To achieve excellence in all aspects of electrochemistry and related fields for the development of globally competitive and eco-friendly technologies for industrial growth, energy and material conservation .

Glimpses and Events
July 25, 1948 : The historic day spelt the beginning of an intensive activity to transform the place into one of the higher learning in quest of new technologies to put Karaikudi in the scientific map of the world,
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru laid the foundation stone of CECRI.
January 14, 1953 : Inauguration of CECRI, witnessed the presence of Dr Alagappa Chettiar, Dr SS Bhatnagar, Nobel Laureate Dr C V
Raman and other eminent personalities. Dr. S Radhakrishnan inaugurated and dedicated to the nation.

Glimpses and Events – contd.
October 9 th , 1955 : Dr M Visvesvaraya visited CECRI and said “ I do hope that in this scientific work, the money and energy spent will be comparable with the results achieved with those in America, England, Australia, etc.”
January 22 nd , 1966 over our country.
: Dr Zahir Hussain visited and said that the significant work this institute is doing is symbolic of the great change that is coming
1974 : Titanium substrate insoluble anode (TSIA) and graphite substrate lead oxide anode (GSLD) were developed.
Rohini Rocket launched with CECRI made Ammoonium perchlorate at Thumba.
1978 : CECRI celebrated its 25 th year
1988 : NRDC announced Republic day award for CECRI’s invention
“Radiation resistant coatings for nuclear power stations”

Glimpses and Events – contd.
1988: CECRI celebrated its 40 th Year on 25 th July 1988
1997: One tonne cryogenic engine thrust chamber was developed using electroforming at CECRI for Vikram Sarabhai Space
Centre.
Golden Jubilee year of CECRI begins on 25 th July 1997.
Campus spread around 300 acres and 65,000 m 2 of Lab space

CHENNAI
MANDAPAM
TUTICORIN

Electrochemical Power Sources
Corrosion Science & Engineering
Electrochemical Materials Science
Electrodics & Electrocatalysis
Electrochemicals (Organic & Inorganic)
Functional Materials
Metal Finishing
Electrometallurgy (Hydro & Pyro)
Electrochemical Pollution Control

Lead Acid System
Nickel-metal Hydride and other Nickel
Batteries
Lithium Batteries
Batteries for Special Applications
Fuel Cells
Supercapacitors

Corrosion in Concrete Structures
Inhibitors & Bio –fouling
Protective Coatings
Cathodic & Anodic Protection
Failure Analysis

Specialty Chemicals
Electrochemical Perfluorination
Chromium Recovery
Defluoridation
Hypochlorite Production
Water Electrolysis & Hydrogen Production
Drugs and Pharmaceuticals
Titanium Substrate Insoluble Anode (TSIA)
Coating/Recoating of Anodes and Cathodes of
Chlor –Alkali Membrane Cells

Recovery of Metals from Secondary Sources
Gallium and Chromium
Manganese Dioxide
Magnesium
Calcium
Titanium
Aluminium

Electroforming (Shaping)
Electroless Plating
Pulse Plating
Plating of Alloys & Composites
Precious Metal Plating
Anodizing

Sensors & Modified Electrodes
Biosensors & Bioelectrochemistry
Nanoscale electrocatalysis
Theoretical Electrochemistry
Bimetallic Electrocatalysts
Nano-materials

Conducting Polymers and Nanomaterials
Electroluminescence
Photovoltaic Cells
Magnetic Materials

ElectroCeramics
Molecularly Designed Polymers
Nanomaterials for Power Sources

Electrochemical Treatment of Industrial
Effluents
Pollution Control in Electroplating Industries
Electrochemical Remediation

Scanning Tunneling & Atomic Force Microscope
Scanning Electron Microscopes
Transmission Electron Microscope
Metallurgical Microscope
FT-IR & Microscope
Laser Raman Microscope

Electron Spin Resonance
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance
UV-VIS-NIR Spectrophotometer
X-ray Fluorescence
X-ray Photoelectron/Auger Electron
Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer
FT-IR Spectrometer
Laser Raman Spectrometer

 Battery Cycle Testing Unit
 BET Surface Area Analyzer
 CHN Analyzer
 Cluster Computing Facility
 CNC Milling Machine
 Corrosion Fatigue Testing Unit
 DC Magnetron Sputtering Unit
 Differential Scanning Calorimeter
 Electron Beam Evaporation Unit

 Gel Permeation Liquid Chromatograph
 High Performance Liquid Chromatograph
 Inductively-coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer
 Ion Chromatograph
 Metallurgical Microscope & Micro-hardness Tester
 Particle Size Analyzer
 Powder X-ray Diffractometer
 Scanning Vibrating Electrode Technique (SVET)
Kelvin Probe

Slow Strain Rate Stress Corrosion Testing Machine
Tensile Testing Machine
Thermal Analysis System (TG and DTA)
Transmission Electron Microscope
Universal Tensile Testing Machine
X-ray Fluorescence Thickness Gauge

As part of its human resource development programme, CECRI's Center for Education runs Anna University's
B.Tech. course in Chemical & Electro chemical Engineering.
The eight-semester B. Tech. course is unique, it is the world‘s first technology programme in chemical and electrochemical engineering. This course is recognized by the All India Council for
Technical Education and the Indian
Institute of Chemical Engineering.

