Leh: A two-day hands-on training session was organized by the DST-PURSE (Promotion of University Research and Scientific Excellence) of the University of Ladakh (UoL), Leh campus under the guidance of Vice Chancellor (Prof.) S.K. Mehta, focusing on the application of BET (Brunauer-Emmett-Teller) analysis using the Autosorb-iQ-XR.
The event was conducted for professionals across various fields, including chemistry, petrochemicals, fuel cell industries, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, nanotechnology, and geology.
Dr. Priyanshu Pratap Singh, an application specialist from Anton Paar India Pvt. Ltd, led the training as a guest speaker. Dr. Riyaz M.K. Khan, the coordinator of DST-PURSE, presented Dr. Singh with a traditional memento and khatak as a gesture of appreciation. Participants included individuals from the University of Ladakh, teaching staff from the Kargil campus, research scholars from G.B. Pant NIHE LRC, and staff members from DST-PURSE.
On the first day, Dr. Singh commenced the training with a detailed PowerPoint presentation covering the fundamentals of BET analysis, its mechanisms, surface properties and various working components. He explained the different sizes of bulb for samples depending upon its nature and type of sample.
In his presentation, he also focused on steps to measure physisorption as well as technological advancement of inbuilt degassing. He also focused on kinetic and mass transfer regime of the different pores sizes.
On the second day, he followed with a practical demonstration at CISIC (Centralized Interdisciplinary Science Instrumentation Centre)-Lab about sample preparation, degassing, and analysis, as well as software application. His demonstration also emphasized important safety measures when handling the instrument.
The session included discussions on different types of analyses that can be performed with the BET system, such as BET surface area and isotherms, and how to present these results in both graphical and numerical formats. He also described the various parameters such as surface area, density, porosity that affects the quality of the sample analysis during physisorption analysis.
In his training he discussed the time temperature interaction while performing experiments. He also explained about advantage of the pressurized test which is equipped with the instruments. He also gave a task to design the heating profile for surface area analysis for the sample base on given different conditions.
Dr. Ali from the University of Ladakh, Kargil campus highlighted that participating in the program will enhance his students’ research capabilities by broadening their research areas. This suggests that the program provided opportunities or resources that can support diverse research activities.
Ms. Angmo, a research scholar of G.B. Pant NIHE LRC, noted that using advanced instruments and conducting experiments have deepened her understanding of the BET (Brunauer-Emmett-Teller) method. This technique, used for measuring surface area and porosity of materials, has proven to be an important tool in her research, expanding her knowledge of its applications and benefits.
The programme ended with concluding remarks by Dr. Riyaz M.K. Khan coordinator DST-PURSE and certificate distribution ceremony.
