School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Cantock's Close, Bristol BS8 1TS, UK
Ph: +44 (0)117 3318256; email: wuge.briscoe@bristol.ac.uk
Benoit Quignon
After obtaining his DUT in Chemistry in Rouen, France, Benoit came to England in search of fine weather. But instead, he obtained a BSc in Chemistry with Business Management followed by an MSc in Analytical Chemistry. He then went onto work in the industry, testing medecines for the Medecines Health Regulatory Agency (MHRA) before enrolling for a PhD at Bristol. Benoit's main interests lies in science, more generally computing, electronics and mechanics. In his spare time, Benoit enjoys DIY, reading fiction literature and practice the piano.
PhD Research: Friction of nanostructured surfaces
Friction is very important, and although the ancient empirical laws governing friction are still widely accepted, the fundamental physical understanding of friction remains unclear. This is particularly true at the micro- and nano-scale, where understanding of phenomena such as stick-slip and the relationship between friction and the contact area, surface topography and surface roughness are yet to be defined.
During my PhD, I aim to investigate friction at the nanoscale using well-defined nanotextured surfaces such as aluminium oxide nanodomes (in collaboration with Dr. D Mattia at Bath) and Zinc Oxide nanorods (in collaboration with Prof. M. Ashfold at Bristol), and aim to measure the friction coefficient of such surfaces using an Atomic Force Microscope, using standard, colloidal or textured nanotips.