Materials and Processes (IMP)

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Materials and Processes (IMP)

• Main Research Areas
• Process engineering for carbon capture
• Biomedical engineering
• Mesomechanics of Materials
• Nanomaterials engineering
• Fluid and particle dynamics
• Specialized research groups
• (small but world-leading, sustained by external
  collaborations)
• Snow and ice mechanics
• Materials properties under extreme conditions
• Conservation materials science

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Materials and Processes

• 25 Academic staff
• 1 Honorary Professor (N Seaton)
• 3 Research Fellows
• 10 Research Associates
• 44 PhD students

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Process Engineering for Carbon Capture

• Carbon capture for a 1GW plant
• requires performance of current
• capture plants to be expanded by
• factor of 90
• Optimisation of configurations at
• all scales and development of
• novel materials (MOFs, Zeolites, mesoporous
  materials with surface groups, polymers of
  intrinsic microporosity)
• Integration of separation
• processes (gas-liquid, membrane, adsorption,
  hybrid processes)
• Advanced process modelling for steady state and
  dynamic power production cycles

Current-Generation C02 capture plant in Malaysia
(200t/day) using a KEPCO/MHI chemical solvent
process
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Biomedical Engineering

• Diagnostic Technologies
• Disease modelling
• Imaging
• Therapeutic prediction
• Therapeutic Technologies
• Biomaterials
• Orthopaedics regenerative medicine

Blood flow modelling in a diseased artery
CFD simulation
Segmented mesh
3D data
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Biomedical Engineering

• Diagnostic Technologies
• Disease modelling
• Imaging
• Therapeutic prediction
• Therapeutic Technologies
• Biomaterials
• Orthopaedics regenerative medicine

Multimode imaging of breast cancer tissue showing
architecture of tumour without staining or sample
preparation. This can help to guide patient
treatment.
Imaging of drug action. (Left) shows drug
(green) accumulating inside live cells (red)
(Right) right 24 hours later drug has entered
nucleus and killed cell
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Mesomechanics of Materials

• Microstructure characterisation and
• mechanical properties on micron
• and sub-micron scales
• Deformation and failure of very small
• systems (thin films and wires)
• Chemomechanics of crystallization
• damage in stone and other porous
• materials
• Polymer-carbon nanotubes adhesion
• Alkane nanostructures on graphite
• Nanoadhesion and nanotribology

Nano-scale phase separation of polymers
Bending simulations of wires down to 0.1 mm
diameter
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Nanomaterials engineering

• Nanoporous materials
• Adsorption and diffusion in nanoporous materials
• Simulation of materials synthesis and
• performance
• Nanocomposites
• mechanical properties of nanocomposites
• Modelling of interfaces in composite systems
• Molecular design of new materials

Metal-Organic Framework for gas separation
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Fluid and particle dynamics

• Reaction Systems
• Modelling of Furnaces and fluidised
• beds for fuel efficient combustion
• Multi-phase flows and complex fluids
• Fluid-surface interactionsFouling in industrial
  processes
• Phase change and heat transfer devices
  (Thermacore Europe Ltd)
• Thermo-fluid dynamics of simple and complex
  fluids
• single particle dynamics

Fouling in process industries
Gel drops
Local hot spots in a semiconductor device
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Specialized research groups

• Ice and snow mechanics
• Deformation and friction properties
• of snow and ice, for
• Winter sports applications
• Avalanche prediction (SLF, SAIS)
• Vehicle tyre traction
• (Ford, Jaguar Goodyear, Michelin)

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Materials Properties under extreme conditions

• Design, development and manufacturing of
  instruments and equipment for experiments at
• High pressures and magnetic fields
• Extreme temperatures
• Recent developments include
• World