials Science are to determine certain material properties, predict the results of a process through simulations, predicting new materials and metamaterials themselves etc. A wide variety of techniques are used including - Finite Element Methods, Constrained Optimization, Molecular Dynamics, Density Functional Theory etc. Recently, due to the advances made by Artificial Intelligence, a new sub-field has been developed and is continuously evolving where they are trying to use Artificial Intelligence to make and discover new materials and predict their properties. The field has certainly quite a lot of scope for innovation and interdisciplinary research.

Energy and Environment material

With the world amidst an ecological crisis, the advent of alternate energy sources and energy storage methods does not come as a surprise. This field, explores materials and devices which would help lessen the burden on the environment caused by conventional energy sources. Current research being conducted at IITB includes Li-ion batteries, high-efficiency solar cells and much more. This is an emerging field and has lots of room for innovation and development. Also, included under this field is research related to finding less hazardous alternative materials for both industrial and commercial use.

Healthcare and Bio-material

It has been predicted that the next technology boom will occur in the field of Energy, Biotechnology and Biomaterials. In the evolving engineering curriculum, it is time we accepted a little of biology into it. Gone are those days when biology was meant only for the “actual” doctors. The field of healthcare and biomaterials is vast and includes various bio-variants such as Bioinformatics, biomaterials, biomedical engineering. Current research at IIT Bombay includes (and is not limited to) prosthetic materials, glass ceramics, drug delivery nanoparticles. Not only will you get a exposure to some exceptional research carried out in the department, you can also take a couple of introductory courses in biomaterials. If PhD. is on your mind right now, getting into this field could give you a great start.

Extreme Materials

From both economic and ecological viewpoints, efficient and environment-friendly propulsion systems are extremely important for future civil and military aviation needs. High-temperature materials research is a very interesting and exciting field. Also, exploration and drilling industry require hard materials which can sustain intense wear and tear. Ceramics, composites and superalloys exhibit properties which make them suitable candidates for these applications. The courses in this area cover the following aspects:

• ➔ Understanding structure-property relationships in hard materials
• ➔ Selection and design of high temperature materials

Semiconductor Electronics

This area pertains to the design and processing of materials used in information transmission devices. Materials research in this field aims at reducing the size of the electronic devices while simultaneously enhancing the device portability and functionality. The advancement made in batteries and fuel cells, nanotechnology are possible due to developments in the field of materials .The students are introduced to this area through courses on modern physics, electronic properties of materials and thin films. The courses in this area cover the following aspects:

• ➔ Understanding how devices work (Physics, Logic flow etc.)
• ➔ Exploring materials for the next generation devices which would be of the nanometre scale
• ➔ Fabrication of nanoscale devices (Thin films etc.)

What after college? There comes a time during the course of one’s undergraduate programme that post-college plans begin to dawn upon every student. And, a myriad of options – an industry job, higher studies, startup, MBA, etc. further complicate his/her plight. As far as Meta department goes, it is by far one of the best departments in terms of study-activity balance. For many, core metallurgy and materials science is fascinating. For others, it is not. Some of us want to make money. Some want to try their hand at entrepreneurship. For some, the constancy of a 9-5 job isn’t quite appealing. Well, the MEMS department has had students who have experienced it all!

Future studies

Those interested in pursuing research interests, generally apply for Masters and Ph. Ds in universities abroad. There is no doubt that the demand for material scientists is continuously on the rise globally and thus they are one of the most sought-after people in various fields.Students pursue future studies mainly abroad as the field of materials science, is still in its nascent stage in India.

Core Sector

Some students take up core jobs in manufacturing industries, be it steel, ceramics or electronics industries. A number of R&D job positions look out for material scientists. The number of core jobs are increasing day-by-day (technically year-by-year), both in India and abroad.

Non-core sector

Meta has some of the most resourceful, enterprising, entrepreneurial people in the institute. Whenever there is something beyond the traditional in student life, you can bet your last few dollars there will be someone from Meta on the frontline. Evidently, a large number of students also choose to go for entrepreneurship or for managerial roles in consulting, analytics and finance companies, or possibly even management studies on graduation.

