Automated and Advanced Characterisation of Single Nanoparticles

Nanoparticles have revolutionised areas of medicine ranging from drug delivery to medical imaging to ultra-sensitive biosensors. However, many nanoparticles are still prepared with bulk synthesis methods, which leads to poor control over particle properties such as size and loading efficiency. This heterogeneity has significant biological consequences, which can severely impede the translation of nanomedicines to the clinic. Microfluidics offers a promising solution. The small volumes used in microfluidics offer improved control over mass transport compared to bulk approaches, allowing for more homogeneous nanoparticle physiochemical properties and higher batch-to-batch reproducibility.

To assess inter-particle heterogeneity requires single particle characterisation techniques. One effective method is SPARTA, a recently developed, high-throughput and automated technique that uses Raman spectroscopy to non-destructively analyse single nanoparticles. This project will use SPARTA to assess the quality of various nanomedicines prepared with bulk and microfluidic methods. To provide complementary imaging information, samples will be characterised with liquid-phase electron microscopy, a technique capable of imaging samples in water with sub-nanometre resolution.

This project will focus on techniques which are scalable to industry and materials which are previously approved for used in humans to improve the translational quality of the proposed technology.

The production and processing of materials accounts for 15% of UK GDP and generates exports valued at £50bn annually, with UK materials related industries having a turnover of £197bn/year. It is, therefore, clear that the success of the UK economy is linked to the success of high value materials manufacturing, spanning a broad range of industrial sectors. In order to remain competitive and innovate in these sectors it is necessary to understand fundamental properties and critical processes at a range of length scales and dynamically and link these to the materials' performance. It is in this underpinning space that the CDT-ACM fits.

The impact of the CDT will be wide reaching, encompassing all organisations who research, manufacture or use advanced materials in sectors ranging from energy and transport to healthcare and the environment. Industry will benefit from the supply of highly skilled research scientists and engineers with the training necessary to advance materials development in all of these crucial areas. UK and international research facilities (Diamond, ISIS, ILL etc.) will benefit greatly from the supply of trained researchers who have both in-depth knowledge of advanced characterisation techniques and a broad understanding of materials and their properties. UK academia will benefit from a pipeline of researchers trained in state-of the art techniques in world leading research groups, who will be in prime positions to win prestigious fellowships and lectureships. From a broader perspective, society in general will benefit from the range of planned outreach activities, such as the Mary Rose Trust, the Royal Society Summer Exhibition and visits to schools. These activities will both inform the general public and inspire the next generation of scientists.

The cohort based training offered by the CDT-ACM will provide the next generation of research scientists and engineers who will pioneer new research techniques, design new multi-instrument workflows and advance our knowledge in diverse fields. We will produce 70 highly qualified and skilled researchers who will support the development of new technologies, in for instance the field of electric vehicles, an area of direct relevance to the UK industrial impact strategy.
In summary, the CDT will address a skills gap that has arisen through the rapid development of new characterisation techniques; therefore, it will have a positive impact on industry, research facilities and academia and, consequently, wider society by consolidating and strengthening UK leadership in this field.