Strategic investment in Cardiff University's functional material capabilities

对卡迪夫大学功能材料能力的战略投资

• 批准号: EP/V033832/1
• 负责人: Kim Graham
• 金额: $ 73.63万
• 依托单位: CARDIFF UNIVERSITY
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2020 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=EP%2FV033832%2F1
• 关键词: Strategic; investment; Cardiff; University; functional

Cardiff University will use the EPSRC's Capital Award allocation to establish two new suites of multi-user equipment, as part of a broader strategy to support the development and maintenance of its world class laboratories. Such laboratory facilities are a key component of the University strategy to support high quality research and ensure the long-term competitiveness of its research community. This application describes the need for a high-speed scanning probe microscope (SPM) and a multi-physical manufacturing suite (MPM). The two new facilities complement one another and will enable researchers to leverage significant value when used alongside existing university hardware. These facilities will be utilised predominantly by the Cardiff Materials Research Network (CMRN) (>150 researchers), with many already expressing strong interest. This work spans the four EPSRC themes, meaning this investment will create a multitude of opportunities to conduct world-class research. Modest investment in the MPM suite will now enable meso- (0.1+ mm) and macro- (1+ mm) scale fabrication of novel materials, twinning complex structural geometries with embedded functionality. Combined with our existing computational expertise and polymer characterisation facilities, this will unlock new opportunities aligned to EPSRC's Manufacturing the Future and Healthcare Technologies themes. Similarly, the SPM will allow detailed characterisation of 3D printed materials/composites under different conditions, allowing nanoscale measurements to be correlated with large-scale macroscopic properties, a significant advancement only achievable by the combination of our expertise and this new suite. The SPM will also enable physicists and materials researchers to measure the electrical, magnetic and thermal nanoscale properties of materials produced in research groups spanning the university and GW4. This will create new opportunities for wider industrial engagement, translating academic concepts to real-world solutions. This application also builds on EPSRC investment in Advanced Manufacturing, Cardiff Catalysis Institute and responsive mode grants in magnetic materials / diamond materials (EP/R009147/1, EP/P006973/1, EP/S024441/1, EP/P00945X/1). Training and development of staff from a broad cross-section of academic disciplines is a key component of this proposal and essential to the long-term sustainability of the equipment. Ladak is a highly experienced SPM user who will have overall responsibility for coordinating training in partnership with a specialist technician. The University already has numerous EPSRC funded researchers, including several ECRs, that will be trained in the use of a modern, high-speed SPM for measuring a wide range of material properties. The School of Engineering's Additive Manufacturing Laboratories also has a highly experienced AM technician who will be responsible for training staff and supporting the development of new multi-disciplinary proposals. The University will assess the success of this investment by way of its well-established continual research monitoring processes, focussing on specific deliverables i.e. 1) Has the investment significantly enhanced the cross-disciplinary research environment, including new EPSRC-aligned research projects and research users? 2) Has the investment generated significant research output, such as high-quality publications with measurable societal impact? 3) Has the investment resulted in the capture of significant additional external funding to support such cross-disciplinary research? Users will be logged and data collected on a quarterly basis via established and new communications channels, enabling CoIs to demonstrate this investment has leveraged significant scientific benefit.

卡迪夫大学将利用EPSRC的资本奖拨款建立两套新的多用户设备，作为支持其世界级实验室开发和维护的更广泛战略的一部分。这些实验室设施是大学支持高质量研究和确保其研究界长期竞争力的战略的关键组成部分。本申请描述了对高速扫描探针显微镜（SPM）和多物理制造套件（MPM）的需求。这两个新设施相辅相成，将使研究人员能够在与现有大学硬件一起使用时利用重大价值。这些设施将主要由卡迪夫材料研究网络（CMRN）（> 150名研究人员）使用，其中许多人已经表达了浓厚的兴趣。这项工作涵盖了EPSRC的四个主题，这意味着这项投资将为开展世界级研究创造大量机会。对MPM套件的适度投资现在将使新型材料的中（0.1 + mm）和宏观（1 + mm）规模制造成为可能，将复杂的结构几何形状与嵌入式功能结合起来。结合我们现有的计算专业知识和聚合物表征设施，这将为EPSRC的未来制造和医疗保健技术主题提供新的机会。同样，SPM将允许在不同条件下对3D打印材料/复合材料进行详细表征，使纳米级测量与大尺度宏观特性相关，这是一项重大进步，只有将我们的专业知识与这一新套件相结合才能实现。SPM还将使物理学家和材料研究人员能够测量跨越大学和GW4的研究小组生产的材料的电，磁和热纳米级特性。这将为更广泛的工业参与创造新的机会，将学术概念转化为现实世界的解决方案。该申请还建立在EPSRC对先进制造、卡迪夫催化研究所的投资和磁性材料/金刚石材料的响应模式赠款的基础上（EP/R009147/1、EP/P006973/1、EP/S024441/1、EP/P00945X/1）。来自广泛学科领域的员工的培训和发展是本提案的关键组成部分，对于设备的长期可持续性至关重要。Ladak是一位经验丰富的SPM用户，他将与专业技术人员合作，全面负责协调培训。该大学已经有许多EPSRC资助的研究人员，包括几个ECR，他们将接受使用现代高速SPM测量各种材料特性的培训。工程学院的增材制造实验室还拥有一名经验丰富的增材制造技术人员，负责培训员工并支持新的多学科提案的开发。该大学将通过其完善的持续研究监测过程来评估这项投资的成功，重点是具体的可交付成果，即1）投资是否显着增强了跨学科的研究环境，包括新的EPSRC对齐的研究项目和研究用户？2)投资是否产生了重大的研究成果，例如具有可衡量的社会影响的高质量出版物？3)投资是否导致获得了大量额外的外部资金来支持这种跨学科研究？用户将通过已建立的和新的通信渠道每季度记录和收集数据，使CoIs能够证明这项投资具有重大的科学效益。