He said the results of developments in these areas could be applied for use in local industries. For example, the development of nano coating, which involves the study of using nano particles to coat materials' surfaces to give new or special properties, can be used in textiles or the construction industry. Nano encapsulation, which is the development of nano-sized drug delivery systems, can be applied in cosmetics, food, health and medical industries. The development of nano devices such as odour recognition systems, meanwhile, could assist the food and beverage industry to detect the quality and odours of food and beverages.

Wiwat said the centre would work with other research institutes, universities and the private sector to conduct research in each area to serve industries' demands.

In the first pillar, he said that the centre plans this year to conduct research focusing on the development of photocatalytic thin film from titanium dioxide and zinc oxide, the development of metal particles, and super hydrophobicity to coat on materials.

Wiwat said research at this stage would further develop, for example, water repellent and anti-microbial textiles as well as self-cleaning surfaces.

The centre will also expand research work to cover the development of photocatalytic water treatment, nanopigment and nanobinders, and these will lead to the development of anti-UV and breathable fabrics, new printing technology, and technology used in the paper industry.

From conventional coating technology, the centre plans in the next two years to do more research on new coating technology using vapour deposition.

The technology is intended to vaporise the coating substances and then lay the vapour on the targeted materials.

This gives the coating a thinner layer and it's suitable to coat not only on fabrics but also other materials used in automotive and lens industries.

With the adoption of proper substances, Wiwat said the researchers at this stage hoped to come up with materials that could be scratch-resistant or fire-retardant.

As cosmetics, food and medical industries will benefit from nanotechnology research, Wiwat said the development of small-scale delivery systems under the nano encapsulation development pillar would improve each industry.

He said the centre would focus on the development of lipid nano particles and chitosan-based nanocapsules to build controlled carriers that could be used to develop cosmetic products, cosmetic masks and a new kind of wound dressing which can deliver active ingredients to targeted areas efficiently.

Meanwhile, it also plans to develop core-shell and chitosan nanoparticles for DNA delivery, which will help in gene and cellular therapy.

For the last pillar, Wiwat added the focus was the development of a molecular recognition device, a kind of nano device that uses small sensors to detect molecule of substances and report what kind of substances it can recognise.

The device is suitable for use in the food and beverage industry to detect the quality of food and the odour of beverages. The plan also includes development of biomolecular detection to find enzymes, antibodies or DNA, as well as diagnostic nano devices which allow doctors to make lab tests of, for example, blood samples to check for any diseases.

Pongpen Sutharoj

The Nation