Bright IDEAS Award: Plasma-olyte

有许多方法可以制造可以提高人们生活质量的材料。我们周围都是智能材料，我们面临着很大的压力，需要想出更有效、更聪明的方法来制造这些材料。制造材料的方法经常保持不变，因为它们有效，不需要改变，或者因为仍然有需求。电镀（或电沉积）就是这样一种技术，在过去的几十年里变化不大。然而，对功能材料日益增长的需求意味着材料合成需要发展和挑战21世纪的需求。该提案中提出的工作旨在为无数不同的应用提供一种在表面上创建涂层的新方法，从燃料电池和光伏电池的催化剂材料沉积到防腐涂层和用于航空航天金属精加工的铝阳极氧化。这个创意的核心使这项工作非传统，是考虑到等离子体作为电解质，就像含有盐的液体一样，创造了一个合适的导电介质来支持电沉积。这是一个简单的想法，迄今尚未经过检验，几乎完全被忽视了。这里的优点是，在等离子体中，由于没有任何溶剂，非常稳定的材料的还原（或氧化）将成为可能。由于溶剂分解（氧化和还原极限）设定的电位窗口，在液相中进行电沉积受到限制，在没有溶剂的情况下，电位窗口被大大延长。本文提出的方法利用常压火焰或放电等离子体作为电解液和金属前驱体的载体。本项目将调查两个领域；两者都有巨大的技术和环境影响；(1)用于贵金属氧化物催化剂的沉积，精确控制氧化还原状态和形态，为高效燃料电池提供尺寸稳定的电极。(2)在低价值金属（抗拉强度高）基体（如碳钢）上沉积耐腐蚀涂层，用于防腐。与任何其他涂层技术相比，其优点是在此过程中不使用腐蚀性化学物质。这种想法提供了一种单步沉积所需化学状态的方法，而不是依赖于后处理。这是现实的，一旦过程被证明通过这项工作，该技术将发展成为英国制造业武器库的主要工具。这项工作的预期影响将是为管理全世界与能源有关的领域的气体排放创造具有商业价值的变革性技术。此外，这项工作有望进一步发展成为一项重要的学术研究。

There are many ways to manufacture materials that can improve the quality of peoples' lives. We are surrounded by smart materials and we are under a lot of pressure to come up with more efficient and clever ways for making these materials. Very often ways of making materials remains unchanged because they work and don't need to change, or because there is still a demand. Electroplating (or electrodeposition) is one such technique that has changed little in the last few decades. However, increasing demands on functional materials has meant that materials synthesis needs to evolve and challenge the demands of the 21st century. The work proposed in this proposal aims to provide a new way of creating coating on surfaces for a myriad of different applications from deposition of catalyst materials for fuel cells and photovoltaic cells to anticorrosion coatings and anodisation of aluminium for aerospace metal finishing. The heart of this creative idea that makes this work unconventional, is the consideration that a plasma as an electrolyte, in the same way as a liquid containing salts creates a suitably conducting medium to support electrodeposition. This is a simple idea that as yet has not been tested and has been almost totally overlooked. The advantage here is that in plasma, reduction (or oxidation) of very stable materials will be possible, due to the absence of any solvent. Performing electrodeposition in liquid phases is limited due to the potential window set by solvent breakdown (oxidative and reductive limits), in absence of solvent the potential window is vastly extended. The method proposed here utilises atmospheric pressure flame or discharge plasma that will act as the electrolyte and a carrier for metallic precursors.Two areas will be investigated during this project; both have huge technological and environmental impact; (1) for the deposition of noble metal oxides catalysts, with precise control of redox state and morphology for dimensionally stable electrodes for efficient fuel cells. (2) Deposition of corrosion resistant coatings onto low value metals substrates (with high tensile strength) such as carbon steel for corrosion protection. The advantage over any other coating technology is the fact that no caustic chemicals are used in the process. This idea provides a single step method of depositing required chemical state of deposit rather than rely on post processing. It is realistic that once the process is proven through this work, the technique will develop into a major tool in the UK manufacturing arsenal.The expected impact of this work will be to create commercially valuable transformative technology for the management of gaseous emission worldwide in energy related fields. In addition, the work is expected to develop further into a significant academic research.