Most liquid phase dispersions of nanomaterials are kinetically trapped by energy-matched solvents or coating of surfactants, having previously been ripped into smaller stacks/bundles by sonication or shear mixing. This application of shear force is not only inefficient in creating the individualised nanomaterials we want, but actively damages the nanomaterials.

In contrast, we use spontaneous dissolution, where the ground state and thermodynamic product is the individual nanomaterial in solution. Now there is a driving force for effective exfoliation/exfibrillation, with the scalability limited by the nanomaterial synthesis and the size of the bucket you use for dissolution. The chemistries needed to invoke dissolution changes with the nanomaterial, but common approaches involve introducing charge onto the nanomaterial with superacids or group 1 metals.

These nanomaterial solutions are not only useful (and underpin much of the rest of our research), but pose interesting fundamental questions about the nature of solvation, as well as providing high concentration models for charged, nano-surfaces to probe a range of theories.

The functionalisation of nanomaterials has long been one of the most common routes to changing their properties. While the term 'functionalisation' often incorporates species adsorbed onto the nanomaterial surface (e.g. ligands on 0D metal nanoparticles, or pyrene-containing species on nanocarbons), or atomic substitution within the nanomaterial, we primarily focus on covalent modification of the nanomaterial framework.

Through functionalisation reactions, we can tune our materials to facilitate their processing (improving solubility in a given solvent, miscibility in a targeted polymer), modulate their properties (modify band gap, increase air stability), or introduce completely new properties (biocompatibility, photoluminescence).

Our work not only takes advantage of existing reactions, but we work to better understand the mechanisms of the reactions themselves as well as developing new routes to functionalise nanomaterials. A particularly compelling area for us is controlling the location of the reactions, e.g. for 1D nanoribbons where edge vs basal plane reactions have dramatically different outcomes in terms of nanomaterial properties.

The energy crisis demands attention from all corners of science, and nanomaterials is one area well placed to make a real, immediate, and lasting impact. Many of the materials we develop have superlative optical and electronic properties, and are ideally placed to improve the energy demands. From the exciton mobilities of phosphorene to the high capacitance of carbon nanotubes, and the ubiquity of graphitic materials in batteries, nanomaterials will underpin the next generation of energy devices.

However, bridging the theoretical promise of nanomaterials to real-world applications is a daunting task, which requires careful control over nanomaterials while solely relying on techniques which can be scaled for industry. Our work in spontaneous solvation of nanomaterials provides this scalability, and our functionalisation research allows us to target the materials towards the given energy device.

To realise the promise of our nanomaterials, we work alongside an array of international energy device collaborators to develop their devices, integrating nanomaterials into fuel cells, photovoltaics, torsional energy storage, and supercapacitors.

Structural composites have existed since mankind added grass to mud to make stronger huts. Today, polymer nanocomposites offer unsurpassed promise building on the remarkable mechanical properties, however, without controlled assembly all nanomaterials will tend to aggregate into mechanically weak bundles which severely hinders the composites' strength.

Our work involves priming nanomaterials for assembly through individualisation in the liquid phase before incorporation into the composite, as well as controlling the surface chemistry of the nanomaterials to dictate the nanomaterial-polymer interface properties and manipulate the resultant composite's mechanical response. In some systems, we can do both simultaneously, through our "reactive coagulation" assembly procedures, where nanomaterials in solution are crosslinked covalently to the polymer during mixing.

Our work also takes advantage of non-mechanical properties to create functional nanocomposites, including to create energy storage fibres, high-k dielectrics for capacitors, and composites for high voltage insulation which resist partial discharge.