Mukesh Kumar, Ph. D.
Metallurgical and Materials Engineering
Colorado School of Mines
1500 Illinois Street, Golden CO (USA) 80401
Tel.: (+1) 303-273-3640 (O), (+1) 303-459-2837 (H)
E-mail: mukumar@mines.edu, mukesh.kumar@nrel.gov
https://sites.google.com/site/mukeshkumarsom/
Career statement
Secure a challenging position as a material science researcher that makes use
of my diverse expertise and extensive experience in the area of thin films
science and technology, nanostructures growth engineering and applications,
gas sensors, organic thin film photovoltaics, Li ion battery and related
characterization techniques
Awards and distinction
Reviewer of J. Physics D: Applied Physics, since 2012
Young scientist travel award, Material Research Society, USA
2010-2011
Visiting research scholar at SUNY, Albany and RPI, Troy, NY, USA - 2008
Qualified NET (National Eligibility Test), Physics - 2003
Qualified GATE (Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering), Physics 2003
Qualified JEST (Joint Entrance Screening Test), Physics 2003
Young scientist travel award (Department of Science and Technology,
India) 2003
Young scientist travel award (Council of Scientific and Industrial
Research, India) 2003
Young scientist travel award (Centre for Cooperation in Science and
Technology among Developing Societies, India) 2003
Special recognized
research
Nature news, India:
http://www.nature.com/nindia/2012/120113/full/nindia.2012.2.html
The research paper published in Materials Letter 68, 47, 2012 got
published in Nature News, India on January 2012.
Selected for Virtual Journal of Nanoscale Science & Technology (AIP),
April 5, 2010, Volume 21, Issue 14
Mukesh Kumar, V. N. Singh, J. P. Singh and B. R. Mehta “The role of
stoichiometry of indium and oxygen on gas sensing properties of indium
oxide nanostructures” Applied Physics Letter 2010, 96, 123114
Field of specialization
Research publications
Papers at conferences
Flexible transparent conducting oxide thin films, nanostructures growth,
engineering and applications, organic thin film solar cells, scanning
probe microscopy, nanomechanics, battery cathode materials
14 research papers in peer reviewed journals
11 (list attached)
Research career
Dec 2011-Present
Post-Doctoral Research Associate: Colorado School of Mines and
National Renewal Energy laboratory, Golden Colorado (USA)
Research direction: Flexible TCO’s thin films, binary and ternary
transparent conducting oxide thin films and their electro-mechanical
coupling studies for flexible thin film solar cell application, Li ion battery
Feb 2010 – Dec 2011
Post-Doctoral Research Associate: South Dakota State University,
South Dakota (USA)
Research direction: Development of light assisted novel scanning probe
microscopy facility in inert ambient for the fabrication and
characterization of organic thin films solar cell
May 2005 – Feb 2010
Graduate Research Assistant: Indian Institute of Technology Delhi
(India)
Research direction: Growth and engineering of transparent conducting
oxide nanostructures for gas sensing and optical applications
July 2003 – May 2005
Master of technology: Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (India)
Research direction: Development of p-type transparent conducting
oxide thin films
Technical skills
Thin Film Deposition and characterization: Physical vapor deposition
(DC/RF sputtering, resistive heating evaporation, activated reactive
evaporation), chemical vapor deposition
Surface characterization: SEM, AFM, XPS
Structural characterization: XRD, TEM
Electrical characterization: Hall effect
Optical and mechanical properties characterization
Nanostructures growth: Tunable growth of 1-D indium oxide, tin oxide,
zinc oxide and gallium oxide nanostructures
Bulk heterojunction solar cell fabrication and characterization:
Polymer BHJ solar cells, J-V characteristic, EQE, Intensity modulation
photocurrent spectroscopy, nanoscale phase distribution
Scanning Probe Microscopy (Agilent 5500, Veeco Nanoscope IIIa):
Scanning
Tunneling
Microscopy/spectroscopy
(STM/STS),
Tapping/Contact, Conductive-Atomic Force Microscopy (CS-AFM),
Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy (KPFM), Electrostatic Force Microscopy
(EFM) and Photo-assisted Scanning Probe Techniques such as
Photoconductive AFM and Photo-assisted EFM/KPFM (or local Surface
Photo Voltage)
Photolithography: Photoresist spin coating, Pattern transfer, wet
chemical etching
Characterization techniques
Nanoindentation (Hysitron TI 950)
Scanning probe microscopy (Veeco Nanoscope IIIa and Agilent 5500)
