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So I was doing a Ph.D. on #CarbonNanotubes
What did that mean?
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="☑️" title="Kästchen mit Häkchen" aria-label="Emoji: Kästchen mit Häkchen">
What came next?https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="❓" title="Rotes Fragezeichen-Symbol" aria-label="Emoji: Rotes Fragezeichen-Symbol">
What did that mean?
What came next?
#CarbonNanotubes (CNTs) are super cool materials – they’re basically a sheet of graphite (graphene) https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="✏️" title="Bleistift" aria-label="Emoji: Bleistift">rolled up tightly into a tube.
In the same way as rolling a sheet of paper makes it harder to bend, rolling up graphite makes it much stronger toohttps://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="💪" title="Angespannter Bizeps" aria-label="Emoji: Angespannter Bizeps">https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="💪" title="Angespannter Bizeps" aria-label="Emoji: Angespannter Bizeps">.
In the same way as rolling a sheet of paper makes it harder to bend, rolling up graphite makes it much stronger too
Unlike rolling a piece of paper, which is still a piece of paper that isn’t conductivehttps://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🤦" title="Person facepalming" aria-label="Emoji: Person facepalming">
CNTs are much more conductive that graphene – up to ‘ballistic conductance’https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="⏩" title="Nach rechts zeigendes doppeltes Dreieck" aria-label="Emoji: Nach rechts zeigendes doppeltes Dreieck">https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="⏩" title="Nach rechts zeigendes doppeltes Dreieck" aria-label="Emoji: Nach rechts zeigendes doppeltes Dreieck">which sounds super cool but just means conductivity is independent of length (ok – that’s still super cool).
CNTs are much more conductive that graphene – up to ‘ballistic conductance’
This happens because the electron orbitals on each atom are deformed by the CNT being rolled up – so they overlap a bit more.
This concept is pretty simple, but really defines what I try to do in my research – control the form of a material to manipulate its function!https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🗞️" title="Eingerollte Zeitung" aria-label="Emoji: Eingerollte Zeitung">https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="⚡️" title="Hochspannungszeichen" aria-label="Emoji: Hochspannungszeichen">https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="☑️" title="Kästchen mit Häkchen" aria-label="Emoji: Kästchen mit Häkchen">
This concept is pretty simple, but really defines what I try to do in my research – control the form of a material to manipulate its function!
As CNTs are strong and electrically conductive (and chemically stable) – as well as made from one of the most abundant and well understood elements on earth (carbon) https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="💎" title="Edelstein" aria-label="Emoji: Edelstein"> – they are great for energy storage https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🔋" title="Batterie" aria-label="Emoji: Batterie">devices!
#Supercapacitors
#FuelCells
More on this tomorrow!
#Supercapacitors
#FuelCells
More on this tomorrow!
I ended up completing my Ph.D. in August of 2012 – after starting in 2008, so 4.5 years doesn’t seem too long.
The Australian Ph.D. award system is slightly different, in part due to isolation. https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🏝️" title="Einsame Insel" aria-label="Emoji: Einsame Insel">
The thesis is sent away for review with no fixed date it’s coming back – most come back in 3 months.https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="📔" title="Notizbuch mit verziertem Umschlag" aria-label="Emoji: Notizbuch mit verziertem Umschlag">
Mine took over 12 – simply because the reviewer was sick.https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🤦" title="Person facepalming" aria-label="Emoji: Person facepalming">
The thesis is sent away for review with no fixed date it’s coming back – most come back in 3 months.
Mine took over 12 – simply because the reviewer was sick.
This was a bit of a boon and a curse
A boon: it extender the start of my ‘ECR’ period – the time given to you to establish yourself (or not) as a researcherhttps://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="☑️" title="Kästchen mit Häkchen" aria-label="Emoji: Kästchen mit Häkchen">
A curse: it was a massive detriment to my mental health.https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🙊" title="Nichts sagen-Affe" aria-label="Emoji: Nichts sagen-Affe">
A boon: it extender the start of my ‘ECR’ period – the time given to you to establish yourself (or not) as a researcher
A curse: it was a massive detriment to my mental health.
