Materials and Nanobiology Activity
The below gives a summary list of the current theme activities:
- Polymer electrolytes, electrode materials and catalysts for clean energy generation (chemical fuel cells, enzymatic fuel cells, reverse electrodialysis), energy storage (supercapacitors, redox flow batteries, lithium batteries) and water treatment/desalination technologies;
- Microbial Fuel Cells and Microbial Desalination Cells for wastewater treatment and energy generation;
- Self-powered electrochemical cells for carbon dioxide fixation and usage as a chemical feedstock;
- Microbe and enzyme immobilisation on carbon electrodes;
- Polymer-protein conjugates and molecularly imprinted polymers for nano-medicine and nano-biology;
- Biocidal polymers and bio-fouling resistant membranes for water technologies;
- Smart materials for biosensors and novel diagnostics for disease (including cancer) markers;
- Novel methods for protein crystallisation;
- Colloidal and surface chemical aspects of crude oils and products, emulsions, surfactants and interfacial interactions;
- Nanotoxicology;
- High performance (including high temperature and low wear) polymers, composites and nano-composites;
- Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and advanced inorganic solid materials for gas storage and novel conduction and magnetic properties;
- Inorganic materials chemistry of clays and cementititous systems;
- Functionalising organic conductors (such as carbon nano-tubes and nano-structured conducting polymers) for applications including sensors and bionics (including improving the biocompatibility of organic conductors);
- Heterogeneous catalysts for enantio-selective reactions.
One of the University's advanced fuel cell test stations that is evaluating the performance of a radiation-grafted alkaline anion exchange membrane with hydrogen fuel.