Materials Annual Report - Friends of Imperial College

Department of Materials 

Imperial College London 

Exhibition Road 

London SW7 2AZ 

UK 

Tel: +44 (0)20 7594 6734 

Fax: +44 (0)20 7594 6757 

www.imperial.ac.uk/materials 

Department of Materials Annual Report and Research in Progress 2009–10 


Annual Report and 

Research in Progress 2009–10 

1 Department of Materials Research in Progress and Annual Report 2009–10 www.imperial.ac.uk/materials

The information in this publication was compiled by: 

Dagmar Durham and Sonia Tomasetig 

Designed by: Helen Davison 

Printed by: Shanleys 

Copyright © June 2011 

Department of Materials, Imperial College London 

All rights reserved. No part of this publication 

may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or 

transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, 

mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, 

without the permission of the publisher. 



Exhibition Road 

London SW7 2AZ 

UK 

Tel: +44 (0)20 7594 6734 

Fax: +44 (0)20 7594 6757 

Cover image 

An artificially coloured SEM micrograph of zinc oxide nanorods 

grown from hydrothermal deposition in aqueous solution. This 

image, taken by Jonathan Downing, was selected as a ‘Science 

as Art’ finalist at the MRS conference in December 2010. 

5 Introduction by the Head of 

Department 

9 Annual Report 2009–10 

Contents 

1 Department of Materials Annual Report and Research in Progress 2009–10 www.imperial.ac.uk/materials www.imperial.ac.uk/materials Department of Materials Annual Report and Research in Progress 2009–10 3 

11 People 

11 Our academic, research and 

support staff 

15 Visiting researchers 

18 Our students 

25 Summary of staff, visiting 

researchers and students 

27 Ins and outs 

27 Appointments 

28 Promotions 

28 Leavers 

29 Departmental management 

and committee structure 

33 Degrees and PhDs awarded 

33 Summary of all awards 2005–10 

33 MEng Materials Science and 

Engineering 

33 MEng Aerospace Materials 

33 MEng Materials and Nuclear 

Engineering 

33 MEng Biomaterials and Tissue 

Engineering 

33 BEng Materials Science and 

Engineering 

33 BEng Materials with Management 

34 PhDs awarded 

37 Prizes, awards and 

distinctions 

37 Highlights 

39 Academic staff 

41 Postdoctoral research 

associates and assistants 

41 Undergraduate and 

postgraduate students 

45 Undergraduate students 

45 Undergraduate courses 

46 Sources of support for 

undergraduates 

46 Industrial experience and work 

placements 

47 Final year undergraduate projects 

49 Postgraduate school 

49 Postgraduate masters courses 

50 Postgraduate research students 

50 Sources of support for 

postgraduate research students 

51 Postgraduate Research Day 

55 Postdoctoral research staff 

55 Postdoctoral Research Staff 

Committee 

55 Postdoctoral research staff 

numbers 

55 Postdoctoral Researcher 

Symposium 

57 Research and industrial 

colloquia 

61 Visitors to the Department 

65 Out and about 

65 Academic staff 

75 Research assistants and 

postdoctoral research associates 

77 Postgraduate research students 

81 National and international 

profile 

87 Research in Progress 

2009–10 

89 Academic staff profiles 

109 Materials-based university 

research centres 

109 London Centre for Nanotechnology 

109 Thomas Young Centre 

110 Centre for Nuclear Engineering 

110 Nuclear Engineering Doctorate 

Programme 

110 The DIAMOND University 

Consortium 

111 Energy Futures Lab 

111 Institute for Biomedical 

Engineering 

112 Centre for Advanced Stuctural 

Ceramics 

113 Institute for Security Science 

Technology 

113 Materials Characterisation 

117 International links 

117 KAUST 

117 IDEA League 

118 NUS and NTU 

119 Current research sponsors 

121 Research themes 

123 Biomaterials and tissue 

engineering 

124 Research highlight 

125 Project summaries 

139 Ceramics and glasses 



157 Advanced alloys 



167 Nantechnology and nanoscale 

characterisation 

168 Research highlights 


179 Functional materials 



193 Theory and simulation of materials 



201 Publications 

211 Grants and contracts 

awarded 

213 Map of Imperial College 

London 

214 Credits

Introduction 

Welcome to the new-look joint edition of the Department of 

Materials Annual Report and Research in Progress 2009–10. 

The Annual Report reviews the activities of the Department 

for the academic year October 2009 – September 2010 and 

the Research in Progress outlines the research life of the 

Department during the same period. 

Highlights of the past year include the promotions 

of Drs Sandrine Heutz, Natalie Stingelin, Andrew 

Horsfield and Arash Mostofi to Senior Lecturer and 

Dr David McPhail to Reader in Surface Analysis. 

These promotions are the end product of much 

hard work, dedication and ability, so well done to 

each of them. We were also thrilled to be awarded 

an Athena Silver SWAN award which recognises 

and celebrates our good practice on recruiting, 

retaining and promoting women in SET in higher 

education. Other highlights include Professor 

Molly Stevens’ number two ranking in the Top 10 

UK scientists under the age of 40 list in The Times, 

Professor Bill Lee’s election to The American 

Ceramic Society (ACerS) Board of Directors and 

the publication of a special issue of Philosophical 

Magazine to mark a landmark paper by Professor 

Mike Finnis, first published in 1984. 

Neil delivering an acceptance speech for his Honorary Member 

Award, University of Nova Gorica 

Large research awards in the last 12 months 

include: 

• a National Institutes of Health (NIH) award 

valued at £1.825 million to fund a project 

entitled Respiratory effects of silver and 

carbon nanomaterials with Drs Mary Ryan and 

Alexandra Porter as Co-Investigators 

• a Natural Environment Research Council 

(NERC) and National Institutes of Health (NIH) 

award valued at ~£1.1 million, to fund a project 

entitled Risk assessment for manufactured 

nanoparticles used in consumer products 

(RAMNUC), with Drs Mary Ryan and Alexandra 

Porter again as Co-Investigators 

• an ERC starting grant valued at €1.25 million 

for a project entitled The targeting potential of 

carbon nanotubes at the blood brain barrier, 

led by Dr Alexandra Porter 

• an EPSRC award valued at £1.3 million 

(£565,000 to Imperial) to fund a joint project 

(UCL and Imperial) entitled Nano-scale SQUID 

magnetometry of oxide heterointerfaces 

with myself (Professor Neil Alford) and 

Professor David McComb as Principal and Co- 

Investigators respectively 

• a Programme grant award valued at ~£3.8 

million for a project entitled Nanostructured 

functional materials for energy efficient 

refrigeration, energy harvesting and production 

of hydrogen from water with Professors Neil 

Alford, Lesley Cohen (Physics) and Nic Harrison 

(Chemistry) 

• an EPSRC Leadership Fellowship award to Dr 

David Dye valued at £1.4 million for the project 

Reducing emissions by exploiting stressinduced 

martensitic transformations 

• an EPSRC/Wellcome Trust grant award valued 

at ~£1.3 million led by Professor Molly Stevens 

to fund the Medical Engineering Solutions in 

Osteoarthritis Centre of Excellence at Imperial 

4 Department of Materials Annual Report and Research in Progress 2009–10 www.imperial.ac.uk/materials www.imperial.ac.uk/materials Department of Materials Annual Report and Research in Progress 2009–10 5

The Department has internationallyleading 

research programmes in the 

synthesis, processing, microstructure, 

properties and modelling of a broad 

range of materials (metals, ceramics, 

semiconductors, glasses, metal- glass- 

and ceramic- matrix composites) 

directed to diverse applications such as 

nuclear, solid oxide fuel cells, aerospace, 

biomedical, automotive and electronic. 

Our expanding portfolio mean that 

we now group our research into six 

core themes: Biomaterials and Tissue 

Engineering, Ceramics and Glasses, 

Advanced Alloys, Nanotechnology and 

Nanoscale Characterisation, Functional 

Materials and Theory and Simulation 

of Materials. We have world-leading 

researchers in all these fields and 

adopt the Imperial ethos of looking for 

commercial application of our work 

directed to diverse applications in the 

nuclear, solid oxide fuel cells, aerospace 

and military, biomedical, automotive 

and electronic sectors. The Department 

currently has two active spin-out 

companies, Ceres Power and RepRegen 

which were set up to commercialise the 

products of departmental research. 

We enhance the quality of our research 

by continually appointing new people 

of international standing and by 

building on the already extensive links 

to other departments and research 

centres and institutes at Imperial 

and worldwide, including Imperial’s 

Energy Futures Laboratory, Security 

Science and Technology Institute, The 

Composites Centre, London Centre for 

Nanotechnology, Centre for Advanced 

Structural Ceramics, Thomas Young 

Centre for Materials Theory and 

Simulation and the Centre for Nuclear 

Engineering. Important international 

links are with King Abdullah University 

of Science and Technology (KAUST), the 

IDEA League (with ETH Zurich, ParisTech, 

RWTH Aachen and TU Delft) The National 

University of Singapore (NUS), Nanyang 

Technological University (NTU) and the 

European Network of Excellence KMM in 

Advanced Materials. 

The Department also has excellent 

contacts with industry, and receives 

research support from over 60 

companies either as research contracts 

or student support. The Department’s 

research volume during 2009–10 was 

in excess of £7.5 million from Research 

Councils, industry and Government 

bodies and the 2010–11 budget forecast 

is £7.8 million. Overall, the Department 

holds grants valued at £46.5 million. 

Our Academic Excellence Alliance 

partnership with King Abdullah 

University of Science and Technology 

(KAUST) in Saudi Arabia, continues 

to strengthen. We have initiated a 

number of new collaborative research 

projects with staff at KAUST in a range 

of areas including: Zinc Oxide (Iman 

Roqan and Udo Schwingenschlogl), 

Defects in Semiconductors (Udo 

Schwingenschlogl), Graphene (Aram 

Amassian), Energy Harvesting (Ghassan 

Jabbour) Cytotoxicity of Nanowires 

(Timothy Ravasi) and finally, Catalysis 

(Jean-Marie Basset). 

