News

February 2018

Vic Gov announces $50,000 vouchers

The Victorian State Government has launched an Advanced Manufacturing Voucher Stream that provides eligible applicants with an additional $50,000 to develop new products and add capabilities.

MCN is seeking a new Process Engineer

We are currently seeking a new Process Engineer to join the MCN team!

January 2018

Vote for the 2017 Image of the Year

The ANFF-VIC Image of the Year shortlist has been decided and now it’s time for the winner to be selected.

Grant Participation Policy announced

MCN has announced a new Grant Participation Policy that offers additional in-kind support for grants that propose the use of MCN infrastructure.

MCN and ANFF VIC partner with APR.Intern

MCN and ANFF-VIC are teaming up with APR.Intern to connect industry with Postgraduate students and leading research capabilities through tightly focused research internships.

December 2017

MCN Industry Engagement Program

The Melbourne Centre for Nanofabrication (MCN) is now seeking expressions of interest from industry partners for participation in the 2018 MCN Industry Engagement Program.

MCN 2017/2018 holiday closure

MCN will be closed to users from 20 December 2017 to 7 January 2018. Access during this period will be granted by special application only.

ANFF-VIC success at Research Showcase

A note from the ANFF-VIC Director:

MCN Satisfaction Survey

The MCN Client Satisfaction Survey is approaching its closing date of 10 December.

November 2017

Attention: December induction date has changed

MCN General Induction day for Dec 2017 will be moved from 4 December to 11 December. This will be the last MCN General Induction for 2017. Any queries, please contact MCN staff.

New Staff Members at MCN

At the start of November, MCN welcomed two new process engineers to the team, John Paul Teodosio and Dr Vahid Reza Adineh.

October 2017

Annual Maintenance

The Melbourne Centre for Nanofabrication will be closed to all users from Monday 6 November – Friday 10 November.

August 2017

Come and join the MCN Team, we’re hiring!

MCN is looking for a new full-time Process Engineer to join our team of experts.

ANFF-VIC Tech Ambassador wins 2017 Eureka Prize

Professor Saulius Juodkazis, a ANFF-VIC Technology Ambassador, has just been announced as the winner of a 2017 Eureka Prize.

Publication Covers Incentive Announced

ANFF-VIC is launching a $500 user credit reward for users who have their research featured as the front cover of a peer-reviewed journal. This incentive is in addition to the $200 user credit for correct acknowledgement of ANFF-VIC equipment.

Publication of the Year 2017

ANFF-VIC is launching its Publication of the Year award, the winner will receive a $200 cash prize.

2017 ANFF-VIC Image of the Year Competition

ANFF-VIC’s Image of the Year Competition is now open for submissions.

ANN announce ANFF Short Term Visits program

The Australian Nanotechnology Network (ANN) has just announced a new grants system that will enable members to travel to the centres within the Australian National Fabrication Facility (ANFF).

Online database provides chemical spectra to the masses

La Trobe University’s Centre for Materials and Surface Science (CMSS) has unveiled a new open-access online database of XPS spectra, providing a global reference point of in-depth materials analysis to researchers from around the world.

Congratulations to MCN’s new Senior Process Engineers

Three of MCN’s staff have been made Senior Process Engineers, joining Dr Fatima Eftekhari here at the central facility of the Australian National Fabrication Facility’s Victorian Node.

Publications highlights

Here’s a selection of ANFF-VIC’s most recent publications

July 2017

ANFF-VIC General Manager appointed

The Australian National Fabrication Facility’s Victorian Node (ANFF-VIC) has named its new General Manager, Dr Sean Langelier.

ANFF-VIC introduces new Director

Professor Nicolas Voelcker has been introduced as the Director for the Victorian Node of the Australian National Fabrication Facility (ANFF-VIC) and the Scientific Director for the network’s flagship facility, the Melbourne Centre for Nanofabrication (MCN).

Seminar: Electrospinning at Deakin University

ANFF-VIC presents a series of talks at the Melbourne Centre for Nanofabrication on the electrospinning capabilities available at Deakin University’s Institute for Frontier Materials (IFM).

General Induction date changes for August

The General Induction & Dangerous Goods Waste Management Induction scheduled for Monday, 7th August have been rescheduled. Please check our Inductions and Training page for more information on upcoming training.

