Chemical Synthesis of Transformative Extended Materials

我们10-15年的研究愿景是：化学合成先进的功能材料，其性能将挑战当代对扩展系统的物理和化学行为的理解，并以目前小分子化学中惯用的精度实现。实现这一愿景非常重要，因为新功能材料的合成在能源和医疗保健等优先领域对英国具有强大的社会和经济重要性，而且获得具有前所未有的性能的材料开辟了新的科学视野。实现这一愿景需要与材料科学、凝聚态物理、化学工程和生命科学的合作伙伴建立强有力的联系，这些合作伙伴组成了方案赠款(PG)伙伴关系。该提案只有一个5年主题目标：开发具有功能领域的模块化材料的合成方法。这一目标分为三个主题，因为科学挑战和成功解决这些挑战所需的技能是紧密相连的，正如预测部署25%的PG资源的活动所反映的那样，这些主题贯穿主题。主题1针对具有不相容或禁忌的化学官能团的多孔材料，这些官能团可以灵活地部署，以产生独特的分子分离和催化反应能力，为有效利用有限的自然资源产生新的范式。在主题2中，氧化物材料的最佳控制界面将产生用于燃料电池的增强的离子传输，并产生禁忌的具有科学挑战性的物理性质(例如，单一材料的铁磁性和铁电性)。通过对产生纳米结构组装的统计组装过程的化学控制，在分子尺度上的主题1和主题2中获得的性质和功能将转化为主题3中的纳米到介观尺度。这提供了一种联系和综合的方法来应对受禁忌的化学反应和物理性质挑战，并使之能够与生命系统中更复杂的环境相互作用。主题目标将通过在跨学科、跨部门、跨机构的国际伙伴关系中融合合成、测量和建模来实现。建立这一伙伴关系是为了使专家合作者能够开发新的方法，以便快速评估感兴趣的财产的材料，并随后详细研究由此产生的有前景的先例。密切的专题联系和在竞争领域取得突破的机会需要灵活的资源部署战略，由一个有经验的项目导师的小型领导小组管理，并向国际领先的指导小组报告。分配了资源，以便在PG期间建立更多的伙伴关系。PG团队通过成立获奖的衍生产品IOTA NanoSolutions和建立材料发现中心(拥有欧洲最大的用于加速扩展材料发现的资本设备套件)展示了研究开发和推广领导能力。通过同时由新世界发展署资助的材料化学知识中心，工业外展将达到一个新的水平。PG活动集中在一个全球竞争的领域，该领域的特点是资源的地理集中。利物浦大学认识到了这一点，他们一直在材料化学领域进行再投资。除了正常的20%的FEC捐款外，承诺提供122万现金和27.6K实物支持再次证明了这一点，这增加了EPSRC投资的价值，作为与融资机构真正长期合作伙伴关系的一部分。10个专门的DTA学生将致力于为跨学科和跨院校的活动提供赠款。

Our 10-15 year research vision is: chemical synthesis of advanced functional materials with properties that will challenge contemporary understanding of the physical and chemical behavior of extended systems, achieved with the precision that is now customary in small molecule chemistry. It is important to realize this vision because the synthesis of new functional materials is of strong societal and economic importance to the UK in priority areas such as energy and healthcare, and because access to materials with unprecedented properties opens up new scientific horizons. Realization of the vision requires strong links to the materials science, condensed matter physics, chemical engineering and life science collaborators who form the Programme Grant (PG) partnership.The proposal has a single 5-year thematic target: the development of synthetic methodologies for modular materials with domains of function. The target is addressed in three coupled Themes because the scientific challenges and the skills necessary to tackle them successfully are strongly linked, as reflected in the forecast deployment of 25% of the PG resource in activity that cuts across the themes.Theme 1 targets porous materials with incompatible or contraindicated chemical functional groups that can deploy flexibly to produce unique molecular separations and catalytic reactivity, producing new paradigms for the efficient use of limited natural resources. In Theme 2, optimally controlled interfaces in oxide materials will produce enhanced ionic transport for application in fuel cells and generate contraindicated scientifically challenging physical properties (e.g., ferromagnetism and ferroelectricity in a single material). The properties and functions accessed in Themes 1 and 2 on the molecular scale will be translated into the nano- to mesoscale in Theme 3 by chemical control of the statistical assembly processes which produce nanostructured assemblies. This provides a linked and integrated approach to the contraindicated chemical reactivity and physical property challenges and enables interaction with the more complex environments in living systems.The theme goals will be achieved by the fusion of synthesis, measurement and modeling in a cross-disciplinary, cross-sector, cross-institution international partnership. The partnership is constructed to allow the development of new methodology for the rapid evaluation of materials for properties of interest and subsequent detailed studies of the resulting promising lead examples by expert collaborators. The close thematic links and the opportunity for breakthroughs in competitive areas require a flexible resource deployment strategy, managed by a small leadership team with an experienced project mentor and reporting to an internationally-leading Steering Group. Resource is allocated to allow the building of further partnerships during the PG. The PG team have demonstrated research exploitation and outreach leadership via the formation of the award-winning spin-out, Iota NanoSolutions and the establishment of the Centre for Materials Discovery (with Europe's largest suite of capital equipment for accelerated extended materials discovery). Outreach to industry will be taken to a new level here via the concurrent NWDA-funded Knowledge Centre for Materials Chemistry.The PG activity is focused in an area where global competition is characterised by a strong geographical focus of resources. This is recognised by the University of Liverpool who have consistently reinvested in materials chemistry. This is demonstrated here again by the commitment of 1.22M cash and 276K in-kind support in addition to the normal 20% FEC contribution, which adds value to the EPSRC investment as part of a true long-term partnership with the funding body. 10 dedicated DTA studentships are committed to the grant for cross-disciplinary and cross-institution activity.