A Conversation with C. N. R. Rao
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solids. There were hardly any facilities in IISc to work on spectroscopy and molecular structure. I thought that I should pick an area where I could do something worthwhile even with the minimal facilities available. It was then that I decided to work on the phase transitions of TiO2 (anatase and brookite to rutile) and related problems. I also started working on some aspects of rare earth oxides. Some of this work could be done even with the tiny powder diffraction camera that was available. Gradually, I realized that the area of solid-state chemistry did not have a large number of practitioners in the world and decided to make it my main area of interest. I then got interested in working on transition metal oxides, especially perovskites. Two main workers at that time in this field were John Goodenough in the U.S. and Paul Hagenmuller in France. They are roughly contemporaries of mine in terms of research. Taking the lonely load has helped me to establish myself as a scientist. I have been working in solid-state and materials chemistry for over 5 decades and have enjoyed it. EL: From your initial academic career at IIT Kanpur to present day leadership at JNCASR, Bangalore, you have been a scientif ic builder with several new initiatives in India. Could you please identif y key efforts that have led to the major transition of scientif ic research in India? Rao: After 4 years at the Indian Institute of Science, I joined the new Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IIT/K), which was being set up with the help of a consortium of eight U.S. universities, which included MIT, Berkeley, Purdue, Princeton, and so on. By then, I had published two books on spectroscopy and had carried out sufficient research in India. IIT/K made me the first head of the chemistry department when I was hardly 30 years old. This was a tremendous opportunity for me to build an outstanding chemistry department. I would not be immodest if I were to say that in the history of chemistry of India, this chemistry department emerged as the best one. We started teaching modern chemistry for the first time, which included quantum chemistry, spectroscopy, thermodynamics, reaction mechanisms, and so on. Today, graduates as well as faculty of this department are leaders in chemistry in India. I was also involved in building IIT/K in various ways. Around 1971, the then Prime Minister of India formed a national committee to draft a science and technology plan and picked me as one of the members of that committee. I was then 37 years old. Working in that committee gave me great experience to deal with national issues. One of my main accomplishments was to get the government to set up a national body for funding scientific research. Since those days, I have been able to contribute to building many institutions in India and participate in planning science and technology. I left IIT/K in 1976 to join IISc in Bangalore to build two new departmentsone devoted to solid-state chemistry and
uring the 12th JNC Research Conference on Chemistry of Materials held at Thiruvananthapuram, India, I had the opportunity to meet with Prof. C. N. R. Rao and discuss scientific advances in India (Figures 1, 2).
Figure 1. Conversation with Prof. Rao at Thiruvananthapuram, India during the 12th JNC Research Conference on Chemistry of Materials. (Photo courtesy of P. Kamat.)
Prof. Rao, who recently received Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award bestowed by the President of India, is regarded as the father of modern science in India. During the last few decades, he has succeeded in introducing new research initiatives (e.g., nanoscience program) and establishing research centers and academic programs in India. His research contributions in the area of materials chemistry, superconductivity, catalysis, and advanced energy materials are well received. Thomson Reuters has credited him as one of the most cited chemists. He is the author of several popular books and continues to engage in educational outreach activities. His current interest in advanced energy materials provides further breadth to his research accomplishments. The conversation I had with Prof. Rao is summarized here. EL (ACS Energy Letters): How did you get interested in materials research so early in your career? Rao: I returned to India from the U.S. in 1959 after an exciting stay of 5 years and joined the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, as a faculty member. IISc is the oldest and most well-known research center of India. I had already published several papers in spectroscopy and molecular structure and was getting slightly interested in some aspects of © XXXX American Chemical Society
Received: October 5, 2016 Accepted: November 4, 2016 1189
DOI: 10.1021/acsenergylett.6b00503 ACS Energy Lett. 2016, 1, 1189−1191
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Those who work on materials have so much to contribute to energy research, and I am happy to be part of such effort. EL: Could you please brief ly describe the ongoing energy-related ef forts that are being pursued in India? Rao: In India, there are several laboratories contributing to energy research. Some of the national laboratories are working on batteries as well as solar energy. One of the laboratories is working on energy from the oceans, and there is also interest to make use of gas hydrates in the ocean for future energy needs. It is clear that we require a mixed energy economy in India, which requires contributions from wind energy, bioenergy, solar energy, nuclear energy, and so on. The use of solar energy in various ways is important. In this context, production of hydrogen and reduction of carbon dioxide are important problems. There has been some work in these areas