Experimental Equipment Call
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Sheffield
Department Name: Physics and Astronomy
Abstract
The research activity that will be supported by this proposal supports a wide range of advanced materials research and will focus on seven key areas including:
*High Speed Additive Manufacturing
*Fabrication and Characterisation of Functional Molecular Films
*New Frontiers in Material Characterisation
*Nuclear Materials
*Advanced Nanomaterials and Devices
*Polymer Science, Soft Matter and Colloids
*Functional Property Characterisation
*High Speed Additive Manufacturing
*Fabrication and Characterisation of Functional Molecular Films
*New Frontiers in Material Characterisation
*Nuclear Materials
*Advanced Nanomaterials and Devices
*Polymer Science, Soft Matter and Colloids
*Functional Property Characterisation
Planned Impact
The experimental equipment detailed in this proposal will deliver a range of benefits to the beneficiaries outlined below:
Firstly, industrial partners (both new and with whom the University already maintains close and productive relationships) will benefit from direct access to otherwise unobtainable cutting-edge equipment, as well as to the outputs/results of research conducted Sheffield academics and third parties on this equipment. This is expected to: offer greater design freedom for product designers and manufacturers by eliminating prohibitive up front tooling costs; remove the key barriers to wider adoption of additive manufacturing, i.e. cost and speed of production; generate new IP and new materials for fields such as energy, optical devices and photonic applications. The availability of this equipment is also expected to attract interest from new partners and act as a catalyst for new partnerships and collaborations.
SMEs in particular have already expressed interest in developing new types of product and optimising their quality using this new equipment, which would otherwise be beyond their reach. Among the names already interested in the commercial opportunities on offer are Attocube Systems, Helia Photonics, M2 Lasers and Toshiba Europe.
Secondly, a large number of the projects planned for the proposed equipment offer strong environmental benefits e.g. lower emissions by reducing weight in transport applications and offering digital 'transportation' of CAD files instead of transportation of products; and low-carbon technology using thin film techniques such as low-cost photovoltaics, low-energy lighting and thin-film batteries.
Care will be taken to ensure that the new equipment will also benefit students of the University at all levels but particularly at PhD and Early career levels giving them valuable practical and technical skills and experience on cutting edge machinery that are much sought after by (and of great benefit to) industrial employers.
By offering access, such as Dual Beam FIB beam time to other regional universities, the scientific and research benefits of the equipment will be shared and maximised and concrete opportunities for new collaborative and multi-disciplinary projects to foster innovation in this expanding sector will be.
The participating teams boast strong track records in communication and public engagement that will ensure that interested members of the public will be given every chance to find out more about a new and exciting field with myriad potential applications, in engaging and vivid ways.
Firstly, industrial partners (both new and with whom the University already maintains close and productive relationships) will benefit from direct access to otherwise unobtainable cutting-edge equipment, as well as to the outputs/results of research conducted Sheffield academics and third parties on this equipment. This is expected to: offer greater design freedom for product designers and manufacturers by eliminating prohibitive up front tooling costs; remove the key barriers to wider adoption of additive manufacturing, i.e. cost and speed of production; generate new IP and new materials for fields such as energy, optical devices and photonic applications. The availability of this equipment is also expected to attract interest from new partners and act as a catalyst for new partnerships and collaborations.
SMEs in particular have already expressed interest in developing new types of product and optimising their quality using this new equipment, which would otherwise be beyond their reach. Among the names already interested in the commercial opportunities on offer are Attocube Systems, Helia Photonics, M2 Lasers and Toshiba Europe.
Secondly, a large number of the projects planned for the proposed equipment offer strong environmental benefits e.g. lower emissions by reducing weight in transport applications and offering digital 'transportation' of CAD files instead of transportation of products; and low-carbon technology using thin film techniques such as low-cost photovoltaics, low-energy lighting and thin-film batteries.
Care will be taken to ensure that the new equipment will also benefit students of the University at all levels but particularly at PhD and Early career levels giving them valuable practical and technical skills and experience on cutting edge machinery that are much sought after by (and of great benefit to) industrial employers.
