Original Proposal

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2. Research Objectives

The extraordinarily high level of current international funding in Nanotechnology underlines its perceived importance in forming the basis for a whole range of technologies in the next 20 years. At one extreme the precision required to fabricate ever-faster more compact computers will rely on fabrication methods with sub-nanometre precision. At the other extreme completely new types of devices are expected which will revolutionise health care and quality of life. This technological breadth arises from the fact that nanotechnology represents a physical dimension to which all the conventional science and engineering disciplines are converging. This convergence makes necessary the establishment of interdisciplinary research for exploitation from which new technology will evolve.

In establishing an IRC in Nanotechnology a priority is to position the objectives and mission of the IRC within the much broader interpretation of nanotechnology. To prevent dilution this inevitably involves clear focussing of the IRC. To be effective and credible this means a contribution at a fundamental level, from which firmly based science and technology can emerge (given the fundamental nature of the research, it is hard to predict where results will impact on technology, so that a very flexible structure for technology transfer is required).

At the base of this programme, and indeed any exploitation of nanotechnology, is the requirement to grow and to control with single molecule precision. This is the core mission for the IRC.

Intensive activity across all branches of science and engineering will play a major role that the IRC will realise by combining key scientific skills with a commitment to an inter-disciplinary approach. The big prizes- of ideas, techniques and ultimately new devices - present a significant challenge in the Universities to find the right structure to facilitate the requisite cross-disciplinary activity.

The IRC proposed here is directed at the very core of nanotechnology and as such will aim to provide an underpinning interdisciplinary activity with the general theme of fabrication and organisation of molecular structures. Central to the ethos of the IRC will be the development of research themes and strategies that combine expertise from currently disparate fields. The consortium will develop the basic tools to organise molecules at the hard/soft interface (the growth of 'soft' molecular structures off 'hard' substrates) by natural and other means, including self-assembly and soft lithography. Characterisation of structural properties of the interface and their inter-relationship with electronic properties is also central, and an appropriate range of tools will be available. This includes scanning-probe methods, optical, fluorescence and electron-beam microscopies, theory and modelling. Such a range of tools and techniques is not found in a single university department, and the purpose of the IRC is to ensure that there is easy access to what is required to tackle research problems that cut across the traditional departmental divides. In addition to representing the key disciplines in life and physical sciences and engineering, the principal investigators all have a proven record in successful inter-disciplinary research activity. There are a number of important and developing areas of research that are strongly represented among the investigators, and these will provide points of initial departure. However, we would want to be judged on our success in generating new collaborations and new approaches. As we detail elsewhere, we will keep a significant fraction of our budget to be bid from within the consortium, to support research projects that develop with time across the disciplines.

Materials systems which we will study include: molecular materials for electronics and photonics, building on the excellent UK standing in polymer electronics; self-assembly approaches to well-defined structures, including the investigation of fibril structures in proteins and polypeptides and their deposition or growth for use as structural components, wires or other nanodevices; and controlled cell growth from substrates for use as the basis for new materials for tissue engineering or in the creation of natural biosensors.

This 'basic science' nucleus of activity will be kept focussed, and will be aimed at encouraging curiosity-driven research. However, this will not be at the expense of relevance to industry and to applications. The natural point to transfer to an application-relevant approach is at the level of the materials systems studied. We identify at the outset two broad classes of 'end-user'. The electronics/communications industry will benefit from the development of electronics and photonics with molecular or polymeric materials. Applications in the biomedical area will result from advances in tissue engineering and biosensor technology. The consortium includes a number of groups with strong track records in technology transfer, both with large organisations and also through company start-ups.

A final objective of the IRC is to plan for a significant lifetime well beyond the 6 years funding period requested. As evidenced in the letters of support from the Vice-Chancellors each University clearly sees nanotechnology playing a pivotal role in future strategies and development. The fact that each institution will establish a physical centre for the IRC, that nanotechnology is firmly placed as the technology for the next 20 years and that interdisciplinary research is becoming increasingly important all point to a healthy future for the IRC. There will undoubtedly be an organic growth of the IRC in the first 6 years as complementary funding develops. We would also expect the membership of the IRC to grow through such secondary funding. Successful commercial exploitation will also feed back into the IRC and provide a basis for a developing commercial relationship into the future. Finally, within each institution the ethos of interdisciplinary research and education will establish the role of the IRC in Under- and Post-Graduate education; support for these programmes will naturally need to extend beyond the initial 6 year phase.