Public lecture: How Nature Makes Materials

Event Details

Date:

Thursday, 27 February 2014

Time:

5:30 pm - 7:00 pm

Room:

Abel Smith Lecture Theatre

UQ Location:

Abel Smith Lecture Theatre (St Lucia)

URL:

http://www.science.uq.edu.au/index.html?page=207344

Event category(s):

Full Description:: The University of Queensland is pleased to be holding the free public lecture, How Nature Makes Materials, presented by the 2014 Australian Academy of Science Selby Fellowship winner Professor Ullrich Steiner.

The range of properties of natural materials is mind-boggling and in many instances not easily surpassed by man-made substitutes. Examples include the iridescent structure inside a shell, the self-cleaning properties of a lotus leaf, and the adhesive properties of gecko feet. Biological organisms assemble these intricate structures on scales extending from a few nanometers to macroscopic dimensions and with only limited resources. Join Professor Steiner as he reveals how nature makes materials and how we can copy her.

Professor Steiner is John Humphrey Plummer Professor of Physics of Materials at the University of Cambridge. He is one of the world leading scientists exploring the synthesis of functional nanostructured materials, based on molecular self-assembly, for the manufacture of “energy materials”.