With so many obstacles to overcome, is science a good career choice? 07 July 2010
In May, UK voters decided not to give any one political party an absolute majority in the House of Commons. 07 July 2010
Major investment boosts advanced materials research 15 June 2010
This paper summarizes some of our efforts in designing and synthesizing bio-functional layers at solid/solution interfaces, characterizing their structure and dynamics, and optimizing their functional properties. 30 April 2010
The term fouling generally refers to an undesirable process in which a surface becomes encrusted with material from the surrounding environment. 30 April 2010
Patterning of surfaces with different chemistries provides novel insights into how proteins, cells and tissues interact with materials. 30 April 2010
Cell surfaces are fertile ground for chemists and material scientists to manipulate or augment cell functions and phenotypes. 30 April 2010
Are you on Facebook? Twitter, perhaps? Maybe LinkedIn? What about a social networking site dedicated to materials science? If you are not, you may be more alone than you think… 16 February 2010
Increasing attention on metamaterials has been paid due to their exciting physical behaviors and potential applications. While most of such artificial material structures developed so far are based on metallic resonant structures, Mie resonances of dielectric particles open a simpler and more versatile route for construction of isotropic metamaterials with higher operating frequencies. 13 January 2010
Phononic crystals have been proposed about two decades ago and some important characteristics such as acoustic band structure and negative refraction have stimulated fundamental and practical studies in acoustic materials and devices since then. 12 January 2010
In the last few years, a rapid development has been achieved in a subject area, so called optical transformation, which is based on the property of metric invariance in Maxwell's equations. Optical transformation, also known as transformation optics, allows metamaterials to be tailor-made according to practical needs. 12 January 2010
The limits of silicon capabilities are being reached, coincidently, the discovery of graphene with its unique nano-scale properties is paving the way to possible substitutes for the next generation of faster and smaller electronics in 21st century. As a result of the promising properties of graphene, the research in the field is attracting large grants and sponsors with an incremental rise in the number of papers. The trends in graphene research are presented here. The major challenges in the field are pointed out, and some possible prospects in the field are discussed. 26 October 2009
Atomic force microscopy (AFM) relies on an ultra sharp tip to interact with and physically measure a sample surface. The technology for the fabrication of AFM probe tips is undergoing rapid evolution with the application of new nanotechnology techniques. AFM probes with new qualities, advanced materials, and improved performance are becoming readily available. This new class of AFM probe tools has the potential to dramatically change scanning probe microscopy technology and techniques. 26 October 2009
The Veeco Instruments Thermal Analysis (VITA) module enables nanoscale thermal analysis (nTA), a novel technique that allows the determination of the local transition temperature on the surface of a material with nanoscale spatial resolution. 26 September 2009
The fabrication of miniaturized, low-cost, flexible sensors based on organic electronics via high-throughput techniques (e.g. printing) is expected to provide important benefits for applications in chemical and biological detection. The rapid maturation of synthetic methodology in the field of organic electronics has lead to the creation of new materials at an incredible rate and an increased understanding of semiconductor-analyte interactions. 25 September 2009
Rapid progress in materials science and electrical engineering has led to the development of miniature electronic platforms that have devices and components as small as the main components of live cells. 25 September 2009
Surface immobilization of functional receptors on microfabricated cantilever arrays offers a new paradigm for the development of biosensors based on nanomechanics. Microcantilever-based systems are capable of real-time, multiplexed detection of unlabeled disease markers in extremely small volumes of samples. Currently available fabrication technology will allow the integration of electronic readout and sample introduction into a single unit, decreasing the device size, detection time, and cost. 25 September 2009
Inks, drilling fluids, shower gels and drug delivery vehicles are just a few examples of the many industrial and consumer products based on colloidal and nanostructured complex fluids. The successful formulation of these materials is promoted by understanding how rheological behaviour, which typically dictates performance, relates to underlying microstructure. However, this knowledge can be difficult to obtain for those without the necessary expertise. 25 September 2009
