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An Indian patent titled "A Method of Electrochemical Splitting of Ammonia and an Electrochemical System Thereof" (Patent No. 597419) has been granted to IIT Madras on July 30, 2026. The inventors are Prof. Tiju Thomas, Prof. Sankaran Shanmugam, Dr. Shotaro Tada, Dr. Debashish Bhattacharjee, Dr. Anit Joseph, and Ms. Chithra Ashok.

The invention uses hematite recovered from steel-industry waste, and its oxynitrided form, as an electrode material for hydrogen evolution through electrochemical splitting of ammonia. It offers a route to hydrogen production that avoids platinum-group metals while adding value to an industrial waste stream.

We congratulate all the inventors, including Ms. Chithra Ashok, a PhD scholar in our group, on this milestone.

Ms. Nethala Leela Naga Lakshmi (M.Tech) and Ms. Karthikayini S (B.Tech) received their degrees at the 63rd Convocation of IIT Madras. Ms. Leela worked on precursor-derived non-oxide ceramics for photocatalytic applications, and Ms. Karthikayini worked on doped carbon-based materials for CCUS applications.

Ms. Leela also successfully completed a research internship at Nagoya University, Japan, under the JST LOTUS Programme, where she achieved substantial results in her computational study on hydrogen activation by frustrated Lewis pairs (FLPs) using density functional theory (DFT).

We congratulate both graduates on this milestone and thank them for their contributions to the lab. We wish them continued success in their future careers.

Ms. Swathi D Warrier has joined the lab as a Project Associate. She will be working on an industry-sponsored project focused on the development of high-purity ceramic powders for semiconductor applications.

We welcome Ms. Warrier and look forward to her contributions to the team.

Ms. Nethala Leela Naga Lakshmi has been selected for the JST LOTUS Programme and will visit Nagoya University, Japan. During her stay, she will conduct a computational study on hydrogen activation by frustrated Lewis pairs (FLPs) using density functional theory (DFT).

We congratulate Ms. Nethala Leela Naga Lakshmi on this achievement and wish her a productive and rewarding stay in Japan.

Ms. Chithra Ashok has been selected for the JST LOTUS Programme and will visit the laboratory of Prof. Takami at Nagoya University, Japan.

During her stay, she will conduct an exploratory study on electrocatalytic ammonia conversion using functionalized layered double hydroxides, contributing to ongoing collaborative research between India and Japan.

This project promotes cross-border collaboration through the dispatch of an Indian student to Japan, together with short-term research visits by Indian principal investigators. It serves as a platform for developing next-generation researchers and fostering bilateral technical exchange. The joint outcomes are expected to contribute to future proposals addressing shared strategic goals in decarbonization and rare-metal substitution.

We congratulate Ms. Ashok and look forward to her active engagement in this opportunity in materials chemistry.