Nanotechnology Research Laboratories

The UC Nanoworld and Smart Materials and Devices Laboratories are an interdepartmental research laboratory group which includes faculty from Mechanical Engineering, Materials Engineering, Chemistry, Aerospace Engineering and the UC Medical School. The labs develop innovative smart materials, sensors and devices by intersecting the various disciplines of science and engineering. The main concentration of research is in the Nanotechnology, Biomimetics, Composites and Smart Structures fields.

The Center for Magnetism and Magnetic Nanostructures is dedicated to the study of magnetic phenomena, particularly in ultra-small magnetic structures. The current research of the Center is concentrated on understanding and manipulating high frequency electromagnetic waves (10-80 GHz) using structured magnetic materials. This is particularly important because there are "windows" in this frequency range where electromagnetic waves can penetrate fog and smoke. These windows could allow the landing of planes in poor weather through radar guidance, for example.

The group's research is focusing on the fabrication, design and properties of ultrathin films and nanostructures. They are developing new surface chemistries for thin film growth, measuring thin film nanostructures and characterizing thin film properties.

Research areas involve Metamaterials, Optical Biochemical Sensors, Photovoltaics, Fluorescence of Photoluminescence from silver and gold nanoparticles, and Femtosecond Spectroscopy.

High performance CMOS and flash memory devices are designed for extremely high speed and high density in order to achieve large computing power and data storage in small areas at low-costs, which requires technologies enabling small-scale devices. The fabrication technology and the knowhow currently available for the electronics industry as well as many of the academic nanofabrication facilities allow reliable fabrication and characterization of electronic devices in sub-50 nm regime. The group is trying to utilize these resources to investigate the interaction of thermal processes and electronic transport at small scales.

The Nanocomposites and Composites group conducts research on advanced monomer and polymer systems as well as on novel polymer processing methods.

Research within the department spans a wide range of nanotechnology-related fields, from the synthesis and processing of nanotubes and nanoparticles to their employment in composite materials and development of multifunctional applications. Both experimental and theoretical research on processing, characterization and predictive modeling is being conducted. The Department was awarded a Nanoscale Undergraduate Education (NUE) program by the National Science Foundation to provide opportunities for undergraduate research and generate a framework for the integration of nanotechnology across the engineering curriculum.

Nanostructured Materials for Energy, Environment, and Electronics

CNBS will harness select world-class resources in nano-bio technology to produce tools and methodologies for early diagnosis of diseases and timely detection and intervention for chemical and bioterrorism threats, leading to high-value healthcare and homeland security deliverables. CNBS is one of UF's two new state-funded Centers of Excellence.

Researchers at HPMI at UF are working on nanomaterials with qualities such as exceptional strenght and ballistic properties.