Prizes awarded to members of the 

Department this year include: the 

Amgen Life Sciences Award at the ACES 

(Academic Enterprise Awards), the 2010 

Macro- IUPAC Award for creativity in 

applied polymer science or polymer 

technology, the 2010 IOM 3 Rosenhain 

Medal and Prize and the 2010 Royal 

Society of Chemistry Norman Heatley 

Award to Professor Molly Stevens, The 

American Ceramic Society 2010 Robert 

Coble Award for Young Scholars to 

Dr Julian Jones, the 2010 IOM 3 Harvey 

Flower Titanium Prize to Dr David 

Dye, the 2010 IOM 3 Silver Medal to Dr 

Christopher Gourlay, the 2010 IOM 3 

Griffith Medal and Prize to Professor 

Robin Grimes, the Institute of Physics 

2010 Maxwell Medal and Prize to Dr 

Peter Haynes and a 2010 Rector’s Award 

for Excellence in Teaching to Dr Luc 

Vandeperre. In addition, Professor Sue 

Ion (Visiting Professor) was awarded 

the DBE for services to science and 

engineering. 

The excellence of some of our 

undergraduate and postgraduate 

students and postdoctoral research staff 

has also been recognised by a number 

of awards including: highly competitive 

6 Department of Materials Annual Report and Research in Progress 2009–10 www.imperial.ac.uk/materials 

Imperial Junior Research Fellowships 

to Drs Cecilia Mattevi and Fang Xie, a 

Natural Science and Engineering Council 

of Canada (NSERC) Postgraduate 

Scholarship, valued at $CAD21,000 

for three years to HoKwon Kim, and a 

Fluor corporation scholarship valued 

at £2,000 to Shakiba Kaveh (fourth 

year MEng student), to name a few. 

New appointments during this period 

include: Professor Norbert Klein from 

Forschungszentrum Jülich, (FZJ), 

Germany as Chair in Electromagnetic 

Nanomaterials, Professor Eduardo 

Gutierrez Saiz from Lawrence Berkeley 

National Laboratory, USA as Chair 

in Structural Ceramics, Dr Rongshan 

Qin from POSTECH Graduate Institute 

of Ferrous Technology (GIFT) as 

RAEng/Corus Senior Lecturer in Steel 

Processing, Dr Iain Dunlop from the Max 

Planck Institute for Metals Research/ 

University of Heidelberg as Lecturer 

in Biomaterials, Dr Jonathan Weaver 

from University of Liverpool as Lecturer 

in Polymeric Biomaterials (a joint 

appointment between the Department 

of Materials and Department of 

Bioengineering) and Mr Graeme Rae as 

Research Operations Manager. 

We said goodbye to: Professor Manish 

Chhowalla (Chair in Materials), Dr Alison 

Harrison (Lecturer in Nanotechnology), 

Ashley Perris (Finance Officer), Nick 

Royall (Characterisation Facilities 

Technician) and Michelle Ryder (PA to 

Professor Robin Grimes and Project 

Manager to the Centre of Nuclear 

Engineering). We wish them all the best 

of luck in their new ventures. 

We are currently renovating the 

basement area. This is a major 

refurbishment that will provide us 

with four new laboratories and a new 

mezzanine area which will have two 

classrooms each accommodating 40 

people. The labs will be used for energy 

research. We were fortunate enough 

to win a Wolfson refurbishment grant 

valued at £380,000 to offset the ~£3 

million cost of the refurbishment. 

We commissioned the new TOF- 

SIMS which was officially ‘opened’ 

by the Rector on 9 December 2009. We also 

commissioned the new thermal analysis 

equipment purchased from Netszch. In the 

area of functional materials, we bought a THz 

spectrometer, a new pulsed laser deposition UHV 

apparatus, an e-beam/sputter deposition unit 

and two RHEED (reflection high energy electron 

deposition) systems. 

Our undergraduate programme continues to 

thrive. During 2009–10, we enrolled 80 new 

undergraduates which brings our current total 

to more than 260. The Department of Materials 

has a reputation for excellence in undergraduate 

teaching. Over the past three years, analyses 

by newspapers (The Times, The Guardian, The 

Independent and The Telegraph) have consistently 

placed the Department in the top three for 

teaching of the discipline. The Department 

continues to attract the best students, the 2009– 

10 students having the best A level results of any 

intake, and produce highly motivated, skilled, 

employable graduates. 

We are continuing to support our undergraduates 

through the Harvey Flower Undergraduate 

Research Scholarship (HFURS) fund, which we set 

up in 2007 in honour of the late Professor Harvey 

M Flower. In addition, numerous companies and 

charities including the Armourers and Brasiers’ 

Company, AWE, The Ironmongers Company, 

Corus/Tata continue to support our students by 

generously funding various scholarships and 

bursaries. These, together with the HFURS funds, 

mainly enable our undergraduates to spend time 

abroad in high quality research institutions and/or 

support their studies. 

Our PhD student intake in October 2009 was 36 

which puts our PhD numbers at well over 100. In 

addition, the past year has, in terms of number of 

PhDs awarded, been the most successful in the 

Department’s history. We graduated 36 students 

in the 2009–10 period, which is five more than in 

2008–09 (31) and 21 more than in 2007–08 (15). 

We congratulate our 

graduates and wish 

them all the best in the 

future! 

I hope you will find this 

report of interest. This is 

the first that I introduce 

as Head of Department, 

having taken over the 

reins from Bill Lee. The 

Department thrived 

under his leadership 

and I hope it continues 

to do so. 

Professor Neil McN 

Alford, FREng 

2 3 

1: Thermal analysis 

equipment 

2: E-beam/sputter 

deposition unit 

3: Pulsed laser deposition 

UHV apparatus with 

RHEED system 

www.imperial.ac.uk/materials Department of Materials Annual Report and Research in Progress 2009–10 

1 

7

Annual Report 2009–10 

8 Department of Materials Annual Report and Research in Progress 2009–10 www.imperial.ac.uk/materials www.imperial.ac.uk/materials Department of Materials Annual Report 2009–10 9

People 

The Department is unique in the UK for the breadth of its coverage of Materials 

Science and Engineering, both by the extent of its multi-disciplinary approach 

and by the range of materials covered in teaching and research. Formal 

qualifications of our academic staff include Physics, Chemistry, Pharmaceutical 

Sciences as well as Materials Science, Materials Engineering and Metallurgy. 

Our academic, research and support staff 

Academic staff (36) Job title 

Professor WE (Bill) Lee Professor of Ceramic Engineering, Head of Department, Director of Centre for 

Advanced Structural Ceramics (CASC) 

Professor Neil McN Alford Professor of Physical Electronics and Thin Film Materials, Head of Department 

(from August 2010), Director of Research, Co-Director of London Centre for 

Nanotechnology (LCN, Imperial College London) 

Professor Alan Atkinson Professor of Materials Chemistry, Dean of Engineering 

Professor Manish Chhowalla Professor of Materials Science 

Professor Mike W Finnis ^ Professor of Materials Theory and Simulation, Director of Thomas Young Centre 

Professor Robin W Grimes Professor of Materials Physics and Director of Centre for Nuclear Engineering 

Professor John A Kilner BCH Steele Chair in Energy Materials 

Professor Norbert Klein Professor of Electromagnetic Nanomaterials 

Professor Peter D Lee Professor of Materials Science, Director of Postgraduate Studies 

Professor David W McComb Professor of Nanomaterials 

Professor Eduardo Saiz Gutierrez ^ Professor of Structural Ceramics 

Professor Molly M Stevens ^ Professor of Biomedical Materials and Regenerative Medicine 

Dr Peter D Haynes ^ Reader in Materials and Physics, Royal Society University Research Fellow, PG 

Admissions Tutor 

Dr David S McPhail Reader (from 1 October 2010) in Surface Analysis, Postgraduate Tutor 

Dr Jason Riley Reader in Nanomaterials Electrochemistry, Director of Undergraduate Studies 

Dr Mary P Ryan Reader in Materials Science and Nanotechnology, Second Year 

Co-ordinator 

Dr David Dye Senior Lecturer, Exams Co-ordinator 

Dr Sandrine EM Heutz Senior Lecturer (from 1 October 2010), Deputy UG Admissions Tutor 

Dr Andrew P Horsfield Senior Lecturer (from 1 October 2010), (RCUK Academic Fellowship) 

Dr Julian R Jones Senior Lecturer, UG Biomaterials Co-ordinator, Biomaterials MSc 

Co-ordinator 

Dr Arash A Mostofi ^ Senior Lecturer (from 1 October 2010), (RCUK Academic Fellowship), Fourth Year 

MEng Co-ordinator 

Dr Rongshan Qin Senior Lecturer in Steel Processing Corus/RAEng Senior Research Fellow 

Dr Barbara A Shollock Senior Lecturer, First Year Co-ordinator, MEng Aerospace Materials 

Co-ordinator 

Dr Stephen J Skinner Senior Lecturer, UG Admissions Tutor 

Dr Natalie Stingelin Senior Lecturer (from 1 October 2010), Postdoctoral Staff Mentor 

Dr Iain E Dunlop Lecturer 

Dr Solveig Felton Lecturer (started 1 January 2011) 

Dr Finn Giuliani ^ Lecturer 

Dr Alison C Harrison Lecturer 

10 Department of Materials Annual Report 2009–10 www.imperial.ac.uk/materials www.imperial.ac.uk/materials Department of Materials Annual Report 2009–10 11

Dr Alexandra E Porter Lecturer, Third Year Co-ordinator 

Dr Yeong-Ah Soh Lecturer 

Dr Paul Tangney ^ Lecturer (RCUK Academic Fellowship) 

Dr Luc J Vandeperre Lecturer, Senior Tutor 

Dr Jonathan VM Weaver ^ Lecturer 

Dr Christopher M Gourlay Royal Academy of Engineering/EPSRC Research Fellow, Departmental Careers 

Advisor and Undergraduates Placements Co-ordinator 

Dr Martyn A McLachlan Royal Academy of Engineering/EPSRC Research Fellow 

Dr Mark R Wenman British Energy Research Fellow, UG Nuclear Materials Co-ordinator, Nuclear 

Materials MSc Co-ordinator 

Distinguished research fellows (3) 

Professor Trevor C Lindley, Professor Kenneth C Mills and Professor Jim Williamson 

Emeritus staff (4) 

Emeritus Professor Larry L Hench, Emeritus Professor Douglas Inman, Emeritus Professor David B Holt and Emeritus 