Prolonged ACLS outage

Attention all MCN users Be advised that the central Monash network which runs our ACLS booking system is currently down. Monash IT is working to resolve the issue but until then, making or viewing a booking in ACLS will be impossible. We would recommend that users who are sure of existing ACLS bookings proceed with […]

May 2017

Delicious diversity on display at MCN

MCN hosted its third annual Diversity Lunch on 27 April 2017, celebrating the Centre’s international staff and user community with home cooked food from around the world.

April 2017

Sale pricing extended to July

MCN is continuing its sale prices until the end of July, offering reductions to tool usage and staff assistance.

New flagship tools and new capabilities across ANFF-VIC

New tools and capabilities have recently been added across the ANFF-VIC Node, notably at MCN and La Trobe’s Centre for Materials and Surface Science.

Welcoming the new ANFF-VIC Marketing Officer

On behalf of the Victorian Node of the Australian National Fabrication Facility (ANFF-VIC), MCN is pleased to welcome Tom Eddershaw as the new Marketing and Communications Officer for ANFF-VIC and ANFF.

Call for content

With the recent appointment of our new Marketing and Communications Officer, one of the things we are keen to do is increase our coverage of user research.

We want you to tell us what you’re up to!

Results of 2016 User Satisfaction Survey

At the end of 2016, MCN conducted its annual User Satisfaction Survey to ensure that the centre is performing to its users’ expectations.

Frater Award winners begin their travels

Dr Hemayet Uddin, an MCN Process Engineer, has travelled to SwissLitho in Zurich, Switzerland to gain first-hand expert knowledge of MCN’s new NanoFrazor tool.

ANFF-VIC is going to National Manufacturing Week 2017

MCN will be exhibiting at the National Manufacturing Week 2017 conference to be held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre on 9-12 May.

Recent publications

Here’s a collection of the recently published papers that have made use of ANFF-VIC’s open access facilities.

Upcoming closure for Easter break

The MCN laboratories will be closed to users for the Easter shutdown from Friday 14 April – Tuesday 18 April (inclusive), and will re-open on Wednesday 19 April 2017

Publication acknowledgements and usage credits

MCN has seen strong growth in the number of publications that have correctly acknowledged the centre, doubling in 2016 to an average of 12 per month.

However, not all MCN-related publications are meeting the requirements of the user agreement.

March 2017

Upcoming training and events

In March and April, MCN will be hosting a number of training courses in the MCN boardroom. These sessions are of critical importance to the safety and progression of the Centre’s users, so please save the dates. You don’t need to book for any of the training events unless you intend to bring a large group.

February 2017

Vote for your Image of the Year

It was tough, but the shortlist for the 2016 ANFF-VIC Image of the Year award has now been selected and we are asking you to help decide who takes home the prize.

And the winner is…

The winner of the ANFF-VIC Image of the Year Competition has been announced.

December 2016

Congratulations Dr Soon Hock Ng

MCN would like to congratulate Dr Soon Hock Ng on the successful completion of his PhD.

November 2016

2016 Client Satisfaction Survey now available

We are once again asking users to complete a short survey to provide us with feedback on their experiences with MCN.

End-of-year closing dates

Over the holiday period, MCN will be closed to users from 17 December 2016, to 8 January 2017.

Come and see us at ESTS’16

The ANFF-Vic team will be exhibiting at the Emerging Sensing Technologies Summit 2016 (ESTS’16), held in Melbourne, Australia from 7-9 December 2016.

Blender training days a success!

MCN has been conducting a series of introductory training events for using the Blender suite to create publication quality images.

New case studies available

New case studies are available on the MCN website, looking at research into back-contacted solar cells, wearable sensors, and diamond-coated carbon fibre.

MCN staff recognised with Frater Awards

Two of MCN’s staff were recognised with Frater Awards at this year’s ANFF Annual Research Showcase, held 15-17 November 2016.

ANFF-Vic Image of the Year Competition

It’s time to enter ANFF-Vic’s Image of the Year Competition.

Swinburne researcher awarded Victorian Fellowship

Dr Peng-Yuan (George) Wang has been awarded a Victoria Fellowship to assist with an international study mission.

MCN is now on Twitter

MCN has entered the world of Twitter, follow @Nanomelb for the latest news, events, photos and more.

October 2016

New addition to the MCN team

In October 2016, MCN welcomed Dr Guangyuan Si to the team.

