Coordination: João Pedro Conde and Nuno Santos

 

 

Objectives

 

The objective of this course is to introduce the students to the general concepts and applications of Nanotechnologies, and to the current research topics in Nanobiotechnology. The students will understand how to design, fabricate, visualize and manipulate a nano-object.

 

The students will be able to understand and to propose novel ideas on how Nanotechnology can be applied in fundamental and applied Bioengineering, and also on how biological and biotechnological concepts can be used in Nanotechnology for novel applications. The students will learn how to use Nanotechnology for their thesis research.

 

Program

 

1. Nanoscience and Nanotechnology – a general introduction. Basic concepts and applications 2. The principles of top-down nanotechnology – micro and nanofabrication 3. The principles of bottom-up nanotechnology – self-assembly and self-organization 4. The toolbox for microscopy, scanning probe techniques, and manipulation of nano-objects 5. Nanobiotechnology – nanotechnology in bioengineering: microfluidics and lab-on-chip, micro and nanobiosensors, nanomaterials for bioimaging and sensing, BioMEMS. Applications in medicine. 6. Bionanotechnology – bioengineering for nanotechnology: molecular nanobiotechnology, evolutive processes, nanopores.

 

Evaluation Methodology

 

Individual Homeworks (30%)
Pop-Quizzes (there will be unannounced problems at the end of some of the classes, to check student understanding of the basic topics under discussion, with a duration of 10 min max. each) (10%)

 

Individual presentation (35%) (total duration - 15 minutes: 10 minutes for the presentation, and 5 minutes for the discussion). Document: Power-Point presentation. Objective: present an article from the scientific literature proposed by the teacher within its general context of the "top-down" or “bottom-up” micro and nanofabrication. Covers points 1-4 of the program.

 

Special Homework (25%). Each student will propose an original solution to an application problem using concepts developed in the nanobio course in the form of a 5-slide Power Point presentation. Each solution will be discussed orally with the teacher (15-30 min) at the end of classes. Covers points 5 and 6 of the program.