The Problem
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In the chemical industry and industrial research, catalysis plays a vital role. Catalysts are in constant development to fulfil economic, political and environmental demands. Gaining valuable new information about the atomicnanoscale chemical structure, coupled with information about the micro-distribution of such species, has applications across a wide range of disciplines such as materials, biomedical, environmental, and geophysical sciences.
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The Problem
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In today’s battle against climate change, replacement of conventional cars with battery electric vehicles (BEV) offers an opportunity to significantly reduce future carbon dioxide emissions. Currently, BEVs employ lithium-ion batteries which are expensive to produce and have significant drawbacks; their safety and limited transport being the main issues. Significant interest is therefore being shown in replacing these lithium-ion batteries with a lithium-sulfur battery (LiS or Li2S/Si), which operates using a cheap and abundant raw material with about a two-fold higher specific energy compared to lithium-ion batteries.
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The Problem
Fuel combustion in diesel engines leads to the production of nitrogen oxides (NOx) which are harmful to the environment. Retarding the fuel injection timing and recirculating the exhaust gas back into the engine reduces overall NOx emissions, however, this can also lead to the formation of diesel soot particles within the engine oil. Excessive build up of soot in engine oil accelerates engine wear, ultimately leading to lower fuel efficiency and premature engine failure.
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The Problem
The automotive industry typically uses steel sheets for the bodywork of cars which is cut to the size of the part (i.e. roof, door or bonnet) and then stamped into the precise shape required. Although steel is a commonly-used material, the exact behaviour of the metal’s crystalline structure during these forming processes has yet to be fully mapped. By understanding how the ‘steel crystals’ react when undergoing stamping, new alloys could be created that offer greater flexibility and strength which might allow more complex shapes to be formed.
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The Problem
Effective lubrication has a significant impact on a number of applications ranging from human artificial joint implants to energy efficiency of internal combustion engines and the reliability of offshore wind turbine gearboxes. At low running speeds and high contact pressures the fluid film cannot be maintained and therefore effective lubrication is greatly influenced by the presence of chemical additives in the lubricant. These additives interact with the lubricated surfaces to form nanoscale tribofilms that reduce both material wear and energy losses due to friction. Understanding the mechanisms by which these tribofilms form is essential for development and optimisation of the next generation environmentally friendly effective lubricants, materials and tribological systems.
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The Problem
Platinum group metals play a crucial role in a variety of applications and in particular for a host of catalytic applications. The largest application is currently in vehicle emission control (VEC) catalysts to efficiently reduce particulate matter, CO, NOx and hydrocarbons. This type of catalytic system is diverse and complex and generally contains 0.1-1 wt% active metal deposited on a thermally stable structural support. Therefore, applying a wide range of techniques is essential to fully understand these complex catalytic materials.
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The Problem
The “freezing” of diesel fuel in winter has been a problem since its inception. Wax crystals nucleate and grow and block fuel lines and filters which can lead to vehicle failures and motorists being stranded. Additives are used to control these crystals but, over recent years, the use of biofuels (fatty acid methyl esters) within diesel blends has become increasingly common. This can adversely affect the low temperature operability of the fuel. Legislation demands that biofuels are part of diesel blends throughout the EU, with levels expected to increase.
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