Materials Science MPhil/PhD
Overview
Materials is a thriving area of research in the School of Engineering at the University of Liverpool. Advanced materials research is one of the key research strengths at University of Liverpool and links in with other core areas including energy and healthcare. We have world-class researchers in the fields spanning functional thin film materials, porous metals, high temperature oxidation, nuclear materials, bio-medical materials, ceramics and graphene-based materials for energy application, colloidal processing and 3D printing.
Subject Overview
Materials research is of great importance in the modern world and at Liverpool we pride ourselves in having a long and illustrious track record in this area. Within the Faculty of Science and Engineering, extensive investment has been made in recent years to ensure that we have state-of-the-art facilities and expertise in Materials research.
Materials research in the School of Engineering at Liverpool sits very much at the interface between Engineering and Science, which means that much of our research is multi-disciplinary. The research interests of our Materials team are broad and in many cases span multiple disciplines including materials science, manufacturing, physics, chemistry, engineering and the life sciences. This provides us with opportunities to solve exciting research challenges associated with both fundamental science as well as more applied problems. Through multi-disciplinary collaborations, we are able to take our research well beyond what we could do within our individual groups. Within the School of Engineering, we have particular research expertise in functional thin film materials, advanced materials characterisation, materials processing / manufacturing, materials chemistry, colloidal processing and complex structures, ceramics and graphene-based materials, porous metals, high temperature oxidation, nuclear materials, bio-medical materials, and materials for energy storage and production.
Our research can be broadly split into the following research areas:
Functional materials: Functional thin film materials and nano-technology research is becoming increasing important in our modern world and is finding application in an incredibly diverse range of applications. These materials are not only central to high-tech gadgets that we use for work and play, but they are pivotal in solving some of the global challenges that humans face, such as living with global warming, sustainable energy supply, sustainable water supply, healthcare..... etc. Our core research focuses on the development and exploitation of ultra-thin inorganic films. This involves the development of new and novel ultra-thin film materials; probing the underlying science of thin film disposition; advanced film characterisation (physico-chemical, mechanical, electronic, optical etc); innovating new process technology; new precursor development; and a whole range of science and engineering associated with the exploitation of the thin film materials in a diverse range of applications. This research area is led by Prof. Paul Chalker and Dr Richard Potter.
Biomedical Materials: To meet the demands of an ageing population we must develop new cost effective materials that have an active role in combating the effects of disease and trauma. Biomedical materials science is a fundamental research area that spans all areas of healthcare technologies including sensor development, medical therapies, new tissue formation, efficient drug delivery and anti-microbials... In the School of Engineering, we have expertise in a number of areas including cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, skin and ocular bioengineering which is underpinned by state-of-the-art materials science research. This research area is led by Dr Riaz Akhtar (biomaterials characterisation / microneedles), Dr Raechelle D’Sa (anti-microbial surfaces/tissue engineering) and Dr Jude Curran (bio-surface engineering/tissue engineering).
Colloidal and powder processing - ‘Converting powders into 3D structures’. As new technologies in key areas such as energy and medicine develop, the demand for state-of-the art fabrication to create complex multifunctional structures and devices also grows. Shaping materials into objects with practical dimensions and controlled morphological features at multiple length scales, while preserving functionality, is still a challenge. Our research focuses on developing new processing approaches that enable a fine architectural control from the nano to the macro scales. We achieve this by combining ‘bottom-up’ assembly of complex colloidal systems (for example responsive particles and 2D colloids) with ‘top-down’ manufacturing techniques (such as casting, emulsion templating, 3D printing, freeze-casting and lost carbonate sintering). Tuning the assembly approach enables us to produce structures and composites with tailored properties for a wide range of applications including micro-porous metals for active cooling, biocompatible porous ceramics for bone regeneration, ceramic filters, catalytic supports and graphene components for energy devices. This research area is led by Dr Esther Garcia-Tunon Blanca (complex colloids and structures) and Prof. Yuyuan Zhao (porous metals).