Nature is the best example of a system functioning on the nanometer scale, where the involved materials, energy consumption and data handling are optimized. Opening the doors to the nanoworld the emergence of the scanning tunneling microscope in 1982 and the atomic force microscope in 1986 led to a shift of paradigm in the understanding and perception of matter at its most fundamental level. 24 August 2009
Scanning probe microscopy (SPM) techniques can obtain nanoscale images of soft materials in almost any environment and over a wide range of temperatures. Being non-destructive, processes such as crystallization can be followed in-situ, and the effect of changes in temperature on structures can be monitored at the nanometre scale. The application of these techniques over recent years has lead to a real change in our understanding of many fundamental processes. 24 August 2009
The understanding of electronic behaviour in systems with reduced dimensionality and length scale is a central theme of contemporary condensed matter physics. The unique capabilities of neutron scattering make it an ideal method to study the atomic and molecular, chemical and magnetic structure of a wide class of materials. In this review we highlight recent studies where neutron techniques have been applied to emergent materials and look forward to the possibilities enabled by instrumentation on the ISIS Second Target Station. 14 August 2009
Neutron diffraction methods offer a direct measure of the elastic component of strain deep within crystalline materials through precise characterisation of the interplanar crystal lattice spacing. the unique non-destructive nature of this measurement technique is particularly beneficial in the context of engineering design and archaeological materials science, since it allows the evaluation of a variety of structural and deformational parameters inside real components without material removal, or at worst with minimal interference..... 14 August 2009
Biomaterials research will always require a range of techniques to examine structure and function on a range of length scales and in a range of settings. Neutron scattering provides a unique way of disentangling the molecular and structural complexity of biomaterials through study of the constituent components. We examine how the technique has been used to study surface immobilized proteins and lipid films, floating lipid bilayers as mimics of in vitro planar membranes, and formation of fibres from solution by insects and spiders. 14 August 2009
Small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) and neutron reflection (NR) have become invaluable to many scientists in the soft matter community as methods of obtaining system information such as size, structure and particle interactions on the nanometer scale which cannot be achieved using other techniques. Neutron scattering is employed to study a wide range of soft matter science at ISIS, but this review will focus on three areas of interest: green solvents, polymer stability and drug delivery which have been chosen to illustrate how SANS and NR can be used to advance the understanding of the complex systems under investigation. 14 August 2009
Knowledge of the motions of atomic positions or magnetic fluctuations enables the strength, range and symmetry of the interatomic forces and magnetic coupling in a material to be determined. Increasingly, many of the materials of interest in condensed matter physics are characterised by the coupled interactions between more than one of the charge, lattice, magnetic and atomic orbital motions in all three spatial directions. New experimental approaches combining data from hundreds of neutron scattering datasets coupled with advanced visualisation software now enables complete mapping of the dynamics in materials on a routine basis. 14 August 2009
scanning probe microscopy has undergone rapid development to become an invaluable metric in the physical, biological, and materials sciences. One of the most exciting advances has been the integration of scanning probe techniques with optical microscopy. This paper will describe some of the basics of scanning probe and optical microscopy as well as some of the technical design challenges present when fusing these two imaging modalities. Examples of research problems solved with these combined techniques will be presented, with an emphasis on the advantages that each modality brings to the experiment. 14 August 2009
Materials take on exceptional properties as we enter the nanodomain and Electromaterials: those that transport and/or transfer charge are no exception. As such the ability to impart nanostructure to electrodes is having a dramatic effect on areas such as energy conversion and storage. 27 June 2009
Nanoporous and nanostructured films have become increasingly important to the microelectronics and photonics industries. 27 June 2009
Soft nanotechnology is a rapidly developing area of research that exploits principles such as self-assembly, entropy, swelling and collapse transitions, and polymeric building blocks to emulate actuation principles observed in natural systems. Unlike lithographically fabricated devices, soft nanotechnology uses much less regularly structured and largely organic materials, deriving their energy from chemical reactions and with macroscopic functionality arising from nanoscale conformational changes. In this review, some recent developments in nanostructured polymer gels and polymer brushes are discussed, which provide promising new directions for exploiting soft materials as nanoactuators. 20 June 2009