This time also let me explore collaborations visiting @UCLA and learning all about 2D materials – which is what I focus on nowadays - and led to some of the work I was most proud of https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="😃" title="Lächelndes Gesicht mit geöffnetem Mund" aria-label="Emoji: Lächelndes Gesicht mit geöffnetem Mund"> – figuring out how to control nerve cell growth with graphene.
There isn’t a resolution, or ‘point’ to me mentioning this – just that everyone goes through struggles and destigmatizing it is important.
Some things are just out of your control.
Some things are just out of your control.
Still there were lots of positives
During my Ph.D. I met my wife ( @DrTinyTaps) – you should check out her research into tissue engineering, it’s super cool!https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🆒" title="Quadratisches COOL Symbol" aria-label="Emoji: Quadratisches COOL Symbol">
However, find a post-doc for 1 person can be challenging, finding 2 at once in the same city – extremely difficult!
During my Ph.D. I met my wife ( @DrTinyTaps) – you should check out her research into tissue engineering, it’s super cool!
However, find a post-doc for 1 person can be challenging, finding 2 at once in the same city – extremely difficult!
We ended up moving to Sweden https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🇸🇪" title="Flagge von Schweden" aria-label="Emoji: Flagge von Schweden"> at the start of European winter – and after 3 months I started at @liu_universitet https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🧳" title="Luggage" aria-label="Emoji: Luggage">https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🧳" title="Luggage" aria-label="Emoji: Luggage">https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🛫" title="Abfliegendes Flugzeug" aria-label="Emoji: Abfliegendes Flugzeug">https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="✈️" title="Flugzeug" aria-label="Emoji: Flugzeug">https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🛬" title="Ankommendes Flugzeug" aria-label="Emoji: Ankommendes Flugzeug">
Using Carbon Nanotubes additives in collagen and alginate hydrogels to develop new ways to repair the scar tissue on the heart after a heart attack.https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🫀" title="Anatomical heart" aria-label="Emoji: Anatomical heart">
Using Carbon Nanotubes additives in collagen and alginate hydrogels to develop new ways to repair the scar tissue on the heart after a heart attack.
Sweden was a wonderful experience, culturally, personally, and scientifically. https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="☑️" title="Kästchen mit Häkchen" aria-label="Emoji: Kästchen mit Häkchen">https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="☑️" title="Kästchen mit Häkchen" aria-label="Emoji: Kästchen mit Häkchen">
I learned a lot about different ways to do (and not to do) science – I can’t recommend travelling and gaining different perspectives enough.
I learned a lot about different ways to do (and not to do) science – I can’t recommend travelling and gaining different perspectives enough.
There are challenges in learning a new language, trying to embed yourself in a new culture – and surviving -20C temperatures (as an Australian – this was probably the biggest shock!)
The positives far outweighed the negatives though.
The positives far outweighed the negatives though.
However, after 2 years in Sweden it was time for a change.
To this end it was time to travel againhttps://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🧳" title="Luggage" aria-label="Emoji: Luggage">https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🛫" title="Abfliegendes Flugzeug" aria-label="Emoji: Abfliegendes Flugzeug">https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🛬" title="Ankommendes Flugzeug" aria-label="Emoji: Ankommendes Flugzeug">https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🧳" title="Luggage" aria-label="Emoji: Luggage">, and after writing a Marie Curie Fellowship application it was off to London to join @ImpMaterials https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🇬🇧" title="Flagge des Vereinigten Königreiches" aria-label="Emoji: Flagge des Vereinigten Königreiches">
To this end it was time to travel again
I’ll leave this thread here – I’ll finish off my story (so far) about London and Melbourne in a coming thread.
One thing that stands out - was that I didn’t really understand the importance of those first few years. https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="⁉️" title="Ausrufe-Fragezeichen" aria-label="Emoji: Ausrufe-Fragezeichen">
Looking back, being more selective about where and what I worked on would have strengthened the future years.
Lots of benefitshttps://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="☑️" title="Kästchen mit Häkchen" aria-label="Emoji: Kästchen mit Häkchen">– lots of mistakes too https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🤦" title="Person facepalming" aria-label="Emoji: Person facepalming">!
Looking back, being more selective about where and what I worked on would have strengthened the future years.
Lots of benefits
