Advanced Functional Materials Spectroscopy: Lab-based X-ray Absorption

以基础研究为基础的功能材料技术已经改变了我们生活的世界，而且还将继续这样做。能源材料是燃料电池和电池的关键组件(到2025年，仅锂离子电池快速增长的全球市场预计就将达到840亿GB)。新的、更清洁、更高效的催化剂对于绿化现有流程以及用于非化石燃料路线到基本化学品的新流程至关重要(催化剂市场价值约195亿GB/年，并以每年4.5%的速度增长)。拟议中的设备将提高英国战略研究领域的生产率，如能量存储和催化，这些领域需要了解这些材料的化学和结构特性。X射线吸收光谱是一种用于测量材料的氧化状态(化学信息)和局部配位环境(结构信息)性质的技术。X射线技术在探测材料的工作状态方面特别有价值，因为它们可以深入到工作样品/装置中。这项技术通常是在同步加速器X射线源上进行的，比如英国的钻石光源。利用现有硬件(X射线源、光学元件和探测器)的最新进展来开发实验室X射线吸收光谱仪(包括一台商用的)，它现在具有足够的X射线功率，使许多实验能够在实验室进行。这类光谱仪非常适合不需要高时间或空间分辨率的实验(仅在大量超额认购的同步加速器源上可用)，特别是在工作电池或催化剂上的操纵面测量，其中时间由过程而不是X射线源决定。这种设备虽然在德国或美国可以买到，但目前在英国还没有，这将补充戴蒙德现有的设施。通过这个采购、委托和操作实验室来源的X射线吸收光谱仪(和辅助设备)的项目，我们将满足英国功能材料研究界的一个关键需求，即更广泛地获得XAS，以支持战略领域的研究。新设施将设在达勒姆大学化学系，该系在X射线科学和与工业的互动方面有着良好的记录。EasyXAFS300将补充达勒姆的其他X射线设施，以及最近在催化(GB 110万DU综合化学反应设备)和材料(GB 0.75M DU海岸纳米实验室)方面的投资。研究团队跨越了广泛的学科(例如，固态化学、电池、催化、凝聚态物理、纳米工程)，因此将在英国不同的科学界充当倡导者和代表--正如所提供的一系列支持信所表明的那样。达勒姆大学和其他大学和公司的外部用户已经表示有兴趣将该仪器用于广泛的应用--一些例子包括：i)用于生物质转化的金属纳米颗粒催化剂。ii)用于甲烷活化的沸石催化剂。Iii)用于精细化学品生产的单原子/簇合物催化剂。iv)在Mn(I)催化剂中的C-H键活化。v)负载型商用催化剂中的Cs配位环境。vi)用于干法和水蒸气重整的镍基催化剂。vii)碳化物、氮化物和碳氮化物过渡金属催化剂的表征。viii)用于环境应用的CeO2催化剂的结构和氧化状态六)固体氧化物燃料电池中的氧化物离子导体。x)钠离子电池的电极材料。xi)用于下一代数据存储介质的天离子手性磁体。12)用于过滤和污染控制的3D-石墨烯泡沫(用金属盐合成)去除污渍和控制异味的锰和铜。气敏阵列中的PtCu纳米线。

Technology based on fundamental research into functional materials has transformed the world in which live, and it will continue to do so. Energy materials are critical components in fuel cells and batteries (the rapidly growing global market for Li-ion batteries alone is anticipated to be worth £84 bn by 2025). New, cleaner, more efficient catalysts are essential for greening existing processes as well as new ones for non-fossil-fuel based routes to essential chemicals (the catalyst market is worth around £19.5 bn/yr and growing at 4.5% pa). The equipment proposed will increase productivity in strategic UK research areas such as Energy Storage and Catalysis that require understanding of these materials' chemical and structural properties. X-ray absorption spectroscopy is a technique used to measure the oxidation state (chemical information) and local co-ordination environment (structural information) properties of a material. X-ray techniques are especially valuable in probing the working state of materials because they can penetrate deep into working samples/devices. This technique has typically been performed at synchrotron x-ray sources, such as Diamond Light Source in the UK. Recent advances in the hardware available (x-ray sources, optics and detectors) have been exploited to develop laboratory x-ray absorption spectrometers (including one that is commercially available), which now have sufficient x-ray power to enable many experiments to be performed in the laboratory. Such spectrometers are ideal for experiments that do not need high time or spatial resolution (available only at heavily oversubscribed synchrotron sources), especially operando measurements on a working battery or catalyst, where the time is determined by the process and not the x-ray source. Such equipment, while available in Germany or the USA, isn't currently available in the UK and would complement the facilities already available at Diamond. Through this project to procure, commission and operate a laboratory-source x-ray absorption spectrometer (and complementary equipment), we will meet a key need of the UK functional materials research community for wider availability of XAS to support research in strategic areas.The new facility will be housed in the Chemistry Department at Durham University, which has a strong track-record in x-ray science and interactions with industry. The EasyXAFS300 would complement other x-ray facilities in Durham, as well as recent investments in catalysis (£1.1m DU Integrated Chemical Reaction Facility) and materials (£0.75m DU COAST Nanolab). The investigator team span a wide range of disciplines (e.g. solid state chemistry, batteries, catalysis, condensed matter physics, nano-scale engineering) and so will act as advocates and representatives within diverse UK science communities - as demonstrated by the range of letters of support provided. Both Durham and external users in other universities and companies have already indicated interest in using the instrument for a wide range of applications - some examples include:i) Metal nanoparticle catalysts for biomass conversion.ii) Zeolite catalysts for methane activation. iii) Single atom / cluster catalysts for fine chemicals production.iv) C-H bond activation in Mn(I) catalysts.v) Cs co-ordination environment in supported commercial catalysts.vi) Ni based catalysts for dry and steam reforming.vii) Characterisation of carbide, nitride and carbonitride transition metal catalysts.viii) Structure and oxidation state of ceria catalysts for environmental applicationsix) Oxide ion conductors in solid oxide fuel cells.x) Electrode materials for Na-ion batteries.xi) Skyrmion chiral magnets for next generation data storage media.xii) 3D-Graphene foams (synthesized with metal salts) for filtration and pollution control.xiii) Fe, Mn and Cu in stain removal and malodour control.xiv) PtCu nanowires in gas sensing arrays.