Enabling precision engineering of complex chemical products for high value technology sectors.

用于高价值技术领域的复杂化学产品的精密工程，例如制药，医疗保健和精细化工产品以及新兴能源材料，可以帮助实现卓越的功能，控制降解，并发现新的物理和化学产品特性。这种复杂的化学产品和设备通常包含低原子序数的离子和分子作为构建块，由于它们对电子或离子束的敏感性，如果我们要描述其详细的微观结构，则需要在纳米尺度的化学和结构成像中进行阶跃变化。这笔拨款将推进并实现这些光束敏感材料在其原生状态和在纳米空间分辨率下的原位动态过程中的定量、分析光谱和成像，使用利兹大学和外部的一套独特的电子和聚焦离子束显微镜（EM/FIB）仪器。这将使我们能够识别和理解这些产品和设备中软物质组件中看不见的性能限制结构、缺陷和接口。在拨款的初始阶段，我们将使用三种协同研究策略的组合，以实现我们的目标，即可靠和准确地表征复杂的化学产品和设备。这些是：(i)样品制备方法的优化；（ii）发展新的电子/离子束扫描/整形策略；（iii）利用新的探测器技术扫描EM/FIB。一套工作包（WPs）将开发可靠的校准方法，用于研究二维和三维原子和分子空间分辨率的光束敏感材料的结构（WP1），化学（WP2）和动力学（WP3），在多相环境中，并从本质上提高最先进的化学灵敏度，同时最大限度地减少光束引起的损伤。合作将包括：与仪器制造商建立直接伙伴关系，使用国家设施和借调到具有互补能力和专业知识的领先国际集团，从而使复杂化学产品的纳米级分析科学取得关键进展。在拨款的第二阶段，这些相互关联的方法将在外部用户访问和直接工业参与的情况下，应用于模型产品/过程系统中一系列当前未遇到的挑战，以基准测试潜在应用并开发纳米级性能模型（WP4）。示例系统包括：(a)模型药物配方，金属-有机框架材料以及有机和混合光电子学中的相分布映射和界面和缺陷结构分析；(b)无机/有机结晶过程中溶液相前体、预成核团簇和水合物的识别；(c)用于给药的聚合物胶束、微凝胶颗粒和核壳颗粒的自组装/拆卸。在赠款的最终工作包（WP5）中，由此开发的仪器、方法、协议和专业知识将在使用点免费提供给外部学术用户，并提供给更广泛的行业，以加强对其特定化学产品系统的研究理解和影响。

Precision engineering of complex chemical products used in high-value technology sectors, e.g. pharmaceutical, healthcare and fine-chemical products as well as emergent energy materials, can help achieve superior functionality, control of degradation, and the discovery of novel physical and chemical product properties. Such complex chemical products and devices often incorporate low atomic number ions and molecules as building blocks which, due to their sensitivity to the electron or ion beam, requires a step change in nanoscale chemical and structural imaging, if we are to characterize their detailed microstructure. This grant will advance and enable quantitative, analytical spectroscopy and imaging of these beam-sensitive materials in both their native state and during in-situ dynamic processes at nanometre spatial resolution using a unique set of electron and focused ion-beam microscopy (EM/FIB) instrumentation at Leeds and also externally. This will allow us to identify and create an understanding of unseen performance-limiting structures, defects and interfaces within the soft matter components in such products and devices.In the initial phase of the grant, we will use a combination of three synergistic Research Strategies to achieve our goal for the reliable and accurate characterisation of complex chemical products and devices. These are: (i) the optimisation of sample preparation methodologies; (ii) the development of new electron/ion beam scanning/ shaping strategies; and (iii) the harnessing of new detector technologies for scanning EM/FIB. A set of work packages (WPs) will enable reliable, calibrated methodologies to be developed for the study of the: Structure (WP1), Chemistry (WP2) and Dynamics (WP3) of beam sensitive materials at atomic and molecular spatial resolution in both two and three dimensions, within multiphase environments and with a radical improvement in state-of-the-art chemical sensitivity, whilst simultaneously minimizing beam-induced damage. Collaborations will include: direct partnerships with instrument manufacturers, use of National facilities and secondments to leading international groups with complementary capabilities and expertise, so enabling key advances in nanoscale analytical science for complex chemical products. In the second phase of the grant, these interlinked approaches will, with external user access and direct industrial involvement, be applied to a range of currently unmet challenges in model product/process systems to benchmark potential applications and develop nanoscale models of performance (WP4). Example systems include: (a) the mapping of phase distributions and analysis of interfacial and defect structures in model pharmaceutical formulations, metal-organic framework materials and organic and hybrid optoelectronics; (b) the identification of solution phase precursors, pre-nucleation clusters and hydrates during inorganic/organic crystallization processes; (c) the self-assembly/disassembly of polymeric micelles, micro-gel particles and core-shell particles for drug delivery.In the final workpackage of the grant (WP5), the instrumentation, methods, protocols and expertise so developed will be offered free-at-point-of-use to external academic users and be made available to wider industry to enhance research understanding and impact associated with their specific chemical product systems.