Nanoparticles, graphene, nanowires: research and safety issues

Pasqualantonio PINGUE, Scuola Normale Superiore, NEST Laboratory

NEST, the National Enterprise for nanoScience and nanotechnology, is an interdisciplinary research and training centre where physicists, chemists and biologists investigate scientific issues at the nanoscale. This knowledge is exploited to develop innovative nanobiotechnological tools, nanoelectronic and photonic devices and architectures. NEST scientists address a rather broad range of research activities that span from semiconductor/superconductor nanostructure design, growth and experimental investigation to single-molecule studies in live cells and tissues. Among all the nanomaterials employed in these research activities, nanoparticles, graphene and nanowires are the most important. They are synthesized, grown and characterized in research labs where the scientific personnel apply, develop and define various fabrication protocols for different kind of nanomaterials and nanodevices.

In this presentation an overview of the NEST research activities involving nanomaterials will be shown, with a focus on the scientific facilities and techniques that are employed during the nanomaterial synthesis. Finally, safety issues related to research personnel and their exposure to nanomaterial will be briefly described, presenting our experience in this field and therefore the NEST Laboratory approach to “nano-safety” and its role in to the NanoLab project.

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