September 2016

MCN Toolkits Now Available at Reception!

Thanks to a new initiative lead by Operations & EHS Manager, Dr Paul Spizzirri, hunting for that perfect pair of wafer tweezers or MCN-approved USB stick will no longer be necessary. As of now, you can checkout a toolkit for your personal use by signing one out at reception.

August 2016

2016 ANFF-VIC Technology Fellow Ambassadorships Announced

The core mission of ANFF-VIC and its principal facility, the Melbourne Centre for Nanofabrication (MCN), is to facilitate the integration of micro and nanotechnologies into the R&D activities that support Australian innovation and manufacturing by providing open-access to state of the art instrumentation, training and support.It was with this mission in mind that MCN launched […]

June 2016

MCN is rolling back the clock…

Dear MCN Users, Following the success of our recent end of year sale (2015), The Melbourne Centre for Nanofabrication is pleased to announce the reinstatement of a discounted pricing schedule for an extended six month trial period beginning on the 1st July 2016. Details: 25% off all instrument bookings and caps* 20% off staff rates* […]

April 2016

La Trobe and MCN team up for course in microfabrication

For the past three years, La Trobe University and MCN have partnered to hold lab-practical sessions devoted to teaching fundamentals of microfabrication and microfluidics…

March 2016

North Link Visits MCN for Industry Day Workshop

On March 17th, MCN played host to North Link, a regional partnership of industry, education and government established in 1995, for a morning of discussion and tours dedicated to raising local awareness of fabrication and characterization capabilities within ANFF-VIC.

January 2016

MCN’s Conference Season Year End Discount

With holiday and conference season is fast approaching, MCN will be offering a year end 25% discount on all instrument bookings from October 12, 2015 through to January 31, 2016.

December 2015

MCN’s Conference Season Year End Discount

With holiday and conference season is fast approaching, MCN will be offering a year end 25% discount on all instrument bookings from October 12, 2015 through to January 31, 2016.

November 2015

Dr Lachlan Hyde recieves coveted ANFF Frater Award

Congratulations to MCN (ANFF-VIC) Process Engineer, Dr Lachlan Hyde for nabbing a coveted Frater Award at this year’s annual ANFF showcase in Brisbane.

ANZNMF 2016: call for abstracts

The Australia and New Zealand Nano-Microfluidics Symposium (ANZNMF) is always a vibrant meeting, full of exciting talks from local and internationally recognized researchers.

The ANFF-Vic Technology Fellow Ambassador Program

We are excited to announce that the ANFF-Vic Technology Fellow Ambassador Program will kick off in January 2016.

Quarterly recap

Events and farewells from the past quarter here at MCN.

MCN 2015 Client Satisfaction survey

Provide your feedback in the 2015 Client Satisfaction survey to help us better serve you in the future.

A new approach to blood collection

The hemaPENTM is a convenient, portable device for collecting and safely storing blood samples by anyone, anywhere, anytime. We caught up with hemaPEN inventor and former MCN Tech Fellow, Dr Florian Lapierre, to find out more.

MCN 2015/2016 holiday closure

MCN will be closed for year-end shutdown work from 21 December 2015 until 10 January 2016. Access during this period will be granted by special application only.

Noteworthy publications

We highlight work on planar perovskite solar cells, dual-coded plasmene nanosheets, nanoparticle superlattice nanosheets, single-cell patterning, transparent and conductive ZnO films, and plasmonic sensors.

October 2015

MCN’s Conference Season Year End Discount

With holiday and conference season is fast approaching, MCN will be offering a year end 25% discount on all instrument bookings from October 12, 2015 through to January 31, 2016.

The ANFF-Vic Technology Fellow Ambassador Program

We are excited to announce that the ANFF-Vic Technology Fellow Ambassador Program will kick off in January 2016.

August 2015

Record diamond results could show the future of power electronics

Diamond has the potential to make power electronics smaller and more efficient. Research recently undertaken at MCN is a step towards simpler integration of diamond into devices.

MCN User Conference: abstract submission date extended & earlybird tickets closing soon

The deadline to submit abstracts for the MCN User Conference has been extended to Monday 24 August, with earlybird tickets available until Friday 28 August.

New tools at MCN: four-stack horizontal furnace system

MCN has completed commissioning of a four-stack horizontal furnace for operation in the class 10,000 cleanroom, allowing production of unique materials such as silicon nitride.