Professor Rees D Rawlings 

r 

Research officers (5) Job title 

Dr Mahmoud G Ardakani Research Officer 

Richard J Chater Senior Research Officer 

Dr Peter K Petrov Thin Film Technology Manager 

Robert A Rudkin Senior Research Officer, Safety Officer 

Richard Sweeney Senior Research Officer, Radiation Protection Officer 

Research fellows (10) Job title 

Dr Heiko Andresen Research Fellow 

Dr Anna-Karin Axelsson Research Fellow 

Dr Jonathan DB Breeze Research Fellow 

Dr Hande Cote Marie Curie Experienced Researcher 

Dr Xanthippi Chatzistavrou Marie Curie Individual Experienced Researcher 

Dr Sarah Fearn Research Fellow 

Richard W Hamilton Research Fellow 

Dr Jaideep S Kulkarni Marie Curie Individual Experienced Researcher 

Dr Cecilia Mattevi Junior Research Fellow 

Dr Caterina Minelli Marie Curie Individual Experienced Researcher 

Research assistants and postdoctoral 

research associates (64) 

Supervisor/s 

Dr Helene Autefage Professor Molly M Stevens 

Mohammed Baklar Dr Natalie Stingelin 

Dr Suelen Barg Professor Manish Chhowalla and Professor Eduardo Saiz Gutierrez 

Dr Andrey V Berenov Professor Alan Atkinson and Professor Neil McN Alford 

Miloslav Beres * Dr David Dye 

Dr Vineet Bhakhri Dr Finn Giuliani 

Dr Clare Bishop Professor Robin W Grimes 

Dr Monica Burriel Dr Stephen J Skinner 

Dr Anthony Centeno Professor Neil McN Alford 

Dr Lesley Ann Wah Chow Professor Molly M Stevens 

Dr Alexander Chroneos Professor Robin W Grimes 

Dr Amy C Cruickshank Dr Mary P Ryan, Dr Jason Riley, Dr Martyn A McLachlan and Professor David W 

McComb 

Dr Denis J Cumming Professor John A Kilner and Professor Nigel P Brandon (ESE) 

Dr Doni J Daniel Professor Bill Lee 

Dr Ester Buchaca Domingo Dr Natalie Stingelin 

Yixiang Dong Professor Molly M Stevens 

Dr Goki Eda Professor Manish Chhowalla 

Mr Daniel Engstrom Dr Yeong-Ah Soh 

Dr Solveig Felton Dr Sandrine EM Heutz 

Dr Cristina Gentilini Professor Molly M Stevens 

Dr Eileen Gentleman Professor Molly M Stevens 

Dr Lutz-Christian Gerhardt Professor Eduardo Saiz Gutierrez and Professor Aldo R Boccaccini 

Dr Matthew Gilbert Professor Bill Lee 

Dr Silvia Goldoni Professor Molly M Stevens 

Dr Ullrich Hannemann Professor Neil McN Alford 

Dr Nicholas D Hine Dr Peter D Haynes and Dr Arash A Mostofi 

Dr Sehban Husain Professor David W McComb 

Dr Benoit IlIy Dr Mary P Ryan, Dr Jason Riley, Dr Martyn A McLachlan and Professor David W 

McComb 

Virginie Jantou * Professor David W McComb 

Dr Lijun Ji Professor Molly M Stevens 

Dr Nicholas G Jones Dr David Dye 

Dr Jung-Sik Kim Professor Alan Atkinson 

Dr Ai Leen Koh Professor David W McComb 

Dr Gianluca Latini Dr Natalie Stingelin 

Erh-Hsuin Lim * Professor Molly M Stevens 

Dr JingJing Liu Dr Stephen J Skinner 

Dr Morgan Mager Professor Molly M Stevens 

Mr Oliver Mahony Dr Julian R Jones 

Dr Seth McCullen Professor Molly M Stevens 

Dr Catriona M McGilvery Professor David W McComb 

Dr Sanghamitra Mukhopadhyay Professor Mike W Finnis 

Dr Karin Müller Dr Alexandra E Porter, Dr Mary P Ryan and Dr Martyn A McLachlan 

Dr Samuel Murphy Professor Robin W Grimes 

Dr Jennifer Nekuda Dr Martyn A McLachlan, Dr Mary P Ryan, Dr Jason Riley, Professor David W 

McComb and Dr Sandrine EM Heutz 

Dr Gregory J Offer ^ Professor Alan Atkinson and Professor Nigel Brandon (ESE) 

Dr David C Parfitt Professor Robin W Grimes 

Dr Eugene Pashuck III Professor Molly M Stevens 

Dr Samadhan Patil Dr Yeong-Ah Soh 


Dr James M Perkins Professor David W McComb and Dr Barbara A Shollock 

Thomas Quinn Professor Neil McN Alford 

Dr Seema Raghunathan Dr David Dye 

Dr Luis Rojo Del Olmo Professor Molly M Stevens 

Dr Michael Rushton Professor Robin W Grimes 

Manuela Russo Dr Natalie Stingelin 

Dr Nicolas Schaeffer Professor Molly M Stevens 

Dr Maurizio Tarzia Dr Luc J Vandeperre and Fraser Wigley 

Dr Olga Tsigkou Dr Julian R Jones and Professor Molly M Stevens 

Dr Claudia Walter Professor Eduardo Saiz Gutierrez 

Junsheng Wang Dr Andrew P Horsfield and Professor Peter D Lee 

Dr Xin Wang Professor Alan Atkinson 

Dr Fang Xie Professor Neil McN Alford 

Dr Dong Yixiang Professor Molly M Stevens 

Dr Lang Yuan Dr Christopher M Gourlay 

Dr Bin Zou Professor Neil McN Alford and Dr Peter K Petrov 

Administrative staff (14) Job title 

Dagmar K Durham PA to the Dean of the Faculty and the Director of Research 

Sima Fulford (part-time) LCN Administrator – supporting Professor David McComb as Deputy Director of 

LCN 

Norma Hikel Postgraduate Secretary 

Jacqueline Hughes ^ Materials/ESE Receptionist 

Darakshan J Khan Departmental Operations Administrator 

Ashley A Perris Finance Officer 

Graeme Rae Research Operations Manager 

Michelle Ryder Project Manager, Centre for Nuclear Engineering 

Dr James S Spencer Computational Science Support Specialist (Thomas Young Centre and 

Condensed Matter Theory Group, Physics) 

Andrew C Tebbutt Departmental Operations Manager 

Fiona J Thomson Undergraduate Teaching Office Manager 

Sonia Tomasetig PA to Head of Department 

Emma J Warriss Admissions Administrator 

Fraser Wigley Technical Manager (Centre for Advanced Structural Ceramics), Web Manager, 

ICT Departmental Representative 

Jenny C Wilson Imperial College London Management trainee 

Technical staff (8) Job title 

Benjamin Chan Teaching Lab Technician 

Simon Logsdail Workshop Technician 

Nick EA Royall Characterisation Facilities Technician 

Sabrina Skeete Biomaterials Technician 

Garry J Stakalls Teaching and Workshop Technician 

Russell J Stracey Mechanical Workshop Technician, RSM Workshop Supervisor 

Dr Ivelin (Ivo) Valkov Mechanical and Electronics Technician 

Ecaterina Ware Junior Characterisation Facilities Technician 

Engineering faculty support (7) Job title 

Daniel C Brooke Senior HR Administrator 

Loraine Brooks Senior Research Administrator 

Wai-Fong Cheung Research Services Administrator 

Pam Gibbs HR Adviser 

Claire Tibble Research Administrator 

Ireti Webb HR Manager 

Scott C Wheatley Research Grants Manager 

Visiting researchers 

Honorary visiting professors (20) Home institute/company 

Professor Hidde Herman Brongersma Philips Electronic Industries, Eindhoven, The Netherlands 

Professor Aldo R Boccaccini University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany 

Professor Peter Brown DSTL, UK 

Professor Manish Chhowalla Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, USA 

Professor David R Clarke Harvard University, USA 

Professor Lawrence Dunne London South Bank University, UK 

Professor Graham Fairhall National Nuclear Laboratory, UK 

Professor Arthur H Heuer Case Western Reserve University, USA 

Professor Robert G Hill Queen Mary, University of London, UK 

Professor Gwyn Hocking Materials Department Alumnus 

Professor Dame Sue E Ion Materials Department Alumnus 

Professor Ghassan Jabbour KAUST, Saudi Arabia 

Professor Tasadduq Khan ONERA, France 

Professor Gary Savage Materials Department Alumnus and Head of Development at BAR Racing 

Professor Paul Smith ETH Zurich, Switzerland 

Professor Jean-Claude Van-Duysen EDF, France 

Professor John Walker NDS/SiVenture 

Professor Malcolm Ward-Close QinetiQ 

Professor John V Wood Senior International Relations Advisor, Imperial College London 

Mr Andrew Worrall National Nuclear Laboratory 

Honorary research fellows, visiting 

lecturers and visiting readers (5) 

Home institute/company 

Dr Daniel Green Honorary Research Fellow, BioCeramic Therapeutics Ltd. 

