Nanoscience and nanoengineering

We are working to develop theoretical, experimental and technological innovations in nanoscience and nanoengineering.

Nanoscience involves the study of phenomena and manipulation of matter on a nanometre scale and the development of a wide range of tools, objects, structures, devices, systems and techniques of nanotechnologies.

This is a fast-moving area of research and development. It is widely predicted that nanotechnologies will become a central focus for driving economic growth in the 21st century.

These fields are attracting rapidly increasing investments from governments and businesses in many parts of the world. The aim of the current UK Strategy for nanotechnologies is to describe the actions necessary to ensure that the UK obtains maximum economic, environmental and societal benefit from nanotechnologies while keeping the risks properly managed.

We are pioneering new analytical methods for extracting elastic and adhesive properties of materials based on inverse problems for depth-sensing indentation of spherical probes.

Our multidisciplinary team including civil, mechanical, and electrical engineers, working with physicists and mathematicians, seek appropriate models, approaches and solutions for numerous problems at the nanoscale.

Research directions and contacts

We currently have ten research directions:

• Nanomechanics, depth-sensing nanoindentation (F.M. Borodich, N. Perepelkin)
• Extraction of mechanical and adhesive properties of materials from tests (F.M. Borodich, N.Perepelkin)
• Nanotribology (F.M. Borodich, H.P. Evans)
• Nanomaterials and nanostructures (F.M. Borodich, M. Eaton, S. Evans, V. Garcia Rocha, M. Gei, J. Hall, N. Perepelkin, R. Pullin, and H. Zhu)
• Nanomanufacturing and nanomachining (E. Brousseau)
• Modelling biological materials and structures, bio-mimetics (F.M. Borodich, H. Zhu)
• Nanocomposites (M. Eaton, S. Evans, V. Garcia Rocha, M. Gei, J. Hall, R. Pullin, and H. Zhu)
• Graphene-based materials and aerogels (V. Garcia Rocha)
• Electrical and magnetic properties of nanostructures  (T. Meydan)
• Microfluidic technologies (D. Barrow)

Past NanoSNEG seminars

18 November 2015, Professor Julius Kaplunov (Keele University): "Consistent two-mode models for strongly inhomogeneouslayered plates" (Joint with CARBTRIB Seminar)

9 December, 2015, Dr Margarita Staykova (University of Durham: "New dimension in the functionality of supported lipid membranes"

13 April 2016, Professor Chris Bowen (University of Bath): "Piezoelectric and Pyroelectric Materials and Structures for Energy Harvesting" (Joint with MMAM Research Seminar)

20 April 2016, Dr Tomas Polcar (Head of National Centre for Advanced Tribology (nCATS), University of Southampton): "Solid lubricant coatings – towards frictionless engineering surface" (Joint with CARBTRIB Seminar)

28 April 2016, Professor Pasquale Vena (Politecnico di Milano)