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.

You can read more about the work that David talks about in the programme by clicking on the links below.  David is a member of the Electronic and Photonic Molecular Materials (EPMM) research group which carries out research into plastic solar cells.  David is also the Principle Investigator of the EPSRC-funded UK Optimisation of Photovoltaic Devices programme, UKOPV, which aims to better understand the physics of the organic films used in plastic solar cells.

EPMM

UKOPV

Material World

Contact Prof. David Lidzey

The latest publications from the METRC Academic Members.

Prostaglandin D-2 production in FM55 melanoma cells is regulated by alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone and is not related to melanin production
Masoodi, M; Nicolaou, A; Gledhill, K; et al.
EXPERIMENTAL DERMATOLOGY 19 (8): 751-753 AUG 2010, Link

Crystal structure prediction and isostructurality of three small organic halogen compounds
Asmadi, A; Kendrick, J; Leusen, FJJ
PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY CHEMICAL PHYSICS 12 (30): 8571-8579 2010, Link

Association between amino acid turnover and chromosome aneuploidy during human preimplantation embryo development in vitro
Picton, HM; Elder, K; Houghton, FD; et al.
MOLECULAR HUMAN REPRODUCTION 16 (8): 557-569 AUG 2010

High Temperature Storage for Energy Harvesting in Hostile Environments
Barker, S; Miao, B; Brennan, D; et al.
2009 IEEE SENSORS, VOLS 1-3 : 732-735 2009, Link

Development of a 3D Human In Vitro Skin Co-Culture Model for Detecting Irritants in Real-Time
Canton, I; Cole, DM; Kemp, EH; et al.
BIOTECHNOLOGY AND BIOENGINEERING 106 (5): 794-803 AUG 1 2010, Link

Predicting crystal structures ab initio: group 14 nitrides and phosphides
Hart, JN; Allan, NL; Claeyssens, F
PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY CHEMICAL PHYSICS 12 (30): 8620-8631 2010, Link

Self-assembled autonomous runners and tumblers
Ebbens, S; Jones, RAL; Ryan, AJ; et al.
PHYSICAL REVIEW E 82 (1): Art. No. 015304 Part 2 JUL 23 2010, Link

Material World is Radio 4’s weekly dissection of the latest science news, during which host Quentin Cooper quizzes leading scientists about the motivation behind their research and its wider implications for human understanding and economic and social benefit.

The EPMM group plays a lead role in the EPSRC-funded UK Optimisation of Photovoltaic Devices programme, UKOPV, of which David is Principal Investigator. The collaboration brings together experts in relevant fields from the Universities of Sheffield, Cambridge and Cardiff, as well as the Diamond Synchrotron Light Source.

The work of UKOPV focuses on the model organic photovoltaic (OPV) polymer blend systems between conjugated polymers and PCBM, with a view to gaining a comprehensive understanding of the intrinsic physical and chemical mechanisms that determine the ultimate device performance. With this knowledge, the hope is to overcome current performance limitations to help create the next generation of OPV devices.

For more information, please visit the links below to EPMM, UKOPV and Material World on the BBC website.

EPMM

UKOPV

Material World (“Listen again” on-line after August 12)

Contact Prof. David Lidzey

The latest publications from our members.

Reactive Grafting of Glycidyl Methacrylate onto Polypropylene
Burton, EL; Woodhead, M; Coates, P; et al.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED POLYMER SCIENCE 117 (5): 2707-2714 SEP 5 2010, Link

Fluctuation power spectra reveal dynamical heterogeneity of peptides
Khatri, B; Yew, ZT; Krivov, S; et al.
JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL PHYSICS 133 (1): Art. No. 015101 JUL 7 2010, Link

The effects of perfluorination on carbohydrate-pi interactions: computational studies of the interaction of benzene and hexafluorobenzene with fucose and cyclodextrin
Raju, RK; Hillier, IH; Burton, NA; et al.
PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY CHEMICAL PHYSICS 12 (28): 7959-7967 2010, Link

4.6 kV, 10.5 mOhm.cm(2) Nickel Silicide Schottky Diodes on Commercial 4H-SiC Epitaxial Wafers
Vassilevski, K; Nikitina, IP; Horsfall, AB; et al.
SILICON CARBIDE AND RELATED MATERIALS 2009, PTS 1 AND 2 645-648: 897-900 Part 1-2 2010, Link

