| Nanomaterials are able to improve the properties of materials (e.g. strengthening of carbon nanotube reinforced fibre) or for delivering completely new functions (e.g. photonic nano-crystals). However there remains much to be discovered and the NANOMATERIALS GROUP at NTU aims to develop more efficient synthesis methods and novel application of nanomaterials. For synthesis a preferred research direction follows a top-bottom approach, where nanomaterials are precisely defined from a bulk material using beam of ions (FIB) or plasma etching techniques (DRIE) with nanoparticles used as a mask. A bottom-up synthesis approach is also followed, based on the growth of nano-crystals. New applications of nanomaterials are being developed for the purification of chemical compounds or to modify the surface properties o manufacturing tools. |
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