The study of novel materials invariably cuts across a number of disciplines, chiefly physics and chemistry but also engineering, electronics engineering and other disciplines. The Sami Nasr Institute for Advanced Materials at Trinity College brings experts covering many disciplines together in a single research facility.
It could be difficult to predict where the research might lead, according to the institute's acting director of research, Prof Werner Blau. "You start messing with the chemistry and you start to find different applications," he said.
His optoelectronics group's study of a chemical, phthalocyanine, unexpectedly branched out into a number of different areas, opening up several new uses for the material.
Phthalocyanine forms a disc-shaped molecule and it has known light-handling properties that were being studied as shielding against laser light for eyes and sensor devices. Other uses were proposed and pursued, however.
One group started looking at its semiconductor properties and its possible use in very low-cost solar cells embedded in a thin plastic sheet. Ideas under study include rolling a solar collector out like a sheet in the sun to produce electricity, an ideal application in poor countries to provide cheap power.
Another group is examining its use as a photochemical that could target cancer cells. Antibodies carrying the chemical could be used to target a tumour. The chemical oxidises when exposed to laser light providing a useful alternative to conventional chemotherapy.
The molecule has a known affinity for DNA and a third group is looking at how the disc-shaped chemical slots neatly into the ladder-like steps of DNA. This characteristic could be useful in DNA tagging or gene insertion.
"It sort of breaks out," Prof Blau said. "The curiosity sets in and you start to try it out in other areas. The personal interaction is the key to everything. You don't draw the boundary [between disciplines] any more."