Newcastle University EPSRC Core Equipment Award 2022

我们正在申请资金来购买一系列设备，这些设备将支持广泛的研究，但特别关注支持能源材料研究的设备，这是由我们科学农业与工程学院四所学院中的三所进行的跨学科工作。我们还要求从“额外资金”中获得资金，这将改善我们一些设施的环境和财务可持续性，以及如果获得批准，可能通过“未满足需求”资金流资助的更广泛的设备。作为基本奖励的一部分所要求的设备是；UV-Vis-NIR分光光度计荧光/光发光分光光度计ftir分光光度计粒子分析仪微平衡所要求的设备将最大限度地利用多个用户在我们的研究正在扩大的领域，我们已经通过我们的旗舰NUAcT奖学金计划（www.ncl.ac.uk/nuact/about-nuact/）进行了一些ECR预约，并由ukri资助的未来领袖研究员支持。支持我们能源材料研究的设备是我们多学科能源中心（https://www.ncl.ac.uk/energy/）推动的主要研究领域的核心，并建立在epsrc资助的东北能源材料中心（NECEM; https://research.ncl.ac.uk/necem/）的基础上。该设备将补充和扩展epsrc最近资助的东北超快瞬态吸收光谱（UTAS）设施的能力，该设施汇集了来自纽卡斯尔，诺森比亚和达勒姆大学的研究人员，扩大了最大化使用的机会，多个用户访问，包括跨机构，促进合作。由于我们在东北可再生能源大学（ReNU） CDT （https://research.ncl.ac.uk/necem/studentships/; https://renu.northumbria.ac.uk/）中的核心作用，专注于支持能源材料研究的设备带来了额外的好处，并且像东北UTAS设施一样，通过支持纽卡斯尔，诺森比亚和达勒姆大学的ReNU合作机构的pgr（支持博士培训的核心设备），带来了更广泛的区域层面。扩大对下一代太阳能电池和光催化能源材料的研究，增加了我们的化学家和物理学家对光和其他催化应用的光学光谱和物理表征材料的需求。这包括与行业伙伴密切合作进行的应用研究，以及对新型光电化学活性分子的基础研究。基于这一不断增长的研究实力，我们因此要求资助一套仪器，以满足该领域及其他领域研究人员的需求，即UV-Vis-NIR分光光度计，荧光分光光度计，FT-IR分光光度计，颗粒分析仪和专用于UTAS设施的微天平，该设施将托管设备。这些仪器将使我们能够表征新材料，并确定制造太阳能技术所必需的能量转换过程中的瓶颈，制造太阳能技术所必需的能量转换过程中的材料，能源应用材料，光电子器件和电路，光子材料和超材料。这些应用领域的进步有可能改变可再生能源发电的效率和成本，解决脱碳和“清洁增长”大挑战。

We are requesting funding to purchase a range of equipment that will support a wide range of research, but with a particular focus on equipment supporting energy materials research which is conducted by cross disciplinary working across three of the four schools in our Faculty of Science Agriculture and Engineering. We have also requested funding from the "Additional Funding" which will improve the environmental and financial sustainability of some of our facilities, along with a wider range of equipment that may be funded through the "Unmet Demand" funding stream if approved.The equipment requested as part of the basic award is;UV-Vis-NIR SpectrophotometerFluorescence/ photoluminescence SpectrophotometerFTIR SpectrophotometerParticle AnalyserMicrobalanceThe equipment requested will maximize use by multiple users in areas in which our research is expanding and where we have made a number of ECR appointments through our flagship NUAcT Fellowship scheme (www.ncl.ac.uk/nuact/about-nuact/) and are supported by UKRI-funded Future Leader Fellows. Equipment supporting our energy materials research is central to major strands of research driven by our multidisciplinary Centre for Energy (https://www.ncl.ac.uk/energy/) and builds on the establishment of the EPSRC-funded North East Centre for Energy Materials (NECEM; https://research.ncl.ac.uk/necem/). The equipment will complement and expand the capabilities of a recently EPSRC-funded North East Ultrafast Transient Absorption Spectroscopy (UTAS) Facility which brings together researchers from Newcastle, Northumbria and Durham Universities, expanding the opportunities for maximizing use, access by multiple users, including across institutions, promoting collaboration. Focus on equipment to support energy materials research has added benefit by virtue of our central role in the Renewable Energy North East Universities (ReNU) CDT (https://research.ncl.ac.uk/necem/studentships/; https://renu.northumbria.ac.uk/) and like the North East UTAS facility brings a broader regional dimensions by supporting PGRs from the ReNU partner institutions of Newcastle, Northumbria and Durham Universities (Core Equipment in support of Doctoral Training). Expanding research into energy materials for next generation solar cells and photocatalysis has increased demand from our chemists and physicists for characterisation of materials with optical spectroscopy and physical characterization materials for photo- and other catalytic applications. This encompasses applied research conducted in close collaboration with industry partners through to fundamental studies of novel photoelectrochemically active molecules. Building on this growing research strength we have therefore requested funding for a suite of instruments that service the needs of researchers in this field an beyond, namely a UV-Vis-NIR spectrophotometer, a Fluorescence spectrophotometer, an FT-IR spectrophotometer, a particle analyzer and a microbalance for dedicated use in the UTAS facility which will host the equipment. These instruments will enable us to characterise new materials and identify bottlenecks in the energy conversion processes essential to making solar technology, materials in the energy conversion processes essential to making solar technology, materials for energy applications, optoelectronic devices and circuits, photonic materials and metamaterials more productive. Advances in these application domains have the potential to transform the efficiency and cost of renewable energy generation, addressing decarbonization and the "Clean Growth" Grand Challenge.