Department of Physics

Dr. P. K. Babu, Professor/Graduate Coordinator

Dr. P. K. Babu

Office: Currens Hall 426
Phone: (309) 298-2743
Email: PK-Babu@wiu.edu

Education

  • Ph.D. – Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India, 1995

Courses

  • PHYS 211 - University Physics I
  • PHYS 212 - University Physics II
  • PHYS 300 - Concepts of Modern Physics
  • PHYS 421 - Electricity & Magnetism II
  • PHYS 431 - Quantum Mechanics II
  • PHYS 530 - Quantum Mechanics I
  • PHYS 560 - Topics in Solid State Physics
  • PHYS 600 - Seminar

Research Interests

  • Synthesis of glasses containing metal, alloy and semiconducting nanoparticles.
  • Study of the optical properties of nanoparticles confined in dielectric media.
  • Investigating quantum size effects on surface plasmon resonance using optical absorption.
  • Tuning the fluorescence properties of rare-earth nanoparticles embedded in glass matrices.

Selected Publications

  • “Optical Properties of Praseodymium (Pr3+) doped Bismuth Borotellurite Glasses Containing CdSe Nanoparticles”, Saisudha B. Mallur, Panakkattu K. Babu, Materials Research Bulletin 147 (2022) 111651.
  • “Peak Stimulated Emission Cross Sections and Quantum Efficiencies of Sm3+ and Sm3+-Eu3+ Co-doped Bismuth Boro-tellurite Glasses”, Saisudha B. Mallur, Ting C. Khoo, Suman Rijal, Owen R. Huff, and Panakkattu K. Babu, Materials Chemistry and Physics, 258 (2021) 123886.
  • “Effect of metal and semiconducting nanoparticles on the optical properties of Dy3+ ions in lead borate glasses”, Saisudha B. Mallur, Hio Giap Ooi, Stewart K. Ferrell, Panakkattu K. Babu, Materials Research Bulletin 92 (2017) 52.
  • “The influence of CdSe and ZnSe nanoparticles on the optical properties of Sm3+ ions in lead borate glasses”, Saisudha B. Mallur & William D. Heidorn & Stephen O. Fatokun & Krishna D. Joshi & Sandip S. Bista, Panakkattu K. Babu, Journal of Nanoparticle Research, 2017: 19:102.
  • "Compositional dependence of optical band gap and refractive index in lead and bismuth borate glasses" Saisudha B. Mallur, Tyler Czarnecki, Ashish Adhikari, Panakkattu K. Babu, Materials Research Bulletin 68 (2015) 27–34
  • M. J. –F. Guinel, A. Bonakdarpour, B. Wang, P. K. Babu, F. Ernst, N. Ramaswamy, S. Mukherjee, A. Wieckowski, “Carbon-supported, Selenium-modified Ruthenium-Molybdenum catalysts for oxygen reduction in acidic media”, ChemSusChem. 2 (2009) 658.
  • “Selenium becomes metallic in Ru-Se fuel cell catalysts: An EC-NMR and XPS investigation”, P. K. Babu, A. Lewera, J,-H. Chung, R. Hunger, W. Jaegermann, N. Alonso-Vante, A. Wieckowski, E. Oldfield, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 129 (2007) 15140.
  • “C-13 NMR spectroscopy of carbon nanohorns”, H. Imai, P. K. Babu, E. Oldfield, A. Wieckowski, D. Kasuya, T. Azami, Y. Shimakawa, M. Yudasaka, Y. Kubo, S. Ijima, Phys. Rev. B 73 (2006) 125405.
  • “An NMR determination of CO diffusion on platinum electrocatalysts”, T. Kobayashi, P. K. Babu, L. Gancs, J.–H. Chung, E. Oldfield, A. Wieckowski, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 127 (2005) 14164.
  • “Bonding and motional aspects of CO adsorbed on the surface of Pt nanoparticles decorated with Pd”, P. K. Babu, H.-S. Kim, J.-H. Chung, E. Oldfield, A. Wieckowski, J. Phys. Chem. B 108 (2004) 20228.
  • “Peak effect in the superconducting mixed state of bulk Mo-Re alloys: a dc magnetization study”, S. Chaudhary, S. B. Roy, P. Chaddah, P. K. Babu, R. Nagarajan, L. C. Gupta, Phil. Mag. B 80 (2000) 1393.