Glass substrates for energy applications

Background:
Nippon Sheet Glass (NSG) is one of the largest glass manufactures in the world. With a strong presence in Europe and manufacturing sites in the UK NSG produces a wide range of glass products. NSG produces glass for markets such as automotive, display and optical products and in considerable volume for the built environment. NSG seeks to add value to their current building integrated glazing range by extending their current functionality from such things as low emissivity and self-cleaning to that of energy generation. The opportunities in the field of energy are significant and include solution deposited transparent photovoltaics (OPV), opaque photovoltaic spandrel panels (Perovskite) and substrates for photocatalytic hydrogen and solar fuel generation.

Project Aims:
The glass substrate can play a range of roles in these technologies both by providing a rigid transparent support as well as through deposition of multi-layers within the product architecture. The task of this project is to understand the glass substrate and explore technology innovations that can be employed using the solution processing techniques available at the SPECIFIC Innovation and Knowledge Centre (IKC) at Swansea University. This will involve working within the scale-up group at SPECIFIC, led by Professor Trystan Watson and collaborating with the NSG research team at Lathom in the UK.

The SPECIFIC IKC sits beyond fundamental science to identify the technologies emerging from laboratories and assess their suitability to scale up in the area of building integrated functional coatings that generate, store or release energy. The scale-up group has responsibility for identifying new device architecture and chemistries that fit with the necessary criteria of large-scale manufacture which includes earth abundance, manufacturing feasibility and impact on the environment.

The CDT will produce 50 graduates with doctoral level knowledge and research skills focussed on the development and manufacture of functional industrial coatings. Key impact areas are:

Knowledge
- The development of new products and processes to address real scientific challenges existing in industry and to transfer this knowledge into partnering companies. The CDT will enable rapid knowledge transfer between academia and industry due to the co-created projects and co-supervision.
- The creation of knowledge sharing network for partner companies created by the environment of the CDT.
- On average 2-3 publications per RE. Publications in high impact factor journals. The scientific scope of the CDT comprises a mixture of interdisciplinary areas and as such a breadth of knowledge can be generated through the CDT. Examples would include Photovoltaic coatings - Journal of Materials Chemistry A (IF 8.867) and Anti-corrosion Coatings - Corrosion Science (IF 5.245), Progress in Organic Coatings (IF 2.903)
- REs will disseminate knowledge at leading conferences e.g. Materials Research Society (MRS), Meetings of the Electrochemical Society, and through trade associations and Institutes representing the coatings sector.
- A bespoke training package on the formulation, function, use, degradation and end of life that will embed the latest research and will be available to industry partners for employees to attend as CPD and for other PGRs demonstrating added value from the CDT environment.

Wealth Creation
- Value added products and processes created through the CDT will generate benefits for Industrial partners and supply chains helping to build a productive nation.
- Employment of graduates into industry will transfer their knowledge and skills into businesses enabling innovation within these companies.
- Swansea University will support potential spin out companies where appropriate through its dedicated EU funded commercialisation project, Agor IP.

Environment and society
- Functionalised surfaces can potentially improve human health through anti-microbial surfaces for health care infrastructure and treatment of water using photocatalytic coatings.
- Functionalised energy generation coatings will contribute towards national strategies regarding clean and secure energy.
- Responsible research and innovation is an overarching theme of the CDT with materials sustainability, ethics, energy and end of life considered throughout the development of new coatings and processes. Thus, REs will be trained to approach all future problems with this mind set.
- Outreach is a critical element of the training programme (for example, a module delivered by the Ri on public engagement) and our REs will have skills that enable the dissemination of their knowledge to wide audiences thus generating interest in science and engineering and the benefits that investments can bring.

People
- Highly employable doctoral gradates with a holistic knowledge of functional coatings manufacture who can make an immediate impact in industry or academia.
- The REs will have transferable skills that are pertinent across multiple sectors.
- The CDT will develop ethically aware engineers with sustainability embed throughout their training
- The promotion of equality, diversity and inclusivity within our cohorts through CDT and University wide initiatives.
- The development of alumni networks to grow new opportunities for our CDT and provide REs with mentors.