Anand Garde, MEMS (1967)

I joined Metallurgical Engineering department at IIT Bombay in 1963 as my first choice in engineering branch selection. A good friend of my father, Principal of Poona Engineering College, Professor G. K. Ogale was a metallurgist. He motivated me to join the field of metallurgy. In Pune, only candidates at the top of the class would get admission to the metallurgy branch in the early 60s. The field was more exciting than what I expected. Problem solutions were rarely solved by equations alone but needed more thinking. Often, multiple solutions were possible that appear to be equally promising.

Exciting areas in Materials Science have changed over the years. Aerospace materials, Nuclear Materials, Automotive materials, Biomedical materials, Nano materials, Semiconductors are some of the exciting areas of Materials Science. After graduation from IIT Bombay, the prospects for both employment and advanced studies are extremely bright, not just within India, but internationally. This factor has remained unchanged for the past 50 years since my graduation. Even the American industry and universities recognize the exceptional quality of IIT education.

I completed Ph. D. at the University of Florida under the guidance of an internationally recognized authority of that time, Professor Robert Reed-Hill. Continuing my graduate study research on zirconium, I have been working in the nuclear industry for the past 42 years. After selecting technical field instead of management, I have achieved the highest technical position in Westinghouse Electric Company (Consulting Engineer). I have volunteered in the committee activities of American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM International) as chairman of several B10 committees. I have organized ASTM Zirconium Symposia in nine countries (Hyderabad, India in 2013) in the past 30 years. I became ASTM Fellow in 2014. I have 10 patents and have published more than 70 papers.

IIT Bombay made me an independent thinker ready to face any situation and find solutions. When I arrived in the US, it was like landing on the moon: I did not know anybody, everything was totally new and strange to me, there was nobody to guide me and I did not have money. But I had the dream and boldness ingrained in me by IIT education. That was the biggest asset provided by IIT Bombay.

Saransh Singh, MEMS Dual Degree, 2013

First and foremost, congrats on making it through the Joint Entrance Exam. Now begins the arduous and overwhelming process of choosing your majors/branch. I have been in your shoes and it is not a trivial decision. So don't be bogged down if you're feeling confused and a little lost.

I graduated from the Metallurgical Engineering and Materials Science department (MEMS or sometimes referred to as Meta) in 2013 with a dual degree. I was very interested in applied physics and considering the constraints that my JEE rank imposes on me, I tried to find the perfect compromise between studying something that I found interesting, and going to one of the older, more established IITs.

Metallurgy and Materials Science is an amazingly multidisciplinary field. It lies at the intersection of Physics, Chemistry, Chemical and Mechanical engineering. There are endless possibilities in this field if your interests lie in studying physics or chemistry. Three of the last six Nobel Prizes in physics have gone to material scientists! Some of the most talked about discoveries of the last decade, like Graphene, have been related to this field.

IIT Bombay has a very good curriculum when it comes to MEMS. I was very satisfied with the courses running in the department and the manner in which the courses were conducted by most faculty members. Like any other major, you'll have to go through a couple of courses which you don't find all that exciting or interesting, but there are plenty of intriguing courses to fuel your curiosity. Apart from courses, the department has a very strong undergraduate research culture. The professors are very friendly and engage with the students in a constructive way. Your experience in the department is very rewarding if you work hard and are willing to learn.

There is plenty to do at IITB apart from academics. There are excellent sports facilities. You'll have plenty of opportunities to hone your managerial skills during the myriad of cultural, technical and organizational activities going on around the year. Personally, I was very active in hostel and the department councils. Those were some of the most memorable days of my life.

Due to our illustrious alumni, IITB has a stellar reputation in both industry and academic circles. If you've done well in your courses and extra curricular activities, then finding a job or getting an admit to a top graduate degree program is not very difficult. What is special about this place is that it prepares you for much more than just a job. People from this institution have been seminal in setting up the entrepreneurship ecosystem in Mumbai, what is referred to as Powai Valley, India's equivalent to Silicon Valley. After graduation, I got a job at Gulf Talent through the placement cell. The job was in Dubai with a lush pay. But like many of my peers, I chose to go to graduate school instead. Right now i'm working towards my doctoral degree in Material Science and Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University. I expect to finish my education by 2017.

In closing, I'd like to congratulate you again on being some of the best minds in India and I hope I was able to answer some of the questions that you might have had. Remember, this is just the beginning. The possibilities are infinite. Best of luck and happy choosing!

