Internal Seminar: Nic Chormaic Unit and Goryanin Unit

Join us for April's first Internal Seminar Series on Apr. 3, from 17:00 to 18:00 in B250. This month's first seminar features the Light-Matter Interactions Unit (Sile Nic Chormaic) and Biological Systems Unit (Igor Goryanin).

Light-Matter Interaction Unit (Sile Nic Chormaic)

Speaker : Marios Sergides

Title : Higher order mode coupled microfibers for optical manipulation

Abstract : Since the realisation of optical tweezers, the field of optical manipulation has been advancing rapidly. In recent years the use of tapered optical fibres for manipulating micro/nano objects close to their surface has been given great attention due to their potential applications in a variety of areas and especially fields of biological interest. The evanescent fields penetrating the medium surrounding the fibre interact with nearby particles giving rise to forces which in turn can trap or propel these particles. Most works done in this area have been focusing on utilising the simplest intensity profile mode in the fibre, the fundamental mode (FM). More complex intensity profiles, namely the higher order modes (HOM), can offer evanescent fields with longer penetration depths and higher intensities. We demonstrate dielectric particle propulsion for the higher order modes and compare the results to the fundamental mode case.  An apparent enhancement of the propulsion speed is observed for the former. The experimental results are supported by theoretical calculations which take into the account hydrodynamic interactions between the particles and fibre. Additionally, we discuss experiments and present preliminary results involving multiple particles at the vicinity of the fibre enabling the investigation of optical binding under the higher order mode configuration.

Biological Systems Unit (Igor Goryanin)

Speaker : Larisa Kiseleva

Title : Microbial fuel cells for Okinawa industry wastewater treatment

Abstract : Microbial fuel cell (MFC) technologies represent an untapped approach for generating electricity from biodegradable materials using microbes. MFC typically consists of a bacteria enriched anode, a catalytic cathode, and a separator between them. Deviations in this core MFC design are specified by the area of their application: powering off-grid devices at remote locations or implanted medical devices, driving synthesis processes or bioremediation. One of the most promising directions of practical MFC application is in the treatment of wastewater.

In our research we apply MFC systems to clean industrial wastewaters from key Okinawa industries. In order to increase the power output and scalability we study both materials and biology of the MFC systems. At this seminar we will introduce the concept of MFC, highlight the progress achieved to date in local wastewater treatment with scaled-up MFC bioreactors, and discuss the challenges and future opportunities.