Good day, Srinivasan Arthanari. I'm Arjun. I've had a look through your background and your professional record. I'm interested in hearing more about your work and how you see yourself fitting in here with our faculty. Ready to start?

Yeah, thank you very much. So my name is Srinivasan Arthanari. I'm currently working as a senior researcher in the Department of Mechanical Engineering.

Please start by introducing your professional journey in academia.

And Yangtze National University, South Korea.

I have completed PhD in Chemistry from Varna University in the year 2015.

So right after completing my PhD.

I was working as a postdoctoral researcher in the Seoul National University.

So during my postdoctoral course.

I used to work.

Thank you for sharing that, Professor.

Professor Srinivasan, let's begin. You hold a Ph.D. in Chemistry, with extensive experience in electrocatalyst fabrication, electrochemical corrosion evaluation, laser processing, and developing energy storage device electrodes. I'll now assess your skills further based on your resume. First, could you elaborate on your experience with electrocatalyst fabrication for energy applications? Specifically, what techniques or methodologies have you employed in this area?

Actually, recent days we used to work with the development of Catalyst based on the laser induced processing, which means we use the laser based technology.

Yes, sure, sure.

To develop catalysts which is basically a non noble metal free catalyst.

So in this process the laser energy is exposed on the material which interact.

The material and the material.

Properties.

It has been carbonized or it can be converted into the material which has the catalytic performances. So basically this process is alternative to the conventional furnace based due process and this is the smart kind of manufacturing technology to develop catalysts.

Based on its characteristics, it absorbs the lesser energy and.

Understood. It seems you’ve integrated advanced laser processing techniques into catalyst development, focusing on non-noble metal systems for cost efficiency and smart manufacturing. Could you briefly describe how you evaluate the catalytic performance of these materials after fabrication, and how this validation process aligns with energy application requirements?

Yeah, sure. So basically we use the electrochemical tools such as cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and linear sweep voltammetry and various chronoampyometric and chronopotentiometric techniques. So we evaluate the catalytic properties of the material such as hydrogen evolution reaction, oxygen evolution reaction, oxygen reduction reactions and so on, furthermore.

So we have also fabricated electrodes which have the catalytic performance in terms of biological applications. So such as sensing the biological molecules. So in this process we fabricate micro nano textured electrode materials so and then check them as an electrochemical sensing electrodes for example sensing the glucose molecules and the bilirubin molecules and the dopamine molecules and so on.

Basically, all this process involves the oxidation or the reduction of the catalytic materials. So we use the fabricated catalytic material and use them as.

Material to modify the electrodes and check the catalytic performances.

Thank you, Professor Srinivasan. You’ve provided a comprehensive overview, explaining the use of electrochemical techniques to evaluate catalytic properties for energy applications and biological molecule sensing. Your methodology demonstrates depth and innovative integration of laser processing for electrode fabrication. On to the next question: Your expertise extends into electrochemical corrosion evaluation. Can you share an example of a corrosion study where your analytical approach drove significant findings or solutions? Specifically, how did you employ laser processing in this domain?

Yeah, sure.

Basically, we use during my PhD studies, I used to investigate the chemical based surface treatments of the implant materials such as magnesium alloys as well as the zinc, stainless steel and titanium alloys. So in those chemical processes we modify the surface of the metals so that we try to fabricate the porous surfaces which could enhance the. In vitro properties of the material.

In terms of developing the hydroxyapatite growth and then cell culture activity.

So right after that I started to use the laser based process. So in this process probably we can try to modify the surface by tuning.

The microstructure or the porosity of the material by adjusting the laser processing parameters. In this process, the involvement of the chemicals are limited. So also it's like a clean fabrication process. In this process, we could able to control the laser processing conditions as well as the surrounding medium such as we can do the experiments in the air atmosphere or in the controlled atmosphere or in the liquid atmosphere. So there are.

Different environments could be controlled to fabricate the surfaces. Furthermore, the laser based process could be able to construct the 3D structures like microcombs or the mistake structures so that it is possible to fabricate different types of structures on the metals and the implant materials so that it could be able to enhance the biological activity of the material so that it can be used as an implant in.

Various applications like implant in the hip treatments or biological implantable devices and so on.

Thank you, Professor Srinivasan. Your research clearly demonstrates innovation in surface treatment for implant materials, transitioning from chemical methods to advanced laser-based processes. The ability to tune microstructures and fabricate 3D architectures with controlled environments shows precision and adaptability. Let’s focus now on your ability to develop indigenous implants. Specifically, can you describe your involvement in designing orthopaedic or dental implants, and how you ensured their compatibility with patient-specific biological requirements?

