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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.
The microscopy facilities in the Biomedical Sciences Research Institute of the University of Ulster have been vastly improved through our collaboration with FEI, the largest European EM manufacturer, which has led them to manufacture a cryostage dual-beam instrument of our design with unique capabilities, and to set up their European reference laboratory here. This has generated two further sets of impacts: collaboration and consultancy with various firms wishing to use our advanced imaging facilities, and advice to national, EU and global bodies on the novel cytotoxic hazards of nanoparticles, a major but optically invisible by-product of modern industry, and consequent public health risks.
New low thermal conductivity (low K) barrier coatings, developed at Cranfield, reduce specific fuel consumption by over 1%. Commercial variants are now implemented on the Trent 1000, used to power the Airbus 380, and the Trent XWB, the new engine to power the Boeing Dreamliner aircraft.
Our thermal barrier coating (TBC) systems have improved thermal efficiency in gas turbines. Low-K TBCs will save 14MtCO2e over the 20 year life of the engine. Adjustment for the effect of emissions at high altitude increases the calculated benefit to 26.6MtCO2e. In fuel costs, this saves operators £1.8 billion over the REF14 period considered and £3.4 billion over the engine lifetime.
Research at the Interface Analysis Centre (IAC) has made innovative analysis products available in a wide range of industries and research fields.
In recognising the challenges facing a competitive, globalised pharmaceutical industry, the Advanced Bioprocessing Centre team at Brunel University have pioneered the technology and a methodology for speeding up the R&D, purification and manufacture of new drugs.
Already being adopted by market leading pharmaceutical companies, the High Performance Counter-current Chromatography presents a new technological platform to generate significant reductions in development costs; an increase in yield and a greener waste process.
The research supported by eight Research Councils grants totalling £3,557,168 led to establishing a spin-out company, Dynamic Extractions, which today operates a commercial enterprise with £1M turnover in partnership with Brunel.
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.
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.
A facility for precision diamond machining of optical components arose from research at Durham University to produce instruments for large telescopes, including NASA's James Webb Space telescope. This now provides a specialist service to industry, with contracts worth over £2.0M from >20 companies over the past 5 years. The users span applications including ophthalmics, automotive optics, microstructures for backlit displays and IR optics. An emerging application is the use of high precision machine metal moulds to reproduce ophthalmic lenses for spectacles. Examples include PixelOptics (USA) who make high-end electronically corrective eyewear, which has won several ophthalmic industry R&D awards, and Eyejusters (UK), which employs complex surface slide lens technology to provide low cost spectacles aimed at improving the lives of people in the developing world.
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.
Nanomaterials research at Ulster into materials including diamond-like carbon (DLC) ultra-thin films, carbon nanotubes (CNT), graphene, silicon and metal oxide nanoparticles has resulted in direct uptake by major industrial manufacturers and led to a directly quantifiable socio-economic impact via added value, improved efficiencies and cost-savings and has secured or increased the employment of skilled engineering staff. Examples of this impact since 2008 include ceramic nanoparticles research in partnership with AVX Ltd that resulted in improved production efficiency processes (up 20%) and higher quality devices (up 10%). [text removed for publication] Research into ultra-thin DLC films, funded by Seagate, has led to their incorporation into magnetic media. [text removed for publication] Our nanoparticle research has attracted a new spin-in company SiSaf Ltd. (2009) and by incorporating NIBEC's expertise in nanomaterials into its business plan, the company was able to grow to a valuation of £3.5m and employ 7 people in skilled technical positions.