Structural evolution across multiple time and length scales

卢瑟福校区的成像设施将是世界上任何地方都无法比拟的。同步辐射X射线、中子、激光、电子、实验室。X射线和核磁共振成像技术的出现为获得有关材料结构和行为的信息提供了前所未有的机会。这一基础设施提供了一个进行科学改变实验的机会。我们需要能够汇集来自不同仪器的见解，以在现实环境和时间尺度下跟踪结构演化，从而通过从根本上增加可用信息的维度来超越静态3D图像。该项目将使用Diamond和ISIS的许多光束线，将其与现场激光和电子成像能力相结合，但特别是利用曼彻斯特330万美元的投资在Diamond建立新的成像光束线，该光束线将于2012年春季完成。传统上，3D图像是从物体旋转时拍摄的数百或数千张2D图像（投影）重建的。该项目将：1）提供材料行为的3D电影。2)从基本上黑色和白色图像转移到彩色图像，揭示材料内部的元素及其化学状态，这对研究燃料电池和电池非常有用。3）通过结合多种方法（例如激光和X射线）创建多维图像来创建图像。每种方法对不同的方面都很敏感。4）在研究中心建立原位环境实验室和组织再生实验室。前者使我们能够在光束线上真实的时间内研究样品行为;后者使我们能够研究新生物材料上的细胞生长和再生。如果我们要开发更有效的硬组织（如人工髋关节）和软组织（人工软骨）替代品，这是一个关键能力。这些新方法将提供有关广泛行为的更多细节，但我们将专注于能源和生物材料的材料实验。在能源领域，它将使我们能够：重现氢燃料电池（1000 ℃）内的运行条件，以了解它们在运行中如何退化，从而为汽车和其他应用提供更好的燃料电池。研究锂电池的充电和放电，以更好地了解其性能在使用寿命内退化的原因。研究保护涡轮机叶片免受航空发动机内侵蚀性环境影响的热障，以开发更高效的发动机。研究亚飞机合金和核压力容器在实际条件下的表面腐蚀提高了安全性在3D中研究石油如何从岩石中的孔隙中去除，以及我们如何更有效地将有害的CO2储存在在生物材料领域，它将使我们能够重建细胞附着在新生物材料上的条件，并使用成像方法（激光，电子和X射线）的组合来跟踪它们的附着和再生，从而导致：多孔硬组织替代品（骨模拟物）由具有微结构的生物活性玻璃制成，以促进细胞附着皮肤，软骨，肌腱的软纤维组织替代品。这些将涉及亚微米纤维排列在绳子和垫子上。当然，我们将在哈维尔建立的多维成像的好处将进一步扩大。它将为来自英国各地的其他学者和行业提供目前无法获得的跨时间和长度尺度的信息。这将对我们在加工和服务过程中跟踪行为的能力产生巨大影响。

Taken together the imaging Facilities on the Rutherford Campus will be without equal anywhere in the world. The suite of synchrotron X-ray, neutron, laser, electron, lab. X-ray, and NMR imaging available promises an unprecedented opportunity to obtain information about material structure and behaviour. This infrastructure provides an opportunity to undertake science changing experiments. We need to be able to bring together the insights from different instruments to follow structural evolution under realistic environments and timescales to go beyond static 3D images by radically increasing the dimensionality of information available. This project will use many beamlines at Diamond and ISIS, combining them with laser and electron imaging capability on site, but especially exploiting the 3.3M investment by Manchester into a new imaging beamline at Diamond that will complete in Spring 2012.Traditionally a 3D images are reconstructed from hundreds or thousands of 2D images (projections) taken as the object is rotated. This project will:1) Deliver 3D movies of materials behaviour. 2) Move from essentially black and white images to colour images that reveal the elements inside the material and their chemical state which will be really useful for studying fuel cells and batteries.3) Create multidimensional images by combining more than one method (e.g. lasers and x-rays) to create an image. Each method is sensitive to different aspects.4) Establish an In situ Environments Lab and a Tissue Regeneration lab at the Research Complex. The former so that we can study sample behaviour in real time on the beam line; the latter so that we can study the cell growth and regeneration on new biomaterials. A key capability if we are to develop more effective hard (e.g. artificial hip) and soft tissue (artificial cartilage) replacements.These new methods will provide more detail about a very wide range of behaviours, but we will focus our experiments on materials for Energy and Biomaterials. In the area of energy it will enable us to:Recreate the conditions operating inside a hydrogen fuel cell (1000C) to find out how they degrade in operation leading to better fuel cells for cars and other applicationsStudy the charging and discharging of Li batteries to understand better why their performance degrades over their lifetime.Study thermal barriers that protect turbine blades from the aggressive environments inside an aeroengine to develop more efficient engines.Study the sub-surface corrosion of aircraft alloys and nuclear pressure vessels under realistic conditions improving safetyStudy in 3D how oil is removed from the pores in rocks and how we might more efficiently store harmful CO2in rocks.In the area of biomaterials it will enable us to recreate the conditions under which cells attach to new biomaterials and to follow their attachment and regeneration using a combination of imaging methods (laser, electron and x-ray) leading to:Porous hard tissue replacements (bone analogues) made from bio-active glasses with a microstructure to encourage cell attachmentSoft fibrous tissue replacements for skin, cartilage, tendon. These will involve sub-micron fibres arranged in ropes and mats.Of course the benefits of the multi-dimensional imaging we will establish at Harwell will extend much further. It will provide other academics and industry from across the UK with information across time and lengthscales not currently available. This will have a dramatic effect on our capability to follow behaviour during processing and in service.