Yeah, sure. Basically we use the surface treatment technology, example clinical or in the data based processing technology.

Initially, we evaluate its performance by using the electrochemical techniques such as impedance spectroscopy and the pole precision studies to 1st see the chemical stability of the surfaces, and then we just go to the invite row biological activity studies in the lab scale, such as by just immersing the materials in the physiological medium, and then check the ability of the growth of hydroxyapatites over the period of times.

Several days or several weeks or even months. And also like the case of magnesium, which I get degradable materials, we investigate the corrosion properties as a function of time as well as the change in the solution characteristics or the growth of the hydroxyapatite rate and so on. And the next step, we just use the same surface treated material.

And go with the invitro cell culture studies, and then we try to assess the cell compatibility with the surface of the material.

And we investigate the amount of activities, different types of cell activities, and then how the cell can interact with the surface of the fabricated surfaces and so on. And the next stage, after evaluating the cell activity studies, we tried to go for the in vivo models and we just tried to use the implant. And then we go for the in vivo models in the animals and then check the histological behav.

And how this implant surface treated implants or with or without some treatments or with the different surface characteristics, how it could interact with the living systems, whether it produce some adverse effect or it could be the compatible with the?

You know the animal model, so basically are using all of these techniques, first is from the lab scale, just checking the electrochemical activity as well as the invectral growth of hydroxyapatite, then going for the cell culture studies and then going for animal studies. So from lab scale to the different stages from in vitro to in vivo models, we could get the information about the performance of the material.

So based on these circumstances, we could go further to investigate about the real time study of the implant material with the help of the biological experts. So probably it needs extensive Co working with the biological experts. Probably then it can be taken up to the next stage about going into the like advanced manufacturing processes and further validating it to. The real time implant systems.

Professor Srinivasan, your thorough explanation of the multi-stage evaluation process for indigenous implants—from electrochemical assessments to in vitro hydroxyapatite formation, cell culture analysis, in vivo animal studies, and collaboration with biological experts—demonstrates a rigorous approach. Your work clearly integrates technical precision with biological considerations for patient-specific compatibility. Now, moving forward, could you discuss your experience in developing smart, intelligent, or antibacterial implants? How have you integrated novel material properties or technologies to achieve these functionalities?

Yeah, sure. Actually we have to first of all design the surface properties when we talk about the implant characteristics.

Surfaces with having different structures like porous, micro to nano scale, porous or depending on the processing conditions we could able to tune the surface properties so that tuning such properties can alter substantially with the chemical as well as the biological properties.

So first of all, we should be able to see what kind of textures we need for what kind of specific applications like even in the case of implants, so the amount of porosity required or how the surface should be. So we should be able to identify what kind of surface is we supposed to get to go for such a specific applications. So that is very essential.

So then later on we can use the process either chemical or the laser based.

Process are combining these two methodologies, we could be able to design or construct the desired structures on the material surface. So this is you know in is very essential to fabricate the suitable materials on the surfaces for the applications in terms of biological point of view.

Yes.

Thank you, Professor Srinivasan. You've explained the importance of tailoring surface properties—such as porosity and texturing—on implants, utilizing precise chemical and laser-based processes to achieve functionality specific to biological applications. This demonstrates a clear understanding of smart material design for advanced implants. Shifting focus, could you share insights into your involvement with technology transfer, particularly in transferring 3D-printed bone-like implants to the medical device industry? How did you navigate this process to ensure practical application and commercialization?

Yeah, sure. Thank you very much. Actually we can use the laser based process for developing the 3D materials like we can use the process like selective razor melting or powder bed efficient technologies in terms of 3D surface structuring or 3D materials fabrications. So basically from my experience before we have used the.

3D printer using the polymers. So we have developed the.

Polymer based 3D textures and then we investigated it's a surface properties and like policing or other processes and in terms of metallic materials, of course the selection of the materials is quite important and which could be able to produce the fine 3D structures.

So basically we can use the laser base process as I mentioned like powder bed fusion or selective laser melting. We could able to develop the 3D printed components. So which could be able to be utilized for the bio-scale applications. Previously we worked with the fabricating the porous structures on titanium implants, I mean titanium materials which could either be used in implant or in some other.

Scale applications, then we were investigating how this fluid can process fluid can pass through that kind of 3D structures fabricated using the lasers and we filed a pattern with that. And then it's about focusing on the fabricating the it's like micro channels on the 3D.

