Research Subject Area: Inorganic Chemistry

REF impact found 66 Case Studies

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Advanced Materials Modelling for Earth and Space Application

Summary of the impact

Research in materials modelling by the Computational Science and Engineering Group (CSEG) is helping aerospace, defence and transport companies design advanced materials and new manufacturing processes. From lightweight components like aeroengine turbine blades to the control of magnetic fields to stabilise the next generation of International Space Station levitation experiments, CSEG is supporting innovations which have:

  • economic impact due to increase in competitiveness, market share, energy cost reduction and better use of raw materials;
  • environmental impact due to new lightweight recyclable materials and reduced energy processes;
  • increased public awareness of the importance of advanced materials and influenced government policy.

In the assessment period, CSEG collaborated closely with leading industries in steel-making (ArcelorMittal, Corus), primary aluminium (Dubal, Rusal, Norsk-Hydro, SAMI) and lightweight structural materials for transport and aerospace (European Space Agency, Rolls-Royce).

Submitting Institution

University of Greenwich

Unit of Assessment

Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Metallurgy and Materials

Summary Impact Type

Technological

Research Subject Area(s)

Chemical Sciences: Inorganic Chemistry
Engineering: Materials Engineering

Application of environmentally friendly and fire-safe transformer liquids

Summary of the impact

Research on ester liquids (ELs) has proved they can be used in high-voltage (HV) transformers, bringing economic and safety advantages to the power industry and environmental benefits to society. Impact includes revisions to National Grid's oil policy recommending ester-filled HV transformers for use in London and the design and operation of the first 132kV "green" transformer (valued between £1m and £2m). The research has led directly to the creation of two international standards for professionals in global power utilities specifying the use of ELs in transformers. These developments have contributed directly to Manchester SME M&I Materials increasing sales from £15m (2008) to £29m (2012).

Submitting Institution

University of Manchester

Unit of Assessment

Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Metallurgy and Materials

Summary Impact Type

Technological

Research Subject Area(s)

Chemical Sciences: Inorganic Chemistry, Physical Chemistry (incl. Structural)
Engineering: Materials Engineering

Bomb detection

Summary of the impact

Research at the University of Cambridge, Department of Physics on sensitive techniques for measurements of magnetic and electrical properties of materials led to the selection of Dr Michael Sutherland as an expert witness in a series of major police investigations involving fraudulent bomb detecting equipment. Scientific evidence Dr Sutherland presented in court was key in securing guilty verdicts, leading to the breakup in 2013 of several international fraud rings with combined revenue in excess of £70 million. This criminal activity had caused significant damage to the reputation of the UK in Iraq and elsewhere.

Submitting Institution

University of Cambridge

Unit of Assessment

Physics

Summary Impact Type

Technological

Research Subject Area(s)

Physical Sciences: Atomic, Molecular, Nuclear, Particle and Plasma Physics, Condensed Matter Physics
Chemical Sciences: Inorganic Chemistry

Biocatalysis integrated with chemistry and engineering to speed development of green pharmaceutical processes (BiCE programme)

Summary of the impact

UCL research has been instrumental in creating critically needed new biocatalysts and bioprocess technologies for industrial biocatalytic process development. These have impact across the UK chemical and pharmaceutical sectors. BiCE enzyme technologies have been exploited through the formation of a spin-out company, Synthace, generating investment of £1.8m and creation of 7 new jobs. Commercial utilisation of BiCE enzymes by company partners has led to environmental benefits through sustainable syntheses and reduced waste generation. BiCE high-throughput bioprocess technologies have also been adopted to speed biocatalytic process development. UCL established a parallel miniature stirred bioreactor system as a new product line for HEL Ltd. [text removed for publication]. Related knowledge transfer activities have also benefited some 157 industrial employees from over 50 companies since 2008.

Submitting Institution

University College London

Unit of Assessment

Aeronautical, Mechanical, Chemical and Manufacturing Engineering

Summary Impact Type

Technological

Research Subject Area(s)

Chemical Sciences: Inorganic Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Physical Chemistry (incl. Structural)

Biocatalysists for Industrial and Medical Applications

Summary of the impact

Queen's University Belfast has developed a number of biocatalytic processes for the production of pharmaceutical intermediates which have been applied commercially. The most significant involved Vernakalant, a new drug for treatment of the most common form of irregular heartbeat, now available in the EU, and currently awaiting approval in the USA and Canada. In addition, QUB has sold £300,000 worth of bioproducts and through the collaborations with Almac Sciences facilitated the initiation of their biocatalysis business which currently is a multi-million revenue earner for Almac Sciences and employs 30 staff, including 15 PhD graduates from the Queen's group.

Submitting Institution

Queen's University Belfast

Unit of Assessment

Chemistry

Summary Impact Type

Technological

Research Subject Area(s)

Chemical Sciences: Inorganic Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Physical Chemistry (incl. Structural)

BioPhotoVoltaic Devices

Summary of the impact

Developing renewable sources of energy has to go hand in hand with reducing energy demand through increased energy awareness and behavioural change. To this end a multidisciplinary consortium of researchers, led by Professor Christopher Howe (Biochemistry), have developed several biophotovoltaic (BPV) devices for off-grid electricity generation, and as educational tools. This has resulted in impact on commerce (i.e. the acquisition of a BPV spinout company by Ortus Energy Ltd in 2009 through share exchange), on society and culture (an award-winning `Moss Table' developed by the consortium, which incorporates BPV technology, has been exhibited internationally since 2011 and has received extensive international media coverage) and on educational practices (a prototype BPV educational tool for schools has been developed by Howe and colleagues in 2013 and trialled with 6th form students).

