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The London Centre for Nanotechnology is a UK-based multidisciplinary enterprise operating at the forefront of science and technology. Its purpose is to solve global problems in information processing, healthcare, energy and the environment through the application of nanoscience and nanotechnology. Founded in 2003, the LCN began as a joint venture between University College London and Imperial College London, based at the Bloomsbury and South Kensington sites; from 2018 King's College London joined the collaboration.

The Centre has a unique operating model that accesses and focuses the combined skills of all three universities across several key departments; Chemistry, Physics, Materials, Medicine, Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Biochemical and Biomedical Engineering and Earth Sciences.

The LCN also has strong relationships with the broader nanotechnology and commercial communities and is involved in many major collaborations, nationally and internationally. As the world's only such facility located in the heart of a metropolis, the Centre has superb access to corporate, investment and industrial partners. It is at the forefront of nanotechnology training and enjoys a strong media presence around educating the public and bringing transparency to this far-reaching and emerging science.

Find out more

People

Khuloud Al-Jamal

Professor of Drug Delivery & Nanomedicine and Head of Medicines Development

Wayne Dickson

Reader in Experimental Nanophotonics

Roland Fleck

Director of Centre for Ultrastructural Imaging

Sergi  Garcia-Manyes

Professor of Biophysics

Eileen Gentleman

Professor in Bioengineering

Megan Grace-Hughes

Research Project Manager & LCN Centre Manager

Publications

    News

    King's researchers showcase sustainability research at Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition

    The exhibit delves into the innovative use of light to power sustainable chemistry

    NanoGlow lab setup

    Nanoneedle Technology Corrects Genetic Mutation in Rare Skin Disease

    Researchers from the Faculty of Dentistry, Oral & Craniofacial Sciences at King’s College London have developed a novel technique using tiny, biocompatible...

    nano-needle-cells

    Celebrating Nano for Humanity: How Tiny Science is Shaping Our Future

    The Nano for Humanity event, from the London Centre for Nanotechnology (LCN), brought together physicists from King's College London, Imperial College London...

    Vittorio Aita and Megan Grace-Hughes, the originators of the Nano Dance, stand in front of a large digital screen reading 'NANO DANCE'

    King's researchers celebrate the International Day of Light at Science Gallery London

    The Department of Physics and the London Institute for Advanced Light Technologies (LIALT) hosted 'Guiding Lights' at Science Gallery London on 16 May 2022 to...

    Guiding Lights @ the Science Gallery London

    King's researcher leads £10 million EPSRC grant investigating light-driven energy-conversion

    Could the world’s most abundant energy source – light – solve one of the most pressing demands for a sustainable society, reducing the energy required in key...

    Disks on a photoelectrode for enhanced water splitting

    Events

    17Jun

    London Plasmonics Forum 2025

    The London Plasmonics forum will be hosted at King's College London

    Please note: this event has passed.

    14Apr

    Quantum Day 2025

    Join quantum researchers from across London to learn about the latest advances in quantum engineering, science and technology and how they are being used to...

    Please note: this event has passed.

    Facilities

    LCN equipment at King's is housed in the Strand Research Facility, Centre for Ultrastructural Imaging, London Metallomics Facility and the Nikon Imaging Centre, offering a wide variety of tools for researchers working at the nanoscale, including:

    • Atomic force, electron and optical microscopy
    • Characterisation
    • Fabrication
    • Spectroscopy
    Clean Room Plasma
    Strand Research Facility

    The Strand Research Facility is a collection of instruments and equipment that are accessible to researchers from King's, the London Centre for Nanotechnology (LCN) and elsewhere.

    CUI electron microscopy image
    Centre for Ultrastructural Imaging

    The Centre for Ultrastructural Imaging (CUI) is the central electron microscopy facility at Kings College London. It is a state-of-the-art facility for internal and external collaborators from academic, commercial, and industrial fields across medicine, biological sciences, chemistry, physics, materials sciences, and engineering.

