The ‘middle men’ of knowledge

Researchers developing lighter materials and new catalysts are collaborating with UK companies to revolutionise our homes, cars and planes - but, says John Conti-Ramsden, we can’t rest on our laurels; we must keep up the pace of technology transfer. And who better to facilitate than those in the knowledge transfer business…   When Edmund Hillary climbed Mount Everest in 1953 he took with him 27kg of kit. Heavy boots, bulky oxygen cylinders, thick wool jackets and cumbersome canvas tents were hauled over the snow and ice. Advances in materials means that climbers attempting the trek today carry less than half the weight. New materials are behind much of this ‘lightweighting’, which has also had a dramatic impact on our cars and planes. This is just one of a number of areas – other include energy generation and storage, catalysis and electronics – where materials chemistry has led to new materials innovations which bring  tangible benefits to our lives. The UK has a world renowned research base. David Willetts announced his commitment to materials R&D in his Eight Great Technologies speech, recognising that new and advanced materials are hugely important in sustainable technologies and advanced manufacturing. As materials research moves forwards, requiring ever greater expertise, the need to ensure knowledge is transferred between researchers and manufacturers, academia and industry, is more important than ever if we are to keep reaping the benefits. Lightweight materials are a good example of industry demand pulling through research, particularly from the growing aerospace and automotive sectors that are hungry for innovative new materials. Consumers are calling for more efficient vehicles which are cheaper and greener to run. Carbon taxes mean airlines and train companies are eager to produce lower volumes of greenhouse gasses and spend less on fuel. Composite materials are a key enabler for lightweighting. By combining high strength fibres with advanced polymeric materials engineers can design lightweight components and structures with useful additional functions, such as flexibility and noise insulation. Carbon fibre and biobased materials such as flax are two commonly used materials used to make low weight composites, but our scientists are developing the next generation of materials to keep up with advances in electronics, architecture and transport. Lightweighting also drives demand for new materials where sustainability is a key consideration.   Rare earth elements, for example, are on the EU critical materials list and extraction and processing of the materials can be highly polluting. 30% of rare earth elements are used in lightweight permanent magnets which are found in wind turbines, car motors and MRI machines and demand is increasing. Materials chemists are working to reduce the volume of rare earth elements by optimising magnet microstructure. It is clear that there is a huge opportunity for UK businesses to bring lightweight materials to market. The global market for lightweight materials in transportation alone has been valued at £64 billion and is expected to rise to £90 billion in 2017. Another exciting area of materials chemistry research is catalysis. Making chemical reactions faster, more efficient and environmentally friendly is a top priority for industry. With 90% of chemical manufacturing processes employing catalysts there is also the need to make existing catalysts more active, more durable and more selective. Making sluggish chemical reactions faster and reducing the number of undesirable ‘side reactions’ is also priority for a range of process industries looking to improve atom efficiency, reduce waste and optimise energy use. In addition, catalysts in our cars improve air quality, catalysts in water processing plants removed impurities from effluent and catalysts in biofuel production turn waste into renewable sources of energy. The UK is home to top academics who are designing novel nanostructured catalyst materials to make reactions cheaper, faster and better – but how can industry access this expertise? The Knowledge Centre for Materials Chemistry (KCMC) has created a network of materials chemists in the chemistry-using industries – a matchmaker for academics keen to turn their research into real-world applications and entrepreneurs and businesses looking for green and affordable solutions to problems. Designing lightweight materials requires materials scientists and chemists to go back to the drawing board and look at molecular structures. Lightweight materials need to maintain their key properties – strength, rigidity and durability – whilst weighing less. Although chemistry underpins these advances not all companies have R&D departments with the expertise and equipment to do the science required to support development of new materials and technologies. Industry can see the opportunity to take advantage of academic capabilities in UK universities and research institutions and work collaboratively, but finding a suitable partner can be a daunting task on timescales that match industry need. The Knowledge Centre for Materials Chemistry (KCMC) helps companies navigate the maze of expertise to find an academic partner. Once a match has been made the KCMC helps to secure funding and deliver the project. Victrex plc is a manufacturer of high performance polyaryletherketones, including the versatile VICTREX PEEK polymer, a family of thermoplastics with remarkable properties. In a recent KCMC newsletter, John Grasmeder, Technical Director at Victrex, explained: “The Victrex value proposition is strongest when there are a number of problems to solve and PEEK ticks quite a few boxes”.

With 90% of chemical manufacturing processes employing catalysts there is also the need to make existing catalysts more active, more durable and more selective.

PEEK is used in the aerospace industry to replace metal piping as it is a lightweight and durable alternative and it’s very difficult to burn. The material is easily extruded and can be welded. PEEK has been approved by aerospace manufacturers and the savings are huge – by replacing 100 metres of pipe in one aircraft you can save £2,000 in fuel costs and 11 tonnes of carbon dioxide in one year! This is all down to the weight. PEEK comes in at around 50% lighter than the metals most commonly used. PEEK is also used in the automotive industry where it is being used to replace metal gears. Not only are there benefits of lowering carbon emissions through weight reduction but the gears are 15 times more durable and significantly reduce noise levels. Engine modules fitted with the gears also achieve a remarkable 9% reduction in power consumption. “The polymer for gears came out of an idea we had during a collaboration with the University of Manchester,” explained John, “and this partnership was created by the KCMC.” Victrex has worked with surgeons and materials chemists to design and produce new biomaterials. These are used to make implants with composites that encourage bone growth. When the material comes into contact with bone a strong bond is formed, enhancing recovery. Industry is also looking to academia to design materials with smart properties. Dr Robert Sorrell from BP, also writing in our recent newsletter, said: “We're looking at smart coatings, in particular materials that are able to self-heal or sense the environment they are operating in. We are examining a range of options including embedding a physical or chemical sensor in a material coating that reacts to a physical or chemical change. You need some really clever surface chemistry here, such as microencapsulation.” The KCMC recently welcomed the Cardiff Catalysis Institute (CCI), part of the Cardiff University School of Chemistry, to its network of research institution partners. The CCI has strengths in the fundamental chemistry of catalytic materials and processes and also investigates new routes to manufacturing materials for catalysis. The CCI is well connected with leading experts in catalysis both in industry and academia. Professor Stan Golunski, Deputy Director of the CCI, is keen to promote the benefits of catalysis to a range of industries having seen first-hand how catalysts can transform a company’s environmental footprint and processing costs. From industry contacts he got talking to an ink manufacturer who was trying to treat the waste water from their manufacturing plant. Professor Golunski suggested they investigate using similar technology to that used in automotive catalytic converters. The technology transferred remarkably well and the air quality catalyst technology was installed to process the waste water, minimising costs and reducing environmental damage. Chance meetings between academia and industry can lead to exciting results, but serendipity is hardly a model for collaboration. Manufacturers need to proactively approach academic centres such as the CCI with questions and identify where leading edge science can impact on their next generation manufacturing challenges. Can I reduce costs by improving my understanding of a process? Can I make an existing catalyst more sustainable using new, readily sourced materials? The companies who take advantage of materials chemistry expertise can grow their business and improve their environmental credentials. Through these collaborations UK Plc benefits from a stronger manufacturing base but the research institution also gains. Research collaborations can help pay for equipment, partnerships can lead to PhD studentships and lab bench research is translated into solutions to practical problems. Despite the clear benefits industry can be reluctant to find partners, overwhelmed by the task of finding a suitable match. This is where the KCMC can help. By sitting in between universities and innovators we can see the big picture and identify who can help whom. If we can’t help, we will know someone who can. Author John Conti-Ramsden is director of the Knowledge Centre for Materials Chemistry