Best Poster Presentation award for interdisciplinary projects

PhD students Tom Mabey and Andrea Cristaldi have won the “Best Poster Presentation Award” at the recent Dstl (Defence Science and Technology Laboratory) Synthetic Biology Showcase event held in Edinburgh on 14-15 May 2018.

Their interdisciplinary projects, under the supervision of NAMRIP members Xunli Zhang, Bill Keevil, Sandra Wilks, Dario Carugo and Eugen Stulz, are developing methods for producing controllable sized and shaped metal nanoparticles. The particular focus of their research is controlling the growth mechanism of triangular silver nanoparticles.

Tom is using bacterial synthesis, testing several growth parameters as well as investigating the effect of nanoparticle protein coats. Complementing this, Andrea has  manufactured cost-effective continuous-flow reactors, aimed at large-scale production and accurate size control of the silver nanoprisms.

The award winning poster presented recent findings from the projects, emphasising the potential defence and civilian applications of the nanoparticles by exploiting their optical properties.

Professor Xunli Zhang added "The nanomaterials developed have great potential for use in applications tackling AntiMicrobial Resistance, for example in rapid diagnosis and as a disinfectant. We are currently investigating these in our labs at Southampton.”

The two-day event brought together academics and PhD students from Dstl-funded projects, as well as an international audience of industry experts to showcase research in armour and materials development.