Introduction

Conventional energy will last only for a short while since, due to ever increasing demand, the available energy gets fast depleted. The alternative is non-conventional energy sources such as solar energy and biomass. In tapping the non-conventional energy sources eco-friendly approach is essential and mandatory in order to keep our environment more habitable. Since environment encompasses all sciences, whether physical, biological, biochemical, etc. an interdisciplinary and multi-disciplinary collaboration is the need of the hour and the research based on such needs is a must for us.

Today any scientific research is inter-disciplinary in nature and hence more and more scientists feel the necessity of collaborative research (across the border of each one's specialisation) in order to achieve something useful and tangible and meaningful for the country and the world at large especially for empowering the poor and the marginalised so that human dignity could be restored. The most important area of common interest and quest of research today is the area of 'energy'. One non-conventional energy source is solar energy - India enjoys the sun light practically round the year and if solar energy, in the form of solar cells, rechargeable batteries, etc. could be tapped, it would be very useful for all the people. One of the vital sources of energy for the people is the fish which are today getting contaminated by industrial effluents and agricultural pesticides. The major constituents of effluents are heavy metals, such as lead, zinc, chromium, which are highly toxic to fauna and flora. These non-essential metals result in various metabolic disorder in fish physiology. But the impact of heavy metals, including radiation, affects the energy transfer system in fish protein. Conductivity studies are carried out in order to study the accumulation and distribution of metals in the various tissuesof the fish. The study has proved that energy transfer in fish protein is mainly ionic rather than electronic. This gives us a new impetus to study the energy transfer systems in different tissues of various organisms.

Need of an inter-disciplinary research centre.

Based on these considerations the idea of founding an inter-disciplinary research centre which would devote its research endeavours on energy has been envisaged. Semiconductors, especially germanium and silicon which are inorganic material, are of maximum use in today's world of technology and sophistication. But organic semiconductors could also be better and more useful candidates for research since they are less expensive, and relatively easier to synthesise. Most of the organic semiconductors, phthalocyanine, for example, has a structure similar to chlorophyll and haemoglobin. If we could understand the mechanism of electrical conduction in phthalocyanine, then we could gain insight into the energy transfer process in chlorophyll and haemoglobin which takes us on to understand energy conversion in plants and to energy (oxygen) transfer in physiological systems. Once in the area of organic semiconductors we cannot overlook the fact that protein is also semiconducting - we could, in this context, study the conductivity of tissues and proteins of animals which will throw light on tissues and protein structure of human beings. Further, since protein is also an organic conductor, conductivity in living organisms could be studied from a physicsÕ point of view in order to find application from a biological point of view especially in relation to environment. For example, study of conductivity on fish-protein could give information on the effects of environmental pollution of fish. Further, organic materials are very flexible as far as synthesis goes. Hence we could synthesise any organic compound, say a polymer, as per a specific requirement in order to study the conductivity of materials Thus we can understand how a physicist, chemist, and zoologist could work together in a collaborative research project. And specifically it is for this purpose that Loyola Institute of Frontier Energy (LIFE) has been officially inaugurated by the Registrar of the Madras University on 25 September 1995.

In the world of science today most research, in the area of non-conventional energy conversion, is carried out with conducting polymers. The study of conducting polymers helps us investigate, for example, the effect of electromagnetic radiation on the polymers which in turn help us understand how much human tissues are affected by the radiation around us by investigating polymers which are similar in structure to the human tissues. It is an established fact that the cardiovascular condition is related to the solar spots which affects the earth's magnetic field. The effect of radiation and of the magnetic field could also be studied using conducting polymers. The conducting polymers are also very useful in space research. As the solar panels open up and stay in space, they are constantly bombarded by the charged particles and other radiation which eventually damage the thin films of solar panel but if a transparent layer of polymers, which does not inhibit solar power, could be used as a protective coating, then the solar panels would be safe and long lasting. Polymers such as polyacetylene or polyaniline, which are photosensitive, are candidates for this type of research. Research is being carried out in polyaniline at LIFE. It is interesting to know that the process in these materials is analogous to artificial photosynthesis, offering potentially a molecular approach to the information storage and high efficiency solar cell applications.

Today is the age of solar cells or solar panels. The radiation from the Sun, the constant source of energy, consists of two components viz. light and heat and both can be suitably tapped and converted into useful energy. solar resources are closely studied and harnessed through conversion technologies, such as solar heat conversion, and biomass conversion.

Objectives of LIFE

1. To prepare/synthesise efficient organic semiconductive films/crystals that are photosensitive, which can convert light energy into electrical energy (area of collaborative research between physicists and chemists);

2. To increase the efficiency of the organic semiconductors thus prepared by suitable doping methods (area of collaborative research between institutes in India and abroad); and

3. To investigate the conduction mechanism in physiology making use of organic semiconductor principles (area of collaborative research between physicists and zoologists).

Further information: Dr. Francis P. Xavier S.J., Director, Loyola Institute of Frontier Energy (LIFE), Loyola College, Chennai 600-034, India.