Nano Engineering Systems Group

The vision of the Nano Engineering Systems Group (NESG) is to engineer nanoporous anodic alumina (NAA)-based structures. We harness their unique properties at the nanoscale to address key fundamental questions across a range of disciplines and applications.
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Research application and discipline areas
- Nanofabrication (fundamentals of anodisation technology, new NAA structures and replicas)
- Sensing (optical and electrochemical chemo- and bio-sensing)
- Photonics (photonic crystals, plasmonics, hybrid plasmonic–photonic crystal structures, and photoluminescence and lasing)
- Green energy (water splitting by photocatalysis and photoelectrocatalysis, supercapacitors)
- Environmental remediation (degradation of pollutants by photocatalysis and photoelectrocatalysis)
- Iontronics engineering (harness selective flow of ions for biomimicking signals and osmotic energy generation)
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About us
Nano Engineering Systems Group (NESG) team
Our research team provides an excellent and strong research environment to pursue MPhil and PhD studies, including access to expertise and state-of-the-art facilities.
Over the past 12 years our team has built research infrastructure and established a substantial suite of fabrication and characterisation facilities. These are cutting-edge environments in nanofabrication and optical, electrochemical and materials characterisation (e.g., XRD, XPS, Raman, UV–visible–NIR spectrometers, CHI stations, deposition systems, etc.). Beyond our own independent research laboratory, we have access to a broad range of world-class nanofabrication and characterisation facilities.
Our team is led by Associate Professor Abel Santos and Dr. Cheryl Suwen Law. They have demonstrated national and international research standing in nanofabrication, applied photonics, green energy generation, materials engineering. They have unique expertise in fabricating nanostructures with precisely engineered features at the nanoscale for specific applications through anodisation. They have an excellent track-record of publications in top international journals (i.e., Advanced Materials, Advanced Functional Materials, ACS Catalysis, Advanced Science, Journal of Materials Chemistry A and C) and a strong history of successful competitive grants (>$16M) including two ARC DECRA, two ARC DPs, five ARC LIEFs, and one Australia–India Research Strategic Grant.
Our laboratory provides a very supportive, friendly and multi-cultural environment for international students to pursue their research studies working in a team with members from many countries such as Australia, China, Malaysia, Vietnam, Spain, Colombia and India. We also support the participation of our students in national and international conferences during their PhD.
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About Lead researchers
Associate Professor Abel Santos
Associate Professor Abel Santos studied Chemical Engineering at the Jaume I University in Castellon de la Plana (Spain), where he graduated in 2005. In 2007 and 2011 he was awarded his MEng and PhD in electronic engineering by the Rovira i Virgili University in Tarragona (Spain), respectively. He is currently Associate Professor at the School of Chemical Engineering at the University of Adelaide, where he holds several leadership positions including Associate Head of School (Research) and Post-Graduate Coordinator. His research focuses on electrochemical engineering of nanoporous anodic alumina structures and their integration in optoelectronic technologies such as sensors, lasers, iontronics, and photo/electro/photoelectrocatalysis.
Dr Cheryl Suwen Law
Dr Cheryl Suwen Law completed her Bachelor and PhD in Chemical Engineering at the University of Adelaide in 2014 and 2019, respectively. She is currently a Future Making Research Fellow and an ARC DECRA Awardee at the Institute of Photonics and Advanced Sensing (IPAS) and the School of Chemical Engineering within the university. Her main research focus is on the development of optical and iontronic sensing system based on nanoporous anodic alumina for the detection of environmental pollutants and biological biomarkers.
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Current research
Our main areas of research and current research projects include:
Development of Porous Lasing Systems
Satyathiran Gunenthiran
PhD student
Satyathiran Gunenthiran
satyathiran.gunenthiran@adelaide.edu.auProject description: Photonic crystals (PCs)—dielectric materials with a refractive index that is modulated periodically across the space—are essential components for a broad variety of photonic technologies requiring precise light-manipulation capabilities such as telecommunications, sensing, imaging, energy, stealth, and environmental remediation. Of all these, the emission of light from a radiation source embedded within a PC structure has been envisioned for engineering novel forms of light-emitting and quantum optics systems since the formalization of the PC concept by Yablonovitch and Jonh in 1987. Nanoporous anodic alumina (NAA) fabricated by electrochemical oxidation—anodization—of aluminum provides an ideal and versatile effective medium that can be precisely engineered to create multiple forms of PC structures to harness distinct light–matter interactions (e.g., Bragg diffraction, constructive recirculation, confinement, interference). The nanoporous framework of NAA–PCs can accommodate a range of light-emitting materials as gain media to modulate the properties of emitted light across the optical spectrum.