Amplitude Shift Keyed Radio Communications for Hostile Environments
Brennan, DR; Miao, B; Vasilevskiy, K; et al.
SILICON CARBIDE AND RELATED MATERIALS 2009, PTS 1 AND 2 645-648: 953-956 Part 1-2 2010, Link

Silicon Carbide based Energy Harvesting Module for Hostile Environments
Barker, S; Miao, B; Brennan, D; et al.
SILICON CARBIDE AND RELATED MATERIALS 2009, PTS 1 AND 2 645-648: 1093-1096 Part 1-2 2010, Link

Density Functional Simulations of Physisorbed and Chemisorbed Single Graphene Layers on 4H-SiC (0001), (000(1)over-bar) and 4H-SiC:H surface
Goss, JP; Briddon, PR; Wright, NG; et al.
SILICON CARBIDE AND RELATED MATERIALS 2009, PTS 1 AND 2 645-648: 619-622 Part 1-2 2010

Growth of Few Layers Graphene on Silicon Carbide from Nickel Silicide Supersaturated with Carbon
Vassilevski, K; Nikitina, IP; Horsfall, AB; et al.
SILICON CARBIDE AND RELATED MATERIALS 2009, PTS 1 AND 2 645-648: 589-592 Part 1-2 2010, Link

Micro-/nano-patterning of DNA and rapid readout with SERS tags
Sun, SQ; Thompson, D; Schmidt, U; et al.
CHEMICAL COMMUNICATIONS 46 (29): 5292-5294 2010, Link

From well-defined macromonomers to sterically-stabilised latexes to covalently cross-linkable colloidosomes: exerting control over multiple length scales
Thompson, KL; Armes, SP
CHEMICAL COMMUNICATIONS 46 (29): 5274-5276 2010, Link

Polymersome production on a microfluidic platform using pH sensitive block copolymers
Brown, L; McArthur, SL; Wright, PC; et al.
LAB ON A CHIP 10 (15): 1922-1928 2010

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

Identifying Diversity in Nanoscale Electrical Break Junctions
Martin, S; Grace, I; Bryce, MR; Wang, CS; Jitchati, R; Batsanov, AS; Higgins, SJ; Lambert, CJ; Nichols, RJ
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY 132 (26): 9157-9164 JUL 7 2010
DOI: 10.1021/ja103327f link

Characterization of the porous nature of a phthalocyanine derivative with axial ligation designed to prevent aggregation
Barker, CA; Massey, A; Rhodes, A; Bryce, MR; Kataky, R
JOURNAL OF PORPHYRINS AND PHTHALOCYANINES 14 (5): 389-396 MAY 2010
DOI: 10.1142/S1088424610002173 link

Optical measurements of orientational order in uniaxial and biaxial nematic liquid crystals
Gleeson, HF; Southern, CD; Brimicombe, PD; Goodby, JW; Gortz, V
LIQUID CRYSTALS 37 (6-7): 949-959 2010
DOI: 10.1080/02678292.2010.488818 link

The influence of sodium chloride on the self-association and chromonic mesophase formation of Edicol Sunset Yellow
Jones, JW; Lue, L; Ormerod, AP; Tiddy, GJT
LIQUID CRYSTALS 37 (6-7): 711-722 2010
DOI: 10.1080/02678292.2010.486174 link

Ab Initio Protein Folding Using a Cooperative Swarm of Molecular Dynamics Trajectories
Bruce, NJ; Bryce, RA
JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL THEORY AND COMPUTATION 6 (7): 1925-1930 JUL 2010
DOI: 10.1021/ct100060t link

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

Quantum-assisted biomolecular modelling
Harris, SA; Kendon, VM
PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY A-MATHEMATICAL PHYSICAL AND ENGINEERING SCIENCES 368 (1924): 3581-3592 AUG 13 2010
DOI: 10.1098/rsta.2010.0087 link

Nanobiotechnology – quo vadis?
Koopmans, RJ; Aggeli, A
CURRENT OPINION IN MICROBIOLOGY 13 (3): 327-334 JUN 2010
DOI: 10.1016/j.mib.2010.01.012 link

