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Prof Tony Ryan, from the University of Sheffield, and the METRC Grant Holder, has made this video with the BBC to show how long a nanometre is.  Using pizza.

METRC, the N8 Molecular Engineering Translational Research Centre, unfortunately can’t help you with pizza but can help you to develop innovative new products and processes using soft nanotechnology.  We pool soft nanotechnology expertise from leading research centres at universities across the North of England and apply this to industry.  Our target markets include home and personal care, medicine and healthcare, and energy.

For more information about how we can help your business please contact us: Contact METRC

Yesterday, METRC member Prof David Lidzey was a guest on the BBC Radio 4 science programme Material World where he talked about his group’s work on plastic photovoltaic solar cells.  If you missed it you can listen again by clicking on the image below.  Prof Lidzey’s interview begins at approximately 8 minutes in.

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The latest publications from the METRC Academic Members.

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METRC Academic Member Prof David Lidzey, of The University of Sheffield’s Department of Physics and Astronomy, is to participate in BBC Radio 4’s Material World on Thursday August 12 at 4:30pm. He will talk about the work of the Electronic and Photonic Molecular Materials (EPMM) research group in the area of polymer-based photovoltaic devices.

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The latest publications from our members.

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Structural engineering of thin films of vertically aligned TiO2 nanorods
Zhang, Y; Gao, Y; Xia, XH; Deng, QR; Guo, ML; Wan, L; Shao, G
MATERIALS LETTERS 64 (14): 1614-1617 JUL 31 2010
DOI: 10.1016/j.matlet.2010.04.048 link

See below for further publications

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Depletion of PCBM at the Cathode Interface in P3HT/PCBM Thin Films as Quantified via Neutron Reflectivity Measurements
Parnell, AJ; Dunbar, ADF; Pearson, AJ; Staniec, PA; Dennison, AJC; Hamamatsu, H; Skoda, MWA; Lidzey, DG; Jones, RAL
ADVANCED MATERIALS 22 (22): 2444-+ JUN 11 2010
DOI: 10.1002/adma.200903971 link

See below for more publications

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The link below describes the EPSRC’s postdoctoral mobility mechanism.  This is a means to secure funding to transfer the knowledge currently being undertaken by EPSRC-funded PDRA’s into other research areas by providing a follow-on grant for that PDRA to work primarily in a different research group for 12 months after the end of the current grant.

http://www.epsrc.ac.uk/funding/grants/newac/Pages/postdocmobility.aspx

Such transfers can be within individual institutions or between two institutions. Application appears to be responsive mode with no specific closing date; applications are expected within the final year of the current project; applicants can expect a response within 10-12 weeks. The new supervisor is expected to be PI; the current supervisor Co-I; the PDRA co-author and Researcher Co-I.

There are many obvious opportunities within METRC to take advantage of this scheme. Whilst many of you will have well-established links to take advantage of the opportunity, do please get in touch with us if you would like suggestions for where candidate PDRAs and knowledge might find a good home for further development. We can also seek partners with other university networks if required.

Fabrication of Submicrometer Biomolecular Patterns by Near-Field Exposure of Plasma-Polymerized Tetraglyme Films
Hurley, CR; Ducker, RE; Leggett, GJ; Ratner, BD
LANGMUIR 26 (12): 10203-10209 JUN 15 2010
DOI: 10.1021/la100362q link

See below for more

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METRC will be presenting at the Chemistry Innovation KTN Annual Stakeholders Forum later this month.  We will be presenting at the “Exploitation of the Centres of Excellence in Product Design” workshop which will be held during the Chemistry Innovation KTN Annual Stakeholder Meeting on June 30th in Birmingham.

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