    Nikon Imaging Centre

    This partnership between King’s College London and Nikon Instruments UK offers the latest state-of-the-art light microscopy and imaging to the research community. The Centre also serves as a learning platform for regional corporate partners and contributors.

    London Metallomics Facility
    London Metallomics Facility

    The London Metallomics Facility (LMF) is a King’s College London core research facility, providing state-of-the-art analytical tools to understand the critical roles of metals in biological processes.

    People

    Khuloud Al-Jamal

    Professor of Drug Delivery & Nanomedicine and Head of Medicines Development

    Wayne Dickson

    Reader in Experimental Nanophotonics

    Roland Fleck

    Director of Centre for Ultrastructural Imaging

    Sergi  Garcia-Manyes

    Professor of Biophysics

    Eileen Gentleman

    Professor in Bioengineering

    Megan Grace-Hughes

    Research Project Manager & LCN Centre Manager

    Publications

      News

      King's researchers showcase sustainability research at Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition

      The exhibit delves into the innovative use of light to power sustainable chemistry

      NanoGlow lab setup

      Nanoneedle Technology Corrects Genetic Mutation in Rare Skin Disease

      Researchers from the Faculty of Dentistry, Oral & Craniofacial Sciences at King’s College London have developed a novel technique using tiny, biocompatible...

      nano-needle-cells

      Celebrating Nano for Humanity: How Tiny Science is Shaping Our Future

      The Nano for Humanity event, from the London Centre for Nanotechnology (LCN), brought together physicists from King's College London, Imperial College London...

      Vittorio Aita and Megan Grace-Hughes, the originators of the Nano Dance, stand in front of a large digital screen reading 'NANO DANCE'

      King's researchers celebrate the International Day of Light at Science Gallery London

      The Department of Physics and the London Institute for Advanced Light Technologies (LIALT) hosted 'Guiding Lights' at Science Gallery London on 16 May 2022 to...

      Guiding Lights @ the Science Gallery London

      King's researcher leads £10 million EPSRC grant investigating light-driven energy-conversion

      Could the world’s most abundant energy source – light – solve one of the most pressing demands for a sustainable society, reducing the energy required in key...

      Disks on a photoelectrode for enhanced water splitting

      Events

      17Jun

      London Plasmonics Forum 2025

      The London Plasmonics forum will be hosted at King's College London

      Please note: this event has passed.

      14Apr

      Quantum Day 2025

      Join quantum researchers from across London to learn about the latest advances in quantum engineering, science and technology and how they are being used to...

      Please note: this event has passed.

      Facilities

      LCN equipment at King's is housed in the Strand Research Facility, Centre for Ultrastructural Imaging, London Metallomics Facility and the Nikon Imaging Centre, offering a wide variety of tools for researchers working at the nanoscale, including:

      • Atomic force, electron and optical microscopy
      • Characterisation
      • Fabrication
      • Spectroscopy
      Clean Room Plasma
      Strand Research Facility

      The Strand Research Facility is a collection of instruments and equipment that are accessible to researchers from King's, the London Centre for Nanotechnology (LCN) and elsewhere.

      CUI electron microscopy image
      Centre for Ultrastructural Imaging

      The Centre for Ultrastructural Imaging (CUI) is the central electron microscopy facility at Kings College London. It is a state-of-the-art facility for internal and external collaborators from academic, commercial, and industrial fields across medicine, biological sciences, chemistry, physics, materials sciences, and engineering.

      Nikon Imaging Centre

      This partnership between King’s College London and Nikon Instruments UK offers the latest state-of-the-art light microscopy and imaging to the research community. The Centre also serves as a learning platform for regional corporate partners and contributors.

      London Metallomics Facility
      London Metallomics Facility

      The London Metallomics Facility (LMF) is a King’s College London core research facility, providing state-of-the-art analytical tools to understand the critical roles of metals in biological processes.

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      University College London

      University College London