As a renowned solid state and materials chemist, Rao's work on transition metal oxides led to the understanding of novel phenomena and the relationship between materials properties and their structural chemistry.
Rao was one of the earliest to synthesise the two-dimensional oxide materials and his work led to a systematic study of compositionally controlled metal-insulator transitions. His studies had a profound impact in application fields such as colossal magneto resistance and high temperature superconductivity.
Rao also made immense contributions to nano-materials over the past two decades, besides working on hybrid materials.
He wrote over 1,500 research papers and authored or edited 45 books in the past five decades.