Understanding the Intrinsic Iontronic Properties of Nanoporous Anodic Alumina
Juan (Paula) WangPhD student
Juan (Paula) Wang
juan.wang@adelaide.edu.auProject description: The distribution of oxygen and aluminium vacancies across the hemispherical barrier oxide layer (BOL) of nanoporous anodic alumina (NAA) relies intrinsically on the electric field-driven flow of electrolytic species and the incorporation of electrolyte impurities during the growth of anodic oxide through anodization. This phenomenon provides new opportunities to engineer the BOL’s inherited ionic current rectification (ICR) fingerprints. NAA’s characteristic ICR signals are associated to the space charge density gradient across BOL and electric field-induced ion migration through hopping from vacancy to vacancy.
Development of Hybrid Plasmonic–Photonic Systems and their Applications
Nguyen Que Huong TranPhD student
Nguyen Que Huong Tran
nguyenquehuong.tran@adelaide.edu.auProject description: Surface plasmon resonances (SPRs) comprise a class of light–matter interactions associated with collective oscillations of free electrons on the surface of metallic nanostructures when these are excited by incident light. Confinement and constructive recirculation of electromagnetic waves within plasmonic cavity structures at specific resonant wavelengths enables an effective approach to narrow the linewidth of SPR bands within a subwavelength effective volume of cavity. But to design unconventional SPRs structures to achieve narrow SPR bands with high-quality factor remains challenging. In this PhD project we will develop new technologies—materials and functional systems—to attain unprecedented control over hybrid plasmonic–photonic modes in precisely engineered photonic crystal structures. These technologies will create critical fundamental and applied advances towards meeting the need for high-quality plasmonic structures for a range of applications, including sensing and photoelectrocatalysis.
Engineering of Nanoporous Optical Microcavities for Gas Sensing
Khoa Nhu Tran
PhD student
Khoa Nhu Tran
nhukhoa.tran@adelaide.edu.auProject description: Light-confining nanoporous anodic alumina optical microcavities (NAA−μCVs) are a platform material to selectively detect and identify model volatile organic compounds (VOCs) through their unique adsorption/desorption kinetic fingerprints. The architecture of NAA−μCVs can be engineered by anodisation to feature resonance bands (RBs) at specific positions of the visible spectrum. The transmission spectrum of NAA−μCVs featurea well-resolved RBs. The optical sensitivity of NAA−μCVs upon exposure to gas mixtures of VOCs can be studied by monitoring dynamic spectral shifts in their characteristic RB in real-time. NAA–μCVs show unique responses to different VOC, which also rely on the spectral position at which the NAA−μCV structure recirculates light constructively and the average porosity of the photonic crystal platform. This in turn provides an effective means of detection and identification of VOCs. The aim of the research is to pave the way for further developments of gas sensors based on NAA photonic crystal structures, which could also have implications across other optical technologies.
Harnessing the Intrinsic Ionic Rectification Properties of Nanoporous Anodic Alumina for Blue Energy Generation
Khanh Nhien Vu
PhD student
Khanh Nhien Vu
khanhnhien.vu@adelaide.edu.auProject description: The full potential of blue energy as a sustainable technology for high-performance energy generation remains elusive. Nanoporous anodic alumina (NAA) has been extensively used as a passive structural support to develop a broad variety of ion exchange membranes based on other materials for osmosis-driven energy generation. However, the intrinsic ionic current rectification (ICR) properties of the inherited hemispherical barrier oxide layer (BOL) closing the bottom tips of NAA’s nanopores have been overlooked. As-produced NAA provides new avenues to control ionic transport through its BOL, acting as an ICR model system to study electric current associated with the selective flow of ions across anodic oxides. This project explores the intrinsic capability of NAA membranes for osmotic energy generation.
