HD video lectures
19–33 minutes each, with 3D molecular animations, on-screen derivations and full English subtitles.
The curriculum
A rigorous,
A rigorous,
modular curriculum.
Four modules, twenty-eight lessons and eleven hours forty minutes of instruction — sequenced so that every technique you learn is justified by the physics you learned before it.
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Modules
0
Lessons
11h 40m
Video runtime
0
Weeks (guided pace)
70%
Exam pass mark
Module by module
Syllabus PDF
Open any module for the full lesson list.
Why matter below 100 nm stops obeying the intuitions you built on bulk materials — and how to reason about the difference rigorously rather than rhetorically.
1.1The nanoscale world: definitions that actually hold up24:10
1.2Quantum confinement and density of states28:45
1.3Surface-to-volume ratio and surface energy26:20
1.4Classification: 0D, 1D, 2D and 3D nanostructures22:05
1.5Thermodynamics and kinetics at small length scales25:30
1.6Safety, ethics, REACH and safe-by-design33:10
Learning outcome
Explain why a given nanostructure departs from bulk behaviour and defend that reasoning under peer review.
Included resources
Bottom-up chemistry and top-down physics, organised around the one property that separates a paper from a product: reproducibility.
2.1Sol-gel processing: hydrolysis, condensation, ageing27:40
2.2Hydrothermal and solvothermal synthesis24:15
2.3Green synthesis and solvent selection21:50
2.4Chemical vapour deposition (CVD)31:20
2.5PECVD and atomic layer deposition26:05
2.6Mechanical milling and top-down comminution19:45
2.7Lithography and liquid-phase exfoliation28:30
2.8Scale-up: from 5 grams to 5 kilograms20:55
Learning outcome
Select a synthesis route for a target material and justify it on yield, purity, cost and scalability.
Included resources
Reading instruments honestly. Every technique in this module is paired with the artefact most likely to fool you into publishing something wrong.
3.1SEM: imaging modes and charging artefacts26:30
3.2TEM, HRTEM and electron diffraction29:10
3.3Sample preparation: where most errors originate22:40
3.4AFM and scanning probe microscopy24:20
3.5X-ray diffraction and Scherrer analysis25:15
3.6Raman and FTIR spectroscopy27:05
3.7XPS: chemical state and depth profiling23:50
3.8DLS, zeta potential and BET surface area26:10
Learning outcome
Design a characterisation plan for an unknown sample and identify the artefacts most likely to mislead you.
Included resources
From a promising powder to a product that survives procurement, regulation and a cost-down review.
4.1Photovoltaics and light harvesting24:35
4.2Batteries, supercapacitors and fuel cells28:20
4.3Drug delivery, biosensors and nanomedicine27:15
4.4Flexible electronics, quantum dots, spintronics25:40
4.5Environmental remediation and smart coatings22:10
4.6TRL progression, IP strategy and cost modelling27:00
Learning outcome
Assess whether a nanomaterial concept can realistically reach market, at what cost and on what timeline.
Included resources
Learning format
How the teaching actually works.
Self-paced video is the backbone, but it is not the whole programme. Assessment, live contact and usable templates are what make the material stick.
Downloadable materials
Annotated slide decks, datasheets, decision templates and a curated reading list per module.
Assessed quizzes
Auto-graded after every module, with worked explanations for each incorrect answer.
Final examination
A 120-minute supervised examination. Pass mark 70%. Two resit attempts included.
Live office hours
Fortnightly 60-minute sessions with faculty. Recorded and indexed if you cannot attend.
Cohort community
A moderated discussion space organised by module, not a firehose chat channel.
Suggested pace
Fifteen weeks, or as fast as you like.
The cohort follows a guided fifteen-week rhythm at roughly four hours per week. Access does not expire, so you can compress it into six weeks or stretch it across a year.
Median completion time is 13 weeks. The fastest recorded completion was 19 days; we do not recommend it.
1
Weeks 1–3
Module 01 — Foundations
Establish shared vocabulary and the physics that justifies everything after it.
2
Weeks 4–7
Module 02 — Synthesis
The heaviest module. Expect roughly 4 hours of study per week.
3
Weeks 8–11
Module 03 — Characterisation
Paired with an optional data-interpretation workshop using real instrument output.
4
Weeks 12–14
Module 04 — Applications
Case studies, cost modelling and your capstone assessment.
5
Week 15
Final examination
Scheduled at your convenience within a two-week window.
Prerequisites
What you need before you start.
A working foundation in general chemistry and physics at undergraduate level. You do not need prior nanomaterials experience, laboratory access, or any specific software.
Chemistry & physics
Bonding, thermodynamics, basic quantum concepts and reaction kinetics at BSc level.
English at B2+
All lectures, materials and assessments are in English. Subtitles are provided throughout.
Roughly 4h per week
Including video, reading and assessment. Heavier during Module 02.
Cohort 04 · Opens 6 October 2026
Take your work to the nanoscale.
Join researchers and engineers from 27 countries in a university-certified programme built for people who publish, patent and ship.
14-day full refund · Instalments available · 42 places per cohort