Nanotechnology advances with Scottish research

A team from the University of St Andrews, led by Dr Manfred Buck, have created a way to form an easily-modified network of molecules over a large area, which promises to replace traditional methods of molecular manipulation.

The new solution-based chemistry technique sees molecules self-assemble on a gold surface into a honeycomb-shaped network, with hydrogen bonds holding this 'supramolecular network' together and acting as a template to control the arrangement of other molecules.

University of St Andrews

Dr Buck, of the university's School of Chemistry, said the ability to create robust and versatile surfaces is a key development for nanotechnology, allowing the science to abandon techniques which have become too cumbersome on the ultra-small scale.

The precise new method is compared to the alternative way of creating nanostructures through inscribing patterns into surfaces with conventional lithography, which lacks the necessary finesse when used on a scale of a few nanometres.

He explained: "One of the central issues in nanotechnology is the development of simple and reliable methods to precisely arrange molecules and other nanoscopic objects.

The University of St Andrews' development has created self-assembling structures which are just one molecule thick and can lead to further control and manipulation of nanostructures.

Dr Buck revealed that the process allows individual molecules to be used as building blocks for larger developmets, with researchers working at scale where new properties for materials emerge, while the unique technique can be used under ambient conditions, requiring no sophisticated equipment or special environment such as a high vacuum.

The expert added: "We are just at the beginning of the exploration of a very exciting new area.

What benefits can new developments bring?

According to the Royal Society of Chemistry: “Nanotechnology provides the potential for significant advances over the next 50 years. Applications will be broad, including healthcare, medicine, security, electronics, communications and computing.”

Current healthcare applications for the technology include biological sensors which are used in diagnostics. However, increased abilities to manipulate nanostructures could lead to innovations such as artificial muscles and more targeted approaches to drug and gene delivery, the society believes.

One of the central issues in nanotechnology is the development of simple and reliable methods to precisely arrange molecules and other nanoscopic objects

Dr Manfred Buck

University of St Andrews

Further down the line, it could be possible to engineer artificial organs or develop nanomachines which can carry out treatments from inside the patient's body.

Immediate benefits to the sector are being realised today. Although Dr Buck and the Royal Society of Chemistry admit nanomachines are not a development to be expected in the near future, the science can move out of the lab and into clinical environments in the shorter term.

One example of this is a recent suggestion from Manchester Metropolitan University.

Speaking at the Society for General Microbiology's autumn meeting at Trinity College, Dublin, Lucia Caballero said nanotechnology could be used to create paints which tackle superbugs living in hospital settings.

Royal Society of Chemistry

The university has discovered paints which contain tiny particles of titanium dioxide and could destroy dirt and bacteria when fluorescent lights are switched on, giving hospitals the hope of walls, ceilings and surfaces which are free of superbugs.

Ms Caballero spelt out the benefits to delegates, saying: “In all these places, surface hygiene could be improved by the action of fluorescent light on catalytic surfaces such as paints containing nanotitanium. This would slow down contamination and save on the costs of cleaning maintenance.”

Outside healthcare, the Royal Society of Chemistry believes control of materials on the ultra-small scale could lead to revolutions in the energy sector, including more efficient solar cells and improved hydrogen storage fuel cells, while the electronics and computing fields could gain more advanced components of a miniature proportion.

In addition, improved nanostructures could give consumers access to products such as televisions and monitors which use flexible flat-panel displays or high-density storage media, allowing music and video to be held in increasingly smaller devices.

However, before these advances can be made, further research is needed from teams such as those at the University of St Andrews, with Scotland being in a position to become a world leader in nanotechnology, according to www.talentscotland.com.

The organisation reveals Scotland has a strong academic research base, with 200 scientists currently specialising in nanotechnology clustered around the universities of Glasgow, Edinburgh, Strathclyde and Dundee.

Specific projects being carried out by these researchers include work at the Thin Film Centre at the University of Paisley to develop products such as security coatings and telecommunications filters and the establishment of the Tissue Engineering Centre at the University of Dundee.

Scotland's commercial sector is also embracing the blossoming science, the organisation notes, with start-ups in the field including firms such as Aktina, Biodermis, Photonix and Wolfson.

These enterprises and the academic community maintain strong links, through initiatives like University of Glasgow company Kelvin Nanotechnology, which aims to commercialise work carried out by its researchers, and collaborations such as the Institute of Photonics and the Wolfson Centre for cell and tissue engineering at the University of Strathclyde.

With a strong commercial and academic background such as this, it could be that the breakthrough by Dr Buck's team is the small, crucial first step for big developments in Scottish and international nanotechnology.