Nuclear Materials: The challenges experience by nuclear materials, whether they be as part of a fission/fusion core, fuel and containment, or even as waste form for the safe disposal, are both challenging and critical for the continued nuclear renaissance. The group within the School addresses such challenges through the development of materials options for new reactor designs, or through an enhanced understanding of the currently used materials within reactors, or as waste forms. As part of the wider community within the University, N-STAR we help address the challenges raised going forward, using a range of techniques that can examine irradiated materials modelling the impacts arising from use within a reactor core.
This research area is led by Prof. Karl Whittle and Dr Maulik Patel
Key Facts:Our research is funded by the EU, the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and directly by our industrial partners. Our results are published widely in high impact-factor materials, engineering, physics, and biomedical journals. |
Why Materials research at Liverpool?
From Materials Science to Materials Engineering: While some of our research looks towards fundamental scientific understanding of materials and how they behave, we also love to apply our research to real world applications. Our research is multi-disciplinary, which means that it feeds into a diverse range of engineering applications. In recent year, our research has included: micro-electronics, power electronics, energy efficient architectural glazing, bio-medical anti-microbial coatings, energy storage, solar PV, photo-electrodes for solar production of hydrogen and photo-catalysts.
From Materials Engineering to Manufacturing: While it is great to develop new materials that enhance the performance of technology, this may be of little value if the processes involved in producing the material are not economically scalable or are unsustainable. Where possible, we aim to ensure that our materials research links closely to manufacturing research where issues such as scalability, repeatability / control, cost and sustainability are considered.
Facilities
Materials research is seen as being of strategic importance to the University of Liverpool and as such has attracted heavily investment in recent years. Within the Faculty of Science and Engineering major infrastructure projects including the Materials Innovation Factory (MIF), the Stephenson Institute for Renewable Energy (SIRE) and the Imaging Centre at Liverpool (iCAL) house World class research facilities, many of which are either directly available to us or through collaboration.
The Functional materials group in the School of Engineering hosts a range of state-of-the-art facilities for the deposition and analysis of ultra-thin film materials. Most of our thin film deposition equipment is housed in Wolfson Cleanroom, where we can handle samples in a clean and controlled environment. Some of our key facilities include: several atomic layer deposition (ALD) and MOCVD reactors for the deposition of ultra-thin films; a state-of-the-art Qtac 100 low energy ion scattering (LEIS) facility for surface analysis; spectroscopic ellipsometry; XRD; confocal Raman/ photoluminescence; AFM; Four point probe and Hall effect system for electrical characterisation.
The Colloidal Processing group is affiliated to the School of Engineering and the Materials Innovation Factory (MIF). Our lab based in Chemistry and affiliated to the MIF has equipment for processing: including different types of mixers for powders, suspensions, pastes and other formulations (Thinky ARE250, Turbula TFT, UltraTurrax and other mixing components), custom-made devices for ice templating and an extrusion based 3D printer (3D Inks Robocad) and a rheometer. The MIF open area, fully equipped for materials discovery and characterisation, provides state-of-the-art infrastructure for automated processing and high-throughput rheology.
The Biomaterials group: Our core research focuses on controlling biological/bacterial responses through direct interactions with materials. This is supported by cutting edge research facilities encompassing biomaterials fabrication and surface characterisation including electro spinning/spraying, 3D printing facilities complimented by tissue culture and microbiology laboratories. Our surface characterisation facilities include AFM, nanoinindenation and confocal microscopy.
The Nuclear Materials group is part of the greater N-STAR grouping within the university and partners external, such as Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Los Alamos National Laboratory in the US, the National Nuclear Laboratory in the UK. We make extensive use of facilities both within the University, e.g. ICAL for electron microscopy, and external such as the Ion Beam facilities at Argonne National Laboratory, and at the University of Surreys ion beam centre.
Breadth of Study
In addition to a strong research component, postgraduate study in Materials Science and Engineering in Liverpool offers training to address the needs of future professional engineers. The collaborative nature of research helps develop professional skills such as team working and leadership, interaction of specialists in other disciplines, coordination of joint activities, presentation in various forms and general communication. Students are encouraged to attend and present their work at conferences in their field. Further oral and poster presentations are organised in the School of Engineering as formal requirements of the degree and parts of activities within research centres and research groups. Written reports, at the ends of the first and year years, form another integral part of the study and provide opportunities to assess progress and handle delays.