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This Case Study illustrates how research has had a significant impact on the awareness and management of hydrogen hazards across the UK's pre-eminent nuclear decommissioning and reprocessing organisation, Sellafield Ltd (formerly BNFL). It has enabled Sellafield to:
In addition, LSBU has, since 2008, benefited from contract research from Sellafield valued at over £1 million.
The underpinning research involved modelling the diffusion of hydrogen on silicon surfaces, and the electronic structure of dopant atoms on silicon surfaces. This data was used to inform, guide and develop the atomically precise manufacturing processes of Zyvex Labs. These processes remove hydrogen atoms from a silicon surface to create patterns with atomic precision for later overgrowth. As a result of the UCL research, Zyvex Labs has already obtained funding of $14 million, several jobs have been created, and at least two products are being brought to market.
The School of Chemistry has a long track record of pioneering and innovative outreach activities aimed at stimulating public interest and understanding in chemistry research and its societal impact. During the period 2008-2013 it successfully communicated to a wide-ranging audience the significance of a series of "firsts" in the areas of nanoscience and materials for energy applications. Using YouTube, Royal Society Summer Science Exhibitions, roadshows and science festivals, this award-winning approach has engaged hundreds of thousands through digital media and thousands more face-to-face, raising public awareness, inspiring interest in science and delivering educational benefits for students and teachers alike.
The adoption of hydrogen and fuel cell systems provides one solution to fossil fuel depletion, security of energy supplies and sustainability concerns. However, safety is a key technological barrier to the hydrogen economy. The technological impact of this case study is the adoption of research outcomes, from work undertaken by the Hydrogen Safety Engineering and Research centre (HySAFER), Built Environment Research Institute into international regulations, codes, and standards (namely Commission Regulation (EU) No.406/2010, and the international ISO/TR15916), and development of novel safety strategies, guidance, protocols, and engineering solutions supported by significant external research funding.
Novel vapour sorption experimental methods for the characterisation of complex particulate materials have been developed in the Department of Chemical Engineering. This research and expertise resulted in the creation of Surface Measurement Systems Limited (SMS), whose Dynamic Vapour Sorption (DVS) and Inverse Gas Chromatography (IGC) instruments are now found in >500 laboratories around the world. They are recognised standard research and development tools in the global pharmaceutical industry (DIN 66138). SMS has contributed >270 man-years of employment and generated £27M of turnover, whilst SMS instruments have generated over £300M of economic value, over the REF period.
Research at the University of Bath on highly structured materials for adsorbing and separating gases has created business and economic impact via:
[Comment: Although beyond the cut-off date for impact achievement, as at 31 October 2013 n-psl had been acquired by the FTSE 100 listed international engineering group, IMI plc.]
Between January 2008 and July 2013, over 10,000 key stage 4 school students and their teachers directly engaged with active research of the Cavendish Laboratory, Department of Physics, University of Cambridge through an annual interactive 3 day exhibition, titled "Physics at Work". In 2012 the event attracted 31 non-selective state schools and 17 selective/independent schools, 23 of which had visited the exhibition 3 or more times previously- a testament to its success. Building on the enthusiasm that the students showed during their participation in the event, teachers noted an increase in the number opting to study A-level physics and stated that those previously with no interest left with a very positive image of the subject.
Research at the University of Bristol's Interface Analysis Centre has been used to make storage of uranium and uranium carbide safer.
Our research into uranium corrosion has been used to predict the state of uranium present in `intolerable' legacy wastes at Sellafield and has shaped the way that Sellafield Ltd intends to safely recover and repackage it for prolonged storage. Our research has also similarly influenced the operations of the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) in relation to improving the safety of stored materials. Our research has also been used to implement treatment processes for uranium carbide wastes arising at CERN.
Professor Jostins' research has produced dual electric/hydrogen-powered vehicles to address urban pollution. The research has delivered impact by pushing the boundaries of alternative fuels design and technology, by supporting the economic prosperity of the automotive industry and its supply chain and by influencing policy makers to invest in hydrogen. From a quarter scale model in 1998, it and subsequent iterations have had significant impact. Highlights include deployment of the UK's first hydrogen vehicle fleet in 2009, nomination for the Condé Nast Award: Innovation & Design in 2012 and the invitation to join the SWARM project (a demonstration of small four- wheeled fuel cell vehicles, http://swarm-project.eu/home.html) as a pan-European hybrid vehicle demonstrator, 2012. Beneficiaries include Horizon Fuel Cell, Westfield and Lotus (new products developed), and the South African and Scottish Governments (hydrogen economy developed).
The impact presented in this case study is the commercialisation of 15 products with perfume microcapsules by Procter and Gamble (P&G), made possible using capsule mechanical strength data provided by Prof Zhibing Zhang's research group at Birmingham. Use of microcapsules gives improved freshness performance, and thus commercial advantage, compared with traditional formulations; they have been incorporated in P&G's four major billion-dollar brands — Downy, Febreze, Lenor and Tide. This has significantly improved their competitiveness enabling P&G to retain their leading position in the USA and Western Europe. A novel micromanipulation technique developed at the University of Birmingham has been used extensively to obtain mechanical properties data for the micro-particles, including microcapsules prepared in Birmingham and provided by companies, which is related to their formulation and processing conditions and end- use performance. In addition, the knowledge generated has helped 15 other companies to commercialise new functional products containing micro-particles.