Overcome challenges in your industry with the MCN AMSI internship program

Industry will have access to highly skilled graduate students and world class facilities as a part of MCN’s new partnership with AMSI Intern.

ISO 9001 certification for MCN

MCN is proud to announce that we have been certified under ISO 9001: Quality Management Systems. This certification demonstrates our commitment to clients, staff and stakeholders in providing top quality facilities, training, equipment and services.

$200 MCN credits up for grabs for correct acknowledgements in publications

Get your work published, correctly acknowledge MCN and ANFF, let our Communications Officer know and get $200 MCN credit for your efforts!

June – what a month!

June was a huge month for us here at MCN, with some of the highest usage numbers we’ve seen to date.

Helium-ion microscopy in nanopatterning of 2D nanomaterials

An MCN Technology Fellow was recently involved in a collaboration pushing the boundaries of what can be achieved with helium-ion beams in modification of materials and nanopatterning.

Notable publications

We highlight work on photocatalytic processes, helium-ion microscopy, MoS2 photodetectors, micro-concave waveguide antenna design and miniaturised supercapacitors.

May 2015

MCN launches new website

MCN is pleased to launch a refreshed website, with new content, interactive features and a user-friendly interface which is responsive over desktop, tablet and mobile platforms.

Internship program begins a second semester

Following the success of the current industrial internship program, MCN is now seeking expressions of interest from students and industry partners for participation in this year’s Fabrication Internship Program.

Keynote speaker for User Conference announced

MCN’s inaugural User Conference is now just four months away and we are pleased to announce the first of our keynote speakers for the event.

Next generation pathogen detection with lab-on-a-chip platforms

Detection of pathogens is critical for disease diagnosis, food safety control, water quality monitoring and homeland security. Traditional detection methods are time consuming and complex – a portable lab on a chip enables fast and simple pathogen detection.

Artificial leaves enhance light to energy conversion

The chemical industry relies heavily on fossil fuel derived energy for carrying out chemical processes. A more sustainable and desirable prospect is to harvest sunlight for doing chemistry and transform this industry into a solar chemical manufacturing industry.

Diamond systems produce shining results

MCN’s twin Seki diamond deposition systems have been in operation for almost 12 months. In that time, they have been utilised for some exciting projects by the MCN and University of Melbourne tool experts.

We’re hiring!

Are you looking for an exciting role, working in communications in a progressive scientific field? MCN is currently searching for a Marketing and Communications Officer.

New capabilities at MCN

New capabilities at MCN include a four stack furnace, automated wetbench suite and nanobuilder software on MCN’s FIB-SEM.

High profile guests tour MCN

In the first quarter of 2015, MCN had several high profile tour groups through the centre, including the NCRIS review panel.

A collaborative space for start-ups

Are you starting up a small business in Melbourne’s South East? The Monash Enterprise Centre could help you establish yourself as a professional business.

MCN at National Manufacturing Week

National Manufacturing Week (NMW) will be taking place next week at the Melbourne Convention Centre from 26-29 May 2015. Come say hi, inspect our displays and take away an MCN keep cup.

Noteworthy publications

We highlight work on plasmene SERS substrates, eSkin nanopatches, hybrid graphene perovskite phototransistors and more.

February 2015

Ultra-thin Plasmene offers new scope for sensing devices and nano electronics

A new 2D nano-material, Plasmene has the potential for significant advancements in both sensing devices and nanoelectronics due to its unique plasmonic functions, robust nature, and ability to be folded into geometric origami constructs.

MCN user conference – save the date!

MCN will hold it’s inaugural User Conference on September 16 and 17 this year. Designed to engage our user community, we invite all users to save the date!

ANZNMF call for abstract submissions

The 6th Australia and New Zealand Nano Microfluidics Symposium in Melbourne on March 31 to April 2. Submissions are now invited for poster and oral presentations.

ANFF Design House adds IntelliSuite

ANFF Design House has now grown to incorporate a fourth software suite – IntelliSuite. Covering all aspects of the MEMS design cycle, IntelliSuite provides a groundbreaking, end-to-end software solution for MEMS professionals.

New instruments and capabilities at MCN

MCN has recently installed a Pico Track PCT-150RRE. Other new capabilities include new functionality on the thermal evaporation system and a ICnanoS2 scanning ion conductance microscope.

