iSMART

The Innovations in Surfaces, Materials and Related Technologies (iSMART) research group brings together expertise and facilities across a range of science and engineering disciplines. It provides an extensive toolbox for collaborative research opportunities to the needs of industry. Technologies include thin film deposition, electrospinning, nanospray, extreme ultra-violet lamp and laser materials processing, surface engineering and material process technologies.

iSMART Researchers are actively involved in the technologies of:

• nanofibre synthesis
• microstructure engineering
• materials for displays and low temperature electronics
• visual display characterisation
• thin film device fabrication and characterisation
• and laser processing of materials.

Additional areas of interest include plasmonic structures, and the use of phosphors for sensors.

Current and recent research is being conducted with the collaboration, funding and / or support of:

• Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
• The Technology Strategy Board
• Science and Technology Research Council
• Knowledge Transfer Partnerships
• Ultra Electronics PLC
• Rolls Royce PLC
• Oxsensis Ltd
• Parker Hannifin
• Photek
• AWE
• Johnson Matthey
• Pinnaderm Ltd
• West Yorkshire Printing
• Plasma Quest Ltd
• Filtrona Plc
• Micro-Nano Technology Centre, STFC
• Extec Ltd
• Qudos Ltd
• Printed Electronics Ltd

Working with us

Nottingham Trent University has established iSMART to provide the manufacturing and advanced materials industry with the facilities, expertise and resources to assist with innovation, research and development of surfaces, materials and related technologies. iSMART can provide you with:

Industry related training, research and expertise
Our team of iSMART specialists has relevant, up-to-date, practical industry experience and research skills. We can work with you to develop your ideas, or to provide your team with the skills and knowledge to support your own innovation strategies.

Assisting start-up and spin-out companies
The iSMART team has close relationships with a number of specialist East Midlands incubation hubs, including BioCity, MediCity and Inntropy. Not only can we assist with researching and developing your ideas, but also with taking the first steps to building a thriving business in a vibrant and supportive scientific community.

How you can support iSMART

Only by working together can we create skills and job opportunities to ensure continued development and prosperity of the UK advanced materials and high value manufacturing industries. NTU is committed to providing graduates with the right skills for modern industry and we are always looking for partners to provide employment and research opportunities for our students.

Provide a work placement

We have high quality undergraduate students who are looking for work experience in a relevant industry to help embed the knowledge gained through their course of study. By offering a short term, or year-long work placement, your organisation gains a valuable and knowledgeable member of staff with up-to-date knowledge and skills. You also get your pick of the best students before they graduate.

Offer a postgraduate research project

If you have an idea for a new product or process, but lack the internal resources to carry out the research, you might consider employing an NTU postgraduate student to help with your research. Our students, trained on the latest equipment and with access to our superb facilities, can undertake your research project, supported by a member of our academic team.

Get in touch

If you would like to find out more about iSMART or talk to us about a specific project, then please get in touch
Telephone: +44 (0)115 848 8334
Email

