Nanocomposite research institute celebrates 10th anniversary

Posted on 4 Feb 2025 by The Manufacturer

The International Institute for Nanocomposites Manufacturing (IINM) at WMG, University of Warwick, has celebrated its 10th anniversary.

Launched in 2014, the IINM was the world’s first institute exploiting polymer processing techniques and supporting industry with innovative manufacturing technologies to produce polymer nanocomposites.

A decade later, it has supported manufacturers operating in telecommunications; electronics; pharmaceuticals; aerospace; automotive; security and medicine, including international organisations such as JLR; Baker Hughes; James Walker; Synthos; Versarien Graphene Ltd; First Graphene Ltd, Thomas Swan & Co Ltd and Black Swan Graphene, as well as highly innovative SMEs such as Senergy Innovations Ltd.

To commemorate the milestone, guests were invited for a guided tour, where they had the opportunity to meet the founder and Director of the IINM, Professor Tony McNallyLink opens in a new window, as well as academic leads Professor Chaoying WanLink opens in a new window and Dr Lukasz FigielLink opens in a new window; Research Fellows and PhD students to talk about current research.

The tour was followed by lunch with a celebratory cake cutting, before guests heard from international experts in academia and industry, covering topics from rubbers and elastomers to graphene and hydrogen.

This was a momentous occasion for Professor McNally who has led the IINM since it first opened. He commented: “I think it’s important to recognise the contribution of the many postdoctoral researchers, PhD students, visiting scientists, academic and professional service colleagues who, over the last 10 years, have helped build and shape the IINM into the unique centre of excellence it is today. I’m particularly proud of the extensive training that our researchers and PhD students receive, both within the IINM, WMG and the wider University, who without exception all have jobs in academia or industry prior to completing their PhDs.

“I was keen we share this celebration as we build further in the hope of addressing the many global and societal challenges we now face, and where nano-enabled materials and technology may provide some of the sustainable solutions urgently required.”

He added: “The 10th anniversary event was a tremendous success. It was really pleasing to see so many colleagues come along and see what we do. We were honoured to have globally recognised academics and industry leaders give keynote lectures.”

“I truly believe we are entering another exciting period for materials discovery. The urgent requirement for sustainable solutions to many global issues, from replacements for Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and petroleum derived plastics to the need for recyclable tyres, clean water and materials for extreme environments, there is no doubt the IINM will continue to be an exciting place to work well into the future.”

One of the guests attending was former IINM, WMG PhD student, Dr Christopher Ellingford, who now works as a Sustainable Packaging Materials Scientist for Unilever R&D. Christopher commented: “The thing that I enjoyed the most about working at the IINM was working with great colleagues, super intelligent people and the latest equipment to unravel the biggest scientific challenges.

“I think industry should know that the IINM has amazing facilities to help delve into research problems. Whether it’s from the polymer processing side or materials characterisation, the knowledge that is within this department will really help to get to the core of what the scientific problem is and overcome that in an industrial environment.”

Another guest Dr Ian Martin, R&D Manager at First Graphene Ltd, commented: “It was a great privilege to be a part of the 10th Anniversary IINM celebrations and to be given the opportunity to interact with leading experts in the field. It is always inspiring to attend a conference that draws academics and commercial entities with a joint purpose of advancing our knowledge of nanomaterial composites. Professor Tony McNally and his team have done a remarkable job of creating a truly world leading centre of excellence over the past decade and I look forward to seeing their achievements over the coming years.”

Find out more about Nanocomposites research and follow IINM’s progress here: Nanocomposites – WMG – University of WarwickLink opens in a new window

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