Invest NI is funding the participation of Nanotec NI at the Fifth International Congress of Nano-Bio Cleantech (ICNBC) conference and exhibition in San Francisco.
Nanotec NI is a joint venture between Queen’s University Belfast and the University of Ulster, created in 2002 under the RTD (Research & Technology Development) Centres of Excellence Programme with assistance of £5.4million from Invest NI. It was established with the aim of becoming a world-class centre for the development and commercial exploitation of nanotechnology processes, devices and systems.
Nanotechnology does not describe an exact science, it encompasses a broad range of scientific activity carried out at the nanoscale which addresses a wide range of application areas. A nanometer equates to 1/ 80,000th of a human hair.
Visiting the Northern Ireland stand at the international exhibition in San Francisco the Minister said: “Nanotec NI are here in San Francisco to achieve global impact for the extensive nanotechnology research and development activities that already exist within Northern Ireland’s research base.
“This international exhibition gives Nanotec NI the opportunity to promote its research capabilities to a sharply focused audience of commercial enterprises and researchers active in the specific areas of nano-biotechnology and clean technology, areas in which they believe they have potentially world-class strengths.”
The Minister concluded: “Invest NI has been working with a range of senior researchers in Nanotec NI and other academic centres of research excellence to help them to increase their international outreach and to promote their areas of strength to a global audience. This work has led to a significant number of new collaborations with leading research institutions and companies, such as Samsung of Korea, in the US and Asia.”
Other research centres represented at the exhibition include Queen’s University Belfast’s BioNano and the University of Ulster’s Bio-Engineering Centre, Photocatalysis Research Group and Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering Group.
NOTES TO EDITORS:
“Cleantech” is the term used to describe technology-based products that improve operational performance, productivity, or efficiency while reducing costs, inputs, energy consumption, waste, or pollution.
1. Queen’s University Belfast (QUB) - BioNano
Bionanotechnology within the QUB Nanoscience Forum brings together about 45 Faculty members from Applied Mathematics, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical, Manufacturing & Aeronautical Engineering, Medicine, Health & Life Science, Pharmacy, Physics, Electrical & Electronic Engineering and Management Studies. Much of QUB’s bionano work is built around the interactions of nanoparticles with biological materials ranging from single molecules and trace toxins to diseased tissues and biomedical devices. High performance nanocomposite materials are used for drug delivery and tissue repair; nanoceramic particles for bone tissue engineering and plasmid delivery; nanoparticle additives for bone cement, biomolecule detection, blood diagnostics and enhancement of radiotherapy.
University of Ulster (UU): NI Bio-Engineering Centre (NIBEC)
2. Nanolayers Characterisation Group at NIBEC
The group uses nanoscale characterisation techniques to help develop devices and materials at NIBEC. The main areas of activities are the nanomechanical analysis of ultrathin layers, the study of mechanical dissipation and weak bonding processes and the comparative nanometrology of ultra-thin steps. In addition, these techniques can also be used to manufacture nanoscale components and the group uses ion beams, e beams and probe microscopy to prepare hard carbon nanostructures.
3. Photocatalysis Research Group at NIBEC
Photocatalysis involves the use of nanomaterials for Clean Technology solutions. The group at Ulster is internationally recognised for research programmes involving the preparation and characterisation of photoactive nanostructured semiconductor materials with applications in environmental remediation, medical device decontamination and solar energy harvesting. Photocatalytic applications include the purification of water contaminated with persistent organic chemicals and pathogenic microorganisms. Also, coatings may be applied for light activated decontamination and sterilisation of surfaces. Photosynthetic applications include the splitting of water using solar energy to generate oxygen and hydrogen, or to reduce CO2 to fuels. A range of fabrication methods are employed including sol gel, plasma and electrochemical routes.
4. Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering Group at NIBEC
The Biomaterials & Tissue Engineering Research Group is undertaking research that seeks to understand and control important processes that occur at the interface between a biological system and a medical implant surface. The ability to manipulate chemical, physical and structural features on the surfaces of biomaterials and devices at the sub-micron to nano-scale is the major focus of the group’s activities. Structure-forming, nanometer scale systems in biology are inherently self-organising, and exhibit highly selective molecular recognition properties. Hence, exploration of the biomolecular mechanisms involved in control of the size, distribution, and assembly of interesting and functionally important nanostructures offers direct applications in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.
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