Ian Wark Research Institute
ARC Special Research Centre
ARC Special Research Centre
Research Area: Nanotechnology, surface characterization
Supervisors: A/Prof Dusan Losic and
Prof Jonas Addai-Mensah
Description: One of the biggest challenges facing chemists and
materials scientists is the fabrication of micro and macroscale
materials that exhibit well-defined and controllable nano-scale
features. The interest in these materials stems from the unique and
attractive properties (mechanical, catalytic, electrical, magnetic,
optical and photonic) relative to these structures. On the other hand,
nature provides an alternative and inexpensive supply of nanostructured
materials, because this production problem has already been elegantly
solved in nature using a massively parallel nanoscale 3-D self-assembly
process. Among them, the best known and most striking examples are
diatoms single-celled algae that generate a particularly impressive
range of complex silica structures (frustules) showing the unique
structural, mechanical, optical, and photonic properties. Silica
material from diatoms derived from the size, shape, distinctive
patterns, and mesoporous structure of their silica skeletons have been
recognized as an attractive natural resource for the development of new
nanomaterials and devices.
In our group we are exploring to use this material for several
applications including water purifications, drug delivery, photo
catalysis, mineral processing and grain protection. This project
proposes research toward advancing this material by surface modification
to achieve new properties for specific applications.
References
1.Y. Yu, J. Addai-Mensah, D. Losic, Chemical functionalization of diatom
silica microparticles for adsorption of gold (III) ions , Journal of
Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, 2011 (in press),
2.M. Sinn Aw, S. Simovic, J. Addai-Mensah, D. Losic, Silica
microcapsules from diatoms as new carrier for delivery of therapeutics,
Nanomedicine, 2011(in press)
3.Y. Yu, J. Addai-Mensah, D. Losic, Synthesis of Self-Supporting Gold
Microstructures with 3-d Morphologies by Direct Replication of Diatom
Templates, Langmuir,2010,26,14068?14072
