Newcastle University EPSRC Core Equipment Award 2022

我们正在申请资金，以购买一系列设备，这些设备将支持广泛的研究，但特别关注支持能源材料研究的设备，这是由我们理工学院四所学院中的三所进行跨学科合作进行的。我们还申请了“额外资金”的资金，这将改善我们的一些设施的环境和财务可持续性，以及更广泛的设备，如果获得批准，可能会通过“未满足的需求”资金流提供资金。作为基本奖励的一部分，请求的设备是：UV-VS-NIR荧光/光致发光光谱仪FTIR光谱仪颗粒分析仪微量所需的设备将最大限度地供多个用户在我们研究正在扩展的领域中使用，并且我们已经通过我们的旗舰NUACT研究员计划(www.ncl.ac.uk/nuact/About-nuact/)进行了多次ECR预约，并得到了UKRI资助的未来领导者研究员的支持。支持我们能源材料研究的设备是由我们的多学科能源中心(https://www.ncl.ac.uk/energy/))推动的主要研究方向的核心，并建立在EPSRC资助的东北能源材料中心(NECEM；https://research.ncl.ac.uk/necem/).)的基础上该设备将补充和扩展最近由EPSRC资助的东北超快瞬变吸收光谱(UTAS)设施的能力，该设施汇集了来自纽卡斯尔、诺森布里亚和达勒姆大学的研究人员，扩大了最大化使用、访问的机会，包括跨机构的多用户访问，促进合作。将重点放在支持能源材料研究的设备上，这得益于我们在可再生能源东北大学(REU)CDT(https://research.ncl.ac.uk/necem/studentships/；https://renu.northumbria.ac.uk/)中的核心作用，并且与东北大学的设施一样，通过支持纽卡斯尔大学、诺森布里亚大学和达勒姆大学(支持博士培养的核心设备)伙伴机构的PGR，带来了更广泛的地区范围。对用于下一代太阳能电池和光催化的能源材料的研究不断扩展，增加了我们的化学家和物理学家对材料的光学光谱表征以及用于光和其他催化应用的物理表征材料的需求。这包括与行业合作伙伴密切合作进行的应用研究，一直到新型光电化学活性分子的基础研究。因此，在不断增长的研究实力的基础上，我们要求为一套仪器提供资金，以满足这一领域以外的研究人员的需求，即UV-VIS-NIR分光光度计、荧光分光光度计、FT-IR分光光度计、颗粒分析仪和微天平，专门用于将安装该设备的UTAS设施。这些仪器将使我们能够描述新材料的特征，并找出使太阳能技术变得至关重要的能源转换过程中的瓶颈，使太阳能技术变得更加高效的能源转换过程中的材料，用于能源应用的材料，光电子器件和电路，光子材料和超材料。这些应用领域的进展有可能改变可再生能源发电的效率和成本，解决脱碳和“清洁增长”的重大挑战。

We are requesting funding to purchase a range of equipment that will support a wide range of research, but with a particular focus on equipment supporting energy materials research which is conducted by cross disciplinary working across three of the four schools in our Faculty of Science Agriculture and Engineering. We have also requested funding from the "Additional Funding" which will improve the environmental and financial sustainability of some of our facilities, along with a wider range of equipment that may be funded through the "Unmet Demand" funding stream if approved.The equipment requested as part of the basic award is;UV-Vis-NIR SpectrophotometerFluorescence/ photoluminescence SpectrophotometerFTIR SpectrophotometerParticle AnalyserMicrobalanceThe equipment requested will maximize use by multiple users in areas in which our research is expanding and where we have made a number of ECR appointments through our flagship NUAcT Fellowship scheme (www.ncl.ac.uk/nuact/about-nuact/) and are supported by UKRI-funded Future Leader Fellows. Equipment supporting our energy materials research is central to major strands of research driven by our multidisciplinary Centre for Energy (https://www.ncl.ac.uk/energy/) and builds on the establishment of the EPSRC-funded North East Centre for Energy Materials (NECEM; https://research.ncl.ac.uk/necem/). The equipment will complement and expand the capabilities of a recently EPSRC-funded North East Ultrafast Transient Absorption Spectroscopy (UTAS) Facility which brings together researchers from Newcastle, Northumbria and Durham Universities, expanding the opportunities for maximizing use, access by multiple users, including across institutions, promoting collaboration. Focus on equipment to support energy materials research has added benefit by virtue of our central role in the Renewable Energy North East Universities (ReNU) CDT (https://research.ncl.ac.uk/necem/studentships/; https://renu.northumbria.ac.uk/) and like the North East UTAS facility brings a broader regional dimensions by supporting PGRs from the ReNU partner institutions of Newcastle, Northumbria and Durham Universities (Core Equipment in support of Doctoral Training). Expanding research into energy materials for next generation solar cells and photocatalysis has increased demand from our chemists and physicists for characterisation of materials with optical spectroscopy and physical characterization materials for photo- and other catalytic applications. This encompasses applied research conducted in close collaboration with industry partners through to fundamental studies of novel photoelectrochemically active molecules. Building on this growing research strength we have therefore requested funding for a suite of instruments that service the needs of researchers in this field an beyond, namely a UV-Vis-NIR spectrophotometer, a Fluorescence spectrophotometer, an FT-IR spectrophotometer, a particle analyzer and a microbalance for dedicated use in the UTAS facility which will host the equipment. These instruments will enable us to characterise new materials and identify bottlenecks in the energy conversion processes essential to making solar technology, materials in the energy conversion processes essential to making solar technology, materials for energy applications, optoelectronic devices and circuits, photonic materials and metamaterials more productive. Advances in these application domains have the potential to transform the efficiency and cost of renewable energy generation, addressing decarbonization and the "Clean Growth" Grand Challenge.