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Titanium oxide is a photoactive material that generates hydroxyl free radicals via water splitting. When doped with rare earth ions titanium oxide nanoparticles are activated by X-rays and X-ray generated electrons and are used to enhance radiotherapy treatment of solid tumours. As the nanoparticles generate free radicals by water splitting the presence of molecular oxygen is not required and aggressive hypoxic tumours may be targeted. A clonogenic assay of radio resistant pancreatic cancer (PANC- 1) cells shows a radiotherapy dose enhancement factor of 1.9 at clinically relevant nanoparticle loadings. A fast growing oropharyngeal cancer (FaDu) xenograft demonstrates that rare earth doped titanium oxide nanoparticles delivered by intratumoural injection disperse throughout the tumour, being taken up by cancer cells and undergoing passive accumulation in the Golgi apparatus. Incident radiotherapy activates the nanoparticles to produce hydroxyl free radicals, destroying the Golgi apparatus, and inducing tumour cell apoptosis. This results in a reduction in proliferating cancer cells and a consequent reduction in tumour regrowth rate by a factor of 3.8. There is no increase in systemic toxicity when using nanoparticles in addition to radiotherapy. Rare earth doped titanium oxide nanoparticles therefore represent a novel approach to tumour treatment via destruction of the cells Golgi apparatus during radiotherapy.

A single layer anti-reflective (AR) mesoporous silica nanoparticles coating on Cu(In,Ga)Se 2 (CIGS) thin film solar cells has been fabricated. Unlike traditional vacuum deposited AR coatings, this nanoparticle coating is applied using simple wet deposition techniques. In this study we investigate the structural properties and anti-reflection effects of the nanoparticle coating on the CIGS solar cell. The reduction in reflection and increase in the short circuit current shows the potential of this nanoparticle coating to compete with current technology.

Mesoporous silica nanoparticles are used to fabricate single layer anti-reflection coatings on polymer substrates. High optical performance is achieved by using a binder system in conjunction with the mesoporous silica nanoparticles. The ratio of nanoparticles to binder and the process conditions were used to optimize the optical and mechanical properties of the film. This study investigates how the refractive index of the nanoparticle coating can be optimized such that it matches the properties required for zero reflectance of the underlying polymer substrate. The addition of a binder results in a mechanically robust anti-reflection coating, which shows improvement on current available technology.

Mesoporous silica nanoparticles are used to fabricate antireflectance coatings on glass substrates. The combination of mesoporous silica nanoparticles in conjunction with a suitable binder material allows mechanically robust single layer coatings with a reflectance

The paper presents a product case study tracing the challenges of commercialization from research and product development to market launch. Envirox™ is a diesel fuel additive containing nanoparticles of cerium oxide, which enables fuel efficiency gains alongside reductions in harmful emissions such as black carbon (soot). The case traces developmental stages from lab experimentation and performance data sets, to raising finance, securing manufacturing capability and market testing in Hong Kong and the UK. The paper raises a number of generic and specific issues facing innovative small, university spin-out companies engaged in introducing nano-products to the market-place.

In this contribution we provide evidence for thermochromic colour changes unique to silica based materials formed at low temperature by the sol-gel process. The mechanism requires the matrix and the dopant to interact in order to produce the observed colour changes. The materials formed have potential application as temperature sensitive light filters, visual temperature indicators, self-diagnostic labels for electronic devices and infrared recording media.

The mechanical properties of ultrathin ( 50%) loading of silica nanoparticles in an inorganic binder, which demonstrates significant flex and elastic recovery whereas PVD films are subject to brittle failure even at low applied loads. Failure of the nanocomposite film, with the exception of minor plastic deformation, does not occur until the underlying substrate fails. Although the PVD film has a greater hardness than the nanocomposite, failure occurs at lower loads due to a number of toughness reducing factors including reduced modulus, modulus mismatch with the substrate and film thickness. The resistance of ultrathin films to external mechanical stresses is therefore related to a number of factors and not simply to film hardness, the most important of which are film structure and film mechanical matching to the substrate.