Nanotechnology Now

Our NanoNews Digest Sponsors
Heifer International



Home > Press > Partnership promotes plastics sustainability

Abstract:
A sustainable future for the plastics industry is a step closer to reality, thanks to a new agreement between The University of Queensland and Queen's University Belfast.

Partnership promotes plastics sustainability

Brisbane, Australia and Belfast, Ireland | Posted on August 23rd, 2008

The partnership, between UQ's School of Engineering and QUB's School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, is based around collaborative research on polymers and strengthens existing bonds between the two schools.

Ranging from car parts to adhesives, polymers are long, chain-like molecules that make up almost 98 percent of the plastic products and packaging we encounter daily.

The new international agreement will accelerate research into new-generation plastics that are biodegradable, and environmentally friendly manufacturing techniques.

Director of the Centre for High Performance Polymers in the School of Engineering, Associate Professor Peter Halley, said polymer research was vital in developing a sustainable future for the plastics industry.

"The partnership connects leading researchers and research laboratories in nanocomposites, biopolymers and polymer processing, and allows us to share equipment and expertise," Dr Halley said.

Researchers from both universities have been instrumental in helping local and international companies design and develop new machinery and products using advanced polymers.

Nanocomposites Group Leader Dr Darren Martin said the complementary technologies developed as part of the partnership were likely to generate new intellectual property and start-up companies in packaging, health and other areas.

"There are a number of collaborative research projects underway, such as a joint project on nanostructured drug delivery materials," Dr Martin said.

"UQ PhD graduate Dr Kayleen Campbell worked on these materials at QUB. Now back at UQ, we are assessing the important biological interactions of these nanomaterials."

The two universities are internationally recognised in novel nanomaterials design, biomaterials, polymer rheology, polymer processing and process modelling.

UQ researchers involved include Dr Halley, Dr Darren Martin, Associate Professor Rowan Truss, Dr Timothy Nicholson and Professor Justin Cooper-White.

####

For more information, please click here

Contacts:
Kim Jensen
UQ School of Engineering
(07 3346 9976)

Copyright © University of Queensland

If you have a comment, please Contact us.

Issuers of news releases, not 7th Wave, Inc. or Nanotechnology Now, are solely responsible for the accuracy of the content.

Bookmark:
Delicious Digg Newsvine Google Yahoo Reddit Magnoliacom Furl Facebook

Related News Press

News and information

Researchers develop artificial building blocks of life March 8th, 2024

How surface roughness influences the adhesion of soft materials: Research team discovers universal mechanism that leads to adhesion hysteresis in soft materials March 8th, 2024

Two-dimensional bimetallic selenium-containing metal-organic frameworks and their calcinated derivatives as electrocatalysts for overall water splitting March 8th, 2024

Curcumin nanoemulsion is tested for treatment of intestinal inflammation: A formulation developed by Brazilian researchers proved effective in tests involving mice March 8th, 2024

Academic/Education

Rice University launches Rice Synthetic Biology Institute to improve lives January 12th, 2024

Multi-institution, $4.6 million NSF grant to fund nanotechnology training September 9th, 2022

National Space Society Helps Fund Expanding Frontier’s Brownsville Summer Entrepreneur Academy: National Space Society and Club for the Future to Support Youth Development Program in South Texas June 24th, 2022

How a physicist aims to reduce the noise in quantum computing: NAU assistant professor Ryan Behunin received an NSF CAREER grant to study how to reduce the noise produced in the process of quantum computing, which will make it better and more practical April 1st, 2022

Materials/Metamaterials/Magnetoresistance

How surface roughness influences the adhesion of soft materials: Research team discovers universal mechanism that leads to adhesion hysteresis in soft materials March 8th, 2024

Nanoscale CL thermometry with lanthanide-doped heavy-metal oxide in TEM March 8th, 2024

Focused ion beam technology: A single tool for a wide range of applications January 12th, 2024

Catalytic combo converts CO2 to solid carbon nanofibers: Tandem electrocatalytic-thermocatalytic conversion could help offset emissions of potent greenhouse gas by locking carbon away in a useful material January 12th, 2024

Alliances/Trade associations/Partnerships/Distributorships

Manchester graphene spin-out signs $1billion game-changing deal to help tackle global sustainability challenges: Landmark deal for the commercialisation of graphene April 14th, 2023

Chicago Quantum Exchange welcomes six new partners highlighting quantum technology solutions, from Chicago and beyond September 23rd, 2022

CEA & Partners Present ‘Powerful Step Towards Industrialization’ Of Linear Si Quantum Dot Arrays Using FDSOI Material at VLSI Symposium: Invited paper reports 3-step characterization chain and resulting methodologies and metrics that accelerate learning, provide data on device pe June 17th, 2022

University of Illinois Chicago joins Brookhaven Lab's Quantum Center June 10th, 2022

NanoNews-Digest
The latest news from around the world, FREE




  Premium Products
NanoNews-Custom
Only the news you want to read!
 Learn More
NanoStrategies
Full-service, expert consulting
 Learn More











ASP
Nanotechnology Now Featured Books




NNN

The Hunger Project