Crystal Engineering: An emerging sector of the Materials Engineering

What is Crystal Engineering?

Crystal Growth Engineering is a part of Materials Engineering which is studied at an advanced level. It basically deals with the design and synthesis of molecular solid-state structures with desired properties based on the understanding and exploitation of intermolecular interactions.
According to Mr. Gautam R Desiraju, a renowned chemist who teaches in Indian Institute of Science (IISc)-Bangalore said that a career in crystal engineering demands a thorough knowledge of intermolecular interactions, which act as the supra-molecular glue that binds the molecules into crystals.

Career prospects

At present, a career in Crystal Engineering is at its nascent stage. It is studied as a semester course and needs to be studied as an elective course at a much broader prospect. A career in Crystal Engineering requires a MS or PhD in Materials Science or Mechanical Engineering and an additional knowledge of Six Sigma and Lean Manufacturing technique is good to enhance your career prospects.

Colleges offering Courses Related to Crystal Engineering

There are various colleges that provide us with various degrees in Metallurgical Engineering and Materials Science, which is a broader discipline that you need to study to make a career in Crystal Engineering:

• Indian Institute of Technology, Chennai
• Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur
• Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur
• National Institute of Technology, Warangal
• National Institute of Technology - Karnataka

Asian countries, such as India and China, have shown important developments in Crystal Engineering. The high impact journals are a proof of the activity rise in this field. The China-India-Singapore Symposium on Crystal Engineering recently held at the National University of Singapore has been considered as a significant step towards this direction. This not only brought researchers working in this field to meet, discuss, present, and exchange their research work but has lead to the origin of the momentum to further accelerate the growth in this field.

Though Crystal Engineering as a career has not emerged as flourishing sector till now but a brighter future prospect cannot be ruled out entirely as it is in a developing stage.

Source: Priya Chatterjee (Shiksha Team)

Date: 21^st June, 2011