IIT Gandhinagar

For decades, scientists have tried to understand why some crystals are brittle, while others are more elastic. Although the concept of flexible crystals may seem surprising, they already exist in the field of materials science. Previous studies have shown that this ‘plasticity’ or flexibility can arise from the way molecules are arranged and interact within a crystal.

To investigate how this occurs on a microscopic level, researchers at IITGN studied 3‑bromo-5-chlorobenzoic Acid (3B5CBA), a model system with the necessary structural characteristics for exploring this phenomenon. Through various bending tests, structural analysis, and advanced imaging techniques, they found that the crystal contains strong molecular layers linked by much weaker interactions, creating slip planes that enable movement of molecular layers under stress. Much like a stack of cards, the molecular layers slide past one another when force is applied, allowing the crystal to bend instead of shatter. The molecule also has a relatively rounded shape, allowing it to rotate and rearrange more easily within the crystal, a trait often associated with flexible materials. Thermal studies further showed that the crystal can convert directly from a solid to a vapour without melting first, by a process called sublimation. Together, these observations revealed the structural features responsible for the crystal's unusual behaviour.

Importantly, this is the first study to report the plastic mechanical behaviour of 3B5CBA crystals and to quantitatively measure their hardness and stiffness. In doing so, it advances our understanding of crystal flexibility and offers valuable design principles for developing flexible materials for pharmaceutical manufacturing, flexible electronics, optical devices, and other advanced technologies.

The team includes Prof Sameer V Dalvi and Deepak Rajput.

For more information, click the link in bio.
https://zurl.co/xhp1K

𝐈𝐈𝐓𝐆𝐍 congratulates 𝐒𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐫 𝐊𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐫 𝐃𝐞𝐛, 𝐏𝐡𝐃 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐫 with the Advanced Materials Processing Research Group in the Department of Materials Engineering, on being awarded the prestigious 𝐋𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐊𝐚𝐮𝐟𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔.

Conferred by CALPHAD Inc., the scholarship is awarded to only 20 scholars worldwide each year and will support participation in the 𝐂𝐀𝐋𝐏𝐇𝐀𝐃 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 in Quebec, Canada.

Sagar will present his research on microstructural design and strengthening of Al-Mg-Si-based alloys at the conference.

We wish him continued success in his research endeavours and for his participation at CALPHAD 2026.

𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐠𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡, 𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩.

At 𝐁𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐭 𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔 in Nice, France, 𝐈𝐈𝐓 𝐆𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐫 𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐄𝐂𝐄 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥 (𝐅𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞), 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐂𝐚𝐫, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨 to advance academic cooperation, innovation, entrepreneurship, responsible AI, and global research engagement.

These partnerships will create new opportunities for students, researchers, innovators, and startups while further strengthening IITGN’s international collaborations.

𝐀 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐈𝐈𝐓 𝐆𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐫 𝐚𝐭 𝐁𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐭 𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔, 𝐅𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞.

𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟 𝐑𝐚𝐣𝐚𝐭 𝐌𝐨𝐨𝐧𝐚, 𝐃𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫, 𝐈𝐈𝐓𝐆𝐍, joined 𝐇𝐨𝐧’𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐒𝐡𝐫𝐢 𝐏𝐢𝐲𝐮𝐬𝐡 𝐆𝐨𝐲𝐚𝐥 (Minister of Commerce and Industry) and leaders from premier 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐡 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 for a landmark collaboration aimed at strengthening research, innovation, academic exchange, and deep-tech partnerships between India and France.

𝐇𝐨𝐧'𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐃𝐫 𝐉𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐚 𝐒𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐡 Union Minister of State (Independent Charge), Ministry of Science & Technology and Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India. 𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐈𝐈𝐓𝐆𝐍 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐚𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐂𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐭𝐞’𝐬 𝐯𝐢𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦.

The 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐂𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 in 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐬, 𝐄𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐲, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 & 𝐌𝐞𝐝𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡 will foster collaboration among academia, industry, startups, and government to accelerate the development of impactful technologies and real-world solutions.

On the occasion, the 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐂𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐬 were also released, outlining the vision and collaborative opportunities within each cluster.
As part of the visit, Hon'ble Dr Jitendra Singh toured the IITGN Research Park and interacted with IITGN-based startups, highlighting the institute’s growing role in innovation, entrepreneurship, and technology translation.