Kelvin Probe Measurements (K. P. Systems)
X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (SPECS system)
Scanning electron microscopy
Software Skills: Minitab (Design of experiment), Origin, Gwyddion
(image processing), CorelDRAW, IGOR
Research Profile
Transparent conducting oxide nanostructures: Growth, engineering
and application
 Chemical vapor deposition growth of 1-D In2O3, SnO2, ZnO,
Ga2O3 nanostructures
 Nanoscale flow of In metal in In filled In2O3 nanotubes
 Smallest synthetic nano-rocket of In filled In2O3 nanotubes
 Gas sensing applications of In2O3 nanostructures
Flexible transparent conducting oxides (TCOs) thin film for next
generation flexible opto-electronic device application
 Combinatorial growth of binary and ternary amorphous TCOs for
flexible thin film solar cell application: a-InxZn1-xO and a(In2O3:Sn)1-x(ZnO)x
 Residual stress study in amorphous TCOs thin film
 Mechanical properties screening of TCO thin film
Organic thin film solar cells
 Hands-on experience in fabrication of bulk heterojunction (BHJ)
solar cells
 Nanoscale surface photovoltaic, electrostatic force microscopy,
Kelvin prove force and other local electrical characterization of
light absorbing layer in solar cell using scanning probe
microscopy
 Device J-V and EQE characterization of BHJ solar cells
 Custom designed and maintenance of glove box equipped with
processing of organic photoactive materials and scanning probe
microscopy facilities
Nano-mechanics: Li ion battery materials
 Electrochemical-mechanical force coupling at nanoscale in NMC
and LiFePO4 battery cathode materials
 Mechanical properties of Li ion battery cathode material for
better reliability
Research Responsibilities
Dec 2011 - Feb 2010
 In charge to maintain glove box and nanoscale characterization
facilities at South Dakota State University, SD, USA
Feb 2010 - Dec 2009
 Operation and maintenance of X-ray photoelectron
spectroscopy (SPECS, Germany) for more than one year at
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi, India
Feb 2010 - Dec 2005
 Operation and maintenance of nanoscale characterization facility
at IIT Delhi, India
Academic qualifications
February 2010
May 2005
Ph.D. (Physics), Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, India
Dissertation: “Structural, Optical and Gas Sensing Properties of Indium
Oxide Nanostructures Grown by Thermal Chemical Vapor Deposition
Technique”
M. Tech. (Material science), Indian Institute of Technology Delhi India
May 2005
Dissertation: “Synthesis and Characterization of Copper Indium Oxide
Thin Films Prepared by Reactive RF Magnetron Sputtering Technique”
CGPA- 8.875/10 point scale
July 2001
M.Sc. (Physics), Choudhary Charan Singh University, Meerut, Uttar
Pradesh, India, 74%, July 2001
July 1999
B.Sc. (Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics), Choudhary Charan Singh
University, Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, India, 63% July 1999
Papers publications in peer reviewed journals
2012
 Ashish Karn, Mukesh Kumar, V N Singh, B R Mehta, S
Aravindan and J P Singh “Growth of indium oxide and zinc doped
indium oxide nanostructures” Chem. Vap. Deposition, 2012, 18, 1
 Mukesh Kumar, Pavel Dutta and Venkat Bommisetty “Enhanced
Open Circuit Voltage in Aluminum Confined Post-Annealing of
poly(3-hexylthiophene)/fullerene Bulk Heterojunction Solar Cells
under Electric Field” Mater. Res. Sco. Symp. Proc. 2012.
 P. Dutta, Mukesh Kumar, M. Rathi, P. Ahrenkiel, D.
Galipeau, V. Bommisetty “Effect of active layer morphology
on recombination mechanism in polymer: fullerene organic
bulk heterojunction solar cells” Mater. Res. Sco. Symp. Proc.
2012.
 Mukesh Kumar, V. N. Singh, B. R. Mehta, N. Koratkar and J. P.
Singh “Electron beam induced real time rocket-type propulsion
effect in indium metal filled indium oxide nanotubes” Materials
Letter 2012, 68, 47.
 Mukesh Kumar, V. N. Singh, B. R. Mehta and J. P. Singh “Tunable
growth of indium oxide from nanoflute to indium filled nanotubes”
Journal of Physical Chemistry C 2012, 116, 5450.
2011
2010
 P. Dutta, Y. Xie, Mukesh Kumar, M. Rathi, Phil Ahrenkiel, D. Galipeau,
Q. Qiao and V. Bommisetty “Connecting Physical Properties of SpinCasting Solvents with Morphology, Nanoscale Charge Transport, and
device Performance of Poly(3-hexylethiophene):Phenyl-C61-Butyric
Acide Ester Methyl Bulk Heterojunction Solar Cells” J. Photon. Energy
2011, 1, 11124.
 Mukesh Kumar, V. N. Singh, J. P. Singh and B. R. Mehta “Retardation
of liquid indium flow in indium oxide nanotubes” Journal of Physics
Chemistry C, 2010, 114, 2891.
