Microdevices based on nanoengineered porous thin film

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One central goal in the emerging, but already very broad, field of nanoscience and nanotechnology is the desire to understand, and eventually control, the structure and properties of materials at the nanometre size scale.  This research program will investigate structure and properties of materials with nano-scale features, with a view to applications in micro-devices such as sensors and catalysis, and in the longer term, exploring potential applications for biomedical devices and energy storage and conversion.  Work by this researcher and his collaborators has laid some of the groundwork for these studies in recent years and is an ongoing topic of interest.  This work has shown that by combining novel, nano-porous thin film materials with chemical functionalisation techniques, a high degree of control over both structural and surface properties can be achieved. The level of control afforded by the thin film deposition process over the morphology of these nanostructured materials is complemented by the fact that it should be possible to attach nearly any desired chemical functional group to the surface.  This will allow the derivatised material to be tuned both structurally and chemically to the specific application.  For instance, an optical filter based on our porous films needs to be desensitised to changes in humidity for optimal environmental stability.  On the other hand, if we want to create integrated humidity sensors, we need to improve the sensitivity of the device toward water vapour.  With control over both morphology and surface chemistry, we will be better able to accomplish our goals of functional nano-materials and devices.