Ashwin Ganapathy, MEMS Dual Degree, 2013

Congratulations on clearing the JEE Advanced Test and welcome to the Indian Institutes of Technology! At IIT Bombay, as freshers, you'll be assigned a student mentor. Having been on either on side of the student-mentor relationship it's equal fun to be either! For most of you, the experience at IIT might be a first which will more likely go unparalleled throughout your lifetime. Beginning with academics, going with the general consensus, here at the IITs, the ranks and not interest determine your field. Computer Science might be in vogue but don't discount what other multidisciplinary fields might have to offer. I'd advice reading a bit about what lies in store over the next 4 or 5 years before making a decision. Talking to current and former students, student representatives and faculty will help immensely.

I personally had no choice since I wanted to come to IITB and hence got "stuck" with MEMS, or so I thought then. It turned out having a degree in a multidisciplinary field helps you gain a lot of knowledge which bodes well for your future as I can testify. The academic facilities at IITB are among the best in the country. You have an excellent central library and internet access on campus. The faculty are well renowned, extremely resourceful and have extensive research and/or industrial background. Most of them are ex-IITians so you bonding is never an issue!

The vast array of extra-curricular activities are one thing that sets IITB or for that matter all IITs apart. Personally, being inclined towards sports, I maxed out that aspect of my life at IITB. Whether it be the Inter IIT sports meet or the perennially-running intramural events you are always busy and more importantly fit and happy. There are a plethora of options on the cultural side too. Then you have opportunities in holding prestigious institute level positions of responsibility which is rare for a college where you'd be a day scholar. Most big events like Mood Indigo and Techfest are completely student run. The experience and learning obtained at IITB through extra-curricular is truly immense.

I'd like to mention something about the placements at IITB. I am of the opinion that selecting a stream and/or campus based solely on future job prospects seems far-fetched and downright unnecessary but I do understand the concern in today's competitive world. That said, an average IITB graduate does earn more than one from any other IIT. I got a pretty generous financial package accompanied with added intangible benefits (advantage of staying back in Mumbai) as did many of my peers. I had the opportunity, as part of the placement team, to actively take part in organizing the placements as well as preparing my batch-mates for the much anticipated. Each of the aforementioned activities help in landing a job or getting an admit in the foreign university. The times are such that everyone wants a well rounded individual even if he is an undergraduate.

IITB has another big advantage in that it is in Mumbai. That too in the upscale locality of Powai. Admittedly recreation is important and that's another thing IITB gives you better than most other IITs.

Bio:
Ashwin Ganapathy is a 2013 dual degree graduate from MEMS department. He has previously worked with Axis Bank Ltd. in Mumbai as a Business Analyst (Manager) in Credit Card Analytics team of the Business Intelligence Unit and is currently pursuing his MS in Electrical And Computer Engineering at UC Davis, CA.

Yash Sheth, MEMS Dual Degree, 2014

I am Yash Sheth and graduated from MEMS in August 2014 with a dual degree (B.Tech + M.Tech specialization in ceramics and composites)​ and currently I am working at Apple Inc.

Before I joined IIT-B we had a counselling session on the day we were supposed to fill out our preferences for the field+IIT where we wanted to study. After discussing with a few seniors present there, I had an option whether to give preference to the stream of study I wanted or the campus where I wanted to study. Although it wasn't a black and white decision, some streams at other IITs were on the higher side of preference list but in the end I decided to choose IIT-B over other IITs and the reasons were as follows:

1. I was looking forward to a combined "study + fun" environment and IIT-B had a perfect balance of both, a rigorous curriculum and plethora of activities going in and around the campus which helps for overall growth
2. I lived in Bombay so it would be convenient to enjoy both independent life as well as spending time with family.
3. Being in the city, one would expect the job scene to be better than other IITs (Which was bubble that bursts when one gets to know of placements@IITs though the jobs are pretty good but the salary quoted in the newspapers are for a few and after the foreign currency conversion rates but do not consider the PPP, however let that be a topic for another day)

So after having decided on my campus preference I choose a list of fields i wanted to and was glad that I got into MEMS.

From the courses, I learnt about different materials, polymers, ceramics, composites and batteries and what not. In my final year as a part of my thesis I got to work with Applied Materials and such interaction with professionals while on campus itself helped my get a professional attitude right from the start.