Enzymatic Catalyzed Synthesis and Triggered Gelation of Ionic Peptides
Guilbaud, JB; Vey, E; Boothroyd, S; Smith, AM; Ulijn, RV; Saiani, A; Miller, AF
LANGMUIR 26 (13): 11297-11303 JUL 6 2010
DOI: 10.1021/la100623y link

A spectral phenotype of oncogenic human papillomavirus-infected exfoliative cervical cytology distinguishes women based on age
Kelly, JG; Cheung, KT; Martin, C; O’Leary, JJ; Prendiville, W; Martin-Hirsch, PL; Martin, FL
CLINICA CHIMICA ACTA 411 (15-16): 1027-1033 AUG 5 2010
DOI: 10.1016/j.cca.2010.03.029

The latest papers from the METRC academic members

Evidence for both genomic and nongenomic signalling of androgens and oestrogens in wound healing
Kandamany, N; Stevenson, S; Sharpe, DT; et al.
BRITISH JOURNAL OF DERMATOLOGY 162 (4): 931-932 APR 2010

Melanosomes in pigment cells contain functional MC1R
Jackson, CL; Singh, SK; Robinson, SJ; et al.
BRITISH JOURNAL OF DERMATOLOGY 162 (4): 920-921 APR 2010

UVB induces melanosome transfer via filopodia in human skin cells
Singh, SK; Nizard, C; Kurfurst, R; et al.
BRITISH JOURNAL OF DERMATOLOGY 162 (4): 919-920 APR 2010

One-Step Photoembossing for Submicrometer Surface Relief Structures in Liquid Crystal Semiconductors
Liedtke, A; Lei, CH; O’Neill, M; et al.
ACS NANO 4 (6): 3248-3253 JUN 2010, Link

Reverse engineering the kidney: modelling calcium oxalate monohydrate crystallization in the nephron
Borissova, A; Goltz, GE; Kavanagh, JP; et al.
MEDICAL & BIOLOGICAL ENGINEERING & COMPUTING 48 (7): 649-659 JUL 2010, Link

Fabrication of large volume, macroscopically defined and responsive engineered emulsions using a homogeneous pH-trigger
Woodward, RT; Chen, L; Adams, DJ; et al.
JOURNAL OF MATERIALS CHEMISTRY 20 (25): 5228-5234 2010, Link

INCREASING THE EXTENSIONAL VISCOSITY OF SILICONE OIL REDUCES THE TENDENCY FOR EMULSIFICATION
Williams, RL; Day, M; Garvey, MJ; et al.
RETINA-THE JOURNAL OF RETINAL AND VITREOUS DISEASES 30 (2): 300-304 FEB 2010, Link

Synthesis and application of pH-responsive branched copolymer nanoparticles (PRBNs): a comparison with pH-responsive shell cross-linked micelles
Weaver, JVM; Adams, DJ
SOFT MATTER 6 (12): 2575-2582 2010, Link

An Optical Nanocavity Incorporating a Fluorescent Organic Dye Having a High Quality Factor
Adawi, AM; Murshidy, MM; Fry, PW; et al.
ACS NANO 4 (6): 3039-3044 JUN 2010, Link

RAFT Synthesis of Sterically Stabilized Methacrylic Nanolatexes and Vesicles by Aqueous Dispersion Polymerization
Li, YT; Armes, SP
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION 49 (24): 4042-4046 2010, Link

Water-tolerant Ru-Starbon (R) materials for the hydrogenation of organic acids in aqueous ethanol
Luque, R; Clark, JH
CATALYSIS COMMUNICATIONS 11 (10): 928-931 MAY 11 2010, Link

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

Protein Patterning by UV-Induced Photodegradation of Poly(oligo(ethylene glycol) methacrylate) Brushes
Ahmad, SA; Hucknall, A; Chilkoti, A; Leggett, GJ
LANGMUIR 26 (12): 9937-9942 JUN 15 2010
DOI: 10.1021/la100438d link

