Hands-on program spikes nanotech interest for TIGS student

Year 12 Illawarra Grammer School (TIGS) student Vaughan Patterson gave up part of his school holidays to get some hands on experience with nanomaterials at UOW’s Intelligent Polymer Research Institute (IPRI).

Vaughan's "nano-experience" in the IPRI labs is the first of a series being run as part of an educational outreach program, which aims to provide students with an interest in nanotechnology access to some of the latest research being conducted at IPRI.

“These hands-on activities are designed to give students a real taste of cutting-edge research in nano-materials and their applications,” senior researcher Professor Geoff Spinks said. “I expect many of the students completing the program will want to go on and study nanotechnology at UOW”.

During his two-days at IPRI, Vaughan helped to produce a magnetic liquid called ‘ferrofluid’, a material originally produced in the 1960’s by NASA. This original process involved laboriously crushing and grinding a large sample of the mineral magnetite to produce particles small enough to be finely dispersed in a liquid.

However, the ferrofluid produced by Vaughan and researchers at IPRI uses clever chemistry to make nanoparticles more easily. By adding ammonia drop by drop to a rapidly mixing solution of dissolved iron, nanoparticles of magnetite are formed immediately. Some detergent is then added to keep the nanoparticles from clumping together and ferrofluid is formed.

When put near a magnet, ferrofluid shows amazing transitions, such as forming spikes, as pictured. The material has many existing commercial uses including computer disk drives, cars and biomedical applications, where they can be used for targeted drug release directed by magnetic fields.

The educational outreach program is run by IPRI and the School of Mechanical, Materials and Mechatronic Engineering.

Last reviewed: 21 July, 2009