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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.
This case study describes the invention, development and subsequent commercial application of the floating low-energy ion gun (FLIG), a key enabling technology for high-resolution depth profiling, in particular of semiconductor devices. Following its invention at the University of Warwick, the FLIG was commercialised and now plays an important role in the semiconductor industry as a key analytical instrument. Intel and its competitors have used the FLIG in developing specific technologies, such as the PentiumTM, XeonfTM and CoreTM i7 processors. Its impact extends beyond the electronics industry to consumers worldwide since the FLIG has played a key role in the development of multicore processors for personal computers, intense low-energy lighting for automotive and civil engineering, mobile telecommunications technology, and many other areas of advanced electronic, and other material, technologies. This invention has also led directly to an ISO standard for depth resolution.
Research in the UAO has led to major advances in the technique of Atom Probe microanalysis. The UOA pioneered the concept of position sensitive detectors for Atom Probe instruments, generated the first 3D data and built the first prototype instruments. Following a series of patented advances and the formation of a spin-off company (subsequently incorporated into Ametek), research in the UOA has led directly to the sale of 45 Local Electrode Atom Probe (LEAP) instruments since 2008 with a value of $102M. These instruments have been used to provide atomic scale chemical information vital to the design of new commercial alloys and to safety cases for life extension of nuclear power plants.
The unique application of combinatorial chemistry in materials science at Southampton has directly underpinned the success of University spin-out, Ilika Technologies. Since 2008, the breadth of applications of the research has allowed Ilika:
Between 2008 and 2012, Ilika enjoyed considerable growth, doubling employment to 35 staff, increasing turnover by approximately 25% annually, and floating on the AIM with a market capitalisation of £18.7 million.
Graham Buckton's work at the UCL School of Pharmacy has involved the development of new techniques, which are now industry standards, for assessing the amorphous content of materials in inhalation products. This work has had a significant influence on both manufacturing quality control and regulatory requirement, including informing FDA policy, to the effect that this type of assessment is now a requirement for licensing of powder inhalation medicines in the US and Europe. Benefits to drug companies include cost savings and more reliable production. Furthermore, the associated School of Pharmacy spin-out company, Pharmaterials, offers these assessments as a core part of its commercial activity, with a large client base of industrial partners who require such assessments for their inhalation and other products. The overall result of this work has been changes and improvements in the design, control and manufacture of inhalation products.
Nature's Raincoats is a physical exhibition and a website providing easily accessible information and resources. These entities have had extensive use within the public understanding of superhydrophobic surfaces (extremely repellent to water), including The Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition, Cheltenham Science Festival, The Big Bang Fair, British Science Festival and Techfest (India) — reaching thousands of people in the UK and overseas. As well as impacting on improved public awareness, the research informed website provides a direct route to research expertise for companies within the UK and internationally and extends good practice of working with industry e.g. Rolls Royce.
Patents arising from EPSRC funded research by Kilner (PI) and Steele, Atkinson and Brandon (CoI's) resulted in the development of a unique metal-supported solid oxide fuel cell and formation of the spin out company Ceres Power in 2001. Ongoing development at Ceres Power has been supported by further underpinning research by the Fuel Cell group in the Department of Materials at Imperial and has produced a world-leading SOFC fuel cell module which provides the core component for a variety of applications and fuels, including: micro combined heat and power (mCHP); mobile auxiliary power units (APU); and remote power. Ceres Power has developed a mCHP unit containing the core module for residential applications powered by natural gas in collaboration with British Gas and Bord Gais (Ireland). The unit has an electrical efficiency of 45% and total efficiency of 90%. It reduces the energy bill by 25%, and saves around 1.5 tonnes of CO2 per annum per household. The company is AIM listed and in 2011 had 160 employees, with a technology centre in Crawley and a manufacturing plant in Horsham. Over the period of the review the company has directly provided approximately 600 man years of employment in the UK.
XeraCarb Ltd is a spin-out company formed in 2011 to exploit a class of ceramic composite materials co-invented by Jones. These materials were first devised in 2008 via a Materials and Engineering Research Institute (MERI) Knowledge Transfer activity and developed from 2009 onwards through a series of UK Ministry of Defence (UK MoD)-funded research projects. XeraCarb was spun out after the underpinning research won a national award in 2011 as the most promising UK materials system for commercialisation. The applications for XeraCarb's materials range from body- and vehicle-armour to kiln furniture and wear-resistant components. The company has attracted significant venture capital investment and is valued at over £1m. It has set up an independent production facility, has appointed employees, has been awarded a TSB grant, has materials undergoing trials in respect of a number of applications, and has delivered its first orders.