UK – Page 9 – TechConnect Briefs

Characterisation of Graphene in Liquid and Gaseous Environment with Quartz Crystal Microbalance for Applications in Real-Life Energy Storage Devices

Mazzocco R., Robinson B., Kolosov O., Lancaster University, UK

Graphene is a flat monolayer of carbon atoms whose extraordinary properties are to revolutionize the performance of many technological applications. Unfortunately there is very little understanding of how the properties of graphene change in its [...]

Tunneling Negative Differential Resistance in Flexible Silicone Graphite Composites

Littlejohn S.D., Nogaret A., Crampin S., University of Bath, UK

Developing flexible electronic materials with the ability to amplify signals is a major challenge for bioelectronics. The next step in developing an active nervous system calls for a flexible electronic material that produces a signal [...]

Adhesion and dynamic nanotribology of graphene in polar and non-polar liquid environments studied with ultrasonic force microscopy

Robinson B.J., Kolosov O.V., Lancaster University, UK

We report the characterisation of exfoliated few layer graphene (FLG) flakes using a range of scanning probe techniques. We have examined the nanoscale mechanical and interfacial properties of FLG and its substrate material, SiO2, in [...]

Direct nanoscale 3D characterisation of Ge-Sb-Te and Ge-Te phase change films

Grishin I., Kolosov O.V., Lancaster University, UK

DC magnetron sputter-deposited Ge-Sb-Te and Ge-Te based phase change thin films were investigated via a variety of Scanning Probe Microscopy techniques. Micron and sub-micron crystalline and amorphous bit patterns were induced with laser heating and [...]

Seeing the invisible – ultrasonic force microscopy for true subsurface elastic imaging of semiconductor nanostructures with nanoscale resolution

Kolosov O.V., Dinelli F., Krier A., Henini M., Hayne M., Pinque P., Lancaster University, UK

Scanning probe microscopes (SPM’s) are indispensable in modern nanoscale science but ability of SPM’s to look below the surface is unavoidably limited. In spite of developments based on Ultrasonic Force Microscopy (UFM) a true subsurface [...]

Wireless Sensing for the Built Environment: Enabling Innovation Towards Greener, Healthier Homes

Gaura E., Brusey J., Wilkins R., Cogent Computing Applied Research Centre, UK

The industry’s perception of wireless embedded networked sensing systems is changing towards a view of them as reliable, available, usable and affordable instruments. To many, they are no longer the next wave in engineering and [...]

Inferring Knowledge from Building Monitoring Systems: the Case for Wireless Sensing in Residential Buildings

Gaura E., Brusey J., Wilkins R., Cogent Computing Applied Research Centre, UK

Following more than a decade of intensive research work, Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) are commonly acknowledged today as proven research instruments for several application domains. In particular, they have made notable contributions to the understanding [...]

Industrial symbiosis and green chemistry: one’s waste is another’s resource!

Hunt A.J., Dodson J.R., Parker H.L., Budarin V.L., Matharu A.S., Clark J.H., Green Chemistry Centre of Excellence, UK

Industrial symbiosis, the sharing of industrial by-products to add value, reduce costs and improve the environment, will become increasingly important for the sustainable future of our planet. By employing this philosophy alongside green chemical technologies [...]

STARBONS®: Preparation, applications and transition from laboratory curiosity to scalable product

Shuttleworth P.S., Budarin V.L., Breeden S.W., Luque R.L., White R., Clark J.H., University of York, UK

Starbons® are a novel family of mesoporous materials derived from polysaccharides, which have surface tunable functionalities ranging from hydrophilic to hydrophobic. This novel Starbon® technology utilizes the natural ability for polysaccharides to retain their organized [...]

Microwave-mediated Pyrolysis of Biomass

Gronnow M.J., Budarin V.L., Fan J., Shuttleworth P.S., MacQuarrie D.J., Clark J.H., Green Chemistry Centre of Excellence, UK

Biomass can be seen as the oil well of the future; a renewable, widely distributed resource that should be increasingly exploited for the production of heat and power, liquid fuels as well as chemicals and [...]