Multiscale tuning of interfaces and surfaces for energy applications

The aim of this proposal is to establish a Core Activity within the UK Centre for Advanced Materials for Energy Generation and Transmission along the lines of the national Supergen Consortia in Energy Engineering. We anticipate being one of three Cores comprising an overall Centre activity and expect to play an important role in delivering such a Centre. Here, we build our case around the most critical element in many manifestations of Energy Materials applications, the interfaces between the active elements. The interface between active components and, indeed, the surface are usually of great importance in determining the functionality of any energy materials application. For example, the critical region determining the performance and lifetime of most electrochemical systems is normally at the electrode side of the electrode/electrolyte interface.

The proposal is split into three components: (1) Platform Research within the Core (60%); (2) Flexible Funding for collaborative research with University & Industry Partners outside the Core (30%), using which we will seek to build up capability through pump-priming and proof of concept studies. Thirdly, this will be strongly supported through interactions and collaborations through (3) Networking and Outreach (10%). The grouping not only offers strong expertise in a broad range of Energy Materials, but also brings together diverse skills and disciplines in a highly complementary manner to address exciting research challenges at Energy Materials interfaces.

Global warming and the finite nature of fossil fuels conspire to present one of the greatest threats to humankind in the 21st century. If we are to maintain our technological society and leave a planet fit for our grandchildren we must develop fundamentally different ways of generating and storing electrical energy. This application is made in response to the recent call from EPSRC for proposals to set up virtual research centres for energy materials and aims to form one of the core teams, bringing together leading research groups across a broad range of energy and materials technologies which will form a basis from which to develop applications driven solutions to problems related to interfaces in energy devices.

The application is strongly aligned to two of the eight Great Technologies: Advanced Materials and Energy. Many of the investigators in this core group have significant industrial experience and collaborative history, providing a large existing network through which to explore new partnerships and drive knowledge transfer and outreach activities The breadth of these collaborations create the potential for exciting new partnerships to be developed, especially across industries which would maybe not traditionally work together but may have complimentary goals cutting across disciplinary boundaries. This has the potential to forrn the foundation of sustainable new activities in this area which can make a substantive contribution both to academic understanding of the fundamental issues but also tangible real world solutions to industrial problems and roadblocks to full commercialisation of promising energy systems.

The interface between active components and, indeed, the surface are usually of great importance in determining the functionality of any energy materials application. For example, the critical region determining the performance and lifetime of most electrochemical systems is normally at the electrode side of the electrode/electrolyte interface. In the Core activity of this project we bring together complimentary skills to address this key element of the Energy Materials portfolio. Not only is this a particularly important area of research, it also transcends well beyond the normal barriers between topics and disciplines. We aim to study critical interfaces from atomistic to mm scale with perspectives from chemical functionality to structural stability. This will form the underpinning knowledge from which we can buils the industrially facing solutions driven projects within the flexible funding projects.

The key output will be the creation of a solid knowledge foundation working in close partnership with other cores within the proposed centre, engaging with other EPSRC Hubs and industrial partnerships to create a sustainable development portfolio which ultimately leads to new commercially viable energy technologies which can make a tangible impact on the energy trilema of sustainability, cost and security.