Research activities of this division involves studies on synthesis of advanced materials and development of new processes and techniques for improved performance of materials & components and mitigation of environmental problems covering a broad area of energy, space, oil & gas, iron &steel and green synthesis of materials.The research facilities available with this division includes state-of-the-art machines and tools for the study of advanced coatings, X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), Hot Dip Process Simulator (HDPS) and Non-Destructive Evaluation (NDE). Major research areas of this division at CSIR-NML are:

1. Surface Engineering
2. Functional Materials
3. NDE and Magnetic Materials

Surface EngineeringThe major focus of research of this group is to impart critical functionalities to material surfaces by developing environment friendly coatings using different processes such as sol-gel, electroplating, sputtering, electron beam evaporation, arc evaporation, plasma ion immersion, thermal spraying, hot dip process simulation and modification of surface structure through diffusion bonding and SMAT. Processes are optimized to improve functional properties of the surface such as wear and corrosion resistance and also optical and mechanical strength of the material. Research is also done to study the coatings on Advanced High Strength Steels (AHSS) for automotive applications, environment-friendly coatings for high-temperature tribological applications and advanced polymeric coatings/passivators for industrial applications.Functional MaterialsFunctional Materials group is an interdisciplinary group carrying out research in the areas of optical, magnetic, electrical and thermal behaviour of metals, ceramic materials and composites for enhanced fundamental understanding and specific customized needs. The group focuses mainly on two distinct areas - energy materials (graphene, Mxenes) and biomaterials (bioimplants including biomimetic nanocomposites and biodegradable alloys.NDE & Magnetic MaterialsThe research activities of this group is focused on development of methodologies for damage assessment of industrial components, sensors and devices for Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) and advanced magnetic materials and alloys for energy applications. Scientists of this group have expertise in developing NDE protocols and sensors for diverse applications from aerospace to defence, power and steel sectors.