A journey of materials development illustrated through shape memory alloy and carbon-based materials

The history of materials development for the Indian nuclear energy programme is enriched with innovations towards the journey of self-reliance. During this journey, several spin-off technologies evolved which found important applications in the strategic sector. In this article, a brief account of two such technologies, namely, shape memory alloy (SMA) and carbon-based technologies is given. The Ni-Ti-based SMA has been used in the light combat aircraft, Tejas and the carbon nanotube-based composite has been used in the light-weight ballistic resistant jacket, Bhabha Kavach.