Centre for Advanced Materials for Integrated Energy Systems (CAM-IES)

Completed

Renewable Energy Sources(Solar Energy, Photovoltaics)
Other Power and Storage Technologies(Electric power conversion)
Other Power and Storage Technologies(Energy storage)
Hydrogen and Fuel Cells(Fuel Cells, Stationary applications)
Fossil Fuels: Oil Gas and Coal(CO2 Capture and Storage, CO2 capture/separation)

Basic and strategic applied research

PHYSICAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS (Chemistry)
PHYSICAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS (Physics)
PHYSICAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS (Metallurgy and Materials)

Not Cross-cutting

Professor CP Grey
Chemistry
University of Cambridge

Standard

EPSRC

01 December 2016

30 November 2022

72 months

£2,098,617

Materials sciences

East of England

Energy : Energy

Professor CP Grey, Chemistry, University of Cambridge

Dr H Bronstein, Chemistry, University College London
Professor F Cacialli, Physics and Astronomy, University College London
Professor JL Driscoll, Materials Science & Metallurgy, University of Cambridge
Dr SE Dutton, Physics, University of Cambridge
Professor Sir R Friend, Physics, University of Cambridge
Professor WP Gillin, Physics and Astronomy, Queen Mary University of London
Dr S Hofmann, Engineering, University of Cambridge
Dr S Kar-Narayan, Materials Science & Metallurgy, University of Cambridge
Professor IS Metcalfe, School of Chemical Engineering & Advanced Materials, Newcastle University
Dr CB Nielsen, Materials Research Institut, Queen Mary University of London
Professor H Sirringhaus, Physics, University of Cambridge

Project Contact, Dyson Appliances Ltd
Project Contact, National Physical Laboratory (NPL)
Project Contact, Sasol Technology Research Laboratory
Project Contact, Johnson Matthey Plc
Project Contact, Eight19 Ltd
Project Contact, American Institute of Physics
Project Contact, Cambridge Display Technology Ltd
Project Contact, ARM Ltd
Project Contact, Tata Group UK
Project Contact, Siemens plc (UK)
Project Contact, Applied Materials Inc., USA
Project Contact, Deregallera Ltd

The Centre of Advanced Materials for Integrated Energy Systems (CAM-IES) is a partnership between four UK universities, Cambridge, Newcastle, Queen Mary and University College London, focused on the development of advanced materials for energy conversion and energy storage based on solid-state, higher voltage, and flow batteries, solid-oxide fuel cells (SOFCs), CO2 gas separation membranes, hybrid thin film photovoltaics (PVs) and large-area thermoelectrics for future renewable and clean energy systems. The overarching goal of CAM-IES it to help build a UK-wide community of cross-disciplinary materials researchers focused on energy applications. We target off-grid/grid-tied applications, large-/grid-scale centralised energy generation and storage and energy solutions for mobile internet communication technologies.CAM-IES will provide a forum for scientific collaboration and exchange as well as access to state-of-the art characterisation and growth equipment to the wider UK energy materials community, in particular the unique facilities of the Sir Henry Royce Institute currently being installed in Cambridge. We exploit currently unexplored synergies between these different energy fields, and combine fundamental energy materials research aimed at making significant scientific breakthroughs, including, discovery of new materials, understanding and controlling interfaces, novel integrated device concepts, achieving enhanced device performances, all with strong industry engagement. The latter will include early shaping workshops with industrial partners to identify requirements for materials in specific applications and the establishment of effective methods for evaluating new materials discoveries for industrial scale-up.The research programmes are focused around six work packages (WPs), aimed at addressing key scientific challenges for each of the devices, e.g., ionic transport across interfaces in solid state batteries and SOFCs membranes, increased efficiency in PVs, and methods for self-assembly in thermoelectrics. WP6 directly attacks the challenges associated with the integration of new materials into working devices and optimising their performance. An overarching theme is to pioneer new metrologies to characterise interfaces under operando conditions, including NMR, magnetic resonance imaging and transmission electron microscopy and pulsed isotope exchange methods. Integration of different devices is enabled by the development of a bespoke tool to enable the controlled deposition and integration of a wide range of low-temperature battery, SOFC, solar cell and thermoelectric materials in a common, inert processing environment. The scope of the work and academic/industrial participation with be expanded via three flexible funding calls, with topics including emerging new research areas, industry driven/partnered, and materials integration research. We will provide UK academia and businesses with a forum for knowledge exchange and collaboration, coupled with access to world-class facilities to accelerate new concepts to commercial reality. The development of strong modes of collaborative working and networking between individual EPSRC Centres for Advanced Materials for Energy Generation and Transmission, together with our University partners, industry and stakeholder groups, is an important goal. A series of high visibility symposia and workshops involving all the stakeholders, to identify synergies between the EPSRC Advanced Materials Centres and key industry challenges, to disseminate research findings to the community and to train users on CAM-IES facilities, is a key strategy to identify and engage users and disseminate results. We will provide support for students and PDRAs from outside the 4 original partner universities to attend these events and use CAM-IES equipment. Strategic advice to Centre will be provided by a broad and highly experienced, international advisory board from industry and academia

07/08/17