NanoKTN's allocation of this year's EPSRC CASE Awards has been awarded to Bath University, collaborating with Pilkington, and Manchester Metropolitan University, collaborating with United Utilities.
These projects will look at the development of photocatalytic coatings for self-cleaning and architectural glazing applications, and smart nanomaterials for the detection of natural (and) synthetic pollutants.
The collaborative studentships are allocated by UK Research Councils as a way of linking academic research with industrial need.
Collaborative studentships are supported by companies that offer funding to students, in addition to their already secured EPSRC funding.
By offering these opportunities, companies hope they will encourage development into the UK's strong nanotechnology market and gain from the research that is undertaken.
Bath will seek to explore chemical vapour deposition (CVD) as a route to coloured and photoactive transition metal-doped titania thin films.
In common with related Pilkington technologies, the fabrication of a product will require the application of a coating process based upon large-area atmospheric pressure chemical vapour deposition (APCVD).
The primary goal of the project will be the development of multicomponent systems and, where necessary, single-source precursors for the APCVD of coloured, transition-metal-doped titania thin films.
In the second project, Manchester's Metropolitan University has been awarded funding to research a multifunctional core shell nanoparticle system that allows functional layers to be built up, utilising many material properties.
Development of a cost-effective nanomaterial that is capable of detecting tiny concentrations of synthetic hormones in water will constitute a major scientific breakthrough of significant environmental benefit and of great importance to the water and environmental industries, in addition to governmental agencies.
Sensitive biological assay kits and home waterfilters are just a few of the potential ways that the material can be exploited commercially, in addition to the substantial benefits for environmental protection and human health.
The NanoKTN's annual involvement aims to encourage young scientists and engineers to promote the underlying potential of emerging micro and nanotechnologies and to raise the profile of UK academic research in nanotechnology, as well as providing networking opportunities between researchers and members of UK business communities.