Together, these initiatives reinforce IITGN’s commitment to advancing research, fostering innovation, and contributing to the vision of 𝐕𝐢𝐤𝐬𝐢𝐭 𝐁𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐭 𝟐𝟎𝟒𝟕.

𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐅𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 (𝐂𝐈𝐅) 𝐈𝐧𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐭 𝐈𝐈𝐓𝐆𝐍

𝐈𝐈𝐓𝐆𝐍 inaugurated its Central Instrumentation Facility (CIF) in the presence of 𝐇𝐨𝐧'𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐃𝐫 𝐉𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐚 𝐒𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐡, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge), Ministry of Science & Technology and Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India.

Supported by the 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 & 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲, the CIF houses advanced research instruments including 𝐓𝐄𝐌, 𝐗𝐏𝐒, 𝐅𝐄-𝐒𝐄𝐌, 𝐍𝐌𝐑, 𝐌𝐢𝐜𝐫𝐨-𝐂𝐓, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐖𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, providing high-end characterisation capabilities to researchers, startups, universities, and industry.

On the occasion, the 𝐂𝐈𝐅 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐥𝐞𝐭 was also released, highlighting the facility's state-of-the-art instrumentation and its role in strengthening India's research and innovation ecosystem.

The inauguration of the CIF and the release of the CIF Booklet mark an important step towards advancing research infrastructure, fostering innovation, and contributing to the vision of 𝐕𝐢𝐤𝐬𝐢𝐭 𝐁𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐭.

When real earthquake data is scarce, especially for huge events, scientists turn to simulations to estimate how hard the ground will shake. This study analyses three widely used simulation tools and finds something unexpected: their results differ less from how the tools are built than how they are set up. Drawing on over 4500 actual earthquake records, it shows that once each tool is carefully calibrated for the earthquake source, path and local soil effects, their once-divergent estimates fall into close agreement. The lesson: choosing the right settings matters more than the tool itself, and those settings don't always transfer between tools.

For more information: https://zurl.co/SqjIG



Ministry of Education | Department of Science and Technology, Government of India | Anusandhan National Research Foundation - ANRF

Built on the belief that investing should be transparent, accessible, and trustworthy, Wint Wealth has emerged as one of India’s fastest-growing fintech platforms focused on fixed-income investing. Founded in 2020 under Wint Securities Private Limited by a multidisciplinary team including IIT Gandhinagar alumni, the startup was born from a simple insight: while many sought stable investment options beyond fixed deposits, bond investing remained inaccessible due to high entry barriers, limited awareness, and operational complexity.

To address this gap, the team set out to democratise fixed-income investing through investor education, lower minimum investment thresholds, curated opportunities, and a seamless digital experience. Over time, this vision translated into significant scale and impact. Today, the platform has facilitated over ₹9,100 crore in bond investments, served more than 3.24 lakh active investors, managed a portfolio of over 250+ assets, and maintained a zero-default track record while enabling more than ₹3,300+ crore in repayments to investors.

Beyond its impact on investors, Wint Wealth has achieved significant business milestones. Since its inception, the company has attracted backing from leading investors and secured US$27 million in Series B funding, a stage of startup fundraising that typically supports a company’s next phase of growth after it has developed a product, gained customers, and demonstrated market traction. Driven by this momentum, it also expanded into fund management and NBFC (Non-Banking Financial Company) businesses, crossed ₹500 crore in monthly platform volume, and established itself as a trusted platform for fixed-income investing.

Rooted in IITGN’s culture of innovation and entrepreneurship, Wint Wealth’s journey reflects how ideas nurtured within academic ecosystems, when combined with thoughtful innovation, disciplined ex*****on, and a long-term vision, can create meaningful impact in India’s evolving financial ecosystem.

𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 & 𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐓𝐨𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐕𝐢𝐤𝐬𝐢𝐭 𝐁𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐭

IITGN welcomed 𝐇𝐨𝐧'𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐃𝐫 𝐉𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐚 𝐒𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐡, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge), Ministry of Science & Technology and Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India, who inaugurated the 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐅𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 (𝐂𝐈𝐅) and launched three interdisciplinary Research Clusters in 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐬, 𝐄𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐲, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 & 𝐌𝐞𝐝𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡.

The visit also featured the introduction of the 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐀𝐈-𝐃𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, further strengthening IITGN’s commitment to translational research, industry collaboration, and innovation-driven solutions aligned with the vision of 𝐕𝐢𝐤𝐬𝐢𝐭 𝐁𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐭 𝟐𝟎𝟒𝟕.