Dr Alison C Harrison Honorary Lecturer 

Dr Scott L Owens Honorary Visiting Lecturer, National Nuclear Laboratory 

Professor Francois Perchet Honorary Lecturer, EDF, France 

Dr Chris Pickard Visiting Reader, University of St Andrews 


Academic visitors (72) Home institute/company 

Dr Obata Akiko Department of Frontier Materials, Graduate School of Engineering, Nagoya 

Institute of Technology, Japan 

Annette Altwegg Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), Switzerland 

Miss Tassadit Amrane Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal, Canada 

Professor Mark Asta Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of California, 

Berkeley, USA 

Professor Cesar Azevedo Escola Politécnica, University of Sao Paulo, Brazil 

Dr Ioannis Bantounas KAUST, Saudi Arabia 

Dr Abdulaziz Barsa KAUST, Saudi Arabia 

Dr Sergio Bertazzo University of Bremen, Germany 

Mr Deven Bhudiya FEI UK Ltd., UK 

Miss Laura Bovo University of Degli Studi Padova, Italy 

Professor Richard Bradt The University of Alabama, USA 

Dr Adalberto Brunetti KAUST, Saudi Arabia 

Dr Anthony Callanan University of Limerick, Ireland 

Professor Walter Remo Caseri Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), Switzerland 

Mr Kean Khoon Chew School of Chemical Engineering, University of Sains Malaysia 

Dr Alexander Chroneos National Technical University of Athens, Greece 

Dr Giancarlo Cicero Materials Science Department, Politecnico di Torino, Italy 

Professor Sivaldo Leite Correia State University of Santa Catarina, Brazil 

Miss Lise Tamar De Jonge Department of Materials and IBME, Imperial College London, UK 

Professor Lawrence Dunne London South Bank University, UK 

Miss Esther Garcia-Tunon Institute of Ceramica de Galicia, University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain 

Mr William Gathright Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, USA 

Professor Michael Gillan University College London, UK 

Dr Kevin Govers Belgium Nuclear Research Centre 

Mr Matthias Griessner Fraunhofer Institute for Biomedical Engineering, Germany 

Dr Denis Gryaznov Institute of Solid State Physics, University of Latvia 

Professor Martin Harmer Lehigh University, USA 

Professor Arthur H Heuer Case Western Reserve University, USA 

Cyrus Hirjibehedin University College London, UK 

Mr Shiba Hiromasa Nagoya Institute of Technology, Japan 

Dr Shamima Hussain KAUST, Saudi Arabia 

Jonathan Miller Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson AFB, USA 

Dr Jaeho Jun Research Institute of Industrial Science and Technology, Japan 

Mohamed Ahmed Kabel KAUST, Saudi Arabia 

Professor Deborah Maree Kane Macquarie University, NSW, Australia 

Mr Richard Keyte Innoval Technology Limited, UK 

Dr Jung-Sik Kim Loughborough University, UK 

Dr Yeongwoo Kim Research Institute of Industrial Science and Technology, Japan 

Ms Susanne Kruger Technische Universitat Dresden, Germany 

Miss Marie-Anne Lavergne Visiting student 

Miss Nyunjong Lee Ewha Womans University, South Korea 

Mr Haksung Lee University of Tokyo, Japan 

Miss Mengyuan Li University of Groningen, The Netherlands 

Dr Ade Makinde GE Global Research 

Professor John Mecholsky University of Florida, USA 

Dr Sanghamitra Mukhopadhay Imperial College London, UK 

Dr Carsten Muller Institute of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Berlin, Germany 

Dr Tomoya Nagira Osaka University, Japan 

Dr Rekha Nair No Institute 

Dr Rebecca Nicholls University of Oxford, UK 

Miss Noriko Nishina Nagoya Institute of Technology, Japan 

Miss Jenny Oberg University College London and London Centre for Nanotechnology, UK 

Dr Matthew O’Donnell RepRegen Ltd., UK 

Dr Mark Oxborrow NPL, UK 

Professor Anthony Paxton Queen’s University of Belfast, UK 

Dr Juan-Martinez Pena Renewable Energy Research Institute, University of Castilla La Mancha, Spain 

Dr Srinivasan Raghavan General Electric, India 

Mr Uday Krishna Ravella LDOF UFR Sciences University du Maine 

Dr Laura Russo University of Milan-Biococca, Italy 

Dr Manuela Russo Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), Switzerland 

Dr Ana Estibaliz Sanchez Gonzalez University of Extremadura, Spain 

Dr Sharif Hussain Sharif-Zein School of Chemical Engineering, University of Sains Malaysia 

Dr Marta Suarez Fundacion Itma, Spain 

Mr Jian Sun KAUST, Saudi Arabia 

Miss Xu Tan Graduate Institute of Ferrous Technology, South Korea 

Mrs Merja Teirikangas University of Oulu, Finland 

Dr Nevena Todorova RMIT University, Australia 

Dr Himansu Sekhar Tripathi Central Glass and Ceramics Research Institute, India 

Mr Shunichiro Ueno IHI Europe Ltd., UK 

Miss Amanda Verpoorte Ecole Polytenique Federale de Lausanne 

Professor David Winker CSIRO/Monash University, Australia 

Dr Eugenio Zapata-Solvas University of Sevilla, Spain 

External advisory panel (15) Home institute/company 

Dr Derek Allen Alstom Power 

Professor Rob Boom Corus Group 

Dr Peter Brown DSTL 

Dr David Farrar Smith & Nephew Research Centre 

Professor Derek Fray University of Cambridge 

Professor Steve Garwood Rolls-Royce 

Professor Spartak Gevorgian Chalmers University of Technology and Ericsson 

Dr Mike Hicks Rolls-Royce plc 

Dr Andy Hosty Morgan Advanced Ceramics 

Dr Tasadduq Khan ONERA 

Professor Manfred Martin RWTH Aachen University, Germany 


Professor Nicola Marzari University of Oxford 

Dr Steve Paterson Shell UK Ltd 

Professor Joop Schoonman Delft University of Technology 

Dr Neil Smart Nuclear Decommissioning Authority 

Our students 

First year postgraduates 

(October 2009 cohort) 

as at 1 October 2009 (36) 

Supervisor/s 

Nia Bell, UK (EPSRC/DTA) Professor Molly M Stevens 

Sergey Belyakov, Russia 

(Industrial/Nihon Superior) 

Harriet Boswell, UK (EPSRC/DTA), 

(started 1 January 2010) 

Constantin Ciprian Ciurea, 

Romania (EPSRC/DTA), (started 

1 September 2009) 

David Clarke, UK (BBSRC), (started 

1 September 2009) 

Kristy Cloyd, USA (National Heart 

and Lung Institute) 

Lucien Alfred Copus, UK (EPSRC/ 

DTA) 

Jonathan Downing, UK (EPSRC/ 

DTA) 

Lydia Jane Fawcett, UK (EPSRC/ 

DTA) 

Dr Christopher M Gourlay and Professor David W McComb 

Professor David W McComb 

Dr Finn Giuliani and Professor Neil McN Alford 

Professor Molly M Stevens 


Kevin Heritage, UK (EPSRC/DTA) Dr Yeong-Ah Soh 

JineSung Jung, South Korea (Korea 

Electric Power Corp) 

Kristina Maria Kareh, USA 

(Industrial/Hydro Aluminium) 

Lauren Ann King, UK (EPSRC) Dr Jason Riley 

Professor David W McComb and Professor Neil McN Alford 

Dr Martyn A McLachlan and Dr Mary P Ryan 

Dr Stephen J Skinner and Professor John A Kilner 

Dr Barbara B Shollock and David S McPhail 

Florian LeGoupil, France (EPSRC) Professor Neil McN Alford 

Dr Christopher M Gourlay and Professor Peter D Lee 

Soo-Na Lee, South Korea (s-f) Professor Alan Atkinson and Professor John A Kilner 

Simon Lumley, UK (MoD) Dr Mark R Wenman and Professor Robin W Grimes 

Rizgar Mella, UK (EPSRC/DTA), 

(started 17 August 2009) 

Dr Mark R Wenman and Professor Robin W Grimes 

Jonathan Mitchell, UK (EPSRC) Dr Christopher R Cheeseman (Civil and Environmental Engineering) and Dr Luc J 

Vandeperre 

Benjamin Moorhouse, UK (EPSRC/ 

CASE), (started 1 August 2010) 

Donovan Nightingale, UK (EPSRC/ 

CASE), (started 11 January 2010) 

Dr Barbara A Shollock and Dr Mary P Ryan 

Dr Alexandra E Porter 

Alice Orsi, Italy (EPSaRC) Dr Jason Riley 

Chedtha Puncreobutr, Thailand 

(Thai Government) 

Professor Peter D Lee 

Khandaker Mezanur Rahman, UK 

(EPSRC/CASE) 

Michele Serri, Italy (EPSRC), 

(started 1 December 2009) 

18 Department of Materials Annual Report 2009–10 www.imperial.ac.uk/materials www.imperial.ac.uk/materials Department of Materials Annual Report 2009–10 19 

Dr David Dye 

Dr Sandrine EM Heutz 

Matthew Sharp, UK (EPSRC) Professor John A Kilner 

Thorsten Roland Stechert, 

Germany (EPSRC) 

Professor Robin W Grimes, Dr Luc J Vandeperre and Dr Mark R Wenman 

Hok Man Tang, UK (EPSRC/DTA) Dr Julian R Jones and Professor Peter D Lee 

Samuel Taub, UK (EPSRC/DTA) Professor Alan Atkinson and Professor John A Kilner 

Pinyuan Tian, China (s-f) Professor Molly M Stevens 

Wouter van den Bergh, The 

Netherlands (EPSRC/CASE) 

David Wearing, UK (EPSRC/DTA), 

(started 3 September 2009) 

Dr Julian R Jones and Dr Alexandra E Porter 

Dr Andrew P Horsfield and Professor Peter D Lee 

Benjamin White, UK (EPSRC/DTA) Professor Molly M Stevens 

Kuan-Ting Wu, Taiwan (s-f), 

(started 1 March 2010) 

Ning Xu, China (Stephen and Anna 

Hui Scholarship) 

Dr Stephen J Skinner and Dr Yeong-Ah Soh 

Dr Jason Riley 

Junwei Yang, Singapore (s-f) Dr Sandrine EM Heutz, Dr David S McPhail and Dr Mary P Ryan 

Ziyu Zhang, China (s-f) Professor Peter D Lee and Dr Julian R Jones 

Second year postgraduates 

(October 2008 cohort) as at 

1 September 2008 (43) 

Supervisor/s 

Sobhan Abolghasemi, UK (EPSRC) Professor Peter D Lee and Professor Trevor C Lindley 

Frederic Aguesse, France (EPSRC), 

(started 13 October 2008) 

Ryan D Bayliss, UK (EPSRC), 

(started 1 December 2008) 

Johann Boleininger, Germany 

(EPSRC) 

Pelin Candarlioglu, Turkey (s-f), 

(started 13 January 2009) 

Michael Cecchini, USA (EPSRC), 

(started 14 November 2008) 

Wei Li Cheah, Malaysia (A*Star 

Singapore) 

Professor Neil McN Alford 

Dr Stephen J Skinner 

Stuart Cook, UK (EPSRC) Professor John A Kilner 

Dr Mary P Ryan and Professor David W McComb 

Professor Molly M Stevens and Professor Tony Cass (Chemistry) 

Professor David W McComb, Dr Tim Albrecht (Chemistry) and Dr Joshua Edel 

(Chemistry) 

Professor Mike W Finnis and Professor David W McComb 

Fabiano Corsetti, Italy (EPSRC) Dr Arash A Mostofi and Professor Matthew Foulkes (Physics) 