Metal oxide nanoparticles are finding increasing application in the preparation of new nanocrystalline materials, with metal oxide composites being used to confer new electronic, magnetic and optical properties into material structures. Often these materials are formulated and processed as slurries or aqueous suspensions. One key parameter in controlling the properties of such colloidal nanoparticle systems is their particle size. Light scattering techniques are widely used for its determination. 26 May 2009
Polymer multi-layer films are used in a variety of industries. It is important both to the manufacturers of polymer films and to the industries using these films that the quality and composition be strictly controlled. The confocal analysis and high spatial resolution of Raman microscopy make this technique ideal for identifying the source and identity of defects and inclusions in polymer films. 12 April 2009
Optical microscopy, and fluorescence microscopy in particular, has emerged as one of the most powerful and convenient microscopic tools available today. This power does come at a price, however, in terms of a limited spatial resolution: traditionally fluorescence microscopy has been limited by diffraction to a resolution of a few hundred nanometers, far too large to discern nanostructuring in biological or material samples. Recent conceptual advances have emerged that challenge this once-thought ‘unbreakable’ barrier, and fluorescence microscopy with nanometer resolution is now within reach. In this review we highlight some of the approaches that have made this paradigm shift possible. 21 January 2009
Since the invention of the scanning tunneling microscope (STM) and the atomic force microscope (AFM), the field of scanning probe microscopy (SPM) instruments has grown steadily and has had a profound influence in materials research, chemistry, biology, nanotechnology, and electronics. Today, scanning probe instruments are used for metrology, characterization, detection, manipulation, patterning and, and material modification. A wide range of scanning probe applications are available, taking advantage of various modes of tip–substrate interactions, including force, optics and, electrochemistry, electromagnetics, electrostatics, thermal and mass transfer and vibration. 21 January 2009
There have been remarkable developments in microscope technology in recent years, driven in part by the nanotechnology revolution and the need to investigate ever smaller and more complex objects with higher resolution. We now not only need to know where the atoms are and what they are, but also how they interact with one another at the atomic scale. Microscopy is a large and growing area, and here we focus our discussion on two main areas that have advanced greatly in recent years: scanning probe microscopy and electron microscopy. 21 January 2009
Nanoscience and nanotechnology are closely intertwined subjects that are attracting ever-increasing attention, both in the scientific world and in the marketplace. Major developments in growth and synthesis methods mean that atoms can nowadays be manipulated in a controlled fashion to produce novel properties that are often not found in bulk materials. 21 January 2009
Recent results have demonstrated the feasibility of video-rate scanning tunneling microscopy and video-rate atomic force microscopy. The further development of this technology will enable the direct observation of many dynamic processes that are impossible to observe today with conventional Scanning Probe Microscopes (SPMs). 21 January 2009
Dynamic transmission electron microscopy allows observation of changes in both the structure and properties of materials at resolutions from the nanometer to the Ångström. Here I review four significant developments in instrumentation and technique that are pushing the boundaries of these experiments, including new optics, new experimental geometries, new ways of imaging solids in liquid and gaseous environments, and developments in ultrafast imaging. These advances will significantly improve our understanding in many areas of materials science, nanoscience, and biological function. 21 January 2009
Intriguingly, art institutions and museums around the world are using a panoply of analysis techniques familiar to any materials scientist to reveal vital and previously hidden information about works of art. 28 November 2008
Detailed knowledge of the atomic-scale structure is needed to understand and predict properties of materials. 27 November 2008
Inelastic Electron Tunneling Spectroscopy (IETS) has re-emerged as a premier analytical tool in the understanding of nanoscale and molecular junctions. 27 November 2008
Many novel synchrotron-based X-ray techniques directly address the core questions of modern materials science but are not yet at the stage of being easy to use because of the lack of dedicated beamlines optimized for specific measurements. 27 November 2008
Nanocontainers with a shell possessing controlled release properties can be used to fabricate a new family of active coatings that can respond quickly to changes in the coating environment or the coating's integrity. 26 September 2008
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