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Nanoscale Chemistry Research Group
Nanoscale Chemistry Research Group
Our research is focussed on the structures, properties and reactivity of molecular surfaces on nanometre length scales. Our interests include:
Nanoplasmonics: we design biomimetic materials to control quantum-optical phenomena;
Molecular nanofabrication: we develop nanophotonic tools to build molecular objects smaller than 100 nm;
Nanoscale biological interfaces: we create functional biomolecular structures with molecular-scale dimensions;
Nanotribology: we study molecular interactions in nanometre scale contacts, for applications ranging from haircare to laundry products.
Our Research pages tell you about our work in more detail.
Programme Grant
Molecular Photonic Breadboards
A 6-year, £7.3M EPSRC multi-investigator project
Molecular Photonic Breadboards: The Movie
This short video tells you about the goals of our programme grant
Recent Research
Tribochemical Nanolithography
Our Funders
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
Some of our key papers
Some of our key papers
"Transcending Lifshitz Theory: Reliable Prediction of Adhesion Forces between Hydrocarbon Surfaces in Condensed Phases using Molecular Contact Thermodynamics", O. Siles-Brugge, C. A. Hunter and G. J. Leggett, Langmuir 2024, 40, 13753–13762. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.langmuir.3c03218
"Tribochemical nanolithography: selective mechanochemical removal of photocleavable nitrophenyl protecting groups with 23 nm resolution at speeds of up to 1 mm s−1", R. E. Ducker, O. Siles-Brugge, A. J. H. M. Meijer and G. J. Leggett, Chem. Sci., 2023, 14, 1752. View article (free of charge)
"Active control of strong plasmon-exciton coupling in biomimetic pigment-polymer antenna complexes grown by surface-initiated polymerisation from gold nanostructures", A. Lishchuk, E. Csanyi, B. Darroch, C. Wilson, A. Nabok and G. J. Leggett, Chem. Sci., 2022, 13, 2405. Download manuscript free of charge.
"Turning the Challenge of Quantum Biology On its Head: Biological Control of Quantum Optical Systems", A. Lishchuk, C. Vasilev, M. Johnson, C. N. Hunter, P. Törmä and G. J. Leggett, Faraday Discussions 2019, 216, 57. Download manuscript free of charge
"Tools for Low-Dimensional Chemistry", G. J. Leggett, Invited Feature Article, Langmuir 2019, 35, 7589. Download manuscript free of charge
"A Synthetic Biological Quantum Optical System", A. Lishchuk, G. Kodali, J. A. Mancini, M. Broadbent, B. Darroch, O. A. Mass, A. Nabok, P. L. Dutton, C. N. Hunter, P. Törmä and G. J. Leggett, Nanoscale 2018, 10, 13064 - 13073. Download manuscript free of charge
"Fabrication of Microstructured Binary Polymer Brush "Corrals" with Integral pH Sensing for Studies of Proton Transport in Model Membrane Systems", J. Madsen, R. E. Ducker, O. Al Jaf, M. L. Cartron, A. M. Alswieleh, C. H. Smith, C. N. Hunter, S. P. Armes and G. J. Leggett, Chem. Sci. 2018, 9, 2238-2251. Download manuscript free of charge
"Strong Coupling of Localized Surface Plasmons to Excitons in Light-Harvesting Complexes", A. Tsargorodska, M. L. Cartron, C. Vasilev, G. Kodali, O. A. Mass, J. J. Baumberg, P. L. Dutton, C. N. Hunter, P. Törmä, and G. J. Leggett, Nano Lett. 2016, 16, 6850–6856. Download manuscript free of charge
"Effect of Salt on Phosphorylcholine-based Zwitterionic Polymer Brushes", Z. Zhang, M. Moxey, A. Alswieleh, J. Morse, A. L. Lewis, M. Geoghegan and G. J. Leggett, Langmuir 2016, 32, 5048–5057. Download manuscript free of charge
A. M. Alswieleh, N. Cheng, I. Canton, B. Ustbas, X. Xue, V. Ladmiral, S. Xia, R. E. Ducker, O. El Zubir, M. L. Cartron, C. N. Hunter, G. J. Leggett and S. P. Armes, “Zwitterionic Poly(amino acid methacrylate) Brushes”, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2014, 136, 9404-9413. Download manuscript free of charge
N. Nikogeorgos, C. A. Hunter and G. J. Leggett, "The Relationship Between Molecular Contact Thermodynamics and Surface Contact Mechanics", Langmuir 2012, 28, 17709-17717. http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/la304246e
E. ul Haq, Z. Liu, Y. Zhang, S. Alang Ahmad, L. S. Wong, S. P. Armes, J. K. Hobbs, G. J. Leggett, J. Micklefield, C. J. Roberts and J. M. R. Weaver, “Parallel Scanning Near-Field Photolithography: The Snomipede”, Nano Lett. 2010, 10, 4375-4380. http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/nl1018782
Low-Dimensional Chemistry
EPSRC Programme Grant 2010-2016
Sheffield Surface Analysis Centre
Physics of Life Network
An EPSRC Physics Grand Challenge Network
The Snomipede
UKRI Basic Technology Grant 2005-2009
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