By offering access, such as Dual Beam FIB beam time to other regional universities, the scientific and research benefits of the equipment will be shared and maximised and concrete opportunities for new collaborative and multi-disciplinary projects to foster innovation in this expanding sector will be.
The participating teams boast strong track records in communication and public engagement that will ensure that interested members of the public will be given every chance to find out more about a new and exciting field with myriad potential applications, in engaging and vivid ways.
People |
ORCID iD |
Richard Jones (Principal Investigator) |
Publications
Bento A
(2021)
Quantification of Structure-Property Relationships for Plant Polyesters Reveals Suberin and Cutin Idiosyncrasies.
in ACS sustainable chemistry & engineering
Cosby J
(2021)
Co-assembly and Structure of Sodium Dodecylsulfate and other n-Alkyl Sulfates in Glycerol: n-Alkyl Sulfate-Glycerol Crystal Phase.
in Journal of colloid and interface science
Batey DJ
(2021)
X-Ray Ptychography with a Laboratory Source.
in Physical review letters
Beattie DL
(2021)
Rational synthesis of novel biocompatible thermoresponsive block copolymer worm gels.
in Soft matter
Hunter SJ
(2020)
How Do Charged End-Groups on the Steric Stabilizer Block Influence the Formation and Long-Term Stability of Pickering Nanoemulsions Prepared Using Sterically Stabilized Diblock Copolymer Nanoparticles?
in Langmuir : the ACS journal of surfaces and colloids
Dunderdale GJ
(2020)
Flow-induced crystallisation of polymers from aqueous solution.
in Nature communications
Hunter SJ
(2020)
Effect of Salt on the Formation and Stability of Water-in-Oil Pickering Nanoemulsions Stabilized by Diblock Copolymer Nanoparticles.
in Langmuir : the ACS journal of surfaces and colloids
Byard SJ
(2020)
Unique aqueous self-assembly behavior of a thermoresponsive diblock copolymer.
in Chemical science
Lishchuk A
(2019)
Turning the challenge of quantum biology on its head: biological control of quantum optical systems.
in Faraday discussions
Derry MJ
(2019)
Correction: Thermoreversible crystallization-driven aggregation of diblock copolymer nanoparticles in mineral oil.
in Chemical science
Description | The new multidisciplinary collaborations that the equipment has led to have led to new engagements with non-academic users, for example the multinational coatings company AkzoNobel and the Cambridge based SME Eight19, and has consolidated existing collaborations, e.g. with Sellafield Ltd., the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and National Nuclear Laboratory. |
First Year Of Impact | 2017 |
Sector | Chemicals,Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software),Electronics,Energy,Manufacturing, including Industrial Biotechology |
Description | EPSRC Impact Acceleration Account via University of Sheffield IIKE |
Amount | £25,000 (GBP) |
Funding ID | EP/K503812/1 |
Organisation | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 06/2016 |
End | 03/2017 |
Description | Akzo-Nobel collaboration |
Organisation | AkzoNobel |
Department | AkzoNobel UK |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Private |
PI Contribution | We plan to help our industrial partner understand and improve the development of a high value commercial product |
Collaborator Contribution | Materials, expertise and market access. |
Impact | Akzo-Nobel Marine coatings division to fund a CDT phd studentship in the area of anti-fouling research. This studentship (£40k) will start in September 2017 |
Start Year | 2016 |
Description | Big Solar Ltd collaboration |
Organisation | Big Solar Ltd |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Private |
PI Contribution | Sheffield have been working with back-contact groove architecture electrodes supplied by Big Solar Ltd, and have been exploring their combination with perovskite semiconductors. We have been making and testing devices, and helping Big Solar tune the electronic properties of their n and p electrode materials. |
Collaborator Contribution | Big solar have fabricated the back-contact electrode substrates, and have provided advice and guidance about the direction of the project. |
Impact | No technical outputs - it is commercially sensitive. |
Start Year | 2016 |