in a few places in India, including my own. Organic photovoltaics and use of perovskites is being pursued by a few groups. EL: During the past decade, the investments by the Government of India in building scientif ic inf rastructure as well as increased research f unding have led to transformative growth in high-impact research. What challenges do you foresee in sustaining scientif ic growth in India? Rao: The Government of India has been investing in science for a few decades, but considering the level of investment made in advanced countries, our investment in science has not been sufficient. Our government has to invest at least 2% of the GDP for science and technology. Right now, it is less than 1%. Our industry is also not contributing sufficiently for research and development. I do hope that the situation will change in the next few years. Unless the Government of India gives greater importance to scientific research as well as quality higher education, India will not be able to become a global leader. This aspect is being emphasized in recent months in the country. A point that is being made now is that small science is more important and relevant than big science involving accelerators and atomic reactors. EL: Today, many young researchers aspire to engage in energy research. How can they become successf ul researchers in this highly competitive arena? Rao: It is extremely difficult to publish a paper in a good journal today. Energy research is no different. Young people have to contribute to this competitive area in some way. The main qualities to succeed in research according to me are doggedness, dedication, and tenacity. I do hope that young people in India will develop these qualities to contribute to world research in energy. One should not give up because of referee fatigue.
another to materials research. In 1989, when the Government of India decided to set up a new center to celebrate the centenary of our first Prime Minister, Mr. Jawaharlal Nehru, I was asked to help to build this Centre. I am glad to see that the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research in Bangalore has emerged to become the best research center in India. Though small, it produces work of high quality. I have been Chairman of the Science Advisory Council of a few Prime Ministers. Using this position, I have been able to get better support for science and create more opportunities for scientists. For example, efforts of this council have resulted in the creation of two new departments in the federal governmentone devoted to health research and another to earth sciences. Another important outcome has been the setting up of the new Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research in six different locations in India. These are emerging to become fountains of scientific talent in the country.
Figure 2. Continuing the conversation while strolling along the Kovalam Beach, Thiruvananthapuram, India. (Photo courtesy of P. Kamat.)
EL: The 20th century has seen a transition f rom molecular structure to the design of nanomaterials. In your opinion, how have these major developments led to the present day research of energy materials? Rao: I am the child of the structural chemistry period of the 1950s. Molecular structure dominated chemistry for a long time due to the influence of Linus Pauling and other chemists. Since the 1970s, chemistry has changed because of the immense contribution of biology and materials to the subject. The contribution from materials increased after the discovery of high-temperature superconductivity in 1986−1987. Materials chemistry today has become a major part of chemistry and an integral part of materials science. Molecules no longer dominate chemistry. As a document of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences states, we are now beyond the molecular frontier. Areas of interest today are chemistry of the earth, oceans, and the atmosphere, self-assembly, high power computation, materials by design, understanding living systems, and so on. An important aspect of materials chemistry is energy research. Energy is clearly one of the major human demands in the present day world. In India, energy is probably the most important requirement the country faces. There is realization today that we should contribute meaningfully to this area.
Prashant V. Kamat, Editor-in-Chief
University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556, United States
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AUTHOR INFORMATION
Notes
Views expressed in this Viewpoint are those of the author and not necessarily the views of the ACS. The author declares no competing financial interest. 1190
DOI: 10.1021/acsenergylett.6b00503 ACS Energy Lett. 2016, 1, 1189−1191
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Biography
C. N. R. Rao obtained his Ph.D. degree from Purdue University (1958) and D.Sc. degree from the University of Mysore (1961). He is the Linus Pauling Research Professor at the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research and Honorary Professor at the Indian Institute of Science (both in Bangalore). His research interests are mainly in the chemistry of materials. He is a fellow of the Royal Society, London and foreign associate of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, Japan, French, and Russian as well as other science academies. He is the recipient of the Einstein Gold Medal of UNESCO, the Hughes and Royal Medals of the Royal Society, the August Wilhelm von Hofmann medal of the German Chemical Society, the Dan David Prize for materials research, and the first India Science Prize. He is the recipient of Bharat Ratna (Jewel of India), the highest civilian honor of India.
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DOI: 10.1021/acsenergylett.6b00503 ACS Energy Lett. 2016, 1, 1189−1191