Symposium on 2D nanomaterials 2015

This two-day event provides an ideal networking opportuity for researchers to communicate on their latest research results and establish collaborations in the areas of 2D nanomaterials.

User satisfaction survey results

Thank you to all of our users who took the time to respond to our annual user satisfaction survey. We are pleased to announce positive results across the board.

Kicking things up a notch

It’s not often you’ll hear your boss saying, “come on, punch me harder,” but at MCN this is a weekly occurence.

Noteworthy publications

We highlight work on organic solar cells, the morphology of high efficiency polymer solar cells, and “vibration-induced deagglomeration of carbon nanotubes.

November 2014

Internship program connects with industry at MCN

MCN’s internship program has hit the ground running with four interns recently joined MCN’s professionl staff. About the program, Managing Director Dwayne Kirk said, “this is highly beneficial for indsutry because it’s quick and easy for them to access additional specialists.”

Technology Fellow receives VC award for research excellence

MCN Technology Fellow, Dr. Alexey Glushenkov from Deakin University who recently received the VC Award for Research Excellence has undertaken some exciting work at MCN, using ALD to achieve highly conformal coatings of aluminum oxide on boron nitride.

Fighting resistance to antibiotics

As resistance to antibiotics is becoming increasingly common, it has become even more important to understand the mechanism by which they work on bacterial cells and to develop new antibiotics which can be used agaisnt ’super bugs.’

ANFF Design House workshops

In a whirl-wind tour, Dr. Mary Ann Maher, the president and CEO of SoftMEMS, and Karen Lujan of Tanner EDA taught workshops in Perth, Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney during October.

Successful ARC grant funds new equipment

Through generous contributions by MCN partner institutions, as well as two successful Australian Research Council (ARC) grants, the MCN has been able to install new imaging and characterisation equipment.

Watch MCN in action – new video online

MCN is pleased to share a new About us video, which captures the mission and vision of the centre and showcases the world-class facilities available to users.

2014 holiday and shutdown dates

MCN will close to users and clients on Friday 12th December and will reopen on Monday 12th January. We would like to wish all of our colleagues and friends a safe and happy holiday season!

New faces at MCN – Abu, Kishan and Chantelle

MCN welcomes three new staff members to our ever-growing team!

Noteworthy publications

We highlight work on super soft hydrogel particles with tunable elasticity, giant plasmene nanosheets, nanomachine driving the assembly of proteins into bacterial outer membranes, and ultrabroadband plasmonic absorbers.

July 2014

Seminar series highlights

May and June were busy months at MCN with three fantastic seminars engaging academic, industry and government audiences alike. For a summary of the speakers and their presentations

5S training and induction refreshers

Coinciding with MCN’s bi-annual induction refreshers (running 1-5 September), MCN will also be running a training sesion available to all users, which highlights the new Lean and 5S programs in place around the facility. A must for all users!

A spotlight on electronic skins

Flexible electronics and lightweight pressure sensing devices are expanding the boundaries of technology into electronic skins. Researchers from Monash University have developed a flexible pressure sensor with a future for electronic skins.

New furnace and optical profilometer

To compliment the high temperature furnace facility already available at the MCN, a new four-stack horizontal furnace is currently being installed, while a Bruker Contour GT-I optical profilometer is the first of its kind in Australia.

COMS conference 2014

The commercialization of Micro, Nano and Emerging Technologies Conference will be held this year in Salt Lake City, Utah from 12 – 15 October.

Technology fellow presentations online

A selection of presentations from the MCN’s Technology Fellow presentations are now available to view online.

Technical interns wanted

MCN is seeking expressions of interest from suitably experienced candidates for an internship program.

New faces at MCN – Shan and Gediminas

MCN welcomes two new staff members, Shan and Gediminas.

Noteworthy publications

We highlight work on phase transformation in laser-induced micro-explosions, tunable porosity gradients in hydrogel-based scaffolds, core-spun carbon nanotube yarn supercapacitors, amongst other work.

April 2014

Research into zinc oxide nanoparticles allays sunscreen concerns

Researchers from MCN, The Australian Synchrotron, CSIRO, RMIT and Monash University have showcased ground breaking characterisation techniques which were used to enable research into the human immune response to zinc oxide nanoparticles. The team was able to observe the immune cells breaking down the zinc oxide nanoparticles as they moved deeper into the cell.