Designer ice nuclei for geoengineering of clouds

国际社会在遏制温室气体排放上升方面的集体失败意味着我们需要考虑备用计划，以避免气候变化的最严重潜在影响。已经提出了一些地球工程方案，其中之一涉及修改卷云冰云。薄卷云对地球有净变暖效应，但通过向它们播种有效的冰核，它们的全球覆盖范围可能会减少，从而导致地球冷却。迫切需要对基础科学进行研究，以支持这样的计划。我们提出了一个实验室的实验研究，以确定材料，可用于有效地，安全和成本有效地成核冰（冰核）在任何未来的云地球工程项目。我们的战略是建立在渐近线有限公司的经验和专业知识的基础上，渐近线有限公司是生物样品冷冻保存领域的冰核专家。我们已经与Asymptote建立了工作关系，并与他们一起发表了关于喷气燃料中水分冻结的文章（详见Murray的监督员部分）。我们的目标是通过多孔材料对冰核形成有一个基本的了解，并利用它来设计冰核，这将是一系列应用的理想选择。学生的主要重点将是识别冰核用于地球工程目的，对社会有潜在的好处，而渐近线有限公司将把同样的基本信息应用于冷冻保存的商业领域。因此，我们将通过这项工作实现社会和经济影响。渐近线有限公司最近获得了技术战略委员会的资金，以确定可能用于冷冻保存的冰核。在Asymptote实验室建立的相同实验装置将由CASE学生使用，以筛选一系列多孔材料的冰成核能力，这些材料由冰成核的新理论指导。然后，我们将把这些相同的样品带回利兹，在那里我们可以量化它们在大气相关条件下的冰成核效率。以及在大学的研究环境工作的情况下，学生也将花了6个月的时间在渐近线有限公司工作，这将提供一个机会，体验商业研究环境，并将学习技能，地球和环境的学校不能提供，如知识产权的管理和商业机密的重要性。这与成核和结晶的基础知识培训以及所有利兹学生接受的可转移技能培训相结合，将为这个人提供非常有竞争力的投资组合。

The collective international failure to curb rises in greenhouse gas emissions means we need to consider back up plans to avoid the worst potential impacts of climate change. A number of geoengineering schemes have been put forward and one of these involves modifying cirrus ice clouds. Thin cirrus clouds have a net warming effect on the planet, but by seeding them with efficient ice nuclei their global coverage could be reduced thus resulting in a cooling of the planet. Research is urgently needed into the basic science that will underpin schemes such as this. We propose a laboratory experimental study to identify materials which could be used to efficiently, safely and cost effectively nucleate ice (ice nuclei) in any future cloud geoengineering projects. Our strategy is to build on the experience and expertise at Asymptote Ltd who are experts in ice nucleation in the field of cryopreservation of biological samples. We already have an established working relationship with Asymptote and have published with them on freezing of water in jet fuel (see Murray's supervisor section for details). Our goal is to develop a fundamental understanding of ice nucleation by porous materials and use this to design ice nuclei which would be ideal for a range of applications. The primary focus of the student will be to identify ice nuclei for geoengineering purposes with potential benefits for society, whereas Asymptote Ltd will apply the same fundamental information to the commercial area of cryopreservation. We will therefore achieve both societal and economic impact with this work. Asymptote Ltd were recently awarded funds from the Technology Strategy Board to identifying ice nuclei which might be used in cryopreservation. This same experimental set up at Asymptote's laboratories will be used by the CASE student to screen a range of porous materials for their ice nucleating ability guided by a new theory of ice nucleation. We will then bring those same samples back to Leeds where we can quantify their ice nucleation efficiency under atmospherically relevant conditions. As well as working in a university research environment the CASE student will also spent a total of 6 months working at Asymptote Ltd. This will provide an opportunity to experience a commercial research environment and will learn skills that the School of Earth and Environment cannot offer such as management of intellectual property and the importance of commercial confidentiality. This combined with training in the fundamentals of nucleation and crystallisation as well as the transferrable skills training all Leeds students receive will give this individual a very competitive portfolio.