Sydney Nano
Monthly Newsletter - August
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Director's MessageI am very pleased to report that we have completed phase 1 for our Nanoscope initiative. Thanks to the nanohealth cluster co-chairs for excellent presentations of their final reports which will be consolidated into a final report. Our COVID-19 sensors co-design workshop which involved over 60 people, including researchers, clinicians and patients was a success and Professor Allison Tong will write up a report of the discussions to be published in an academic journal. Thanks everyone for wonderfully positive and constructive engagement! Through these projects, we have successfully identified and connected researchers across the University and integrated them into a Sydney Nano network co-led by a Faculty which we plan to launch formally later this year. These long-term networks will form part of Sydney Nano’s strategy and academic framework with the aim of achieving transformational research outcomes and impact.
We’ve had some really good engagement with our virtual events this month. Professor John Rogers from North Western University delivered a fantastic Distinguished Lecture on Semiconductor Nanomaterials for Neural Interfaces which triggered conversations for future collaborations. Associate Professor Alice Motion has done an amazing job with Live from the Lab – a major Sydney Nano outreach activity during Science Week where musician from the Conservatorium of Music created six new compositions inspired by their emotional response to our six inaugural Grand Challenges. Our stellar Professors Hala Zreiqat and Marcela Bilek shared their academic journey with us which were very inspiring. I look forward to more of these “Stories that Inspire” organized by Prof Anita Ho-Baillie, to be shared with our community in the future. Finally, I have partnered with Dr Rui Hoo from the Research Office on delivering a series of workshops on research leadership which is part of our commitment to mentoring and training.
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Hydrogel paves way for biomedical breakthrough
Dubbed the "invisibility cloak", Sydney Nano Members Professor Marcela Bilek with Dr Behnam Akhavan have developed a hydrogel that allows implants and transplants to better and more safetly interact with surrounding tissue. Read full article
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First quantum algorithm to characterise noise across large systems
Australian and North American physicists display rigorous, scalable diagnostic tool. Work by Dr Robin Harper and colleagues published in Nature Physics develops algorithms that will work across large quantum devices. Read more
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Five Young Tall Poppy Science Award winners
All winners across NSW will be celebrated in an online awards ceremony on 22 September 2020. Of the twelve NSW winners, the University of Sydney has five winners, and is the only university or organisation in NSW to have more than one winner this year. Read more
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Sydney Nano Members receive seed funding to help comercialise ideas
Designed to help cover the costs of activities including developing a proof-of-concept, creating a prototype or conducting a pilot study, the CDIP Fund is open to University staff, students and affiliates. Read more
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Understanding dementia one molecule at a time
Dr Amandeep Kaur won 2nd place in the 2020 IMPACT pitch competition organised by the Sydney Early-Mid Career Academic Network (SEMCAN) for all Early and Mid-Career Academics to present their research and its potential impact to a wider community. Read more
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Members Research Highlights
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Plasma polymerized nanoparticles effectively deliver dual siRNA and drug therapy in vivo
Praveesuda Michael, Yuen Ting Lam, Elysse C. Filipe, Richard P. Tan, Alex H. P. Chan, Bob S. L. Lee, Nicolas Feng, Juichien Hung, Thomas R. Cox, Miguel Santos & teven G. Wise
For decades, plasma dust nanoparticles were regarded as a nuisance in industrial applications. Our team demonstrated they are an effective and inexpensive nanocarrier platform for emerging therapeutics. Read more
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Protein corona determines the cytotoxicity of nanodiamonds: implications of corona formation and its remodelling on nanodiamond applications in biomedical imaging and drug delivery
Wojciech Chrzanowski, Dipesh Khanal, Gabriela Pinget, Iqbal Ramzan, Archana Gautam, Ridhwan Yusoff, Seiji Yamaguchi, Jun-Hyeog Jang, Aleksey Kondyurin, Jonathan Campbell Knowles, George Georgiou, Laurence Macia, Kee Woei Ng, Qingyu Lei, Daniel A. Cheong and Bowyn Su
This work investigated protein corona formation and evolution in response to two classes of nanodiamonds, pristine and aminated, and two types of proteins, bovine serum albumin and fibronectin. Our results emphasise that precise understanding of the corona composition is fundamental to determine the fate of nanoparticles in the body. Read more
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Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Jet Treatment of Polymers Enables Reagent-Free Covalent Attachment of Biomolecules for Bioprinting
Seyedeh Khadijeh Alavi, Oliver Lotz, Behnam Akhavan, Giselle Yeo, Rashi Walia, David R. McKenzie, Marcela M. Bilek
Three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting, where cells, hydrogels, and structural polymers can be printed layer by layer into complex designs, holds great promise for advances in medicine and the biomedical sciences. In principle, this technique enables the creation of highly patient-specific disease models and biomedical implants. Read more
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Atomic scale insights into the segregation/partitioning behaviour in as-sintered multi-main-phase Nd-Ce-Fe-B permanent magnets
Chen, H., Han, R., Qu, J., Yao, Y., Liu, J., Li, W., Ringer, S.P., Dong, S., Zheng, R.
