News

A good start to the year

Drs Xin Hong and Henkjan Gersen started 2011 well by publishing their work in Nano Letters. A journal with one of the highest impact scores in the field of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology. Together with scientists from the University of Bristol, the University of Twente (Netherlands) and ICFO (Spain) they demonstrated a novel approach that allows ultrasensitive detection of the optical properties of individual nanostructures. This allowed them to directly visualize the optical response of individual nanoparticles down to 5 nm in diameter as shown in the figure.

The microscope that has been constructed has the potential to become a versatile tool for the study of the optical properties of individual nanostructures. In particular because it allows the full characterisation of both the amplitude and phase response of individual nanostructures as shown in the middle and right panel of the figure, respectively.

All of this is achieved using the ultralow excitation powers (1 μW) that are required for single molecule detection and imaging of biological cells. As a result the method opens up new avenues for exploring the interaction between metal nanoparticles and single fluorescent molecules. Moreover with the intrinsic advantages of gold nanoparticles, such as high optical brightness, biocompatibility, no blinking or bleaching and thus unlimited lifetime and shape dependent optical response our technique has great potential for biophysical applications.

Those interested in the work can read the publication or contact Dr Henkjan Gersen.

(posted 17/01/2011)

EPSRC grant funds holographic nanoprobe

Professor Mervyn Miles, together with colleagues Drs David Carberry and Loren Picco, has been awarded £361,929 by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) to develop a new type of atomic force microscope (AFM). The new AFM probe, a nanorod controlled in three dimensions by holographic optical traps, can scan a specimen from any direction. The holographic assembler is capable of generating tens of independent optical traps simultaneously, and the sample object itself could also be immobilized in a set of optical traps, so the optical AFM will be able to scan multiple aspects of a sample all at the same time. This means an image can be built up from all directions. Living cells are one example of a sample type that will be studied by this technique. For example, by biochemically functionalizing one or more of the nanorod probes, it will be possible to stimulate the cell to undergo a change - which can be monitored simultaneously by other scanning nanorod probes. This project builds on the highly successful collaboration through two Research Councils UK (RCUK) Basic Technology projects with Professor Miles Padgett and his group at the University of Glasgow. (posted 09/11/2010)

AFM technology meets blood diagnostics

Professors Mervyn Miles and Heinrich Hoerber, together with Drs Loren Picco and James Vicary, have been awarded a grant from the Medical Research Council for £447000. The grant is administered by the Severnside Alliance for Translational Research (SARTRE), a partnership created between the Universities of Bristol and Cardiff to accelerate efforts in translational research in the field of bio-pharmaceuticals.

The project employs expertise in atomic force microscopy (AFM) technology to design an instrument capable of detecting small concentrations of proteins in a blood sample for rapid and robust point-of-care blood analysis. Collaborators include Professor Stephen Wiggins from the School of Mathematics and Dr Andrew Mumford of Clinical Sciences."

(posted 02/10/2010)

Registration opens for the 3rd Bristol Nanoscience Symposium

Registration for the 2010 Bristol Nanoscience Symposium is now open. The theme of the symposium will be fundamental science and its translation into technology across the main disciplines of nanoscience. This is the 3rd in a series of Bristol Nanoscience Symposia and will also celebrate the scientific opening of the Centre for Nanoscience and Quantum Information. (posted 22/04/2010)

EPSRC Grant for Prof. Heinrich Hoerber

Professor Heinrich Hoerber has been awarded a 3-year EPSRC grant worth £326,000 to investigate nanophysical interactions between detergents, dirt and fabrics. The work centres on using photonic force microscopy (PFM) to measure how effectively detergent removes dirt from fabric in a controlled environment. The project is part of a wider collaboration including Unilever, Croda, NPL and the Technology Strategy Board worth over £1.4 million. The goal is to design new detergents effective at lower temperatures, which will reduce energy and water consumption and the amount of detergent used, and ultimately reduce the negative impact of laundering on the environment. (posted 14/04/2010)

RCUK Basic Technology Translation Grant Awarded

The Dynamic Holographic Assembler team have succeeded in their bid for a Basic Technology Translation grant to continue the research and development of the DHA. The grant will follow on directly at the end of the current Basic Technology grant, enabling sections of the team to focus on improving the interface and making the system more commercially viable. Other research projects will continue to run on the system, and the variety of science capable with this can only keep increasing.

