Department of Engineering / Profiles / Professor Adam Boies

Department of Engineering

Professor Adam Boies

amb233

Adam Boies

Professor of Nanomaterials and Aerosol Engineering

Academic Division: Energy, Fluids and Turbomachinery

Research group: Energy (Head of Group)

Telephone: +44 1223 7 46972

Email: amb233@eng.cam.ac.uk

Personal website


Research interests

My research focuses on the evolution, dynamics and impacts of gas-phase nanoparticles. The applications of his research extend to air quality, transportation emissions and engineered nanoparticles for energy applications.

My laboratory activities seek to understand aerosol phenomena within complex reacting flows in order to synthesize unique nanomaterial structures. Currently a major research effort within my laboratory is the synthesis of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) from floating nanoparticle catalysts in a continuous high-throughput process for purposes of fibre spinning and mat production. The resulting CNT materials have unique thermal, electrical and structural properties, which are applied to a number of industrial areas. This work is conducted as a part of an international network based at Cambridge known as the Advanced Nanotube Applications and Manufacturing (ANAM) Initiative,  www.anam.eng.cam.ac.uk.

Other laboratory efforts include the production of nanoparticle catalysts by means of controlling charging behaviour with applications in the automotive catalyst sector. Additionally, I lead projects in developing new particle detection and synthesis techniques. 

I am affiliated with other networks at the University of Cambridge, including the Centre for Sustainable Freight (www.csrf.ac.uk), the Cambridge Particle Meeting (www.cambridgeparticlemeeting.org) and Energy Efficient Cities initiative (EECi, www.eeci.cam.ac.uk), which focus on developing analysis tools that demonstrate achievable reductions in energy use and emissions. Prior to this appointment (2010), I was a 3M Fellow at the University of Minnesota where I also received my PhD.

Strategic themes

Energy, transport and urban infrastructure

Emissions characterization from light duty (Energy Efficient Cities Initiative) and heavy duty vehicle fleet (Centre for Sustainable Road Freight). Work is ongoing in the development of low-cost particle sensors and portable emissions measurement systems (PEMS).

Manufacturing, design and materials

Serves as director of the Advanced Nanotube Applications and Manufacturing (ANAM) Initiative,  www.anam.eng.cam.ac.uk, which seeks to scale-up industrial production of CNT materials, advance CNT functionality and develop CNT products.

Research projects

Carbon nanotube synthesis, catalyst nanoparticle production, emissions measurements, dual fuel (methane-diesel) vehicle testing.

Teaching activity

Energy MPhil Instructor