The Impact of E-Z Photo-Isomerization on Single Molecular Conductance
Martin, S; Haiss, W; Higgins, SJ; Nichols, RJ
NANO LETTERS 10 (6): 2019-2023 JUN 2010
DOI: 10.1021/nl9042455 link

Effect of the Hofmeister Anions upon the Swelling of a Self-Assembled pH-Responsive Hydrogel
Swann, JMG; Bras, W; Topham, PD; Howse, JR; Ryan, AJ
LANGMUIR 26 (12): 10191-10197 JUN 15 2010
DOI: 10.1021/la100339f link

Relationship between the thermal conductivity and shear viscosity of nanofluids
Ding, YL; Chen, HS; Musina, Z; Jin, Y; Zhang, TF; Witharana, S; Yang, W
PHYSICA SCRIPTA T139: Art. No. 014078 MAY 2010
DOI: 10.1088/0031-8949/2010/T139/014078 link

Synthesis of well-defined primary amine-based homopolymers and block copolymers and their Michael addition reactions with acrylates and acrylamides
Read, ES; Thompson, KL; Armes, SP
POLYMER CHEMISTRY 1 (2): 221-230 APR 2010
DOI: 10.1039/b9py00320g link

Synthesis and application of pH-responsive branched copolymer nanoparticles (PRBNs): a comparison with pH-responsive shell cross-linked micelles
Weaver, JVM; Adams, DJ
SOFT MATTER 6 (12): 2575-2582 2010
DOI: 10.1039/b926796d link

INCREASING THE EXTENSIONAL VISCOSITY OF SILICONE OIL REDUCES THE TENDENCY FOR EMULSIFICATION
Williams, RL; Day, M; Garvey, MJ; English, R; Wong, D
RETINA-THE JOURNAL OF RETINAL AND VITREOUS DISEASES 30 (2): 300-304 FEB 2010
DOI: 10.1097/IAE.0b013e3181babe0c link

Thermo-mechanical stabilisation of a crystalline organic semiconductor for robust large area electronics
Ibrahim, MM; Maciel, AC; Watson, CP; Madec, MB; Yeates, SG; Taylor, DM
ORGANIC ELECTRONICS 11 (7): 1234-1241 JUL 2010
DOI: 10.1016/j.orgel.2010.04.030 link

An investigation of the conductivity of peptide nanotube networks prepared by enzyme-triggered self-assembly
Xu, HX; Das, AK; Horie, M; Shaik, MS; Smith, AM; Luo, Y; Lu, XF; Collins, R; Liem, SY; Song, AM; Popelier, PLA; Turner, ML; Xiao, P; Kinloch, IA; Ulijn, RV
NANOSCALE 2 (6): 960-966 2010
DOI: 10.1039/b9nr00233b link

Tumor O-6-methylguanine-DNA Methyltransferase Inactivation by Oral Lomeguatrib
Watson, AJ; Sabharwal, A; Thorncroft, M; McGown, G; Kerr, R; Bojanic, S; Soonawalla, Z; King, A; Miller, A; Waller, S; Leung, H; Margison, GP; Middleton, MR
CLINICAL CANCER RESEARCH 16 (2): 743-749 JAN 15 2010
DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-09-1389 link

SOX9 Elevation in the Prostate Promotes Proliferation and Cooperates with PTEN Loss to Drive Tumor Formation
Thomsen, MK; Ambroisine, L; Wynn, S; Cheah, KSE; Foster, CS; Fisher, G; Berney, DM; Moller, H; Reuter, VE; Scardino, P; Cuzick, J; Ragavan, N; Singh, PB; Martin, FL; Butler, CM; Cooper, CS; Swain, A; Grp, TP
CANCER RESEARCH 70 (3): 979-987 FEB 1 2010
DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-09-2370 link

Suppression of thermal broadening via Zener tunneling in narrow-gap semiconductor double-quantum-wire structures
Kyriakou, I; Jefferson, JH; Lambert, CJ
APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS 96 (23): Art. No. 232104 JUN 7 2010
DOI: 10.1063/1.3436725 link

Equilibrium Phases for Thin Films of Polymer Blend Solutions
Souche, M; Clarke, N
MACROMOLECULES 43 (12): 5433-5441 JUN 22 2010
DOI: 10.1021/ma100424c link