Scientists Unveil Unusual Crystal Behavior on Heating

16 Oct 2024 CW Team

In a groundbreaking discovery, scientists at the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), Bangalore, have observed an unexpected reduction in local crystal symmetry when heated. This finding challenges traditional theories that suggest crystal symmetry typically increases with temperature due to entropy. Published in Advanced Materials, the research holds potential applications in phononics, thermoelectrics, and solar thermal conversion.

Led by Prof. Kanishka Biswas, the team, including researchers Ivy Maria and Paribesh Acharyya, studied the behavior of the all-inorganic two-dimensional halide perovskite Cs?PbI?Cl?. Surprisingly, while the global symmetry remained unchanged, the local symmetry decreased with rising temperatures. The researchers coined the term "Emphanisis" to describe this phenomenon.

The study employed advanced synchrotron X-ray techniques, allowing the team to simultaneously observe both local and global structures. The experiments were conducted at DESY, Hamburg, under the India-DESY collaboration, supported by India's Department of Science & Technology (DST). This discovery could revolutionize the design of materials for efficient heat management systems.

Building Material

11 Dec 2025

Suraj Estate Wins Euromoney Award for India’s Best Residential Developer

"Suraj Estate Developers Limited has received the Euromoney Real Estate Award 2025 for ‘India’s Best Residential Developer’, positioning the company among globally benchmarked leaders in the sector. The recognition reflects its four-decade legacy in delivering high-quality residential and redevelopment-led projects across South Central Mumbai. The Euromoney Real Estate Awards, presented by the London-based Euromoney magazine, are widely regarded as one of the most credible global assessments of performance in real estate, banking and finance. Winners are selected through surveys of inte..

Lloyds Metals, Tata Steel Sign MoU to Explore Strategic Collaboration

"Lloyds Metals and Energy Limited has signed a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding with Tata Steel Limited to evaluate potential areas of strategic cooperation across mining, logistics, pelletisation and steelmaking. The MoU was signed by B Prabhakaran, Managing Director of Lloyds Metals, and Mr T V Narendran, CEO and Managing Director of Tata Steel. The partnership framework aims to leverage the natural operational synergies between both companies and assess opportunities in greenfield steel projects, iron ore mining, slurry pipeline infrastructure, pellet manufacturing in iron ore–ric..

IndiaAI, Gujarat Govt Host Regional Conclave Ahead of 2026 AI Summit

The IndiaAI Mission under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, along with the Government of Gujarat and IIT Gandhinagar, convened a Regional Pre-Summit Event at Mahatma Mandir, Gandhinagar. The initiative is part of the build-up to the India–AI Impact Summit 2026, scheduled for 15–20 February 2026 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi. The conclave brought together senior policymakers, technology leaders, researchers and industry practitioners to examine how AI can accelerate economic, digital and social transformation across sectors. The programme focused on the overarching th..