Batteries to power a sustainable future
Over 800 million people worldwide currently live without access to electricity. For others, unreliable supplies of energy continue to affect quality of life and hinder economic development. Technologies capable of providing modularity, geographical flexibility and operational range in the storage of renewable energy can not only provide stable access to electricity, but potentially save up […]
Photoswitches with ultra-fast response times
Photoswitches with ultra-fast response times Electrical devices can be turned on and off through a simple flick off a switch. But what if we wanted to turn chemical molecules on and off like a switch. This is possible using light in what is known as photoswitches. These are molecules that are able to undergo […]
Low power memory devices
Low power memory devices Microchips surround us, from your smartphone, to medical sensors, credit cards and your fridge, data is continuously recorded and conditioned to steer our daily lives. Many of these devices have stringent power budgets and one cannot arbitrarily increase computing power. Moving and manipulating data is an energy intensive process, therefore […]
Making quantum fly – with microwaves
Making quantum fly – with microwaves Arguably, the defining technology of the last century has been the computer. Over the last few decades computers have been integrated in every single part of our lives. Whether it be calling your parents, shopping at the supermarket or even waking up in the morning, computer keep track […]
A new spin on electronics
The electricity you use to charge your phone is a flow of electrons that contain electric charge. Designing circuits that utilise this charge and how it behaves within materials like semiconductors is a field known as electronics. Electrons and other particles also have another property known as spin. The field of study associated with utilising […]
Targeting the cure for Tuberculosis: Solid-state nanopore sensing
Targeting the cure for Tuberculosis Solid-state nanopore sensing Despite being curable and preventable, Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the Top 10 causes of death worldwide and the leading cause of death from a single infectious agent according to the World Health Organization. Currently, the TB epidemic is fueled by lack of an efficient and affordable […]
Radically different organic energy materials
Missing your partner can lead to all sorts of weird behaviours. It seems that this is true also for subatomic particles, and my research centres on developing ways of harnessing these quirks for efficient solar cells and light sources. The structure of every chemical around us is determined by the way their tiny electrons are […]
Cages for the Future – A caravan for molecules is on its way
We need cars to transport, containers to store things and clothes to protect us from sunburn. Molecules also need ‘something’ to help them move, ‘some place’ to stay and ‘somewhere to keep them safe. Unfortunately, molecules are too small to be seen by naked eye, so most people do not know how they live. Have […]
Materials for motion
When we think of machines, what comes into mind are often heat engines, electric motors and gears. These machines make use of complex rigid mechanical structures with movable parts to generate motions. Living things in nature, however, are made of soft materials and move in ways that are vastly different. For example, animals have muscles […]
Functional Nanoelectronics and Quantum Materials
The modern era involves an inherent drive towards perpetual technological advancements. Throughout history, many of the greatest leaps forward in technology have been made possible only through a better understanding of the fundamental behaviour of the world around us. In order to broaden the horizons of emergent technologies and unlock the path to new frontiers […]