(posted 10/12/2008)

EPSRC Grant for Dr. Henkjan Gersen

Dr Henkjan Gersen has been awarded a 3-year EPSRC grant worth £550,000 to develop a novel instrument that has unique capabilities in measuring time-dependent optical fields in and around nanostructures with subwavelength resolution. This will be achieved by combining a linear pulse characterization-technique that measures interference directly in the spectral domain with a scanning probe technique allowing full characterization of weak optical pulses. This extreme sensitivity opens up many fascinating research avenues in coherent control, nano-optics, quantum information and other research fields that investigate the interaction between light and matter with high spatial and temporal resolution.

This time sequence shows a light pulse travelling through a photonic crystal imaged in the time-domain using a scanning probe technique. The bright region toward the left in the last three frames is a portion of the pulse that is nearly held stationary, from: H. Gersen et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 94, 073903 (2005)

A post-doctoral position funded through this grant is open for applications. Closing date 16 January 2009.

(posted 25/11/2008)

Nano Cycle - Sussex to Austria

Team Nano have successfully completed a 1100 miles cycle ride from Maplehurst in Sussex to Weissbriach in Austria, raising over £1000 for the British Heart Foundation. The team consisted of current group members James Vicary, Jo Evangelides, Loren Picco, Lawrie Skinner & Craig Williams, along with former group member Al Wotherspoon and friend Luke Pennington. The 1100 miles was covered in 14 days of cycling, carrying all their kit with them and included an ascent of the Grossglockner High Alpine Road, topping out at 2504 metres. Click here for the Full story.

(posted 28/08/2008)

European grant award for Dr. Ian Lindsay

Dr Ian Lindsay has been awarded a Marie Curie European Reintegration Grant to support his research into localised infrared spectroscopy of nanostructured materials. These grants are awarded to researchers who have previously carried out a Marie Curie fellowship in another EU member state and the award will provide additional support to the EPSRC Advanced Research Fellowship that brought Ian to Bristol in October 2007.

(posted 30/03/2008)

Science Alive!

The Nanophysics and Soft Matter Group took part in Science Alive! held in the Galleries, Broadmead on the 7 and 8 March 2008. This was part of the University's contribution to the National Science and Engineering Week, a biennial event which gives members of the public the opportunity to participate in science and technology activities throughout the country. The general view was that there was positive interaction with the demonstrations undertaken by both groups, particularly by the children, and that it was considered a successful event.

(posted 12/03/2008)

Grant award for Dr. Adrian Barnes

Dr. Adrian Barnes has been awarded an 4-year EPSRC grant to investigate the structure of high-temperature oxide liquids and the mechanisms through which they form glasses. The work will involve the development of diffraction experiments using in-situ aerodynamic levitation and laser heating methods at the national and international neutron and X-ray scattering facilities (such as the ILL, ESRF, DIAMOND and ISIS). With these experiments we hope to make progress in answering some outstanding questions concerning the nature of the glass transition, poly-amorphism in glass forming systems, the optical properties of rare earth oxide glasses (used as phosphors and glasses for lasers) and the origins of liquid-liquid phase transitions.

(posted 25/01/2008)

Dr. Adrian Barnes receives E-Learning Award

Congratulations to Dr. Adrian Barnes who received the new E-Learning Award in the Science Faculty for 2007/08. The prizes were presented at the University Teaching and Learning Exhibition on Tuesday 8th January 2008.

(posted 09/01/2008)