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Ecomaterials & Clean Energy Research
The
aim of this research is to predict and control
materials properties at the atomic level and
so enhance the performance of pollution abatement
and clean energy technologies.
Inspiration
for these studies comes from an appreciation
of the physical and chemical principles of petrogenisis
(the formation of minerals) that allows geological
processes to be mimicked in the laboratory for
the production of new materials. Three streams
of investigation are ongoing:
Apatite
is a phosphate mineral well-known as the major
component of bone and teeth. But there are other
non-phosphate apatites that have been little
studied with respect to potential industrial
applications.
MSE
researchers are making the first attempt to place
all the apatite varieties in the context of the
entire family, a process that is leading to fundamentally
new insights into their chemical nature. This
is leading to the development of durable ceramics
for the stabilization of toxic metal wastes,
ion exchange compounds for the removal of inorganic
pollutants, and catalytic agents for waste water
and gas purification
- A
key property for many ecomaterials is that
they possess high mass transport capacity,
or in other words, the ability to contact large
volumes of pollutant or energy-bearing chemicals.
An obvious way to achieve this goal is the
Swiss-cheese approach where holes or ‘pores’ penetrate
the solid and so greatly enhance reactivity.
In materials science, porosity is described
as macroporous, mesoporous or microporous – the
former being relatively large (>103 nanometres)
and the latter at the atomic scale (< 5
nm).
In MSE, porous materials at all scales are produced
by templating, a technique in which pore size,
shape and disposition are controlled by fixing
the functional material on self-assembled surfaces
produced by sacrificial chemicals. Two benefits
of adopting porous architecture include improved
rheology for handling nanocrystalline material,
mechanical robustness as reactive scaffolds,
and controlled fabrication of nanocomposites.
- Photocatalysis
is a ubiquitous natural process for the purification
of soils and water, and technologically enhanced
photocatalysis is a major international research
activity. MSE scientists are contributing to
this effort by studying surface chemical reactions
that define both catalytic activity and stability.
Probing and describing the chemistry and crystallography
of catalyst surfaces is challenging
The
benchmark photocatalyst is titania which operates
most efficiently in ultraviolet light. So, the
theme of this research is to develop new materials
that work in sunlight and avoid the need for
expensive UV lighting. Intended end applications
include the destruction of organic pollutants
and the production of hydrogen by water splitting.
Area
Of Research :
- Corrosion behavior of materials
- Novel electrochemical methods for corrosion
testing and monitoring
- Surface modification and coatings for corrosion
prevention applications
- Corrosion of reinforcing steel in concrete
structures
- Non destructive evaluation of materials
- Failure analysis of materials & welding
technology
Typical
Research Projects:
- Sensor for monitoring corrosion in various
industries
- Environmentally friendly surface conversion
coatings for protecting light metals such
as Al and Mg
- Electrochemical surface modification for
enhanced materials performance
- Effect of alloying elements on the corrosion
resistance of electrodeposited nickel
- Pitting corrosion of duplex stainless steels
and alloys
- Corrosion of reinforcing steel in concrete
structures
- Electrochemical and non-destructive evaluation
of corrosion in reinforced concrete structures
- Detection of defects in welding and characterization
of corrosion defects by ultrasonic spectral
analysis
- Failure analysis of
materials & welding
technology
- Surface protective coating by electroless
nickel
- Advanced
ceramic methods for the co-stabilisation and
recycling of incinerator fly ash with industrial
wastes
- Optimisation
of quantum effects in apatite-based nanocomposite
metallic and semiconductor catalysts for environmental
protection
- Photocatalysts – new
materials architecture
Staff
members:
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