ISCF Wave 1: (The JUICED Hub (Joint University Industry Consortium for Energy (Materials) and Devices Hub))

Completed

Other Power and Storage Technologies(Electric power conversion)
Other Power and Storage Technologies(Energy storage)
Hydrogen and Fuel Cells(Fuel Cells, Stationary applications)
Hydrogen and Fuel Cells(Hydrogen, Hydrogen production)

Basic and strategic applied research

PHYSICAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS (Chemistry)
PHYSICAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS (Physics)
PHYSICAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS (Metallurgy and Materials)
ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (Electrical and Electronic Engineering)
ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (Chemical Engineering)
ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (Mechanical, Aeronautical and Manufacturing Engineering)

Not Cross-cutting

Dr J Darr
Chemistry
University College London

Standard

EPSRC

08 November 2017

06 November 2021

48 months

£1,832,222

Energy

London

ISCF Advanced Materials for Energy

Dr J Darr, Chemistry, University College London

Dr F Cora, Chemistry, University College London
Dr Y Ding, Inst of Particle Science & Engineering, University of Leeds
Professor CP Garner, Sch of Mechanical and Manufacturing Eng, Loughborough University
Professor BE Hayden, School of Chemistry, University of Southampton
Dr UW Kahagala Gamage, Chemistry, Loughborough University
Dr D Kramer, School of Engineering Sciences, University of Southampton
Dr R G Palgrave, Chemistry, University College London
Professor IP Parkin, Chemistry, University College London
Professor A Russell, School of Chemistry, University of Southampton
Dr P Slater, School of Chemistry, University of Birmingham
Professor R Steinberger-Wilckens, Chemical Engineering, University of Birmingham

Project Contact, Qioptiq Ltd
Project Contact, ITM Power PLC
Project Contact, Gwent Group
Project Contact, AFC Energy
Project Contact, QinetiQ Ltd
Project Contact, Teer Coatings Ltd
Project Contact, MAST Carbon
Project Contact, Thomas Swan and Co Ltd
Project Contact, Workers Educational Association

The proposal will develop one of the three UK energy materials hubs, which will carry out cutting edge research in close collaboration with industry in the development of materials up to demonstrator level (pre-commercial) devices. The hub will also have a major role in networking, training, educating in energy materials and devices across UK groups and industry, and will link-up and compliment existing energy related networks and groups to benefit the UK.The "JUICED" Hub (Joint University-Industry Consortium for Energy (Materials) and Devices Hub) will focus its research on nano-enabled energy materials (ceramic materials on a scale of a billionth of a meter wide). Energy materials will be made and developed in applications, such as high performance batteries and similar energy storage devices for automotive, grid or consumer device applications, low cost materials for electrolysers (which use electrical energy to split water into oxygen and hydrogen fuel), fuel cells (devices which take chemical energy and can (sometimes) reversibly convert it to electrical energy). Other energy materials of interest are materials which can scavenge low grade heat or energy and convert it into electrical energy or materials which can help store, transfer or regulate thermal energy.The novelty in the hub's approach is that it will be able to considerably accelerate the development of new sustainable materials ;(i) Use high throughput synthesis (making a large number of samples quickly in parallel or in series) and in many cases, computational methods (use of computers to simulate and understand and predict materials properties) and appropriate (rapid) screening of materials properties, which will identify lead materials in each application area(ii) Laboratory-scale synthesis of the highest performing samples from above and testing to identify materials for larger scale syntheses(iii) pilot scale syntheses and tests on samples on pre-commercial demonstrator devices, (in collaboration with industry or end users with a strong emphasis on replacing precious or unsustainable metals such as Pt, Ir, Ru, Pb, etc.).How the research aligns with the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund objectives; The proposed energy hub aligns well to the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund objectives as follows; the interactions with the industrial consortium in the hub will work with UK industry and accelerate discoveries of new advanced functional materials which will increase UK businesses' investment in R&D and improved R&D capability and capacity. The research in the hub, which covers aspects of materials, testing and characterisation as well as scale-up will lead to an increase multi- and interdisciplinary research around the challenge area of "clean and flexible energy", particularly in the design, development and manufacture of energy storage devices (batteries or similar devices) for the electrification of vehicles to support the business opportunities presented by the low carbon economy and tackle air pollution (e.g. new sustainable catalysts for oxygen evolution and reduction which can also be used in next generation batteries). Other areas that the hub covers that are which are linked to the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund include "Manufacturing and Materials of the Future" (develop new, affordable, materials for advanced manufacturing sectors). Some of these materials are important components in devices which have applications also in Satellites and space technologies. The JUICED hub includes a number of scale-up and demonstrator activities and therefore this will lead to increased business-academic engagement on innovation activities relating to the same aforementioned challenge areas. The JUICED energy hub will include a number of larger and smaller companies and it will reach out to even more potential companies in the UK (SMEs and larger companies) with its workshops which will publicise capabilities

07/12/18