Advanced materials and nanotechnology

Research strengths

Nanotechnology and condensed matter

Areas of current research in nanotechnology and condensed matter include:

• Materials for high-value technologies
• Materials for energy capture and utilisation
• Functional nanostructures
• Solar cells fabrication and texturing, surface modifications using nanoparticles and nanostructures
• Metal oxide wide band gap semiconductors
• Microfluidic device fabrication technologies
• Building electronic devices with nanoparticle building blocks
• Exploring novel atomic structures and electronic states in self-assembled nanostructures

Research centres and groups

• The MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology
• Nanostructure Engineering, Science and Technology group (NEST)
• Condensed matter Group Professor Simon Brown

Researchers and supervisors

Staff actively working in these areas are:

Natural fibres and biocomposites

Areas of current research in Natural fibres and biocomposites include:

• All-cellulose composites
• Cellulose-based biofoams
• Protein-based materials
• Bio-based nanocomposites
• Interfacial properties in biocomposites
• Recycled wood fibre-recycled polymer composites
• Environmental performance of biocomposites

Research centres and groups

• Natural Materials and Biocomposites Research Group

Researchers and supervisors

Staff actively working in these areas are:

Energy and fuel systems

Areas of current research in Energy and fuel systems include:

• Characterising liquid biofuel feedstock resources including woody biomass; biomass from agriculture sector; biosolid wastes; algae; purpose grown crops 
• Development of biomass conversion technologies and feasibility studies
• Biofuel analysis 
• Sustainability analysis of the biofuel processing chain 
• Strategic analysis of complex energy and environmental systems
• Improving the efficiency and reducing the impact of energy conversion 
• Renewable energy systems including wind, solar and geothermal
• Energy use in transport and planning for the post-peak oil urban form re-development
• Energy use in freight movements and planning for the post-peak oil circumstances
• Electricity use in the residential sector and new ICT solutions to peak demand management
• Hybrid energy-economic technology and demand transformation modelling
• GIS-based active access assessment of urban forms
• Adaptability of travel behaviour as a function of urban form and income level
• Village scale energy auditing, electricity networks, demand side management and renewable energy integration
• Transportation and building energy auditing
• Enabling technology for PEM and SOFC fuel cell systems

Research centres and groups

• Energy Group
• Advanced Energy and Material Systems Lab

Researchers and supervisors

Staff actively working in these areas are: