Our Research

Our research is organised into six themes. Each theme explores a different aspect of materials science and nanotechnology in depth, ranging from the design and construction of nanodevices to analysing the properties of novel materials. Linking researchers across physics, biology and chemistry adds breadth and enables us to investigate the unfamiliar areas where these disciplines meet.

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Our Research

Theme 1: Nanofabrication and Devices

Whilst nanotechnology and the development of advanced materials are tremendously diverse topics, fabrication is the key for engineering devices from new materials. Be it at the macro scale, the micro scale or the nano scale, the capability to pattern contacts or add structure to devices must be equally supported alongside materials developments and theoretical exploration of new device concepts.

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Theme 2: Electronic and Optical Materials

The cutting edge of solid-state materials science is dominated by problems and possibilities associated with nano-scale inhomogeneity or electron-electron interactions. Conventional theories of the optical and electronic properties of materials assume electrons propagating independently in 3D crystals with a periodic array of atoms and uniform propagation of light. Many materials displaying novel or exploitable properties do not fit within these bounds.

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Theme 3: Molecular Materials

Molecular materials show promise for diverse applications and researchers in this theme have expertise in many of these, including: molecular magnets, solar energy and electroluminescent materials, sensors, catalysts and sorbents. Such applications rely on single molecules or collections of molecules, in the form of 3-D structures or thin films, exhibiting specific functions.

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Theme 4: Soft Materials

Soft matter is where physics meets chemistry, and where physics and chemistry meet biology. Biological systems elegantly harnesses the special physics of the nano-world and perform 'bottom-up' processing with aplomb, generating smart, functional, viscoelastic matrices: from molecules to materials.

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Theme 5: Inorganic Hybrid Materials

The research activities of Theme 5 will develop new inorganic hybrid materials whose hierarchy and synergistic combination of nano-, micro- and macro-scaled features will give rise to new chemical, physical and biological functionality to facilitate the next generation of advanced materials.

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Theme 6: The intersection of Nanoscience and Biology

The biological, biomedical and medical applications of advanced materials and nanotechnology are some of the most exciting, novel and potentially, most life-enhancing. Understanding and exploiting the promise of biological systems is a complex and challenging task which is best addressed through a multidisciplinary approach.

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