From the placement perspective, very few companies come with focus solely on Material Science students, but there are a lot of jobs out there if you want to pursue this field and also other analytics/banking/consulting jobs if you want to move out of this field. I got placed at TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductors Manufacturing Company) through campus placement ad worked in Taiwan for 9 months before I started working for Apple in Singapore recently. Alternatively students who are enthusiastic about the career prospects in this field could pursue a PhD. It is a very interesting field to remain in if you get a liking for it and although the job prospects may not be much in India but there are plenty of opportunities if you are fine with living abroad.

Metals and Materials Association

The Metals and Materials Association, IIT Bombay is an organisation of students, faculty, staff and alumni of the Department of Metallurgical Engineering and Materials Science. Its objective is to promote student - faculty interaction by inter/intra-departmental activities and events and to work together for elevating and propagating awareness in field of metallurgical engineering through a wide spectrum of activities and events.

Padarth, IIT Bombay is the Annual Technology festival of Department of Metallurgical Engineering and Materials Science. It was founded in 2007 to provide a platform for encouraging interactions and invoking innovations for those involved in the field of Materials Science. Padarth also provides a platform to present ideas and technologies in professional manner, with a plethora of events ranging from workshops to competitions.

Visit our website here.

Dhatuki

The newsletter of our Department, Dhatuki, brings out the best in creative thinking of the students and shows that we as a department are continuously growing and expanding in research. Materials Science has been portrayed as the prime aspect in our editorials but we don't forget to leave out the fun part as well.

Dhatuki is not just a newsletter. It is a mission to explore the field of materials science, to get its readers enthused about the latest buzz in materials research and to acquaint them with all the golden opportunities that shall be knocking at their doors in the near future. To read the current edition please click here

Materials Special Interest Group (SIG)

The Materials SIG is a group of undergraduate students across all years of study at IITB who share a common passion for Materials Science and Engineering. Besides the constant ongoing discussions on the group, we also hop on a weekly call to debate and discuss on a pre-decided topic to broaden our horizons. The discussions build from scratch and are ideal for participants with zero knowledge to advanced knowledge. The idea is not to cover the depth but the span and appreciate the breadth or as one of our Professor's like to put it "

When one looks at the story beginning from Big Bang to Quarks, evolution of the universe and life on earth followed by gradual developments over centuries and then the explosion of science and technology, it is too impressive and a life is too short to digest all of this exciting stuff. But then it is good to 'taste' whatever we can afford to 'taste'. After all, each one of us needs to remain inspired."

We are opening the next three weekly sessions to prospective students who wish to explore what the Department and the field entail so that they can make an informed decision about joining the Department in the 2021 IITB undergraduate intake. The topics are:

• 11th Oct (10-11 pm)- Materials for clothing for soldiers to keep them warm
  We will be joined by Prof Parag Bharagava for this one. Thinking and planning development of clothes for army personnel who are serving in the subzero conditions in difficult terrain. The clothing needs to make their life slightly easier by providing desired insulation, breathability etc and must be lightweight and convenient to wear. Another variant in the same line of need is the possibility of having heated clothing using batteries. India is currently in the process of importing these in large quantities.
  
• 18th Oct (10-11 pm) - Structural Materials for Satellites
  Materials science has for long played a major role in the advancement of technologies. One of the frontiers for this development has been space technology. Materials which are both light and strong are required for these applications. In this discussion, we will be talking about how materials have evolved and what lies in the future of this domain.
• 25th Oct (10-11 pm) - Materials to bring emerging megacities to the next level
  A nation's growth can be measured by the level of sophistication prevailing in its emerging megacities. But often there are material limitations to what can be achieved. These materials can make or break situations pertaining to climate change, urban planning, traffic control, and overall quality of life. Current developments in materials science like perovskite solar cells, materials for energy storage, better concrete and glass, sensor materials have enabled future cities to be more sustainable and utopian.

Every participant is encouraged to read up on the topic a little bit in the preceding week but we're always open to curious participants who are here to just listen and ask questions. If you wish to attend any of these, please drop an email to rohit2yadav99@gmail.com. Please remember we only have limited spots and we will confirm your participation on a first come first serve basis. Please drop an email ASAP if you wish to attend!