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SEPTEMBER 2025 I SMT007 MAGAZINE 29 is also expanding. With innovations like the SHAKTI-based Semiconduc- tor Chip (developed by IIT Madras for ISRO), India is strategically investing in radiation-hardened, space-grade electronics. The country aims to grow its global space market share from 2% to 9% by 2030. The Role of the EMS Sector India's success in defence manufac- turing is underpinned by a fast-grow- ing base of EMS companies, many of which specialize in high-reliability applications. These companies are crucial in supporting OEMs, DPSUs, and global defence contractors by delivering defence-grade cable harnesses, circuit board assemblies, avionics modules, and more. Through compliance with global standards like IPC/WHMA-A-620 and IPC-J-STD-001, EMS companies in India are increasingly part of the global supply chain for mission-criti- cal electronics. Engineered for Self-reliance The government's thrust through Make in India and Atmanirbhar Bharat has created a strong policy and procurement environment to promote local sourcing and indig- enous capability building. Coupled with focused skill development and increasing private sector participation, India is now on a trajectory to become not just a defence buyer, but a global manufacturing and export hub for defence electronics. India's aerospace and defence sector is no longer peripheral, it's pivotal. Backed by rising demand, policy momentum, and growing export reach, the industry is entering a new phase engineered for sovereignty, powered by electronics, and aligned with global standards. SMT007 Scientists at La Trobe University have produced a new, power- ful electricity-conducting material, research which could revo- lutionalize smartphones and wearable technologies like medi- cal devices. "Conductive polymers as we know them were developed nearly 50 years ago and although they're exciting, they haven't lived up to their potential in that time. Often they are difficult to fabricate, as thin films don't conduct electricity very well, aren't transparent and can have highly variable properties," Associ- ate Professor Wren Greene said. This new technique uses hyaluronic acid, well known due to its popularity in skincare, applied directly to a gold-plated sur- face to create a thinner, more durable film, or polymer, used to conduct electricity in devices like biosensors. Lead researcher Greene said the technique could lead to major improvements in the function, cost and useability of devices like touchscreens and wearable biosensors. Conductive polymers are synthetic materials which are widely used across all smart devices, from touch screens on smartphones to medical devices that regulate a patient's drug dosage and delivery. The new research, published in ACS Ap- plied Materials and Interfaces, disproves the longstanding be- lief that to create conductive poly- mers, substanc- es like hyaluron- ic acid must be added to a mix- ture of water and polymer-forming particles. Apply- ing the hyaluronic acid directly to the gold, in fact, gave scien- tists total control over the material's conductive properties, its shape and appearance. The resulting material, called 2D PEDOT, is invisible to the na- ked eye and vastly more powerful than similar materials – attri- butes which give it the potential to have a huge impact on the future of smart, sensor-based devices. Source: La Trobe University Invisible Material Could Revolutionise Smart Tech