Ministry of New and Renewable Energy
Ministry of Environment & Forests
Ministry of Information Technology
Indian Space Research Organization
Department of Science & Technology
Department of Ocean Development
Department of Biotechnology
Department of Atomic Energy
Bhabha Atomic Research Centre
Defence Research & Development
Organisation
Defence Metallurgical Research Laboratory

Naval Dockyard
Naval Science & Technological Laboratory
National Highways Authority of India
Indian Railways
Oil & Natural Gas Commission
Neyveli Lignite Corporation Ltd.
Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd.

Japan Science & Technology Agency, Japan
Columbian Chemicals Company, USA
Yonsei University, South Korea
General Motors Technical Center, USA
International Partnership for Hydrogen
Economy (European)
Applied Materials Inc., USA
Titanium Equipment & Anode Mfg. Co. Ltd.
Southern Petrochemical Industries Corp.
Madras Rubber Factory
Gujarat Heavy Chemicals Ltd.
Nicholas-Piramal Healthcare

Aditya Birla Industries
Amara Raja Batteries Ltd.
Asian Paints
Berger Paints
Devcon Chemicals Pvt. Ltd.
Exide Industries Ltd.
Godrej & Boyce
High Energy Batteries (India) Ltd.
Hindustan Lever Ltd.
Krishna Conchem Products Pvt. Ltd.
NED Energy Ltd.
Nerolac Paints
NOCIL
Protektol Anticorrosives

LPSC
Preservation of Agni Missile

Development of lithium-ion batteries for multifarious applications
CSIR Battery performance evaluation center
Energy for cleaner and greener environment
Development of specialty inorganic materials for diverse applications
Conducting polymer paints & coatings for corrosion protection of metallic & concrete structures and shielding of concrete structures in strategic areas
Development of PEM-based Hydrogen production technology for fuel cell application

Fabrication of LED devices and systems for solid state lighting applications
Nanomaterials and nanodevices for applications in health and disease
Development of electrochemical technologies for drinking water upgradation in North-Eastern
Region
Centre for excellence for computational chemistry: An Integrated tool for multi-scale simulation to design materials, processes and simulation of molecular recognition process in biology

Contract Research: Business driven R&D objectives with clearly defined outputs.
Results in a product, process, tacit knowledge and
Intellectual property generation.
Consultancy: Professional advice rendered to clients based on the knowledge-base available.
Technical Service: Testing & analyzing using specialized facilities available.

Licensing
Unencumbered Patents
Know how / Knowledgebase
Training
Industry oriented refresher courses
Customized/Tailor-made training programmes in the areas of electrochemical science & technology

 Corrosion Resistant Coatings
 Cement-Polymer Composite Coatings
 Anodization Technology
 Several Electroplating related technologies
 Titanium Substrate Insoluble Anodes in
Chlor-Alkali Processes
 Magnesium Metal Extraction for
Defence Applications
 Technologies for Sensors & Ion-Selective
Electrodes

Some of the Know-how transferred
Direct borohydride fuel cell system
PEM electrolyser for hydrogen production
Process for production of Tetra-ethyl, -butyl and propyl ammonium hydroxides
Cement polymer composite coating
Electrochemical defluoridation of drinking water
Electro-synthesis of quaternary ammonium salts

High capacity kish graphitic lithium insertion anode materials and negative electrodes for Lithium ion batteries
New high voltage nano-composite cathode for lithium ion batteries
Non-enzymatic electrochemical monitor for HbA1c level in diabetes management

Papers published
Patents filed
Know-how / Technologies
Sponsored projects
Consultancy projects
No. of licenses
: 588 (2010-2013)
: 755
: 253
: 460
: 220
: 525

