Nano-Optics to controlled Nano-Chemistry Programme Grant (NOtCH)

We can use intricately controlled assemblies of metals carved into structures on the scale of a billionth of a metre, to funnel and concentrate light into tiny volumes of space. This 'nano-optics' allows us to access for the first time small numbers of molecules and atoms moving around in real time. Even more interesting we can start to use light to control the movement of molecules and atoms, since it can produce strong forces directly at the nanoscale.

In this research, we plan to use our new-found ability to concentrate on a whole range of physical phenomena that underlie devices at the heart of healthcare, information technology, and energy production. For instance we can watch how lithium ions move into and out of a small fragment of battery, and how the deformations of the atomic lattice are produced, which is what determines how long batteries last and how much energy they can store. Another project uses light to move gold atoms around inside larger carbon-based molecules, to control what colour they absorb at, and what molecules they can sense. Further projects build wallpapers constructed from tiny flipping components that produce colour changes on demand, the precursor to walls that change colour at the flick of a switch or display images or text on the side of lorries.

Underpinning all this are serious advances in learning how to build such structures reliably, so anyone can make use of our new ideas. We understand very little about what happens when we put molecules inside such compressed nano-cavities for light, and these fundamentals will open up new areas. This research also crucially helps us understand what new properties we can create, and predicts how to improve them best. This will lay open many of the new technologies of the next century.

Academic impact:
This research is right at the forefront of a number of fields, witness our high impact publications. The new focus of the programme grant outlined here would transform our capability to observe and control molecules and nanoparticles on the smallest scales. We go beyond study of ensembles, to watching the microscopic world directly. Our combination of novel developments in optical experimentation, combined with soft-matter assembly, and chemistry in nano-environments will allow us to access domains previously only a far off vision. We thus expect to make extremely strong academic impact, strong applications impact, and influence strongly also young generations of researchers entering this interdisciplinary field.
We have a wide variety of strong academic collaborations who will directly benefit including: Vignolini (Cambridge, cellulose), Hofmann (Cambridge, CNTs), Ying (Singapore, MoS2), Keyser (Cambridge, DNA Origami), Mullin (Manchester, bistable polymers), Grey (Cambridge, batteries), Kuhn (Bordeaux, nano-electrochemistry), Seffen (Cambridge, engineering bistability), and Berloff (Moscow, microcavities). Wider circles of disiplinary academic will benefit as the science advances are developed. Researchers are inspired by this focus, in which light is used to make things happen on the nanoscale, and chemistry becomes directly observable.

Economic impact:
As our capability to observe and control light at the nanoscale now becomes practical with our nano-assembly techniques reaching sub-10nm capabilities in highly-reliable and scalable fashion, many potential disruptive applications are thus a focus of our research. This informs our partnerships with a number of companies including Nokia, 3M, DSTL, Base4, Mars, Unilever, Smith&Nephew, and Detica who are investing >£1M for research in our centre. We expect this to expand, and have filed 8 patents in the last 3 years through Cambridge Enterprise (CE), that we develop as portfolios which we are managing strategically. Impact comes also in a wider series of looser partnerships with companies: IBM (Markt, organic microcavities), Schlumberger, Dyson and others, in which both sides improve their science impact but also advance key know-how and potential applications. The net result is societal impact in the key areas of national importance including Healthcare, Energy, Digital Economy and Manufacturing.

Training impact:
A crucial impact is the influence on young researchers who will be exposed to our collaborative, interdisciplinary, and high impact manner of work. These are tomorrow's leaders, and many previously recently gained academic or industrial positions. We use a variety of techniques to build strong interdisciplinary teams, and this style of research is seen to persist strongly as these researchers move on in their careers. Besides the postdocs funded in this grant, we will bring a number of PhD students into the research environment, developing their skills strongly. We interact widely, and this positive influence spreads throughout.

Societal impact:
Being able to see molecules directly in real-time has great influence on society. Such visions influence both younger generations, and open the eyes of industries and societal providers (such as healthcare or police/security) to new possibilities. This has immense long term impact. Our work is ideally suited to showing the value of nano-advances to the public, because we easily demonstrate optical effects based on structuring materials at the smaller nanoscales. This has led to Royal Society Exhibitions (2011, 2005), BBC Radio and TV appearances, Science Museum exhibits, and publicity in newspapers across the globe. One of our research fellows will specifically head an outreach team monitoring and improving this public outreach, and building exemplars for demonstrations to add to our current set (in partnership with the new Cambridge Science Museum).