Strictly Nano Dancing!!!A performance as part of the Festival of Mind 2018
Engage in a series of dance performances of artistic interpretations and animation to explore the SynBIM project.
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A celebration of ideas from University's research and city's creative community
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Watch the video to discover further
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Enter the Nano world1 nanometer (nm) is one billionth of a meter (1 m ÷ 1000000000= 1nm)
That’s like comparing the size of a marble to the size of Earth! Nanoparticles are broadly defined as particles with at least one measurement below 100 nm. |
Compare the nanoscale to the size of the Universe! |
Bio-inspiration-Enter the world of natural nanomaterialsNanomaterials are common place in our natural world, e.g. Bones, shells, smoke from fire, volcanic ash, and sea spray.
Many of the inner workings of cells naturally occur at the nanoscale. For example, haemoglobin, the protein that carries oxygen through the body, is 5.5 nanometres in diameter. A strand of DNA, one of the building blocks of human life, is only about 2 nanometres in diameter. |
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Silica and Magnetite
Our research focuses on manufacturing of two nano-materials mainly silica (inspired by diatoms) and magnetite (inspired by magnetic bacteria). Silica is commonly used in cosmetics, fillers for car tyres, while magnetite finds use in imaging for healthcare. Whereas traditional methods of nano materials manufacturing are environmentally damaging, the bio-inspired route is less wasteful and offers and Eco-friendly alternative. Biology uses specialised biomolecules (peptides/proteins). We have developed synthetic “additives” inspired from these biomolecules. |
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SynBIM and Scale-up
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The aim of the SynBIM project is to understand how we can effectively control nanomaterial properties while manufacturing nanomaterials at an industrial-scale.
Essentially, developing a resource where the final product properties can be controlled by varying the process conditions and additives. |
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