Recent Publications in high-impact journals
Electrochemical resolution of multiple redox events for graphene quantum dots (Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2013)
Oxygen evolution reaction electrocatalyzed on Fenton-treated Au surface
(ChemComm, 2014)
Sequential Electrochemical Unzipping of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes to
Graphene Ribbons Revealed by in Situ Raman Spectroscopy and Imaging
(ACS Nano, 2014)
Nanocatalyst-U-reagent on a polymer film: A new polymer-supported system for (electro-)catalytic applications (ChemComm, 2011)
Aqueous CTAB-Assisted Electrodeposition of Gold Atomic Clusters and Their
Oxygen Reduction Electrocatalytic Activity in Acid Solutions (Angew. Chem.
Int., 2010)
Sodium-alginate-based proton-exchange membranes as electrolytes for
DMFCs (Energy Environ. Sci., 2010)
A new mixed-matrix membrane for DMFCs (Energy Environ. Sci., 2010)
Solution-Combustion Synthesized Nanocrystalline Li4Ti5O12 As High-Rate
Performance Li-Ion Battery Anode (Chem. Mater., 2010)
Hydrogel-polymer electrolytes for electrochemical capacitors: an overview
(Energy Environ. Sci., 2009)

Effect of ordering of PtCu
3 nanoparticle structure on the activity and stability for the oxygen reduction reaction (PCCP, 2014)
Time Evolution of the Stability and Oxygen Reduction Reaction Activity of
PtCu/C Nanoparticles (ChemCatChem, 2013)
Direct electron transfer with yeast cells and construction of a mediatorless microbial fuel cell (Biosensors and Bioelectronics, 2007)
Novel method for deposition of gold-prussian blue nanocomposite films induced by electrochemically formed gold nanoparticles: Characterization and application to electrocatalysis (Chemistry of Materials, 2007)
Preparation of catalytic films of platinum on Au substrates modified by selfassembled PAMAM dendrimer monolayers (Appl. Catal. B., 2009)
Bioelectrocatalysis of Acetobacter aceti and Gluconobacter roseus for
Current Generation (Environ. Sci & Tech., 2009)

CECRI’s Record in fundamental electrochemistry
Faradaic Rectification , an important concept in the development of AC Polarography & Electrochemical
Impedance Spectroscopy (KSG Doss)
Exponential Relaxation Techniques for studying kinetics in the linear and Tafel regions (SK Rangarajan)
Harmonic analysis of corrosion systems (KSR, Rao &
Mishra)
Experimental set-up for Hydrogen embrittlement studies [Devanathan & Stachurski]
Pioneering studies on small organics oxidation – context of fuel cell development (VK Venkatesan)
Redox-catalysis of organic processes (HVK Udupa)

Science 9 February 2007, Vol. 315 no. 5813 pp.
796-798; MTM Koper, Faraday Discussions, 2008, 140, 11
These are indeed exciting times to be an electrochemist. Not only is the unprecedented power of modern experimental and computational tools an excellent enabler for innovative fundamental research work, with the ever louder cry for alternative and more sustainable energy sources and devices, electrochemistry has every reason to put itself at the center of attention. Even prominent non-electrochemists admit that our future energy technology will have electrochemistry as one of its cornerstones.
In a 2007 Science paper, Whitesides and Crabtree have identified long-term research areas that should not be forgotten, and many of them are of a partial or even complete electrochemical nature.
The oxygen electrode (both oxygen reduction and oxygen evolution)
(Electro-)catalysis by design
Various aspects of photoelectrocatalysis
(Electro-)chemistry of carbon dioxide
(Electro-)chemistry of complex systems (‘‘emergent behavior’’, nonlinearity, innovative (electro-)chemical engineering)
Efficiency of energy use
(Electro-)chemistry of small molecules (H
2 compounds)
O, CO, small inorganic nitrogen
New ideas

Towards Fourth Generation Electrochemistry, David E. Williams,
Faraday Discuss., 2002, 121, 463-465
We are now sufficiently “powered” to
Perform experiments at atomic level with precision
Couple spectroscopy / microscopy to monitor electrochemical reactions in real-time
Observe Molecular electronic events in electrochemistry
Single-molecule electrochemistry/ electrocatalysis

Experimental Electrochemistry at CSIR-CECRI
First time in India, started with an intention of introducing experiments in electrochemistry to the Ph.D students [Let us lead as example to IISc, IITs and NCL].
Who and When???: So far, 28 students have registered. 5 Scientists (+ 4 senior research scholars) are offering this course. There are 4 batches with 7 students each, attending the course on Thursday and Friday afternoon from
2:00 to 5:00 pm
Where: A dedicated lab for the course is being set up.
How : Scholars are provided with Notes/PPT of the experiment and background information (either before or after the class). Experiments are demonstrated, in most cases, to batches of students.

We will have students demanding a certain experimental set-up
We will have young scientists seeking spectrometers, microscopes and chromatographs to be combined with electrochemical techniques
We will have students designing their experimental apparatuses, set-ups and devices
Will have devices to be examined in-situ in microscopes, spectrometers, etc.