Submitting Institution

University of Cambridge

Unit of Assessment

Biological Sciences

Summary Impact Type

Technological

Research Subject Area(s)

Chemical Sciences: Inorganic Chemistry, Physical Chemistry (incl. Structural)
Engineering: Materials Engineering

Catalytic Converter Research Leads to Major New Product for Motor Vehicles

Summary of the impact

Globally there are estimated to be 60 million cars produced each year. These all require catalysts that need testing to meet stringent emissions legislation. Catagen Ltd, a spin-out from Queen's University has developed a product for testing motor vehicle catalysts that is 85% cheaper to operate than traditional methods and represents a 98% reduction in CO2 emission from testing and an 80% reduction in energy input.

Major global customers including GM motors and Fiat have adopted this revolutionary patent protected technology and international sales growth has been recognised, winning an all- Ireland business award for BEST High Growth Company 2012

Submitting Institution

Queen's University Belfast

Unit of Assessment

Aeronautical, Mechanical, Chemical and Manufacturing Engineering

Summary Impact Type

Technological

Research Subject Area(s)

Chemical Sciences: Inorganic Chemistry, Macromolecular and Materials Chemistry, Physical Chemistry (incl. Structural)

C8 - A theoretical prediction leading to a redesigned read head used in all hard-disk drives (HDDs) manufactured today

Summary of the impact

We demonstrate a strong influence on the design of the read head used in the present state-of-the-art hard-disk drive (HDD) first produced commercially in 2008. This much improved read head, enabling disk storage density to increase by a factor of 5 to around 1 Tbit/in2, relies crucially on a magnetic tunnel junction with a MgO barrier whose huge tunneling magnetoresistance was predicted theoretically in a 2001 paper co-authored by Dr A. Umerski [1], the RA on one of our EPSRC-funded research grants. This prediction relied on techniques developed by us over many years, specifically in refs [2] and [3]. Such magnetic tunnel junctions are used in all computer HDDs manufactured today with predicted sales in 2012 amounting to more than $28 billion [section 5, source A].

Submitting Institution

Imperial College London

Unit of Assessment

Mathematical Sciences

Summary Impact Type

Technological

Research Subject Area(s)

Mathematical Sciences: Pure Mathematics
Physical Sciences: Atomic, Molecular, Nuclear, Particle and Plasma Physics
Chemical Sciences: Inorganic Chemistry

C4 - Bio Nano Consulting: a successful bio and nanotechnology consultancy business

Summary of the impact

Bio Nano Consulting (http://www.bio-nano-consulting.com) was established as an operating business in 2007 through a joint venture between Imperial College London and UCL, whose formation was underpinned by research produced by Professor Tony Cass's group at Imperial. The company is the first consultancy in Europe to focus on the increasingly important intersection between bio- and nanotechnology, and it facilitates the development and commercialisation of new biomedical and nanotechnology-based techniques. Since its start-up, the company has attracted numerous clients across the aerospace and diagnostics sectors, including Lockheed-Martin and [text removed for publication]. The company's activities have generated £6M worth of revenue and it has a growing portfolio. The company, which is based in London, currently has 8 full time employees.

Submitting Institution

Imperial College London

Unit of Assessment

Chemistry

Summary Impact Type

Technological

Research Subject Area(s)

Chemical Sciences: Analytical Chemistry, Inorganic Chemistry, Physical Chemistry (incl. Structural)

Chemtrix - Scalable Flow Chemistry

Summary of the impact

Chemtrix Ltd. was established in February 2006 as a 50-50 joint venture between the University of Hull and Lionix Ltd. In 2008 the company attracted investment from Limburg Ventures BV, Panthera, Technostartersfund, Microfix BV and Hugo Delissen (€2 million) that led to the creation of Chemtrix BV. In 2009 the Company launched Chemtrix USA and a second investment round followed with investors Particon BV. In 2012 ESK Ceramics GmbH & Co. KG, acquired a minority interest (30%) in Chemtrix BV based on a valuation of €5.3 million.

The three products developed and marketed by Chemtix, Labtrix®, KiloFlow® and Plantrix®, are differentiated from competitor products as they offer `scalable flow chemistry', such that optimised reaction conditions can be easily scaled from R&D to production. In addition to the employees and investors in Chemtrix the main non-academic beneficiaries of the research have been industrial customers such as Janssen Pharmaceutica NV, Edward Air Force Base, Iolitec GmbH and DSM.

Submitting Institution

University of Hull

Unit of Assessment

Chemistry

Summary Impact Type

Technological

Research Subject Area(s)

Chemical Sciences: Inorganic Chemistry
Engineering: Chemical Engineering, Interdisciplinary Engineering

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