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Nanotechnology conference goes back to its roots to pay homage to inspiring Nobel professor
By: Neil Vowles
Last updated: Wednesday, 29 August 2018
NanoteC is celebrating its 20th anniversary by returning to the University of Sussex, where the conference was first held in 1998.
NanoteC18 is paying homage to the late Nobel Laureate, Professor Sir Harry Kroto who co-discovered buckminsterfullerene, otherwise known as ‘buckyballs’, whilst working at the University in 1985, and who hosted the inaugural conference. Sir Harry passed away in 2016, aged 76.
NanoteC is one of the longest running series of nanoscale carbon conferences in Europe, unique in bringing together world-leading thinkers in fullerenes, nanotubes, graphene and related two-dimensional materials.
The conference is being held over four days at the University of Sussex’s campus, from Wednesday 29 August to Saturday 1 September.
Professor Alan Dalton heads up the Materials Physics group at Sussex. He says: “The Materials Physics group at Sussex are truly excited to host the 20th anniversary of NanoteC. I remember attending the first NanoteC at Sussex, organised by Professor Malcolm Heggie and Sir Harry Kroto, when I was a second-year PhD student! It continues to be one of the most important events in our calendar.
“Harry sadly passed away in 2016 and having NanoteC return to its spiritual home here at Sussex gives us an opportunity to not only remember him but to reflect on the exciting advances that have taken place in the field of nanostructured carbon materials since his seminal discovery of C60 over 30 years ago.”
Curated by the Materials Physics group, the diverse programme of speakers are united by their attendance at the original NanoteC conference. Many of them were mentored by Sir Harry Kroto and have gone on to become world-leaders in their field.
The full list of speakers at NanoteC18:
• Prof. Pulickel Ajayan – Materials Science in Two Dimensions
• Dr Claudia Backes – Liquid Phase Exfoliation as a Versatile Tool to Study Fundamental Properties of 2D Materials
• Dr Carla Bittencourt – Functionalisation of Nanostructures
• Prof. Cinzia Casiraghi – Water-based and Biocompatible 2D crystal Printable Inks: From Formulation Engineering to Printed Devices
• Prof. Manish Chhowalla – 2D Materials for Energy and Electronics
• Prof. Jonathan Coleman – Applications of Liquid Exfoliated Nanosheets
• Prof. Georg Duesberg - Orange is the New Black: From Graphene to Layered Semiconducting Materials
• Prof. James Elliot - Yarn-like Single Wall Carbon Nanotube Fibres for Electrical Applications
• Prof. Andrea Ferrari - Graphene for Photonics and Optoelectronics
• Prof. Yuri Gogotsi – From Graphene to Carbide MXenes: 2D
• Dr Phillipe Poulin – Promises of Nanotube Fibres After 20 Years of Research
• Prof. Mauricio Terrones – Twenty Years of Nanoscale Research: From Fullerenes and Carbon Nanotubes to Two-dimensional Materials
In addition to the speaker programme, delegates will be treated to a free Quantum Technology Hub Sensors and Metrology workshop, run in partnership with the newly-established Sussex Program for Quantum Research, as well as product demonstrations from Sussex’s Material Physics group of their ground-breaking wireless health monitors, fabric technology and nHance, nanomaterial inks and emulsions that could revolutionise 3D printing.
The headline sponsor for the conference is Advanced Materials Development. Additional sponsorship partners from industry are: Bruker, Shimadzu, The British Carbon Group, and Enabling Excellence ETN.