World-class nanoscience facility for Sydney

Sydney has a brand new nanoscience centre, which is being heralded as one of the most controlled places on the planet. The $150 million Sydney Nanosicence Hub (SNH), located the University of Sydney, will focus on a range of nanoscience areas, including development of nanobatteries for renewable energy storage. The development was jointly funded by the Commonwealth Education Infrastructure Fund and the university.

The facility’s air is 100 times cleaner than a surgical operating theatre and each of the labs is encased in a Faraday cage to shield it from electromagnetic radiation. Floating floors allow the labs to remain undisturbed by movement throughout the facility. When working at an atomic level, stability is key, as even the vibration from people walking through corridors or pressure waves caused by closing doors can result in a requirement for the realignment of sensitive lab equipment such as lasers.

Measures such as precise control of temperature, humidity and pressure (along with the floating floors and Faraday cages) deliver two-fold benefits. Not only do they mean that scientists are able to concentrate fully on the research — rather than recalibrating equipment — but they also increase the likelihood that scientific observations made are true and not the result of environmental disturbances, delivering better research outcomes.