Bai Cui, China (Lee Family 

Scholarship) 

Christabel Evans, UK (EPSRC), 

(started 1 May 2009) 

Joseph B Franklin, UK (EPSRC), 

(started 2 February 2009) 

Appala (Naidu) Gandi, India 

(UKIERI/Imperial College London) 

Professor Bill Lee 

Dr David Dye 

Dr Martyn A McLachlan and Dr Mary P Ryan 

Professor Mike W Finnis and Dr David Dye

David Gonzalez Arellano, Mexico 

(CONACYT) 

Dr Sandrine EM Heutz and Dr Mary P Ryan 

Angela E Goode, UK (EPSRC) Dr Mary P Ryan and Dr Alexandra E Porter 

Mathew Hembury, France (EPSRC) Professor Molly M Stevens and Dr Alexandra E Porter 

Eleanor Jay, UK (EPSRC/AWE) Professor Robin W Grimes 

HoKwon Kim, Korea (started 1 July 

2009) 

Carsten Kuenzel, Germany 

(DIAMOND), (started 11 November 

2008) 

Vanessa LaPointe, Canada (s-f/ 

ORS) 

Emanuela Liberti, Italy (EPSRC), 

(started 3 August 2009) 

Professor Manish Chhowalla and Professor Eduardo Saiz Gutierrez 

Dr Christopher R Cheeseman (Civil and Environmental Engineering), Dr Luc J 

Vandeperre and Professor Aldo R Boccaccini (University of Erlangen-Nuremberg) 


Stuart B Lowe, UK (EPSRC) Professor Molly M Stevens 

James Martin, UK (EPSRC) Dr Paul Tangney 

Simon Middleburgh, UK [Industrial 

(Westinghouse)] 

Farina Muhamad, Malaysia 

(Malaysian Government) 

Hannah C Nerl, Luxembourg 

(EPSRC) 

Professor David W McComb and Dr Milo SP Shaffer (Chemistry) 

Professor Robin W Grimes 


Dr Peter D Haynes and Dr Alexandra E Porter 

Phillipa J Newby, UK (EPSRC) Professor Eduardo Saiz Gutierrez and Professor Aldo R Boccaccini (University of 

Erlangen-Nuremberg) 

John F O’Neill, UK (EPSRC) Dr Mary P Ryan and Professor Bill Lee 

Jonathan Phillips, UK (EPSRC) Dr Luc J Vandeperre and Professor Robin W Grimes 

Chin Heng Phuah, Malaysia 

(EPSRC/Department) 

Dr Mary P Ryan and Professor Bill Lee 

Fatemehsadet Pishbin, Iran (s-f) Dr Mary P Ryan and Professor Aldo R Boccaccini 

Christopher Pointon, Ireland 

(EPSRC) 

Dr Arash A Mostofi 

Laura Ratcliff, UK (EPSRC) Dr Peter D Haynes and Dr Arash A Mostofi 

Joanne E Sarsam, UK (EPSRC) Dr Paul Tangney and Professor Mike W Finnis 

Preetma K Soin, UK (EPSRC/ 

Culham) 

Tayyab Subhani, Pakistan 

(Institute of Space Technology), 

(started 9 September 2008) 

Naeem Ur-Rehman, Pakistan 

(EPSRC/DSTL) 

Esther Valliant, Canada 

(Department/NSERC Canada) 

Dr Andrew P Horsfield and Dr Adrian P Sutton (Physics) 

Professor Bill Lee, Dr Milo SP Shaffer (Chemistry) and Professor Aldo R Boccaccini 

(University of Erlangen-Nuremberg) 

Dr Luc J Vandeperre and Professor Bill Lee 

Dr Julian R Jones 

Jianye Wang, China (EPSRC) Supervisors: Dr Luc J Vandeperre, Professor Neil McN Alford and Dr Finn Giuliani 

Zhenlin Wu, China (EPSRC) Dr Sandrine EM Heutz 

Sadegh Yazdi, Iran (EPSRC) Professor David W McComb and Dr Alison C Harrison 

Liyang Yu, China (Dutch Polymer 

Institute), (started 5 January 2009) 

Dr Natalie Stingelin 

Ting Ting Zhang, China (DIAMOND) Dr Christopher R Cheeseman (Civil and Environmental Engineering) and Dr Luc J 

Vandeperre 

Third year postgraduates 

(October 2007 cohort) as at 1 

October 2007 (26) 

Mohammed A Azeem, India 

(UKIERI/ICL) 

Julio C Aguiler Virgen, Mexico 

(CONACYT) 

Stefano Angioletti-Uberti, Italy 

(EPSRC) 

Maria Manuel Azevedo, Portugal 

(Portuguese Scholarship) 

Suwimon Boonrungsiman, 

Thailand (s-f) 


Supervisor/s 

Dr David Dye and Professor Richard J Dashwood (University of Warwick) 

Dr Mary P Ryan and Professor Trevor C Lindley 

Professor Peter D Lee and Professor Mike W Finnis 


Professor Molly M Stevens and Dr Alexandra E Porter 

John AG Dick Canada (s-f) Professor Molly M Stevens 

Salahud Din, UK (EPSRC) Dr Sandrine EM Heutz 

Donat JM Fatat, UK (DTA) Professor Robin W Grimes 

Piotr Gryko, UK (DTA) Dr Mary P Ryan and Professor Molly M Stevens 

Parvez Islam, UK (EPSRC) Professor Robert G Hill (QMUL) and Dr Robert V Law (Chemistry) 

Sheyda Labbaf, UK (DTA) Dr Julian R Jones and Dr Alexandra E Porter 

Nasrin Lotfibakhshaiesh, Iran (s-f) Professor Robert G Hill (QMUL) and Professor Molly M Stevens 

Haiming Lu, China (EPSRC/NSF) Professor Robin W Grimes 

Zohaib Malik, UK (EPSRC/NPL) Professor Peter D Lee and Dr David Lowe (National Physical Laboratory) 

Eva K McGuire, Ireland (DTA/Shell) Dr Alexandra E Porter and Professor David W McComb 

Decheng Meng, China (s-f) Professor Peter D Lee and Professor Aldo R Boccaccini (University of Erlangen- 

Nuremberg) 

Bo Pang, China (s-f) Professor Peter D Lee and Professor Aldo R Boccaccini (University of Erlangen- 

Nuremberg) 

Elsie Place, UK (EPSRC) Professor Molly M Stevens 

Matthew Shelley, UK (DTA) Professor Mike W Finnis and Dr Arash A Mostofi 

Sutthinun Taebunpakul, Thailand 

(Thailand Government Science 

and Technology) 

Carrina Turner, UK (DTA/FRST) Dr Mary P Ryan 

Dr Kym E Jarvis, Professor Susan J Parry (Silwood Park) and Professor Bill Lee 

Jonnathan Warwick, UK (EPSRC) Dr David Dye and Professor Richard J Dashwood (University of Warwick) 

Catherine White, UK (EPSRC) Dr Andrew P Horsfield and Dr Arash A Mostofi 

Khatijah A Yaacob, Malaysia 

(Universiti Sains Malaysia) 


Xin T Yang, UK (EPSRC) Dr Paul Tangney and Professor Bill Lee 

Sheng Yue, China (s-f) Dr Julian R Jones and Professor Peter D Lee 

Postgraduate staff (2) Supervisor/s 

Richard Chater, UK (Department) Dr David S McPhail 

Richard Hamilton, UK 

(Department) 

Professor Peter D Lee

Writing-up postgraduates (27) Supervisor/s 

Konstantinos Alevizos, Greece 

(Marie Curie) 

Dr David Dye, Professor Richard J Dashwood (University of Warwick) and Dr 

Martin Jackson (University of Sheffield) 

Ying An, China (s-f) Professor David W McComb and Dr Stephen J Skinner 

Miloslav Beres, Slovak (EPSRC) Dr David Dye 

Adam O Calver, UK (DTA) Professor Robert G Hill (QMUL) and Dr Robert V Law (Chemistry) 

John W Druce, UK (NERC) Professor John A Kilner 

Emily G Eakins, UK (DTA) Professor Bill Lee 

Steven SY Feng, Canada (s-f) Dr Mary P Ryan and Dr Barbara A Shollock 

Yann C Fredholm, France (DTI) Professor Robert G Hill (QMUL) and Professor Molly M Stevens 

Kilian Frensch, Germany (DTA) Professor Matthew Foulkes (Physics) and Professor Mike W Finnis 

Anna Katsapi, Greece (EPSRC) Dr Barbara A Shollock 

Sotirios Kotsantonis, Greece 

(EPSRC) 

Gloria Kwong, China (Ontario 

Power Generation) 

Professor John A Kilner 

Dr Mary P Ryan 

Erh-Hsuin Lim, Malaysia (s-f) Professor Molly M Stevens 

Oliver Mahony, UK (EPSRC) Dr Julian R Jones and Professor Molly M Stevens 

Soumaya Mauthoor, France (DTA) Professor David W McComb and Dr Sandrine EM Heutz 

Jessica R May, USA (s-f) Professor Molly M Stevens 

Juling Ong, Malaysia (s-f) Professor Robert G Hill (QMUL) and Professor Molly M Stevens 

Ankoor Patel, UK (DTA) Professor Robin W Grimes 

Rafael G De Sa, Brazil (Magnesita 

S/A) 

Deborah D Silva, Portugal (Marie 

Curie) 


Christopher R Smith, UK (EPSRC) Dr Jason Riley 

Liam J Spillane, UK (EPSRC) Professor David W McComb 

Kim Song Tan, Malaysia 

(Malaysian Rubber Board) 

Professor Aldo R Boccaccini (University of Erlangen-Nuremberg) and Professor 

Bill Lee 


Farid Tariq, UK (DTA) Professor David W McComb and Professor Peter D Lee 

Yunxie (Zoe) Wu, China (s-f) Dr Julian R Jones and Professor Robert G Hill (QMUL) 

Bobo Yu, China (s-f) Dr Julian R Jones 

Darmawati M Yunos, Malaysia 

(Malaysian Government) 

Professor Aldo R Boccaccini (University of Erlangen-Nuremberg) 

First year MEng Materials Science and Engineering undergraduates (37) 

