The objective of this project is to develop a modern infrastructure for synthesizing and characterising nanoparticles (NPs) and nanomaterials (NMs) for applications in a wide range of areas. The infrastructure will be equipped with state-of-the-art gas-phase systems for synthesizing NPs and NMs as well as state-of-the-art instruments for online and offline characterisation. Compared with conventional techniques, NP/NM synthesis in the gas phase offers many advantages: i) they are environmentally-friendly since they do not require precursor compounds and do not produce waste streams, ii) they are continuous process with high repeatability that can be easily incorporated in industrial processes, and iii) can be easily combined with state-of-the-art additive manufacturing (i.e., 3D printing) techniques to yield novel materials.

From the research view point, the greatest advantage of gas-phase synthesis is that it can produce NPs that are extremely pure and surfactant-free in a highly controllable manner. Once all the tools of the infrastructure are operational, we will employ them to develop NMs for gas sensors and catalysts. In the first case we will develop a highly sensitive H2 sensor that can be operated over a wide range of concentrations. By varying the size and composition of the NP building blocks of the NM we will be able to tune both the sensitivity and the operational range of the sensor. In the second case we will use the facility to develop catalysts for converting natural gas and biogas to value-added fuels. The development of the catalyst will be coupled with theoretical investigations, which together with the capabilities to control the structure and composition of the NMs will be used to understand and optimize their performance.

The project INFRASTRUCTURES/1216/0070 (NANO2LAB) is co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund and the Republic of Cyprus through the Research Innovation Foundation (Strategic Infrastructure)


Contact:
Prof. George Biskos, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Tel. +357 22 208 700     +357 22 208 618