Foams for living architecture

首席研究员将是AJ Ryan教授，他目前是理学院的副校长，直到最近还是ICI物理化学教授和谢菲尔德聚合物中心的主任。在被评介的期刊上发表论文250余篇，合著1本，主编图书2本，图书章节6篇，综述文章6篇，会议论文集60篇，专利10项。他的国际地位得到了20多个国际会议的邀请演讲和34篇论文的认可，每篇论文都获得了超过50次的引用。他在1990年被塑料和橡胶研究所授予奖项，1999年被聚合物加工学会授予奖项，1992年、1999年和2003年被皇家化学学会授予奖项，并于2008年被染料和着色师协会和皇家医学学会授予奖项。2006年，他因对科学的贡献而被授予表彰勋章。他管理着一个庞大的研究小组，曾在16个EPSRC上担任PI，在19个EPSRC上担任Co-I，并持有BBSRC、Nesta和欧盟的赠款。他目前的EPSRC投资组合包括可行性账户的PI、能源纳米技术赠款挑战赛的PI、健康纳米技术赠款挑战赛的Co-I和两个平台赠款的Co-I。他从多个行业获得了大量资金，目前有4名来自阿克苏诺贝尔和陶氏化学的博士生。每个团队成员都拥有长期的创新研究和商业开发记录，这些创新研究和商业开发产生了具有很高影响价值的成果。虽然每个小组成员目前都享有个人的成功，但他们都坚信，社会目前面临的重大挑战只能通过跨学科的工作过程来解决。在这里，我们描述了一个多学科项目，该项目寻求开发一种新技术，以形成轻质、模块化的绿色屋顶或墙壁的基础。这个三层系统将包含一个防水底座，在提供支撑的同时还可以防止根部渗透到底层建筑中。一种轻质、多孔性的聚氨酯聚合物将放置在底座的顶部。这将提供一个支持根生长的通道网络，同时也保留了植物生长所需的营养。最后一层将采用植物垫子的形式，将播种植物物种，这些植物将经过精心挑选，以确保在墙壁或屋顶情况下的最佳生长。整个系统将采取模块的形式，便于运输，并与其他模块组合，覆盖大片区域。与传统基材相比，聚合物泡沫塑料的重量减轻，这也将使这项技术能够改造到无法支持当前更重的绿色屋顶系统的建筑物。拟议的系统将代表绿色屋顶/墙技术领域的重大进步。该项目将由谢菲尔德大学(作为牵头机构)理工学院的一群资深学者做出贡献，他们将与来自Farapack聚合物有限公司、欧洲聚合物(GB)有限公司和Ldum Seed Turf Limited的同事一起工作。这个团队是在经过一系列非常成功的合作之后，在过去的3年里形成的。合作伙伴的结合意味着该集团既拥有进行基础研究的技术知识，又处于生产商业可行技术的理想地位。

The principal investigator will be Professor AJ Ryan who is currently the Pro Vice Chancellor for the Faculty of Science and was until recently the ICI Professor of Physical Chemistry and Director of the Sheffield Polymer Centre. He has published over 250 papers in refereed journals, 1 co-authored book, 2 edited books, 6 book chapters, 6 review articles, 60 conference proceedings and 10 patents. His international standing is recognised by more than 20 invited talks at international conferences and 34 papers that have received more than 50 citations each. He was awarded prizes in 1990 by the Plastics and Rubber Institute, 1999 from the Polymer Processing Society, in 1992, 1999 and 2003 from the Royal Society of Chemistry and in 2008 from the Society of Dyers & Colourists and The Royal Medical Society. In 2006 he was awarded an OBE for services to science . He runs a substantial research group and has been PI on 16 and Co-I on 19 EPSRC grants as well as holding grants from BBSRC, NESTA and the EU. His current EPSRC portfolio includes PI on a Feasibility Account, PI on a Nanotechnology Grant Challenge for Energy, Co-I on a Nanotechnology Grant Challenge for Health and Co-I on two Platform grants. He has received substantial funding from a wide range of industry and currently has 4 PhD students from Akzo-Nobel and Dow Chemicals.The individual group members each possess a long track record of innovative research and commercial development that has yielded outcomes with a high impact value. Although each group member currently enjoys individual success, they all firmly believe that the major challenges that society currently faces can only be addressed through a process of inter-disciplinary working. Herein we describe a multi-disciplinary project that seeks to develop a novel technology that would form the basis of a lightweight, modular green roof or wall. This three layer system will contain a waterproof base that will provide support whilst also preventing root penetration into the underlying building. A lightweight, porous polyurethane polymer will sit atop the base. This will provide a network of channels that will support root growth whilst also retaining the nutrients that are required for plant growth. The final layer will take the form of a vegetative mat that will be seeded with plant species that will be carefully selected to ensure optimal growth either in the wall or roof scenario. The whole system will take the form of a module that could be easily transported and combined with other modules to cover large areas. The weight saving of the polymer foam over traditional substrates will also allow retrofitting of this technology to buildings that cannot support current heavier green roof systems. The proposed system would represent a significant advancement in the area of Green Roof/Wall technology.The project will see contributions from a group of senior academics that are drawn from the Faculties of Science and Engineering at the University of Sheffield (as the lead institution) who will work alongside colleagues from Farapack Polymers Limited, Europolymers (GB) Limited and Lindum Seeded Turf Limited. This group has formed during the previous 3 years following a series of highly successful collaborations. The combination of partners means the group possesses both the technical knowledge to perform the fundamental research whilst also being ideally placed to produce a technology that is commercially viable.