Surfaces Made Magical with Nanoparticles

Tanvir Hussain

Associate Professor in Materials Engineering & Programme Director for Aerospace Engineering

University of Nottingham  (UK)

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Please explain your research in simple words

My research focuses on surfaces, interfaces and coatings technologies. I am particularly interested in the understanding of novel materials processing techniques, especially thermal spray and cold gas dynamic spray. Process-microstructure-properties relationship is at the heart of my research. My latest research focus is in suspension and solution precursor thermal spraying to manufacture functional coatings from sub-micron to nanometer range feedstock particles.

Monday- Introduction to thermal spray
Tuesday- How do you make nanomaterails into coatings
Wednessday- Engineering applications of thermal spray
Thursday- Importance of research enforced teaching
Friday- Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in Science

What can the followers expect in your curation week?

How did you end up in your current research field?

I started my research career with cold spray, an amazing process where you accelerate micron sized particles to supersonic speed and it sticks to the surface without any heating.

Surface and interface engineering

How and where does your research fall in the domain of materials/nano science?

Which research project are you most proud of and could you explain it in simple words in the section we call #InOtherwords?

We have a patented process to incorporate carbon nantoubes and graphene nano platelets with ceramic powders to turn these into funcational coatings for tribology and wear.

Aerospace Materials and Surface Engineering

If you teach, which are the courses would you like to mention?

If you had 3 wishes to improve your research experience, what would you ask for (not promising anything here!)?

- Improve diversity and promote inclusion in research,

- funding for blue sky ideas

- a more collaborative work culture

We are developing a new hardware to allow liquid suspension and powder to work together into a coating.

What are you most looking forward to in the next 3 months?

Which challenges/questions is the nano/materials science field facing at the moment?

Mostly issues related to science funding and reseach culture which is hindering collaboration.