Advanced Functional Materials

本提案是平台拨款的续期。我们以前的资助使我们能够开发关键的特征设施，并使我们能够充分了解资助研究的材料。这些材料是低损耗微波介质材料、铁电材料和这些材料的薄膜。该平台的更新将建立在该团队在过去4年中取得的一些显著发现的基础上，包括关键的pdra，并围绕从微波到毫米波或从MHz到太赫兹的设备的功能材料。首先，重要的是要解释材料科学的进展，它形成了基础技术，使我们能够使用平台赠款来构建新设备。微波器件的核心是需要低介电损耗或非常高Q因子的谐振器，其目标是实现非常高Q介电体。我们之前的平台资助和EPSRC的前期支持使我们能够发现非常低损耗、高Q的材料。这最终导致了两个重要的发现首先，我们能够使用低损耗谐振器作为液体传感的传感器。其次，我们证明，通过使用一个非常高Q的谐振器，我们可以在室温和地球磁场下实现脉泽的作用。这项平台拨款将使我们能够在这些发现的基础上继续发展。1)高级表征：在第一个主题中，目标将是进行一系列合格的实验，以确定在我们可用的广泛频率范围内（Hz到THz）进行传感的最佳条件和材料。2)微波和毫米波传感器：第三个主题将科学应用。我们将使用谐振器来分析离子、生物分子、蛋白质和细胞。谐振器的灵敏度允许对纳升量进行非常快速的分析，以检测血液中的癌细胞和水中的细菌。3)“UMPF”和“HEP”空腔：在第二个主题中，我们的目标是制造UMPF（超高磁珀塞尔因子）和“HEP”（高电珀塞尔）空腔。这些小谐振腔具有非常高的Q，并且模式体积非常小，这里的成功将使我们能够显着改善电子顺磁传感并实现单细胞检测。《纲要》这些新主题的成功将代表技术方面的显著变化。

This proposal is a Platform Grant renewal. Our previous grant allowed us to develop the key characterisation facilities and enabled us to understand fully the materials that were the study of the grant. These materials were low loss microwave dielectrics, ferroelectric materials and thin films of these materials.The Platform renewal will build upon some remarkable discoveries that the team, including the key PDRAs, has made over the last 4 years and centre around functional materials for devices operating from microwave to millimetre wave or from MHz to THz. First it is important to explain the Materials Science progress that forms the underpinning technologies that will enable us to use the Platform grant to build new devices. At the heart of microwave devices are resonators that require low dielectric loss or very high Q factor and the target is to aim for very high Q dielectrics. Our previous Platform grant and indeed prior support from EPSRC allowed us to discover very low loss, high Q materials. This culminated in two significant discoveries.1 First we were able to use low loss resonators as sensors for liquid sensing2 Second, we demonstrated that by using a very high Q resonator we could achieve maser action at room temperatureand in Earth's field - published in Nature 2012.This platform grant will enable us to build upon these discoveries.1) Advanced Characterisation: In the first theme the aim will be to carry out a series of qualifying experiments to determine the best possible conditions and materials for sensing over the wide range of frequencies available to us (Hz to THz)2) Microwave and mm wave sensors: The third theme takes the science to application. We will use the resonators for analysis of ions, biomolecules, proteins and cells. The sensitivity of the resonators allows nanolitre quantities to be analyzed very rapidly for possible cancer cell detection in blood and bacteria in water.3) "UMPF" and "HEP" Cavities: In the second theme we aim to make UMPF (Ultrahigh Magnetic Purcell Factor) and "HEP" (High Electric Purcell) cavities. These are small resonant cavities with a very high Q given the very small mode volume and success here will enable us to improve electron paramagnetic sensing dramatically and enable single cell detection. Success in these new themes for the Platform would represent a remarkable step-change in technology.