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Methods to improve control over thermally-induced solid state transformations have been developed in Huddersfield and applied to materials synthesis and materials characterisation. Impact is being felt by catalyst and adsorbent manufacturers, where feedback-controlled thermal and microwave methods allow improved control of morphology, surface area and porosity, and possibly the nature of surface sites. New thermal characterisation methods, some based on these principles, plus calorimetric adsorption, modulated differential calorimetric and high speed thermal methods, are being applied to catalytic/adsorbent materials. The information arising from these studies is bringing economic benefit to manufacturers. The same techniques are also being applied to pyrotechnic materials, in work which has been credited with making a significant contribution to defence research in the UK and overseas.
Ehiasarian and Hovsepian of the Materials and Engineering Research Institute (MERI) have achieved significant economic impact through industrial uptake of their innovations in High Power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering (HIPIMS). Exploiting these innovations, HIPIMS treatments have been used by manufacturers to enhance the surface properties of millions of pounds worth of products. Applications include industrial blades, components within jet turbines, replacement hip joints, metallised semiconductor wafers and satellite cryo-coolers. Patents based on Ehiasarian and Hovsepian's research have achieved commercial success. In the REF impact period, HIPIMS machines equipped to deliver MERI''s HIPIMS surface pre-treatment have achieved sales of over £5m, and income generated through SHU's HIPIMS-related licences has totalled £403,270. In 2010 Ehiasarian's group established the Joint Sheffield Hallam University-Fraunhofer IST HIPIMS Research Centre, the first such Centre in the UK. This has broadened the industrial uptake of MERI's HIPIMS technologies and stimulated a network of sub-system providers.
Basic research combining scanning probe microscopy with thermal, spectroscopic and chemical analysis has enabled the development of powerful, entirely new forms of analytical microscopy. Commercialisation of instruments for micro-thermal analysis began by TA Instruments, in 1998, based on four patents, followed by a Lancaster start-up company Anasys Ltd. These instruments have since been extensively used in multidisciplinary applications by scientific industry and government laboratories. Anasys has sold over 100 units of these nanoscale thermal analysis instruments (total turnover £3M) and many leading polymer industries, research institutes and academic programs worldwide are now users of this technology.
Cranfield's research into ultra-precision machining and production science has led to new production machines, and to commercial availability of advanced optical surfaces, at a level of accuracy previously impossible. Cranfield's industrial clients have won contracts for advanced surface production worth >£5 million in under five years. Cranfield made:
Surrey Spin-out Surrey Nano Systems (SNS) is a business based around key patents resulting from the work of Prof. Ravi Silva and his team. SNS has raised over £11M from investors who have scrutinised the technology and recognise its value. The business develops technologies for low-substrate-temperature growth of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and for novel low-k dielectric materials both of which align with the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS). SNS is working closely with multinational leaders and has attracted a team that includes senior management experience of selling into the semiconductor process equipment market.
Fingerprints remain the most conclusive means of linking an offender to a crime scene. Conventional visualization techniques require the sweat deposit to be largely retained and thus have low success rates. We have developed technologies to visualize fingerprints on metals after the sweat deposit has been substantively lost, deliberately removed or environmentally degraded. One technology uses microscale corrosion caused by the sweat deposit; it has been used in solving gun crimes. A second technology uses trace residual sweat deposit as a template to direct electrochromic polymer deposition to bare metal between the ridge deposits. These have been adopted in the new Home Office Fingerprinting Manual and licensed to UK forensic providers.
Cranfield's research on Osteomics (the science of bones) & Biominerals (O&B) has improved the manufacture and performance of biomedical prostheses. The techniques developed have also resulted in a spin-out company and analytical techniques with broader application in forensic casework. Specifically, our research has resulted in:
(i) Improved biomedical prostheses where new coating techniques and new product quality assurance protocols and standards underpin coating processes in industry; worth several £M/year. These have been developed with, and are currently used by Biomet, an international medical device manufacturer.
(ii) The creation of a spin-out company, HALO X-ray Technologies, to exploit the technologies based on our novel X-ray analytical techniques.
(iii) Several new analytical methods for the discrimination of bone in forensic case work (used by Cellmark Forensic Services (CFS)).