Rational Design and Engineering of Photoelectrocatalysts for Green Energy and Environmental Remediation
Van Truc Ngo
PhD Student
Van Truc Ngo
vantruc.ngo@adelaide.edu.auProject description: The project aims at engineering the structure of nanoporous anodic alumina (NAA) in the form of photonic crystals (PCs) and modify their inner surface with semiconductor coatings to generate a new generation of advanced composite photocatalysts. The optical properties of NAA–PCs will be precisely tuned by modifying the anodization parameters (i.e., voltage or current density profiles) with the objective of controlling specific forms of light–matter interactions (e.g., light confinement and recirculation, slow photons). The inner surface of as-produced NAA–PCs will be functionalised with photoactive layers of semiconductors (i.e., metal oxides) by atomic layer deposition (ALD). The photocatalytic efficiency of semiconductor-functionalised NAA–PCs will be assessed for water splitting, CO2 photoreduction, degradation of organics, and ammonia oxidation. The outcomes generated from the project will create new fundamental understanding on how distinct forms
of light–matter interactions can be harnessed to maximise the utilisation of photons and electrons at the nanoscale—a critical step in addressing the inherent constrains of existing photocatalysts technologies.Nanoscale Engineering of Photoelectrocatalysts Systems for Hydrogen Evolution Reaction
Zichu Zhao
PhD student
Zichu Zhao
zichu.zhao@adelaide.edu.auProject description: Realisation of the full potential of single- and multiple-atom photoelectrocatalysts in sustainable energy generation requires careful consideration on the design of host material. Our focus is on generating a comprehensive methodology for the rational design of photoelectrocatalysts using anodic structures as model platforms. The properties of these nanofilms are precisely engineered to elucidate synergies across structural, chemical, optoelectronic and electrochemical properties to maximise the efficiency of the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). A judicious design incorporating all these factors into the one system gives rise to substantial enhancements in HER. The project aims at improving our understanding of the critical factors determining HER performance in model photoelectrocatalysts to pave the way for future advances in scalable and translatable photoelectrocatalyst technologies.
On the Development of High-Performance Supercapacitors for Energy Storage Applications
Jairo Alberto Baron Jaimez
PhD Student
Jairo Alberto Baron Jaimez
jairo.baronjaimez@adelaide.edu.auProject description: To date, numerous materials have been explored to develop supercapacitors (SCs). Of all alternatives, the family of sulphide compounds has emerged as a promising platform material since these offer superior electrochemical properties than their oxide counterparts and carbon-based materials. The main objective of this research is to study the structure and electrochemical properties of ternary sulphides of manganese and gallium “MnGaxSy” for high-performance SCs. The abundance, conductivity and electrochemical stability make gallium sulphides promising compounds in the field of energy storage. But these ternary sulphides have not reached the mature stage yet and their full potential as a material of choice for supercapacitors remains unexplored. The project will also study manganese gallium sulphides MnGaxSy.
Development and Integration of Sensors for Real-Time Quality Control in On-chip mRNA Vaccine Manufacturing
Dr. Mitali Basak
Early Career Researcher
Dr. Mitali Basak
mitali.basak@adelaide.edu.auVijaykumar Bodarya
PhD Student
Vijaykumar Bodarya
vijaykumar.bodarya@adelaide.edu.auProject description: The project will pursue the development of sensing systems for real-time measurement and monitoring of critical parameters in on-chip mRNA vaccine manufacturing, including pH, conductivity, mRNA concentration, and purity (impurities detection). The aim of the project will be to enable a precise control over key parameters in on-chip mRNA-based vaccines by integrating an array of sensing technologies in microfluidic platforms. Inline real-time measurements of pH and conductivity will be performed through electrochemical and optical (fluorophore-based) sensors. In tandem, UV/Vis and Raman spectroscopy will be performed for the purposes of monitoring mRNA concentration, lipid nanoparticle (LNP) encapsulation efficiency, and impurities such as dsRNA, proteins, and other residues at critical stages of this production process. The seamless integration of these technologies within a microfluidic setup will enable real-time monitoring and control of the manufacturing process, ensuring consistent and high-quality mRNA formulations. This research will significantly contribute to advancing mRNA therapeutics by improving the reliability and efficiency of the manufacturing process on a chip.
View Vijaykumar's publications
Engage with us
To discuss an industry partnership, consultation or for general research enquiries please contact lead researchers A/Prof. Abel Santos and Dr. Cheryl Suwen Law.
Honours/Masters/PhD opportunities
Please send an expression of interest enquiry to A/Prof. Abel Santos and Dr. Cheryl Suwen Law to discuss potential Honours/Masters and currently available PhD projects.
We are looking for PhD students in the following areas:
#1: Enabling blue osmotic–green hydrogen energy coupling
#2: Enabling blue osmotic energy coupling with plastic pollutants recycling
#3: Engineering integrated neuromorphic fluidic computational networks
#4: Shark-inspired remote sensors
#5: Rational design and engineering of high-quality nanoporous photonic crystal structures