The manipulation and investigation of negatively charged 2D materials for applications

2-dimensional nanomaterials can have fascinating and technologically-relevant properties, high surfaces areas, and can be assembled into nanoscale devices, functional films and electrodes. It is anticipated that these materials will play an enormous role in the future industries of IT, healthcare and energy conversion and storage.
We have recently discovered a new method for forming 2d nanosheets [1] and nanoribbons [2,3] in liquids with several unique characteristics: the nanomaterials are individually isolated and negatively charged permitting their controllable manipulation in unprecedented ways. In this project, we will develop methods for manipulating these nanomaterials into coatings, films and devices, by exploiting their charge for their scalable but high-precision manipulation by electro-deposition or depositing on chemical or charge patterned surfaces. We aim to produce and test real-world demonstrators from our deposited nanosheets with collaborators in UCL Chemical Engineering (corrosion resistant coatings/catalyst supports) and UCL Electrical Engineering (antennas).

The production and processing of materials accounts for 15% of UK GDP and generates exports valued at £50bn annually, with UK materials related industries having a turnover of £197bn/year. It is, therefore, clear that the success of the UK economy is linked to the success of high value materials manufacturing, spanning a broad range of industrial sectors. In order to remain competitive and innovate in these sectors it is necessary to understand fundamental properties and critical processes at a range of length scales and dynamically and link these to the materials' performance. It is in this underpinning space that the CDT-ACM fits.

The impact of the CDT will be wide reaching, encompassing all organisations who research, manufacture or use advanced materials in sectors ranging from energy and transport to healthcare and the environment. Industry will benefit from the supply of highly skilled research scientists and engineers with the training necessary to advance materials development in all of these crucial areas. UK and international research facilities (Diamond, ISIS, ILL etc.) will benefit greatly from the supply of trained researchers who have both in-depth knowledge of advanced characterisation techniques and a broad understanding of materials and their properties. UK academia will benefit from a pipeline of researchers trained in state-of the art techniques in world leading research groups, who will be in prime positions to win prestigious fellowships and lectureships. From a broader perspective, society in general will benefit from the range of planned outreach activities, such as the Mary Rose Trust, the Royal Society Summer Exhibition and visits to schools. These activities will both inform the general public and inspire the next generation of scientists.

The cohort based training offered by the CDT-ACM will provide the next generation of research scientists and engineers who will pioneer new research techniques, design new multi-instrument workflows and advance our knowledge in diverse fields. We will produce 70 highly qualified and skilled researchers who will support the development of new technologies, in for instance the field of electric vehicles, an area of direct relevance to the UK industrial impact strategy.
In summary, the CDT will address a skills gap that has arisen through the rapid development of new characterisation techniques; therefore, it will have a positive impact on industry, research facilities and academia and, consequently, wider society by consolidating and strengthening UK leadership in this field.