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H2020Doctoral network2016–2020

NANOTRANS · TRANSPORT OF SOFT MATTER AT THE NANOSCALE

Horizon 2020 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Duration
2016-03-01 → 2020-02-29
EU contribution
€3,899,358
Participants
15
Scheme
MSCA-ITN-ETN

Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.

Results in brief

TRANSPORT OF SOFT MATTER AT THE NANOSCALE

NANOTRANS consortium comprised academic and private partners spanning seven EU countries. The ITN program created a collaborative research platform for training young nanoscientists with scientific profiles and a range of skills who will deal with the fundamental and technological challenges of the future. NANOTRANS provided a rigorous, balanced, and timely supra-disciplinary training program delivered by Europe’s (and world’s) leading scientists in the field. We provided a unique opportunity to move between industry and academia, which is crucial to foster inter-sectorial exchange of individuals and ideas. The scientific objective of the proposal was to acquire fundamental understanding of complex fluid flow in nano-confinement and to design novel materials and applications for sustainable growth. This is one of the core problems of technological development whose key demands are downscaling the applications and controlling the non-equilibrium dynamics (e.g. design of “smart” nanomaterials, nanofluidics, “lab on a chip” devices, energy production and storage, drug delivery…). The non-equilibrium physics at the nanoscale is different from its macroscopic counterpart in many ways: gradients are larger, confinement plays a dominant role, and the thermal fluctuations are stronger, which fundamentally alters the thermodynamic behaviour. In strongly confined fluids at the molecular level, flow properties deviate from continuum hydrodynamics predictions due to the granularity of the fluid components. At larger scales, the fluid flow is coupled to colloidal interactions and to thermodynamic gradients via processes such as electrokinetics, thermophoresis, diffusiophoresis. Multidisciplinary and inter-sectorial approaches are crucial in order to improve our understanding of key physical processes and their role in biology or nanotechnology. Our research program targeted exactly this goal and delivered several fundamental and applied breakthroughs.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union

Project objective

We propose a Multi-Partner ITN-ETN network on Transport of Soft Matter at the Nanoscale. The scientific topic, which is the focus of the proposal, is an emerging field of science and technology. Challenges such as design of environmentally friendly engineering materials or understanding the principles of biological organization crucially depend on fundamental understanding of transport of fluids and colloids at the nanoscale. Topics we will study within NANOTRANS are at the core of modern technology (i.e. active design of “smart” nanomaterials, nanofluidic and “lab on a chip” devices, sustainable nanocompounds, energy storage, contaminants dissemination in environment, oil recovery, drug delivery and disease treatment). The main objective of the ITN network is to train students. We will offer a balanced and timely supradisciplinary research training program providing a range of skills in various scientific and technological disciplines and fostering creativity and entrepreneurial mindset. Both, private and academic sectors are strongly represented in the network and will substantially contribute to the NANOTRANS training program, which will offer the participating fellows unparalleled education unavailable in standard academic programs at Universities, as well as excellent career opportunities both in academia and industry. NANOTRANS research will result in improved fundamental understanding of soft matter systems out of equilibrium, novel experimental and theoretical methods for nanoscale exploration, as well as in designing advanced aterials, products and applications. In turn, it will contribute to issues connected to energy production and storage, sustainable development, and novel disease treatment strategies. The NANOTRANS research, training and outreach activities will have a substantial and lasting impact on the society, environment, international scientific community, industry and on the European Union.

Original text from CORDIS.

Participants

  • THE CHANCELLOR MASTERS AND SCHOLARS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE · CAMBRIDGECoordinatorUnited Kingdom
  • ARESIS d.o.o. · LjubljanaSlovenia
  • CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE CNRS · ParisFrance
  • CORDOUAN TECHNOLOGIES SAS · PESSACFrance
  • EPSISwitzerland
  • FLUID ANALYTICS · CambridgeUnited Kingdom
  • FORSCHUNGSZENTRUM JULICH GMBH · JULICHGermany
  • FREIE UNIVERSITAET BERLIN · BerlinGermany
  • GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY NON PROFIT CORPORATION · Washington DcUnited States
  • JOHANNES GUTENBERG-UNIVERSITAT MAINZ · MainzGermany
  • MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY · CambridgeUnited States
  • THE CHANCELLOR, MASTERS AND SCHOLARS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD · OxfordUnited Kingdom
  • UNILEVER INNOVATION CENTRE WAGENINGEN BV · WageningenNetherlands
  • UNIVERSITAT DE BARCELONA · BarcelonaSpain
  • UNIVERSITAT WIEN · WienAustria

Links

Data: CORDIS, © European Union