Kompol Asavaratanaporn Haoxiang Gao Shuren Lin Clement Tremblay 

Peter Besevic James Hickey Wenjun Lu Thomas Trimnell 

Inderjit Birdee Edward Hill Josh Maxted Mengshi Wang 

Julian Xi But Matthew Jackson Dolan Miu Yuan Ming Wang-Koh 

Thana Chotchuangchutchav May Ling Lai Yiqi Pan Stephen Wearing 

Chuen Lee Chow David Lee Soon Kiat Michael Preston Di Wen 

Joachim Dias Henley Leong Oliver Ridd Qing Yang 

James Chi Jing Fan Siying Li Ragevan Sathianathan Inji Yeom 

Edward Fitzpatrick Zhenqi Li Jethro Tan Xuanheng Zhu 

First year MEng Aerospace Materials undergraduates (4) 

Mohammad Adabi Henry Guille Osamudiamen Omooigade Hajime Urata 

First year MEng Materials With Nuclear Engineering undergraduates (5) 

Nathan Barber Zhi Xiong Chong Laura Hare Marinos Panayiotou 

Tsvetoslav Pavlov 

First year MEng Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering undergraduates (2) 

Bryan Lim Piers Milner 

First year BEng Materials Science and Engineering undergraduates (21) 

Olivia Burgess Xiaoyang Li Thomas Mullners Stefan Warren-Smith 

Zheng Hao Choo Yvonne Lim Kai Chun Neoh Tianjun Xia 

Amir Fakeeh Shoucheng Liu Abdul Patel Yuzhou Zheng 

Holly Farrer Wei Liu Nikesh Rajamanie 

Tahmida Huq Daniel Lobron Daanish Sadique 

Asghar Kapadia Yanwei Lum Xiachen Wang 

First year BEng Materials With Management undergraduates (11) 

Caroline Barbance Peeranat Larpwongmetee Sayandan Sivayogarajah Xitao Tian 

Charles Fouquet Lau Pak Yin Chawinda Sripasert Yaroslav Voropayev 

Amirul Adini Haji Amir Abas Tianshuang Qu Sainumphung Srithiphun 

Second year MEng Materials Science And Engineering undergraduates (27) 

Charles Aaronson Christopher Kelley David Perrett Angus Turnbull 

Amir Amin Henry Loombe-Temple Daniel Price Arjoon Vohra 

Benjamin Bell Melchior Lorin Golokavasini Ravi Pillai Kar Ming Wong 

Young Yao Chen Yongkun Luo Giuseppe Scatigno Zhen Yang 

Zkikai Chen Christina Ng Richard Simons Meng Zhu 

Peter Evans Yui Ho Ng Jia Hua Teo Shiqing Zhu 

Evan Jones Matthew Niania Christos Tsitsios 

Second year MEng Aerospace Materials undergraduates (9) 

Flora Babot Yong Kim Harinder Sokhal Fang Yang 

Charles Hutchison Man Chon Ma Aukarachoke 

Tangbunrituthai 

Davide Ibba Kyung Park 

Second year BEng Materials Science and Engineering undergraduates (30) 

Suki Adande Gregory Kay Claire McNulty Chuen Tay 

Graeme Bacon Thomas Koch Victor Ng Boon Teo 

Adreas Bilicki Dorothy Latham Nikesh Rajmanie Ji Wu 

Benjamin Casson Kang Li Youmin Rong Ambreen Yousaf 

Poontrika Chantranuwat Tak Kim Lin Ieuan Seymour Miaomiao Zhang 

Yang Han Shu-Hao Liu Abhiskhek Sharma Tiantian Zhang 

Kuang He Nida Mahmud Charlotte Stokes 

Weike Hu Mohammed Malik Anwar Sufi 


Second year BEng Materials With Management undergraduates (8) 

See Jun Ahn Dollawat Bhangsapha Yangyang Jiang Sayandan Sivagogarajah 

Dmitry Alexeev Florian Brock Omobola Sandey Xiaojie Yin 

Third year MEng Materials Science and Engineering undergraduates (18) 

Ashton Berry Toby Davis Zhen Ling Luisa Riera Lamela 

Coranda Berry Shuojie Gu Alistair Owen Carlos Schuster 

Ruth Birch Sajjad Jaffer Shanika Pathirane Yi Wang 

Xiangnan Bu Ge Jin Jonathan Peel 

Adrian Chiang Mabel Lew Lucia Podhorska 

Third year MEng Aerospace Materials undergraduates (5) 

Alvin Chan Katerina Christofidou Evgeniy Donchev Bartosz Polomski 

Kisham Thanalingam 

Third year MEng Materials with Nuclear Engineering undergraduates (3) 

Patrick Burr Tobias Clarke Adam Foley 

Third year BEng Materials Science and Engineering undergraduates (29) 

Neelakshi Agate Edoardo Giorgi Zhi Yang Lim Melody Suchail 

Shane Alam Chun Ann Huang Sarah Luo Zhicheng Wang 

Kai Aucharagram Paul Iskander Joseph MacDonald Jing Yang 

John Chan Min Yi Kang Park Maneepairoj Quan Yuan 

Yufei Chang Minsung Ko William Parry-Jones Shashan Zhu 

Hannah Cresswell Hang Piu Lam Alexander Pong 

Benjamin Foss Lydia Leung Sivakanthan Sivalingam 

Ian Fulton Kwok Li Borja Sordo 

Third year BEng Materials with Management undergraduates (6) 

Matthew Allinson Jason Chan Andrew Murray-Bruce Akintola Salami 

Huimin Xu Hua Zhang 

Fourth year MEng Materials Science and Engineering undergraduates (22) 

Chang Chen Joe Gleeson Alistair Philpott Tian Wang 

Ruskin Constant Shakiba Kaveh Muhammad Shaikh Chengbo Xie 

Zoe Dobell Harpal Khaira Bowen Shen Junjie Xiong 

Alexandru Enica Edwella Lee Simranjit Singh Hui Yan 

Alexander Ford Alankar Lodha Saxon Tint 

Yasir Gani Mathias Mesa Clementine Walker 

Fourth year MEng Aerospace Materials undergraduates (7) 

Benjamin Hanson Bij-Na Kim Yiming Ma Thibault Salomon 

Oliver Joris Alex Leung Charles Murdoch 

Fourth year MEng Materials With Nuclear Engineering undergraduates (3) 

Carolin Ecsy Aaron Nunkoosing Christopher Reece 

Fourth year MEng Biomaterials And Tissue Engineering undergraduates (1) 

* Registered as a Postgraduate ^ Joint appointment Sponsor/s are in brackets s-f = self-funded DTA = EPSRC Doctoral Training Account 


Taek Kim 

Summary of staff, visiting researchers and students 

Staff and visiting researchers Number 

Academic staff 36 

Distinguished research fellows 3 

Emeritus staff 4 

Research officers 5 

Research fellows 11 

Postdoctoral research associates and 

research assistants 

Administrative staff 14 

Technical staff 8 

Engineering faculty support 7 

64 

Honorary visiting professors 20 

Honorary research fellows, visiting 

lecturers and readers 

Academic visitors 72 

External advisory panel 15 

Total 264 

Postgraduate research students Number 

First year (October 2009 cohort) 36 

Second year (October 2008 cohort) 43 

Third year (October 2007 cohort) 26 

Staff 2 

Writing-up students 27 

Total 134 

5 

Undergraduate students Number 

First year MEng Materials Science and 

Engineering 

First year MEng Aerospace Materials 4 

First year MEng Materials with Nuclear 

Engineering 

First year MEng Biomaterials and Tissue 

Engineering 

First year BEng Materials Science and 

Engineering 

First year BEng Materials with 

Management 

Second year MEng Materials Science and 

Engineering 

Second year MEng Aerospace Materials 9 

Second year BEng Materials Science and 

Engineering 

Second year BEng Materials with 

Management 

Third year MEng Materials Science and 

Engineering 

Third year MEng Aerospace Materials 5 

Third year MEng Materials and Nuclear 

Engineering 

Third year BEng Materials Science and 

Engineering 

Third year BEng Materials with 

Management 

Fourth year MEng Materials Science and 

Engineering 

Fourth year MEng Aerospace Materials 7 

Fourth year MEng Materials with Nuclear 

Engineering 

Fourth year MEng Biomaterials and Tissue 

Engineering 

37 

5 

2 

21 

11 

27 

30 

8 

18 

3 

29 

6 

22 

Total 284 

3 

1

26 Department of Materials Annual Report 2009–10 www.imperial.ac.uk/materials 

Ins and outs 

During the 2009–10 

academic year, the 

following appointments 

were made: 

Academic staff 

Dr Iain E Dunlop as Lecturer in 

Biomaterials. 

Professor Norbert Klein as Chair in 

Electromagnetic Nanomaterials. 

Dr Rongshan Qin as Senior Lecturer 

in Steel Processing. 

Professor Eduardo Gutierrez Saiz as 

Chair in Structural Ceramics, a joint 

appointment in the Department of 

Materials and the Department of 

Mechanical Engineering. 

Dr Jonathan VM Weaver as Joint 

Lecturer in Polymeric Biomaterials 

in the Department of Materials and 

the Department of Bioengineering. 

Visiting professors and 

lecturers 

Professor Aldo R Boccaccini 

(University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, 

Germany) as Visiting Professor. 

Professor Hidde Herman 

Brongersma (Philips Electronic 

Industries, The Netherlands) as 

Visiting Professor. 

Professor Manish Chhowalla 

(Rutgers University) as Visiting 

Professor. 

Dr Alison C Harrison as Honorary 

Lecturer. 

Professor Arthur H Heuer (Case 

Western Reserve University) as 

Visiting Professor. 

Professor Francois Perchet (EDF, 

France) as Honorary Lecturer 

Professor Jean-Claude Van-Duysen 

(EDF, France) as Visiting Professor. 

Professor John V Wood (Senior 

International Relations Advisor, 

Imperial College London) as Visiting 


Professor Lawrence Dunne (London 

South Bank University) as Visiting 


Professor Ghassan Jabbour (KAUST, 

Saudi Arabia) as Visiting Professor. 


Research staff 

Dr Helene Autefage as Research 

Associate working with Professor 

Molly M Stevens. 

Dr Suelen Barg as Research 

Associate working with Professors 

Manish Chhowalla and Eduardo 

Gutierrez Saiz. 

