About the London Centre for Nanotechnology
The London Centre for Nanotechnology is a UK-based multidisciplinary enterprise operating at the forefront of science and technology.
Our purpose is to solve global problems in information processing, healthcare, energy and the environment through the application of nanoscience and nanotechnology. Founded in 2003, the LCN began as a joint venture between University College London and Imperial College London, based at the Bloomsbury and South Kensington sites; from 2018 King’s College London joined the collaboration from its base on The Strand.
The LCN occupies a purpose-built eight storey facility in Gordon Street, Bloomsbury (opened in 2006) as well as extensive facilities within different departments at South Kensington and The Strand. The Centre’s experimental research is supported by leading edge modelling, visualisation and theory through its access to state-of-the-art clean-room, characterisation, fabrication, manipulation and design laboratories.
The Centre has a unique operating model that accesses and focusses the combined skills of all three universities across several key departments; Chemistry, Physics, Materials, Medicine, Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Biochemical and Biomedical Engineering and Earth Sciences.
The LCN also has strong relationships with the broader nanotechnology and commercial communities and is involved in many major collaborations, nationally and internationally. As the world’s only such facility located in the heart of a metropolis, the Centre has superb access to corporate, investment and industrial partners. It is at the forefront of nanotechnology training and enjoys a strong media presence around educating the public and bringing transparency to this far-reaching and emerging science.
Our People
The London Centre for Nanotechnology is home to a vibrant community of researchers, technicians and support staff based across our three partner institutions: King’s College London, Imperial College London and UCL. Our members include academics, postdoctoral researchers, PhD students and professional services teams, all contributing their expertise to a wide range of projects. This mix of skills and backgrounds creates a collaborative environment where ideas can move easily across disciplines – from quantum technologies to nanomedicine. The strength of the LCN lies in its people, whose work continues to push the boundaries of what’s possible in science and innovation.
Our Research
The LCN fosters interdisciplinary collaborations between researchers from different fields, including physics, chemistry, engineering, and medicine. It prioritises partnerships with industry and government organisations to ensure that its research has a tangible impact on society. It also leverages cutting-edge technology platforms like machine learning and data analytics to accelerate its research and development efforts.
Our Facilities
The LCN Cleanroom Facility at UCL consists of three laboratories located in the Bloomsbury site: a 250 m2 ISO Class 6 space with ISO Class 5 zones for optical and electron beam lithography; a 40 m2 ISO Class 7 space hosting electron and focused ion beams systems; and a 27 m2 “back-end” lab.
LCN equipment at King’s College London is housed in the Strand Research Facility, Centre for Ultrastructural Imaging, London Metallomics Facility and the Nikon Imaging Centre, offering a wide variety of tools for researchers working at the nanoscale.
The LCN at Imperial has equipment at it’s South Kensington and White City campuses. The Quantum Science and Device Facility (QSDF) is Imperial’s state-of-the-art facility for studying quantum devices. Facilities also housing equipment include Royce at Imperial, SPIN Lab and the Imperial Centre for Cryo Microscopy of Materials.
Our Outreach
The London Centre for Nanotechnology is committed to sharing its research and inspiring the wider community through a variety of outreach and public engagement initiatives. We create opportunities for school students, families and the wider public to explore the world of nanotechnology and quantum science. Whether it’s hands-on experiments, talks or interactive demos, our outreach activities aim to spark interest, encourage questions and make cutting-edge research more accessible. We believe science is for everyone, and our programmes are designed to share what we do in a way that is open, inclusive and inspiring.
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