Experimental Equipment Call for Imperial College London

Lead Research Organisation: Imperial College London
Department Name: Physics

Abstract

This proposal seeks investment in key items of experimental equipment to a broad range of researchers from across the Engineering and Physical Sciences domains. Investment is also sought to refresh or update of existing equipment. It is targeted specifically at key research strengths, including advanced materials and in particular surface and interface characterisation of nanomaterials. Other target areas are high-speed imaging, optic fabrication, biomedical engineering and core imaging technologies.

Planned Impact

It is intended that the funding provides as much added value and impact as possible.

Firstly, researchers benefiting from experience of working on facilities at the frontiers of research will be more highly skilled.

Secondly, many of the research teams benefiting from the enhanced facilities are already engaging with end-users or they are working on collaborative grants with industrial partners. The impact will therefore occur through day-to-day interactions on these projects, with end-users benefiting from increased quality of outcomes resulting from the enhanced equipment base.

The multidisciplinary nature of these bundles means that researchers will need to collaborate well in order to avoid multiple duplication of equipment. If successful, the new equipment funded through this award will be added to our institutional Research Facilities Directory - an on line database available to all members of College and will ensure maximum usage of equipment and reduce duplication.

IP that may arise through experiments performed on the equipment will be dealt with through the usual channels at Imperial and if any intellectual property requires protection then IC innovations will handle the formal patenting activities.

Publications

10 25 50

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García-Trenco A (2018) PdIn intermetallic nanoparticles for the Hydrogenation of CO2 to Methanol in Applied Catalysis B: Environmental

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Mielewczyk-Gryn A (2019) Water uptake analysis of acceptor-doped lanthanum orthoniobates in Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry

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Regoutz A (2018) A novel laboratory-based hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy system. in The Review of scientific instruments

 
Description The key provision of this award was a range of new underpinning research capability. The key findings are therefore multi-faceted and cover the broadest range of science and engineering disciplines. Fundamentally the award has supported the development of well in excess of 100 researchers at all levels from the disciplines across the full range of departments at Imperial College. In addition we have engaged with numerous industry partners, supported the work of our Centres for Doctoral Training, in both research and training, and provided data to support numerous research publications, spin-out companies and further funding applications. There is no single discovery or piece of work that can be highlighted as the nature of the award was to provide underpinning capability.
Exploitation Route The data and experience of operating these advanced characterisation instruments provides a model for facilities in the most effective operation of research infrastructure, in the most effective ways of interacting with users (training, costing, technique development) and in the applicability of certain techniques to a range of technical problems.
Sectors Aerospace

Defence and Marine

Chemicals

Education

Electronics

Energy

Environment

Healthcare

 
Description The equipment that was procured through this funding stream has underpinned research across the college since its installation and has resulted in numerous PhD and PDRA fellows receiving training and publishing their data. This has led to collaborations with numerous industries and hence the impact is multi sectoral, but virtually impossible to quantify. The most significant impact is therefore in the education and training of users, but each of the pieces of equipment have contributed to new findings across many industry sectors. Indeed the availability of this equipment has been central to the success of the department of materials in securing significant subsequent research awards that rely on the data that is generated by these instruments, The broad and underpinning nature of the equipment means that attributing individual contributions is impossible.
First Year Of Impact 2016
Sector Aerospace, Defence and Marine,Education,Energy,Environment,Healthcare
Impact Types Cultural

Societal