Dr Vineet Bhakhri as Research 

Associate working with Dr Finn 

Giuliani. 

Dr Monica Burriel as Research 

Associate working with Dr Stephen 

Skinner. 

Dr Lesley Ann Wah Chow as 

Research Associate working with 

Professor Molly M Stevens. 

Dr Alexander Chroneos as 


Professors John A Kilner and Robin 

W Grimes. 

Dr Ester Buchaca Domingo as 

Research Associate working with Dr 

Natalie Stingelin. 

Dr Silvia Goldoni as Research 



Mr Daniel Engstrom as Research 

Assistant working with Dr Yeong-Ah 

Soh. 

Dr Matthew Gilbert as Research 


Bill Lee. 

Dr Nicholas D Hine as Research 

Associate working with Dr Arash A 

Mostofi and Dr Peter D Haynes. 

Dr Sehban Husain as Research 


David W McComb. 

Dr JingJing Liu as Research 

Associate working with Dr Stephen 

J Skinner. 

Dr Yuliya Lyubina as Intra-European 

Marie Curie Fellow working with Dr 

Mary P Ryan, Professor Neil McN 

Alford and Professor Lesley Cohen. 

Mr Oliver Mahony as Research 

Assistant working with Dr Julian R 

Jones. 

Dr Cecilia Mattevi as Junior 

Research Fellow working with 

Professor Eduardo Saiz Gutierrez. 

Dr Seth McCullen as Research 



Dr Eugene Pashuck III as Research 



Dr Samadhan Patil as Research 

Associate working with Dr Yeongah 

Soh. 

Dr Michael Rushton as Research 


Robin W Grimes. 

Dr Nicolas Schaeffer as Research 



Department of Materials Annual Report 2009–10 

27

Dr Claudia Walter as Research 


Eduardo Saiz Gutierrez. 

Mr Junsheng Wang as Research 

Assistant working with Dr Andrew 

P Horsfield. 

Dr Lang Yuan as Research 

Associate working with Dr 

Christopher M Gourlay. 

Administrative and 

technical staff 

Mr Graeme Rae as Research 

Operations Manager. 

The following academic 

promotions were made 

during 2009–10: 

Dr Sandrine EM Heutz to 

Senior Lecturer. 

Dr Natalie Stingelin to 


Dr Andrew P Horsfield to 


Dr Arash A Mostofi to 


Dr David S McPhail to 

Reader in Surface Analysis. 

The following staff left 

for greener pastures 

during 2009–10: 

Mr Mohammed Baklar, Research 

Assistant working with Dr Natalie 

Stingelin. 

Dr Xanthippi Chatzistavrou, Marie 

Curie Research Fellow working with 

Professor Aldo R Boccaccini and 

Professor Neil McN Alford. 

Professor Manish Chhowalla, Chair 

in Materials. 

Dr Alexander Chroneos, Research 

Associate working with Professors 

John A Kilner and Robin W Grimes. 

Dr Hande Cote, Marie Curie 

Experienced Researcher, working 

with Dr Barbara A Shollock. 

Dr Denis J Cumming, Research 


Nigel Brandon and Professor John 

A Kilner. 

Dr Goki Eda, Research Associate 

working with Professor Manish 

Chhowalla. 

Dr Lutz-Christian Gerhardt, 


Professor Aldo R Boccaccini and 

Professor Eduardo Saiz Gutierrez. 

Dr Alison C Harrison, Lecturer in 

Nanotechnology. 

Dr Sehban Husain, Research 


David W McComb and Professor 

Neil McN Alford. 

Ms Virginie Jantou, Research 

Assistant working with Professor 


Dr Jung-Sik Kim, Research 


Alan Atkinson. 

Dr Ai Leen Koh, Research Associate 

working with Professor David W 

McComb. 

Dr Jaideep Kulkarni, Marie Curie 

Individual Experienced Researcher 

working with Dr Mary P Ryan. 

Dr Gianluca Latini, Research 

Associate working with Dr Natalie 

Stingelin. 

Dr Lijun Ji, Research Associate 

working with Professor Molly M 

Stevens. 

Dr Caterina Minelli, Research 



Dr Sanghmamitra Mukhopadhyay, 


Professor Mike W Finnis. 

Dr Karin Muller, Research 

Associate working with Dr 

Alexandra E Porter. 

Dr Samuel Murphy, Research 



Dr David C Parfitt, Research 



Dr James M Perkins, Research 



Mr Ashley A Perris, Finance Officer. 

Mr Thomas Quinn, Research 


Neil McN Alford. 

Dr Seema Raghunathan, Research 

Associate working with Dr David 

Dye. 

Mr Nick Royall, Characterisation 

Facilities Technician. 

Miss Manuela Russo, Research 

Associate working with Dr Natalie 

Stingelin. 

Mrs Michelle Ryder, PA to 

Professor Robin W Grimes and 

Project Manager to the Centre of 

Nuclear Engineering. 

Dr Maurizio Tarzia, Research 

Associate working with Dr Luc 

Vandeperre and Fraser Wigley. 

Dr Olga Tsigkou, Research 

Associate working with Dr Julian R 

Jones. 

Dr Junsheng Wang, Research 

Associate working with Dr Andrew 

P Horsfield. 


Senior Tutor 

Safety 

Committee 

Director of UG 

Studies 

Departmental management and 

committee structure 

Membership of the various committees and their roles 

(during the 2009–10 period) are described below. 

Teaching 

Committee 

UG Staff-Student 

Committee 

External 

Advisory Panel 

Centralised 

Facilities 

Committee 

The Department is run using a committee structure as illustrated in the chart above 

Departmental Management Committee 

(DMC) 

Professor Bill Lee » Chair, Head of Department 

Professor Neil McN Alford » Director of Research 

Professor David W McComb » Centralised Facilities 

Committee 

Robert A Rudkin » Estates/Building Issues Safety 

Dr Jason Riley » DUGS 

Professor Peter D Lee » DPGS 

Dr David S McPhail » Safety 

Andrew C Tebbutt » Departmental Operations Manager 

Darakshan J Khan » Departmental Operations 

Administrator, HR Co-ordinator 

Russell J Stracey » Workshop Manager 

Fraser Wigley » Safety 

Head of 

Department 

Graeme Rae » Research Operations Manager 

Sonia Tomasetig » Minutes 

Management 

Committee 

Director of 

Research 

PG Tutor 

PG Staff-Student 

Committee 

The DMC meets monthly to ensure the 

smooth administration of the Department. 

Membership includes the Head of Department, 

the Departmental Operations Manager (DOM), 

Acabemic Staff 

Meetings 

Research 

Committee 

Director of PG 

Studies 

PG Committee 

the Chair of the Safety Committee, the Director 

of Undergraduate Studies (DUGS), the Director 

of Postgraduate Studies (DPGS), the Chair of 

the Centralised Facilities Committee (CFC), the 

Workshop Services Manager, plus representatives 

from HR and Research Services. 

Academic staff meetings 

Technical 

Staff and ROs 

Committee 

Research Staff 

Committee 

Meetings of all academic staff are held every 

two months to discuss Department, Faculty, 

College, National and International issues. 

This includes reports from leaders of each of 

the research institutes including: Centre for 

Nuclear Engineering (CNE), London Centre for 

Nanotechnology (LCN), the Centre for Advanced 

Structural Ceramics (CASC), Institute of 

Biomedical Engineering (IBE), and the Thomas 

Young Centre (TYC) for Materials Theory and 

Simulation plus the Doctoral Training Centres 

(DTCs) in Theory and Simulation of Materials and 

Plastic Electronics. 

www.imperial.ac.uk/materials Department of Materials Annual Report 2009–10 

29

Teaching Committee 

Dr Jason Riley » Chair, DUGS 

Dr Luc J Vandeperre » Senior Tutor 

Dr Stephen J Skinner » Admissions Tutor 

Dr Sandrine EM Heutz » Deputy Admissions Tutor 

Dr Barbara A Shollock » First Year Co-ordinator, 

Aerospace Materials Co-ordinator 

Dr Mary P Ryan » Second Year Co-ordinator 

Dr Alexandra E Porter » Third Year Co-ordinator 

Dr Arash A Mostofi » Fourth Year Co-ordinator 

Dr David Dye » Examinations Officer 

Dr Julian R Jones » Biomaterials UG and MSc 

Co-ordinator 

Dr Mark R Wenman » Nuclear Materials UG and MSc 

Co-ordinator 

Dr Christopher M Gourlay » Careers and Placements 

Officer 

Ms Fiona J Thomson » UG Office Manager 

Ms Emma J Warriss » Administrative Assistant 

Chaired by the Director of Undergraduate Studies 

(DUGS) this committee is responsible for all 

aspects of undergraduate teaching including 

overseeing programme specifications, regulations, 

timetabling, assessment and examinations, 

coursework, student welfare and responding to 

external factors such as College policy, external 

examiners reports, SOLE (Student On Line 

Evaluation) responses and course accreditation. 

The Chair also represents the Department on the 

Faculty’s Engineering Studies Board and Teaching 

Committee. 

UG Staff-Student Committee 

Dr Jason Riley » Chair, DUGS 


Dr Barbara Shollock » First Year Co-ordinator 




Nicole Urquhart » Library Liaison 

Mike Mussard » ICT Representative 

Fiona J Thomson » UG Office Manager 

Emma J Warriss » Minutes 

Student Representatives: 

First Year » Christopher Li and Marinos Panaylotou 

Second Year » Daniel Price and Arjoon Vohra 

Third year » Evgeniy Donchev and Neelakshi Agate 

Fourth year » Carolin Ecsy and Oliver Joris 

The staff student committee is a forum in which 

students may raise points of concern and make 

suggestions regarding the undergraduate 

course. It meets twice a term in the Autumn and 

Spring terms and once in the Summer term. 

The committee is normally chaired by a student 

representative and is composed of academic staff 

from the teaching committee, undergraduate 

year representatives, the student departmental 

representative on the union committee and the 

union representative for academic affairs. The 

teaching administrator acts as the secretary. The 

Director of Undergraduate Studies prepares the 

agenda. There are two year representatives from 

the first and second year, four representatives 

from the third year and two from the fourth year. 

