Climate change is the largest problem faced by our planet on a global scale. We need to make sure that there is an increase of less than 1.5 ºC in the average global temperatures above pre-industrial levels to prevent irreversible damage to our planet. If temperatures increase above this then it would cause destruction of […]
For centuries, scientists have turned to nature to serve as inspiration on how to tackle some of the world’s most challenging scientific problems. Plant cells are particularly interesting and are prime examples of some of nature’s most intricate engineering. Chloroplasts are organelles found in plant cells that not only give leaves their vivid green colour, […]
Imagine you’re doing your homework in your bedroom, but you don’t have any of your schoolbooks. To get the answer to each question, you have to travel to the library, find the right book, take it home, write down the answer, and then bring it all the way back to the library. This is what […]
The aim of my PhD project is to develop a sensor capable of detecting cancer biomarkers (biological molecules that may indicate the presence of cancer). The aim is to help enable early-stage cancer diagnosis, and also help provide essential information regarding likely disease progression, and probable response to treatment. With 1 in 2 people expected […]
It’s the year 2050 and you’re awoken by a soft humming near your ear. You slowly open your eyes and see Herbert, your robotic assistant hovering a few inches above your face. It’s time to wake up – your first class of the day is 10 minutes away. You stand in front of the sink […]
A little prick and a shuttle loaded with antimicrobials is injected into the patient’s blood circulation. The antimicrobial delivery vehicle targets infected cells, inactivates microorganisms that grow and reproduce inside them and supports the body’s own defense system. In my PhD, I’m developing this antimicrobial shuttle and design microfluidic platforms to test the efficiency of […]
The ability to “play” with light can enable many things such as increasing the efficiency of solar panels, improving biomedical imaging and transferring data faster whilst using less energy. Rare earth metal nanoparticles can help achieve this, and are not as rare as the name suggests with some being more abundant than copper. They have […]
To mark the Cambridge Festival, Taylor Uekert (c2016) brings us The Great Escape of Ellie the Electron, a children’s book exploring photocatalysis on the nanoscale. We’re extremely proud of Taylor’s work, making nanoscience accessible to a younger audience – and hopefully inspiring future generations of NanoDTC students! What does photocatalysis look like on the nanoscale? […]
Demelza Wright (c2016) and co-authors use plasmonic nano-junctions to learn about catalysis. Climate change is a constant, yet multifaceted, threat. One of the issues we face is the release of CO2 into the atmosphere by burning fuels, where it acts like a blanket absorbing heat then slowly releasing it over time. One strategy to mitigate […]
Taylor Uekert (c2016) and co-authors highlight key steps for taking a solar waste-to-hydrogen technology from the lab to the real world. With 70% of global municipal solid waste lost to landfills or the environment each year, methods for managing and reclaiming the value in waste are urgently needed. One potential option is photoreforming: a simple, […]