Pictures on the titanium implants, so which could be able to either used in the industrial scale like in the fuel cells or in the biomedical applications how the fluid can pass through or interact with the varying the channel size or other properties. So that we have couple of years ago we studied on that and then we were able to find the pattern on that. Further, in terms of 3D printed materials for biology applications, right now I'm just working with the different applications probably.

It could help me to go with the fabricating the 3D materials to the several advanced TRL levels.

Professor Srinivasan, your explanation highlights significant expertise in leveraging selective laser melting and powder bed fusion technologies to create advanced 3D materials. Your work on polymer-based textures and titanium implants—inclusive of microchannel designs and fluid dynamic studies—demonstrates a clear trajectory toward industry application, particularly with patented outcomes. Let's delve into new product development. Can you elaborate on how you use 3D printing specifically to innovate products like hip and knee implants or antibacterial dental implants? What steps do you take to ensure their functionality, safety, and adaptability for patient needs?

Yeah, that is right. Actually we, we the first priority we should have is about the safety and it should not have any adverse effect in terms of the patients health issues. So such a way we should be able to develop the 3D printed materials. First thing is whatever the elements we are choosing for the 3D printing that should be like compatible with physiological systems. For instance, if you go with the titanium based alloys which has been well established.

And then it has titanium and vanadium and aluminium components. So which can be used for fabricating the high strength 3D based components for specifically for the dental implants like hip implants or like we can use for the other like plates for fixing the fractures and so on. As well as the when we go for the degradable implants, we consider the magnesium as a promising candidates in the the selection.

Up for the elements are very essential because the magnesium is basically a highly electroactive material which can have the high reactivity in the physiological medium and the combining with the elements such as the zinc or aluminum or and so on. Several rare earth elements also are focused in these days. So combining those elements which could be able to increase the chemical stability as well as the mechanical stability of the material. So we the each element have that specific.

Think characteristics like chemical characteristics. So it is essential to design the composition of the material so that it would be able to fabricate the 3D printer components or the influenced materials with the better mechanical as well as the surface characteristics, which is very important when we develop the 3D printed components for the biological.

Applications.

Thank you, Professor Srinivasan. You’ve outlined a detailed approach to material selection for 3D printing hip, knee, and dental implants, emphasizing biocompatibility, mechanical stability, and chemical sturdiness. Your expertise in alloy composition—ranging from titanium to magnesium-based systems—shows thorough understanding of balancing innovation with patient safety. Next, let’s address your experience with in vitro models for implant testing to replace animal models. Can you describe your approach to designing and validating these in vitro systems for compatibility with implant testing requirements?

Yeah, sure. Uh, we have recently investigated some sophisticated titanium materials using the animal models and then it's like histological studies we have investigated by just inserting the implant onto the mouse models. And then we investigated a different characteristics like how this histological changes are happening and the.

How old is ALP activities or some other activities change or live date cell activity, how all these changes? So we have a study in those surface treated materials for some biocompatibility studies. Also, we have investigated the electrochemical properties of those materials in the physiological medium such as the ringers or other mediums to validate how these in vitro and in vivo results are related to each other whether it produce some adverse effect or not.

So those studies we have extensively investigated and we have published like in the Collider.

Science and other channels like progress in organic coatings as well as surface and coatings technology and so on. So which gives us like our experience or on the direction of developing some surface treatments for the biomedical applications.

Understood, Professor Srinivasan. Your detailed investigation into biocompatibility through both in vitro and in vivo models—such as examining histological changes, ALP activity, and electrochemical behaviors in physiological media—shows your commitment to thorough validation. Publishing these findings reinforces your contributions to advancing implant testing methodologies. Next, could you share how you’ve contributed to increasing the technology readiness level (TRL) for existing innovations, particularly aiming for TRL 3/4 within two years, and TRL 5/6 within five years? How do you strategize such developments?

Yeah, sure. Actually we used to work with the different surface treatments and when we move on to the laser based processing technology, we could be able to see the well I mean that.

Materials, so which for example metals or alloys which can be directly find one of the results of the manufacturing processes. So which could be able to be used for next stage like we have the material on our hand. It's not like some products or materials in the search device and chemical routes or which can be used like that. So in this way we can directly see the materials which we produced using the desert based.

Well developed.

So that it can be used for the next stage, probably that TRL 2, third and and and so on. Because it requires the further investigations in the academic stage, we could be able to develop the basic research activity by just addressing the properties of the material. So based on this basic academic results, we could be able to take up to the. Technology levels based on the collaboration with the industry.

