“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.” Samuel Beckett
Strategic sustainable synthesis at scale
Discovering brand new functional materials or determining successful pathways to scaling up high-quality materials synthesis requires we must first develop our understanding of synthetic pathways afforded by different preparative routes. This is especially important in delivering methodologies that are more sustainable and energy efficient. Arriving at functional materials typically requires mixing of starting materials, (potentially several) heating protocols and a final cooling process. Often established through experimental know-how and experience, the final materials are determined via a combination of kinetics and thermodynamics.
In recent years, our team has been determining more strategic - or guided - routes to functional materials. We are especially interested in deepening our understanding of preparative pathways so that we might charter routes towards undiscovered novel materials or determine those most efficient scale-up routes to functional materials at kilogram-scale. We apply sustainable approaches such as aqueous-based methods or efficient heating methods to reduce energy and cost demands, without sacrificing material quality.
Sustainable microwave manufacturing
Scale up high-quality Ni-rich cathodes
Continuous manufacturing of inorganic powders
Energy materials discovery & development
Our research takes an interdisciplinary approach to tackle grand challenges: designing chemically inert ionically conducting ceramics for safer batteries; pushing energy densities and lifetimes through coordinated structural design and surface functionalisation; morphology-driven materials performance through advanced synthetic chemistry; and targeting sustainable future energy storage solutions including Na batteries and organic electrodes.
We address these through the development of new synthetic approaches: novel single-source precursors for targeted design of nanostructured heterometallic cathodes; microwave-assisted methods reducing reactions from days to minutes and temperatures to industry-friendly regimes; scalable synthesis finely-tuned for desired polymorphs; improving interfacial conductivities and cycling stability through particle coating and texturing.
Advancing understanding of functional materials properties
Our groups work closely with collaborators at central facilities to develop and apply new characterisation methods to deepen our understanding of functional materials properties. Recently, our work with the ISIS Neutron and Muon facility through a Facility Development studentship, which supported Dr Innes McClelland for his PhD, was recognised by the STFC Science Impact Award. Here, we developed a new operando battery cell which can be applied by users on a muon beamline to investigate the ion diffusion properties in cycling battery cells.
Examples of our research include:
Application of advanced X-ray and muon spectroscopic techniques to unpick diffusion properties of battery materials [Nature Materials 2011, Chem Commun 2018, Nature Commun 2020, Ann Rev Mat Chem 2020, Chem Mater 2022]
Applying new X-ray-based tomography techniques to quantitatively map nanostructured phases in Mary Rose timbers for the first time [Matter 2022]
Demonstration of fast microwave methods for high quality functional materials, ranging from battery electrolytes to contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging [Nanoscale 2019, J Mater Chem A 2018, 2017; Chem Commun 2016, 2018, RSC Adv 2016]
Examination of local structure of VO2 metal-insulator transition & discovery of new high pressure phase [Chem Mater 2008; PRL 2010; PRB 2015]