 Mukesh Kumar, V. N. Singh, J. P. Singh and B. R. Mehta “The role of
stoichiometry of indium and oxygen on gas sensing properties of indium
oxide nanostructures” Applied Physics Letter 2010, 96, 123114.
2009
 Mukesh Kumar, V. N. Singh, B. R. Mehta and J. P. Singh “Tunable
synthesis of indium oxide octahedrons, nanowires and tubular nanoarrow
structures under oxidizing and reducing ambient” Nanotechnology 2009,
20, 235608.
 Mukesh Kumar, R. Chatterjee, S. Milikisiyants, A. Kanjilal, M.
Voelskow, D. Grambole, K. V. Lakshmi and J. P. Singh
“Investigating the role of hydrogen in indium oxide tubular
nanostructures as a donor or oxygen vacancy passivation center”
Applied Physics Letters 2009, 95, 13102
2008
 Mukesh Kumar, V. N. Singh, F. Singh, K. V. Lakshmi, B. R.
Mehta and J. P. Singh “On the origin of photoluminescence in
indium oxide octahedron structures” Applied Physics Letters
2008, 92, 171907.
 Mukesh Kumar, P. G. Ganesan, V. N. Singh, B. R. Mehta and J.
P. Singh “Nanoparticle formation by swift heavy ion irradiation of
indium oxide thin film” Nanotechnology, 2008, 19, 175606.
 A. M. Munshi, V. N. Singh, Mukesh Kumar and J. P. Singh
“Effect of nanoparticle size on sessile droplet contact angle”
Journal of Applied Physics 2008, 103, 084315.
Papers presented at internationa conferences
2012
 Mukesh Kumar, T. Gennett, J. Perkins, D. Ginley and C. E. Packard,
“Accelerating reliable transparent conductor development by mechanical
property screening”
Oral presentation, Center for Revolutionary Solar Photoconversion
(CRSP), 2012, Boulder, CO (USA)
 Mukesh Kumar, T. Gennett, J. Perkins, D. Ginley and C. E. Packard,
“Measuring residual stress in indium zinc oxide thin films for next
generation optoelectronic devices”
Oral presentation, Colorado Center for Advanced Ceramics, 2012,
Golden, CO (USA)
2011
 Mukesh Kumar, Chen Chong, Pavel Dutta and Venkat Bommisetty,
“Enhancing the Efficiency of Bulk Heterojunction Solar Cells through
Metal Electrode -Active Layer Interface Engineering”
Oral presentation, Materials Research Society, Fall meeting 2011 at
Boston, NY (USA)
 Mukesh Kumar, Chen Chong, Pavel Dutta and Venkat Bommisetty,
“External Electric Field and Post-Annealing Induced Enhanced
Efficiency in P3HT/PCBM Bulk Heterojunction Solar Cells”
Poster presentation, Materials Research Society, Fall meeting 2011 at
Boston, NY (USA)
 Mukesh Kumar and Pavel Dutta, David Galipeau and Venkat
Bommisetty, “Engineering Metal-Polymer Interfaces For High
Efficiency Organic Solar Cells”
Poster presentation, NSF-EPSCoR, 2011 meeting at
Chamberlain, SD (USA)
2010
 Mukesh Kumar, Pavel Dutta, S. Paul, D. Galipeau and Venkat
Bommisetty “Hydrogen Plasma Treatment for Improving
Optoelectronic Properties of Nanocrystalline Silicon”
Poster presentation, National Science Foundation-EPSCoR, 2010
meeting at Chamberlain, SD (USA)
2008
 Mukesh Kumar, B. R. Mehta and J. P. Singh “Electron beam
irradiation induced mass transport in indium filled indium oxide
nanotubular structures”
Oral presentation, AVS 55th international symposium &
exhibition, Boston USA (2008)
 Mukesh Kumar, B. R. Mehta and J. P. Singh “Controlled
synthesis of indium oxide nanostructures their gas sensing
properties”
Oral presentation, Thin Film 2008, Singapore
 Mukesh Kumar, B. R. Mehta and J. P. Singh “Synthesis of indium oxide
nanotubes, nanowires and octahedron structures by chemical vapor
deposition for gas sensing properties”
Poster presentation, Nano Sensors 2008, Delhi, India
 Mukesh Kumar, B. R. Mehta and J. P. Singh “Growth, structural
and
photoluminescence
properties
of
indium
oxide
nanostructures”,
Poster presentation, International Conference on Nanoscience and
Technology, Chennai, India (2008)
2007
 Mukesh Kumar, and J. P. Singh “Electronic excitation induced
nanoparticles transformation of Indium oxide thin film”,
Poster presentation, Advanced Nano-Materials, Bombay, India
(2007)
(Mukesh Kumar)