To clarify the microstructural features that are relevant to the coercivity, as-sintered multi-main-phase Nd-Ce-Fe-B permanent magnets are characterised by high-resolution magnetic force microscopy and atom probe tomography down to the atomic scale. Read more
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Broadband Brillouin Phase Shifter Utilizing RF Interference: Experimental Demonstration and Theoretical Analysis
McKay, L., Merklein, M., Choudhary, A., Liu, Y., Jenkins, M., Middleton, C., Cramer, A., Chilton, A., Devenport, J., Vu, K., Choi, D.-Y., Ma, P., Madden, S.J., Desalvo, R., Eggleton, B.J.
Microwave photonic phase shifters based on stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) offer tunable and broadband, optically controllable phase shifts. However, achieving a 360° phase shift requires a large amount of SBS gain which often exceeds the available gain and power handling capability of an integrated waveguide. Read more
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Media Mentions
- The Sydney Morning Herald (syndicated across Nine Publishing) interviewed Professor Michael Biercuk, Director of the Quantum Control Laboratory from the Faculty of Science, suggesting that Australia should be investing in quantum computing now, as it could deliver new tools for drug development in future pandemic scenarios.
- SBS World News interviewed Dr Maria Rumyantseva from the Business School about how the co-founders of face mask start-up AusAir are innovating during the pandemic and working with postgraduate students this year. An article was also published on SBS Online, which mentioned the co-founders won the University’s flagship Genesis startup program in 2018.
- The Independent and ZD Net reported on research led by Dr Robin Harper from the Sydney Quantum Theory Lab in the Sydney Nano Institute finding that noise is the main obstacle to building large-scale quantum computers.
- Channel 10 News interviewed Professor Chris Ling from the School of Chemistry about people’s concerns around the storage of ammonium nitrate in Newcastle, following the devastation of the explosion in Beirut.
- Interesting Engineering, Analytics India Mag, Vaaju.com quoted Dr Robin Harper from the School of Physics about an algorithm he and colleagues developed that characterises noise in large-scale quantum computers.
- ABC TV interviewed Dr Alice Motion from the School of Chemistry about National Science Week. The festival was also reported in COVERED, which mentioned Dr Karl Kruszelnicki from the School of Physics will tackle the big questions of science.
- ABC’s Science Show interviewed Professor David Reilly from the School of Physics about designing the quantum computers of tomorrow.
- SBS Persian interviewed Faculty of Engineering academic and biomedical engineer Dr Behnam Akhavan on the development of a new hydrogel for implantable materials.
- The Washington Post quoted Professor Salah Sukkarieh from the Faculty of Engineering and Australian Centre for Field Robotics about developments in China towards facial recognition technology applied to animals.
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In case you missed it...
On 13 August, Professor John Rogers from Northwestern University delivered a Sydney Nano Distinguished Lecture on Semiconductor Nanomaterials for Neural Interfaces.
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