Centre for Advanced Materials for Integrated Energy Systems (CAM-IES)

The Centre of Advanced Materials for Integrated Energy Systems (CAM-IES) is a partnership between four UK universities, Cambridge, Newcastle, Queen Mary and University College London, focused on the development of advanced materials for energy conversion and energy storage based on solid-state, higher voltage, and flow batteries, solid-oxide fuel cells (SOFCs), CO2 gas separation membranes, hybrid thin film photovoltaics (PVs) and large-area thermoelectrics for future renewable and clean energy systems. The overarching goal of CAM-IES it to help build a UK-wide community of cross-disciplinary materials researchers focused on energy applications. We target off-grid/grid-tied applications, large-/grid-scale centralised energy generation and storage and energy solutions for mobile internet communication technologies.

CAM-IES will provide a forum for scientific collaboration and exchange as well as access to state-of-the art characterisation and growth equipment to the wider UK energy materials community, in particular the unique facilities of the Sir Henry Royce Institute currently being installed in Cambridge. We exploit currently unexplored synergies between these different energy fields, and combine fundamental energy materials research aimed at making significant scientific breakthroughs, including, discovery of new materials, understanding and controlling interfaces, novel integrated device concepts, achieving enhanced device performances, all with strong industry engagement. The latter will include early shaping workshops with industrial partners to identify requirements for materials in specific applications and the establishment of effective methods for evaluating new materials discoveries for industrial scale-up.

The research programmes are focused around six work packages (WPs), aimed at addressing key scientific challenges for each of the devices, e.g., ionic transport across interfaces in solid state batteries and SOFCs membranes, increased efficiency in PVs, and methods for self-assembly in thermoelectrics. WP6 directly attacks the challenges associated with the integration of new materials into working devices and optimising their performance. An overarching theme is to pioneer new metrologies to characterise interfaces under operando conditions, including NMR, magnetic resonance imaging and transmission electron microscopy and pulsed isotope exchange methods. Integration of different devices is enabled by the development of a bespoke tool to enable the controlled deposition and integration of a wide range of low-temperature battery, SOFC, solar cell and thermoelectric materials in a common, inert processing environment. The scope of the work and academic/industrial participation with be expanded via three flexible funding calls, with topics including emerging new research areas, industry driven/partnered, and materials integration research.

We will provide UK academia and businesses with a forum for knowledge exchange and collaboration, coupled with access to world-class facilities to accelerate new concepts to commercial reality. The development of strong modes of collaborative working and networking between individual EPSRC Centres for Advanced Materials for Energy Generation and Transmission, together with our University partners, industry and stakeholder groups, is an important goal. A series of high visibility symposia and workshops involving all the stakeholders, to identify synergies between the EPSRC Advanced Materials Centres and key industry challenges, to disseminate research findings to the community and to train users on CAM-IES facilities, is a key strategy to identify and engage users and disseminate results. We will provide support for students and PDRAs from outside the 4 original partner universities to attend these events and use CAM-IES equipment. Strategic advice to Centre will be provided by a broad and highly experienced, international advisory board from industry and academia.

As outlined in detail in the Case for Support and Pathways to Impact statement in all of the five energy applications (solid-state and redox-flow batteries, solid-oxide fuel cells, membranes for gas separation, high efficiency photovoltaics and solar thermoelectric generators) we are aiming to achieve significant breakthroughs in terms of discovery of new materials with increased performance and novel device concepts. Since all technologies pursued have the potential of making significant contributions to reducing CO2 emissions on a timescale of 5-10 years, there are very clear potential societal benefits beyond immediate economic impacts.

The research will lead to fundamental intellectual property which will be protected and exploited following well-established technology transfer processes at the participating Universities using the services provided by their respective technology transfer offices (TTOs). We have a strong network of industrial partners affiliated with the Centre (as evidenced in the letters of support). These companies will directly benefit from the research results and will be natural exploitation pathways. However, these are not exclusive relationships and we will actively seek to engage a wider range of industrial partners through our programme of targeted workshops and symposia. The Centre will contribute to making the UK a world-leader in advanced materials for clean, renewable energy systems.
Our impact strategy recognises that some of our results, perhaps the most valuable and disruptive ones in the long term, will not fit within a simple linear technology transfer model as they will be at a low technology readiness level, requiring significant further research and development resources to establish commercial viability. We recognise, in particular, the crucial role played by the High Value Manufacturing and the Energy Systems Catapult in bridging between fundamental materials research and industrial development, and we intend to intensify our collaborations with both Catapults and will provide them with new materials technologies for scale-up and prototyping.

A key impact of CAM-IES will be to link the UK-wide community of cross-disciplinary materials researchers focused on energy applications and provide UK academia and businesses with a forum for knowledge exchange and collaboration. The Centre sits at a very interesting and important interface between key strategic initiatives, such as the Supergen hubs in Energy Storage, Solar Power and Hydrogen and Fuel Cells, that are currently not well connected and where we see significant potential for better exploiting synergies. The Centre will facilitate access to world-class facilities to the wider UK energy materials community, including, in particular, facilitated access to a £10 million capital investment in energy materials' characterisation and processing equipment that is part of Cambridge's participation in the Sir Henry Royce Institute. Recognising that significant progress requires sustained funding for research and development at multiple TR levels, the Centre will provide a platform from which to apply for future funding, to increase impact across the board in these strategic areas.

Further benefits achieved from the Centre will be the training of researchers. The Centre will develop the careers of at least 9 directly funded postdocs and at least 14 affiliated PhD students and provide them with unique multidisciplinary skills in energy science and technology. Outreach activities to the general public will also have a high profile. All investigators have strong track records in public engagement and outreach to young people and the general public and will continue to inspire the public at an influential level on energy related societal challenges and opportunities.