NIBEC has been working in the area of nanomaterials since 2005 and its ability to prepare and analyze materials on a nanoscale have lead to numerous significant innovations.
For example, NIBEC has created novel diamond-like carbon coatings that have vastly improved hard drive storage density, it has also developed unique multilayer capacitor devices which improve performance and the efficiency of production significantly and have developed carbon nanotube arrays for biosensor applications.
Research into graphene and nano-silicon both its function and fabrication is another area of nanomaterials research at NIBEC.
It has established a method for integration of vertical graphene nanoflakes (GNF) into a platform, using a one-step microwave plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition (MWPECVD) approach, for elucidating the electrocatalytic properties of graphene edges.
This work has created a new class of graphene-based electrodes for a wide range of applications in the electroanalytical, biosensing, energy storage/conversion sectors, that could essentially prevail over their vertically aligned carbon nanotubes counterparts.
Another aspect of the nano materials research carried out at NIBEC is the use of plasmas to deposit nanoparticles including low-cost atmospheric production methods which allow this technology to be applied to low-cost sensors and solar devices.
Plasma related research cuts across many sectors including health technology, solar cells and production methods for unique biomaterials.