Highlights
- Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFCs)
- Nuclear fuels
- Ultra high-temperature composites
- Graphene and graphene-based materials
- Bioceramics
- Ceramics for body and vehicular armour
Ceramics are inorganic crystalline materials that can have a range of properties from functional to structural ceramics for extreme environments.
The Centre for Advanced Structural Ceramics (CASC) is a major focus for ceramics research in the Department. The experimental facilities cover processing and characterisation and we have particular expertise in thermo-mechanical testing including nanoindentation and outstanding thermal analysis capability to > 2000oC. Much of this research is carried out in collaborative projects with industrial and academic partners from the UK, Europe, USA and Japan.
Much of our work is underpinned by multiscale modelling enabling us to improve our understanding of ceramic materials and predict new materials having improved properties for a wide variety of applications.
We have pioneered research on lowering the operating temperature and cost of SOFCs, their mechanical reliability and on the mechanisms of electrode reactions. This has resulted in facilities (unique within Europe) for isotopic studies of surface exchange kinetics and diffusion in oxides. The surface chemistry of ceramic materials can now be accessed through state-of-the-art low-energy ion scattering (LEIS) providing unparalleled information on the atomic structure of functional ceramics that is essential for device development. We are also examining ceramic systems for aerospace applications which involves testing and characterising non-oxide composites at temperatures approaching 4000oC.
Our researchers:
Dr Florian Bouville
Dr Florian Bouville
Dr Shelly Conroy
Dr Shelly Conroy
Professor Mike Finnis FRS
Professor Mike Finnis FRS
Dr Oriol Gavalda Diaz
Dr Oriol Gavalda Diaz
Professor Finn Giuliani
Professor Finn Giuliani
Professor Sir Robin Grimes FRS FREng
Professor Sir Robin Grimes FRS FREng
Dr Chun Ann Huang
Dr Chun Ann Huang
Dr Sam Humphry-Baker
Dr Sam Humphry-Baker
Professor Julian Jones
Professor Julian Jones
Professor John Kilner
Professor John Kilner
Professor Eduardo Saiz Gutierrez
Professor Eduardo Saiz Gutierrez
Professor Stephen Skinner FRSE
Professor Stephen Skinner FRSE
Professor Molly Stevens FRS
Professor Molly Stevens FRS