Advanced Functional Materials Spectroscopy: Lab-based X-ray Absorption

基于功能材料基础研究的技术已经改变了生活的世界，并将继续这样做。能源材料是燃料电池和电池的关键组成部分（到2025年，仅锂离子电池快速增长的全球市场预计价值840亿英镑）。新的，更清洁，更高效的催化剂对于绿色现有工艺以及非化石燃料为基础的基本化学品路线的新工艺至关重要（催化剂市场价值约为195亿英镑/年，每年增长4.5%）。该设备将提高英国战略研究领域的生产力，如储能和催化，这些领域需要了解这些材料的化学和结构特性。X射线吸收光谱是一种用于测量材料的氧化态（化学信息）和局部配位环境（结构信息）特性的技术。X射线技术在探测材料的工作状态方面特别有价值，因为它们可以深入工作样品/设备。这种技术通常在同步加速器X射线源上进行，例如英国的Diamond Light Source。在现有硬件（X射线源、光学器件和探测器）方面的最新进展已被用于开发实验室X射线吸收光谱仪（包括商业上可获得的光谱仪），这些光谱仪现在具有足够的X射线功率，能够在实验室中进行许多实验。这种光谱仪非常适合不需要高时间或空间分辨率的实验（仅在严重超额订购的同步加速器源上可用），特别是对工作电池或催化剂的操作测量，其中时间由过程而不是X射线源确定。这种设备虽然在德国或美国有售，但目前在英国还没有，将补充钻石公司已有的设施。通过该项目采购、调试和运行实验室源X射线吸收光谱仪（及配套设备），我们将满足英国功能材料研究界对更广泛地使用XAS以支持战略领域研究的关键需求。新设施将设在达勒姆大学化学系，该大学在X射线科学和与工业界的互动方面有着良好的记录。EasyXAFS 300将补充达勒姆的其他X射线设施，以及最近对催化（110万英镑的DU综合化学反应设施）和材料（75万英镑的DU COAST Nanolab）的投资。研究人员团队跨越了广泛的学科（例如固态化学，电池，催化，凝聚态物理，纳米级工程），因此将在不同的英国科学界担任倡导者和代表-正如所提供的支持信件的范围所示。达勒姆和其他大学和公司的外部用户已经表示有兴趣将该仪器用于广泛的应用-一些例子包括：i）用于生物质转化的金属纳米颗粒催化剂。ii）用于甲烷活化的沸石催化剂。iii）用于精细化学品生产的单原子/簇催化剂iv）Mn（I）催化剂中的C-H键活化v）负载型商业催化剂中的Cs配位环境catalysts.vi）用于干重整和蒸汽重整的Ni基催化剂vii）碳化物的表征，氮化物和碳氮化物过渡金属催化剂。viii）用于环境应用的二氧化铈催化剂的结构和氧化态。六）固体氧化物燃料电池中的氧化物离子导体。x）用于钠离子电池的电极材料。Xi）用于下一代数据存储介质的Skyrmion手性磁体。xii）用于过滤和污染控制的3D-石墨烯泡沫（用金属盐合成）。xiii）用于去污和恶臭控制的Fe、Mn和Cu。xiv）用于气体传感阵列的PtCu纳米线。

Technology based on fundamental research into functional materials has transformed the world in which live, and it will continue to do so. Energy materials are critical components in fuel cells and batteries (the rapidly growing global market for Li-ion batteries alone is anticipated to be worth £84 bn by 2025). New, cleaner, more efficient catalysts are essential for greening existing processes as well as new ones for non-fossil-fuel based routes to essential chemicals (the catalyst market is worth around £19.5 bn/yr and growing at 4.5% pa). The equipment proposed will increase productivity in strategic UK research areas such as Energy Storage and Catalysis that require understanding of these materials' chemical and structural properties. X-ray absorption spectroscopy is a technique used to measure the oxidation state (chemical information) and local co-ordination environment (structural information) properties of a material. X-ray techniques are especially valuable in probing the working state of materials because they can penetrate deep into working samples/devices. This technique has typically been performed at synchrotron x-ray sources, such as Diamond Light Source in the UK. Recent advances in the hardware available (x-ray sources, optics and detectors) have been exploited to develop laboratory x-ray absorption spectrometers (including one that is commercially available), which now have sufficient x-ray power to enable many experiments to be performed in the laboratory. Such spectrometers are ideal for experiments that do not need high time or spatial resolution (available only at heavily oversubscribed synchrotron sources), especially operando measurements on a working battery or catalyst, where the time is determined by the process and not the x-ray source. Such equipment, while available in Germany or the USA, isn't currently available in the UK and would complement the facilities already available at Diamond. Through this project to procure, commission and operate a laboratory-source x-ray absorption spectrometer (and complementary equipment), we will meet a key need of the UK functional materials research community for wider availability of XAS to support research in strategic areas.The new facility will be housed in the Chemistry Department at Durham University, which has a strong track-record in x-ray science and interactions with industry. The EasyXAFS300 would complement other x-ray facilities in Durham, as well as recent investments in catalysis (£1.1m DU Integrated Chemical Reaction Facility) and materials (£0.75m DU COAST Nanolab). The investigator team span a wide range of disciplines (e.g. solid state chemistry, batteries, catalysis, condensed matter physics, nano-scale engineering) and so will act as advocates and representatives within diverse UK science communities - as demonstrated by the range of letters of support provided. Both Durham and external users in other universities and companies have already indicated interest in using the instrument for a wide range of applications - some examples include:i) Metal nanoparticle catalysts for biomass conversion.ii) Zeolite catalysts for methane activation. iii) Single atom / cluster catalysts for fine chemicals production.iv) C-H bond activation in Mn(I) catalysts.v) Cs co-ordination environment in supported commercial catalysts.vi) Ni based catalysts for dry and steam reforming.vii) Characterisation of carbide, nitride and carbonitride transition metal catalysts.viii) Structure and oxidation state of ceria catalysts for environmental applicationsix) Oxide ion conductors in solid oxide fuel cells.x) Electrode materials for Na-ion batteries.xi) Skyrmion chiral magnets for next generation data storage media.xii) 3D-Graphene foams (synthesized with metal salts) for filtration and pollution control.xiii) Fe, Mn and Cu in stain removal and malodour control.xiv) PtCu nanowires in gas sensing arrays.