Nanoscale characterization facilities linking the solution and solid state

连接溶液和固态的纳米级表征设施

• 批准号: EP/S017712/1
• 负责人: John Woollins
• 金额: $ 12.74万
• 依托单位: University of St Andrews
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2018
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2018 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=EP%2FS017712%2F1
• 关键词: Nanoscale; characterization; facilities; linking; solution

New materials and state-of-the-art methods for materials processing are at the heart of virtually all technological advances, from telecommunications to renewable energy generation, electronic displays to medical devices. The University of St Andrews has world-leading expertise in this area, spanning researchers in the Schools of both Chemistry and Physics and Astronomy. The University has committed to securing its leading position in this area through strategic recruitment of early career researchers who will become the next generation of leaders. Furthermore, the University is supporting this critical mass of current and future research leaders through investments in equipment, buildings and facilities. Many of the next great advances in materials research will be made as a result of precisely controlling and understanding matter on the nanoscale. This requires modern equipment for the analysis of materials that consist of components with different chemical make-ups, in various physical states (e.g. solids or solutions), prepared and arranged on several size-scales - from molecules less than a nanometer in size to bulk devices that can be seen and held, and everything in between. Only by combining information from a range of analytical methods can researchers hope to fully understand these new complicated materials, and therefore be able to logically design and optimize them to possess the properties required for future technological advances. We have identified two specific items of equipment that address this characterization challenge in different, but very complementary, ways, and which are needed by many (more than 10) of our early career researchers. This equipment will complement our already excellent range of facilities for fabrication and characterization of advanced materials. It will allow the rapid, on-site characterization of key parameters of very thin film solids, and of the building blocks used to prepare these solids from solutions. With these new capabilities, our researchers will be able to accurately understand how features of the building blocks relate to the characteristics of the materials produced, and therefore efficiently optimize their materials and procedures. This equipment has been specifically chosen to have a significant benefit for the widest possible range of early career researchers, working in as diverse areas as optical materials for tiny flexible displays, new components of light emitting diodes; materials for next-generation solar cells, or delivery devices for gaseous drugs. As a result of this award, each of these young research groups will be able to perform experiments that they would otherwise just not be able to do; they will generate new, deeper scientific understanding about the systems and materials they work with; and they will be able to produce higher quality research more efficiently. This will have hugely significant benefits for the careers of these emerging research leaders, and for a huge breadth of science that can be performed at St Andrews. This proposal will play a crucial role in allowing these early stage researchers to realize their full potential and develop into the next generation of internationally renowned research leaders.

新材料和最先进的材料加工方法几乎是所有技术进步的核心，从电信到可再生能源发电，从电子显示器到医疗设备。圣安德鲁斯大学在该领域拥有世界领先的专业知识，涵盖化学学院、物理学院和天文学学院的研究人员。该大学致力于通过战略招聘将成为下一代领导者的早期职业研究人员来确保其在该领域的领先地位。此外，大学还通过对设备、建筑和设施的投资来支持当前和未来研究领导者的关键数量。材料研究的许多未来重大进展将是在纳米尺度上精确控制和理解物质的结果。这需要现代化的设备来分析由具有不同化学成分、处于各种物理状态（例如固体或溶液）的成分组成的材料，这些材料在多种尺寸尺度上制备和排列 - 从尺寸小于纳米的分子到散装的可以看到和持有的设备，以及介于两者之间的一切。只有结合一系列分析方法的信息，研究人员才有希望充分了解这些新型复杂材料，从而能够逻辑地设计和优化它们，使其具备未来技术进步所需的性能。我们已经确定了两种特定的设备，它们以不同但非常互补的方式解决了这一表征挑战，并且是我们许多（超过 10 名）早期职业研究人员所需要的。该设备将补充我们已经非常出色的先进材料制造和表征设施。它将允许快速现场表征非常薄膜固体的关键参数，以及用于从溶液中制备这些固体的构建块。借助这些新功能，我们的研究人员将能够准确了解构建块的特性与所生产材料的特性之间的关系，从而有效地优化其材料和程序。该设备经过专门选择，可为尽可能广泛的早期职业研究人员带来显着的好处，这些研究人员的工作领域包括微型柔性显示器的光学材料、发光二极管的新组件；下一代太阳能电池的材料或气态药物的输送装置。由于获得该奖项，这些年轻的研究小组将能够进行原本无法进行的实验；他们将对所使用的系统和材料产生新的、更深入的科学理解；他们将能够更有效地进行更高质量的研究。这将为这些新兴研究领导者的职业生涯以及圣安德鲁斯可以进行的广泛科学研究带来巨大的好处。该提案将在让这些早期研究人员充分发挥潜力并发展成为下一代国际知名研究领导者方面发挥至关重要的作用。