• Intrinsic photoluminescence from low temperature deposited zinc oxide thin films as a function of laser and thermal annealing; Costas Tsakonas, Wayne Cranton, Flora Li, Khairi Abusabee, Andrew Flewitt, Demosthenes Koutsogeorgis and Robert Ranson; J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. 46 (2013) 095305.
• Siozios, A., Koutsogeorgis, D.C., Lidorikis, E., Dimitrakopulos, G.P., Kehagias, T., Zoubos, H., Komninou, P., Cranton, W.M., Kosmidis, C. And Patsalas, P., 2012. Optical encoding by plasmon-based patterning: hard and inorganic materials become photosensitive. Nano Letters, 12 (1), pp. 259-263.
• Directionality And Bipolarity Of Olfactory Ensheathing Cells On Electrospun Nanofibres, Kueh JL, Raisman G, Stevens R, Nanomedicine, 2012, 2 (8), 1211-1224
• Panagiotopoulos, N.T., Karras, G., Lidorikis, E., Koutsogeorgis, D.C., Kosmidis, C. And Patsalas, P., 2011.Photosensitivity and optical performance of hydrogenated amorphous carbon films processed by picosecond laser beams. Surface and Coatings Technology, 206 (4), pp. 734-741.
• Laser annealing of thin film electroluminescent devices deposited at a high rate using high target utilization sputtering. Wakeham SJ, Tsakonas C, Cranton WM, Thwaites MJ, Boutaud G, Koutsogeorgis DC,Semiconductor Science and Technology, 2011, 26 (4)
• Comparison Of Bulbar And Mucosal Olfactory Ensheathing Cells Using Facs And Simultaneous Antigenic Bivariate Cell Cycle Analysis. Stevens B et al, GLI, 2011, 59 (11), 1658-1671
• Nanofiber fabrication in a temperature and humidity controlled environment for improved fibre consistency. Hardick O, Stevens R, Bracewell DG, Journal of Materials Science, 2011, 46 (11), 3890-3898
• A planar refractive x-ray lens made of nano-crystalline diamond. Alianelli L, Sawhney KJS, Malik A, Fox OJL, May PW, Stevens R, Loader IM, Wilson MC, Journal of Applied Physics, 2010, 108, 123107
• Optically trapped probes with nanometer scale tips for femto-Newton force measurement. Pollard MR, Botchway SW, Chichkov B, Freeman E, Halsall R, Jenkins DWK, Loader I, Ovsianikov A, Parker AW, Stevens R, Turchetta R, Ward AD, Towrie M, New Journal of Physics, 2010, 12 (11), 110356
• Growth optimisation of ZnS:Mn thin film phosphors for high intensity miniature electroluminescent displays. Materials Science and Engineering B-Advanced Functional Solid-State Materials, Boutaud G, Cranton WM, Koutsogeorgis DC, Ranson RM, Tsakonas C, Thomas CB, 2009, 165 (3), 202-206
• Low temperature remote plasma sputtering of indium tin oxide for flexible display applications. Wakeham SJ, Thwaites M J, Holton BW, Tsakonas C, Cranton WM, Koutsogeorgis DC, Ranson R, Thin Solid Films, 2009, 518, (4), 1355
• Temperature dependent characteristics of La2O2S: Ln [Ln = Eu,Tb] with various Ln concentrations over 5-60 ºC. Yap SV, Ranson RM, Cranton WM, Koutsogeorgis DC and Hix GB, Journal of Luminescence, 2009, 129 (5), 416-422
• Performance enhancement of ZnS:Mn thin film electro luminescent devices by combination of laser and thermal annealing. Koutsogeorgis DC, Cranton WM, Ranson RM and Thomas CB, Journal of Alloys and Compounds, 2009, 483 (1-2), 526-529
• A new reactive sputtering technique for the low temperature deposition of transparent light emitting ZnS:Mn thin films. Wakeham SJ, Thwaites MJ, Tsakonas C, Cranton WM, Ranson R and Koutsogeorgis DC, In:European Materials Research Society (E-MRS) Spring Meeting, Strasbourg, 2009, 6
• Decay time characteristics of La2O2S:Eu and La2O2S:Tb for use within an optical sensor for human skin temperature measurement. Yap SV, Ranson, RM Cranton WM and Koutsogeorgis D, Applied Optics, 2008, 47 (27), 4895-4899
• Excimer laser processing of inkjet-printed and sputter-deposited transparent conducting SnO2:Sb for flexible electronics, Cranton W, Wilson SL, Ranson RM, Koutsogeorgis DC, Chi K, Hedgley R, Scott J, Lipiec S, Spiller A and Speakman S, Thin Solid Films, 2007, 515 (24), 8534-8538
• Production of multi-MeV per nucleon ions in the controlled amount of matter made(CAM) by using causally isolated targets. Strangio C, Caruso A, Neely D, Andreoli P.L, Anzalone R, Clarke R, Cristofari G, Del Prete E, Di Giorgio G, Murphy C, Ricci C, Stevens R and Tolley M, Laser and Particle Beams, 2007, 25, 85-91, Cambridge University Press
• High-aspect ratio silica nozzle fabrication for nano-emitter electrospray applications. Wang L, Stevens R, Malik A, Rockett, P, Paine M, Adkin P, Martyn S, Smith K, Stark J, Dobson, P. SO: Microelectronic Engineering, 2007, 84 (5-8), 1190-1193

The iSMART Research Laboratories at the Clifton campus offer a range of materials deposition, processing and characterisation services to industry and academia.

• Class 100 clean room
• RF magnetron sputtering
• Thin film metrology
• Electrospinning facility
• Luminescent characterisation
• Excimer laser processing and patterning
• Electrical characterisation of materials
• Microstructure patterning
• Electron microscopy

Contact: Dr. Demosthenes Koutsogeorgis