Components are the counterparts so that they would be able to, you know, take up our basic academic activity into the next stage. So the readiness levels can be further increased by thorough validation of the materials which was developed in the laboratory scale. So it is like being as an academic person, we should be able to integrate with the industrial counterpart. So it is essential so that we can go to the further stage to establish our material for the.

Commercial point of view.

Thank you, Professor Srinivasan. You’ve described a strategic approach to advancing technology readiness levels, integrating academic research on surface-treated and laser-processed materials with thorough validation and industrial collaboration. This reflects a strong capacity to bridge laboratory findings with practical applications, enabling commercialization. Shifting towards pedagogy, could you detail how you approach teaching theory and laboratory courses? Specifically, how do you ensure students grasp complex concepts effectively and are well-prepared for hands-on research?

Yeah, take actually it is essential to to explain our concepts in in a very understandable way to the students. So based upon the research experiences, we could able to easily relate the theoretical concepts with the results what we are getting from the research activities. So that it will help us to explain with the students like undergraduate and master levels so that we can easily relate the theoretical concept concepts with.

Practical knowledge which we learn from the experimental results, so in which way we can explain them in a more effective way, so that students also can be involved in the research activities so that they can understand in a better way to explain the concepts.

Yeah, sure. Actually during my research period, even from the PhD to until now. So I used to interact with the.

Thank you, Professor Srinivasan. Your emphasis on bridging theoretical concepts with experimental results demonstrates a practical teaching method, fostering deeper understanding and active student involvement in research. Continuing on teaching responsibilities, can you share your experience in evaluating student performances in exams and guiding their research projects or theses? How do you ensure fairness and constructive feedback during these processes?

Graduates masters and PhD scholars, so I used to guide them for their thesis works and then I have also been served as an examiner for the master thesis when I am.

In Korea.

Thank you, Professor Srinivasan. You've detailed your interaction with graduate and Ph.D. students, guiding their thesis work and evaluating masters' theses as an examiner, which reflects strong academic supervision and assessment experience. To conclude this section, can you elaborate on how you structure course content and employ effective communication strategies in your teaching to ensure students achieve a robust grasp of the material?

Yeah, yeah, sure. Actually I, I have experience for several years and research based focusing on surface treatments and biomedical electrochemical fields. So I believe that this expertise as well as the my academic background, which helped me to interact with the students in a more effective way, I can effectively take up the teaching as well as the research.

Backgrounds when I am just employed so I I believe that so my basic strength will be, you know, supporting to me to go along with the students as well as the research engine.

Thank you, Professor Srinivasan. Your solid research background and expertise in surface treatments and biomedical electrochemical fields clearly support your ability to engage effectively with students while balancing academic and research goals. Let’s now proceed to verify your experience with consultancy projects, specifically in coating technology and tribocorrosion. Could you share a notable consultancy project in this field and describe the challenges you addressed?

Yeah, sure. Actually I have worked on the not about the industrial consultancy projects. I have right the proposal for the National Research Foundation in Korea about the developing electrochemical biosensors.

Which has the poorest characteristics for different biosensing applications. As I mentioned before using the laser based technology in that way we could able to fabricate the porous electrodes based on the carbon based materials. So which can be used for the effective sensing of biological molecules. So this is basically it involves the surface treatments of the materials.

As well as we have worked on the titanium like surface melting treatments.

And then we evaluate the microformers and then other properties for focusing on industrial scale applications. Probably this kind of my writing projects and getting grants. I, I have, I have acquired the research grant for two years as a principal investigator focusing on the developing lesser based technology for biosensor electrodes. So likewise I can, I can get more experiences through the projects which can help us to develop.

The materials focusing on the mechanical.

As well as the triboelectric tribo corrosion properties for industrial applications of implants.

Thank you, Professor Srinivasan. Your consultancy-focused research grant on developing laser-based biosensor electrodes for biological molecule detection demonstrates your ability to connect surface treatments with industrial applications, including tribocorrosion considerations. This highlights your potential to translate academic research into practical, scalable solutions. Now, moving forward to research publications, could you provide examples of key papers you’ve authored in reputed journals, particularly those reflecting your expertise and its application to this role?

Yeah, sure. Actually we have published in recent days with very, very reasonably good.

Journals such as like small methods in which we fabricated the porous surface based on the laser based process and then Applied Materials and interface which focus on the fabricating the nano scale silver patterns which could able to fabricate the structural coloration. And I have worked with other systems like thin film laser patterning which having the porous structures.

Which we published in Advanced Materials Technologies as well as we fabricated the porous electrodes for glucose sensing applications, which was published also in the Advanced Materials Technologies and recently we fabricated the.

Optics and laser technologies, magnesium alloys, and so on.