The mandate of Chemical Sciences in BARC is to undertake fundamental and applied research in pursuit of sustainable chemistry-oriented solutions relevant to nuclear sciences and allied technologies. Through an interdisciplinary approach and state of the art instruments, cutting-edge research is being conducted to mitigate global challenges associated with energy, environment and healthcare. R&D is focussed in diverse fields such as Materials Chemistry, Nuclear Safety, Radiation and Photochemistry, Theoretical Chemistry, Reactor Water Chemistry, Analytical Sciences and reference materials. Some of the major research projects that gained impetus in recent years include thermo-physical property evaluation of molten salt breeder reactor (MSBR) systems, development of core-catcher materials, hydrogen mitigation, catalysts for hydrogen production, hydrogen storage materials, nanotherapeutics and bio-sensors, decontamination of reactor components, biofouling control and thermal ecology studies, supramolecular chemistry, environmental and interfacial chemistry, ultrafast reaction dynamics, single molecule spectroscopy, synthesis and applications of nanomaterials, cold plasma applications, luminescent materials for bio-imaging, materials for light emitting devices and security applications, advanced biological wastewater treatment, analytical method development, development of in-house and certified reference materials, indigenous development of sensors and analytical instruments, theoretical and computational studies of materials at different length and time scales etc.

Core Research & Development Areas

1. High Temperature Chemistry of MSBR system
2. Research on nuclear safety and thermophysical properties of nuclear materials
3. High Purity materials
4. Reactor Water Chemistry, Biofouling monitoring and control
5. Thermal ecology studies at NPP sites
6. Biofilm control strategies
7. Granular biofilms for bioremediation and water/wastewater treatment
8. Development of Catalysts/Electrocatalysts for Hydrogen Generation
9. Development of  Hydrogen storage materials
10. Materials for Healthcare and Bio-sensors
11. Analytical Services, Method Development and Reference Materials
12. Chemistry with Lasers and Accelerators
13. Computational chemistry
14. Development of Indigenous Instruments and Experimental facilities

Radiochemical sciences have played a pivotal role in the progress of nuclear science and technology, and realizing its fruits for the benefit of mankind. Chemistry of radioactive substances requires a highly skilled manpower to carry out chemical procedures in 'state-of-the-art' facilities with sophisticated instrumentations. Studies in this multi-disciplinary area have been focused towards providing vital support to the Nuclear Fuel Cycle and continuously developing products for societal benefits. Apart from these, there is a strong basic research component which deals with nuclear reactions, production of super heavy elements, materials characterization using nuclear probes, membrane based sensor development, chemistry of actinides for environmental applications, actinide spectroscopy, etc. The activities on the radiochemical sciences in BARC involve research on advanced fuels, chemical quality control of nuclear materials, production and application of isotopes for health care, industry and hydrology, development of new radiopharmaceuticals for cancer diagnosis and therapy.

Highlights of this program

1. Basic research in nuclear chemistry
2. Positron and positronium chemistry 
3. Actinide chemistry and spectroscopy
4. Nuclear analytical chemistry
5. Electrochemistry & structural chemistry of actinides
6. Radiation processing of materials
7. Isotope hydrology for water resource management
8. Radiotracer for Industrial Applications
9. Radiation based computational imaging for specialized industrial radiology
10. Research in radiopharmaceutical chemistry,
11. Development of new cold kits for radiopharmaceutical applications
12. Separation and purification of new radionuclides for medical applications
13. Advance fuel development by sol gel method
14. Chemical quality control of  nuclear fuels
15. Complexation and speciation of actinides
16. Determination of thermophysical and chemical properties of actinide compounds
17. Separation method development for back end fuel cycle processes
18. Non-destructive assay of special nuclear materials.
19. Nuclear material accounting and control (NUMAC)