EPSRC Core Equipment Award 2022 - A multi-user XRD facility for Advanced Materials research

拟议设备的主要目标是向利物浦大学(UOL)研究团队的不同用户群提供快速和定期的粉末X射线衍射(PXRD)-一种基本的固态表征技术--的访问。X射线衍射仪是一种核心分析方法，用于表征固体状态下的材料结构。它被跨材料研究的团队使用，这些研究涉及EPSRC的战略主题，包括先进材料、制造未来、能源、医疗技术和循环经济。UOL将利用这笔资本资金在科学和工程学院建立PXRD共享研究设施(SRF)。共享研究设备对早期职业研究人员的发展至关重要，因为他们获得的资本资金通常比现有的个人投资机构少。通过将建议的PXRD设备整合到UOL的SRF计划中，UOL的研究人员将能够在免费访问的基础上获得高质量的核心表征技术，这将有助于加速ECR研究的发展。快速获得这一基本技术将使UOL至少四个部门的研究人员受益，促进工程、化学和物理研究人员发现和制造新材料，并使考古、经典和埃及学研究人员能够分析文物和古代材料。拟议设备用户群体的多样性将为跨学科研究、知识和设备共享的文化创造令人兴奋的机会。新的共享研究设施还将创造机会，加强对博士和博士后研究人员的培训，使他们更好地掌握与学术界和工业界材料研究相关的技能。

The primary objective of the proposed equipment is to provide rapid and regular access to powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) - a fundamental solid-state characterisation technique - to a diverse user base of research teams across the University of Liverpool (UoL). PXRD is a core analysis method used to characterise the structure of materials in the solid state. It is used by teams working across materials research that addresses EPSRC strategic themes including Advanced Materials, Manufacturing the Future, Energy, Healthcare Technologies and Circular Economy.UoL will use this capital funding to establish a PXRD Shared Research Facility (SRF) in the Faculty of Science and Engineering. Shared research equipment is critical to the development of Early Career Researchers, as they typically have access to less capital funding than established PIs. By integrating the proposed PXRD equipment into UoL's SRF scheme, UoL researchers will be able to access a high quality core characterisation technique on a free-at-the-point-of-access basis which will help to accelerate the development of ECR research.Rapid access to this fundamental technique will benefit researchers across at least four UoL departments, facilitating the discovery and manufacture of new materials by researchers in Engineering, Chemistry and Physics, and enabling the analysis of artefacts and ancient materials by researchers in Archaeology, Classics & Egyptology. The diversity of the proposed equipment's user community will generate exciting opportunities for interdisciplinary research, a culture of knowledge and equipment sharing.The new Shared Research Facility will also create opportunities to enhance the training of doctoral and postdoctoral researchers, to better equip them with skills relevant for materials research in academia and industry.