PG Staff-Student Committee 

Dr David S McPhail » Chair, PG tutor 

Professor Bill Lee » Head of Department 

Professor Peter D Lee » Director of PG Research 

Robert A Rudkin » Safety Officer 

Dr Natalie Stingelin » PDRA mentor 

Dr Hande Cote » PDRA Rep 

Ben Moorhouse » First Year Rep 

Sobhan Abolghasemi » Second Year Rep 

Jonnathan Warwick » Third Year Rep 

Carrina Turner and Joanne Sarsam » PG Departmental Reps 

David Arellano Gonzalez » PG Safety Rep 

Norma Hikel » Secretary 

This committee meets four times a year to discuss 

issues relevant to postgraduate and postdoctoral 

researchers including safety, space and facilities. 

It also highlights concerns raised by the ROLE 

(Researchers On Line Evaluation) responses, 

organises the Department’s Postgraduate 

Research Day and encourages social events. 

Postgraduate Committee 

Professor Peter D Lee » DPGS 

Dr Peter D Haynes » PG admissions 

Dr David S McPhail » PG tutor 

Graeme Rae » Research Operations Manager 

Norma Hikel » PG Secretary 

The main aim of this Committee is to ensure 

the smooth administration of the postgraduate 

programme. 

Research Staff Committee 

Dr Natalie Stingelin » Chair 

Darakshan Khan » Secretary 

PDRA Rep » Dr Claudia Walter 

All Research Staff 

This committee is a forum to discuss issues 

relevant to PDRA researchers in the Department 

including safety, space, facilities and career 

development. 

Research Committee 

Professor Neil McN Alford » Chair, Director of Research 

Professor Bill Lee » Head of Department 



Dr Peter D Haynes 


Professor Mike W Finnis 


Scott Wheatley 

Darakshan Khan » Minutes 

The aim of the Research Committee is to 

improve the quality and volume of research 

performed within the Department and to facilitate 

multidisciplinary interactions. This is achieved by: 

• evolving the departmental research strategy, 

linked to the Departmental Business Plan 

and the Faculty Research Strategy, identifying 

new equipment needs, including funding and 

space and identifying future opportunities, 

and how to grow these internally and through 

interaction at Faculty, College, National and 

International levels 

• enabling the best research profile by: raising 

the esteem of each academic nationally and 

internationally through a range of activities 

including assisting with nominations 

for fellowships of learned societies, 

recommendations for award of prizes, and 

nominations for invited and keynote lectures; 

overseeing Department Research Assessment 

submissions 

• ensuring academics are aware of funding 

opportunities and facilitating collaborative bids 

where appropriate 

• interfacing with the Faculty Research 

Committee 

• advising on research areas/profiles of 

members and arranging an annual meeting of 

the External Advisory Panel 

• formulating the seminar programme 

• producing an annual Research in Progress 

booklet 

The committee meets four to six times a year. 

Safety Committee 

Fraser Wigley » Chair 

Julia Cotton » College Safety Auditor 

Guy Fairhurst » Building Manager 

Robert A Rudkin » Safety Officer 

Dr Julian R Jones » Biomaterials Rep 

Russell J Stracey » Workshop Manager and Trade Union 

Rep 

Garry J Stakalls » Technician for MPAC Area 

Richard Sweeney » Radiation Protection Rep, First Aid 

Dagmar K Durham » Secretary 

Evgeniy Donchev » UG Student Rep 

David Arellano Gonzalez » PG Rep 

Ian Gillett » College Safety Director 

Fiona J Thomson » UG Office Manager 

The aim of the Safety Committee is to review 

safety issues in the Department and to forward 

recommendations to the Head of Department.

Centralised Facilities Committee 

Professor David W McComb » Chair 

Dr David S McPhail » Surface analysis 

Dr Stephen J Skinner » XRD/TA 

Richard Sweeney » XRD/TA) 

Dr Barbara A Shollock » Electron microscopy 

Dr Mahmoud G Ardakani » Electron microscopy 

Richard J Chater » Surface analysis 

Russell Stracey » Manufacturing facility 

Richard W Hamilton » XMT 

Professor Peter D Lee » XMT 

Graeme Rae » Research Operations Manager, Minutes 

The aim of the Centralised Facilities Committee is to: 

• monitor the funding, maintenance and 

utilisation of the central facilities 

• ensure that the facilities are accessible to all 

College members at an appropriate cost 

• identify areas where investment and 

development are necessary, and to propose 

funding applications to address these 

requirements. 

Administrative Support Staff Committee 

Andrew C Tebbutt » Chair 

Dagmar K Durham 

Sima Fulford 

Norma B Hikel 

Jacqueline Hughes 

Darakshan J Khan 

Ashley A Perris 

Michelle Ryder 

Fiona J Thomson 

Sonia Tomasetig 

Ecaterina Ware 

Emma J Warriss » Minutes 

The main aim of this Committee is to ensure that 

administrative support staff are kept informed of 

matters affecting their work in the Department. 

Technical Staff and Research Officers 

Committee 

Professor Neil McN Alford » Chair 

Benjamin Chan 

Richard J Chater 

Dr David Dye 

Simon Logsdail 

Peter K Petrov 


Sabrina Skeete 

Garry J Stakalls 

Richard Sweeney 

Mahmoud G Ardakani 

Dagmar K Durham » Secretary 

Robert A Rudkin 

Russell J Stracey 

Andrew Tebbutt 

Ivelin (Ivo) Valkov 

Ecaterina Ware 

Fraser Wigley 

The main aims of the Technical Staff Committee 

are to: 

• ensure that all technical staff are kept 

informed of matters affecting their work in the 

Department 

• to seek advice from the technical staff 

regarding research and teaching laboratory 

activities, the purchase of new equipment and 

repair and maintenance of existing equipment 

The committee meets six times a year. 

Degrees and PhDs awarded 

Summary of all awards (2005–10) 


Academic 

year 

First 

% 

Upper second 

% 

Lower second 

% 

Third 

% 

Pass 

% 

2009–10 21 48 30 1 0 0 69 

2008–09 24 39 33 3 0 1 63 

2007–08 19 39 25 14 0 3 58 

2006–07 26 32 22 20 0 0 58 

2005–06 19 27 29 25 0 0 46 

MEng Materials Science 

and Engineering 

Ruskin Constant 

Chang Chen 

Zoe Dobell 

Alexandru Enica 

Alexander Ford 

Yasir Gani 

Joe Gleeson 

Shakiba Kaveh 

Harpal Khaira 

Edwella Lee 

Alankar Lodha 

Mathias Mesa 

Alistair Philpott 

Muhammad Shaikh 

Bowen Shen 

Simranjit Singh 

Saxon Tint 

Clementine Walker 

Tian Wang 

Chengbo Xie 

Junjie Xiong 

Hui Yan 

MEng Aerospace Materials 

Benjamin Hanson 

Oliver Joris 

Alex Leung 

Yiming Ma 

Charles Murdoch 

Thibault Salomon 

MEng Materials and 

Nuclear Engineering 

Carolin Ecsy 

Aaron Nunkoosing 

Christopher Reece 

MEng Biomaterials and 

Tissue Engineering 

Taek Kim 

BEng Materials Science and 

Engineering 

Neelakshi Agate 

Shane Alam 

Kai Aucharagram 

John Chan 

Yui Tak Cheung 

Hannah Cresswell 

Benjamin Foess 

Ian Fulton 

Edoardo Giorgi 

Chun Ann Huang 

Min Yi Kang 

Minsung Ko 

Fail 

% 

Firsts and upper seconds 

% 

Hang Pui Lam 

Lydia Leung 

Kwok Chuen Li 

Zhi Yang Lim 

Sarah Luo 

Joseph MacDonald 

Park Maneepairoj 

William Parry-Jones 

Alexander Pong 

Sivakathan Sivalingam 

Borja Sordo 

Melody Suchail 

Zhichen Wang 

Jing Yang 

Quan Yuan 

Shanshan Zhu 

BEng Materials with 

Management 

Matthew Allinson 

Jason Chan 

Andrew Murray-Bruce 

Akintola Salami 

Huimin Xu 

Hua Zhang

PhDs awarded 

This year has, in terms of number of PhDs awarded, been the most successful in the Department’s history. 

We congratulate the 36 students listed below on completing their PhDs. This number is five more than the 

number of PhDs graduating from the Department in 2008–09 (31). 

Student Supervisor/s Title of thesis and award date 

Nicholas J Ashley Professor Robin W Grimes Defect properties of binary non-oxide ceramics/ 

31 August 2010 

Sarah Berhanu Professor David W McComb, Dr John 

de Mello (Chemistry) and Professor 

Tim Jones (University of Warwick) 

Johann Cho Professor Aldo R Boccaccini 


and Dr Milo Shaffer (Chemistry) 

Nanostructured templates for donor/acceptor 

interface engineering in organic solar cells/ 

28 February 2010 

Processing and characterisation of inorganic matrix 

composites containing carbon nanotubes/ 


James Coakley Dr David Dye Creep and microstructure evolution in nickel 

superalloys/1 September 2010 

Daniel Garcia Aguilar Dr David Dye, Professor Richard 

Dashwood (University of Warwick) 

and Dr Martin Jackson (University of 

Sheffield) 

Fatos Derguti Dr David Dye, Professor Richard J 


and Dr Martin Jackson (University of 

Sheffield) 

Generation of ultra-fine grained materials via 

multiple extrusion/31 May 2010 

Low cost route to compaction of Ti and Ti-6Al-4V 

powders using cold and hot isostatic pressing/ 


James E Ghadiali Professor Molly M Stevens Bio-functionalised nanoparticles for enzyme 

sensing/1 August 2010 

Julian HS George Professor Molly M Stevens Engineering of fibrous scaffolds for use in 

regenerative medicine/1 October 2009 

Despina 

Hadjiapostolidou 

Dr Barbara A Shollock Temporal evolution of microstructure in nickel base 

superalloys Rene 80 and CMSX-4/28 February 2010 

Sehban Husain Professor David W McComb Site specific characterisation of hydrocracking catalysts 

using nanoanalytical electron microscopy/ 

1 March 2010 

Benoit Illy Dr Mary P Ryan and Dr Barbara A 

Shollock 

Benjamin Jackson Dr David Dye, Professor Richard J 


and Professor Douglas Inman 

Heather F Jackson Professor Bill Lee and Professor 

Robin W Grimes 

Electrodeposition of zinc oxide nanostructured 

films/1 January 2010 

Production of NiTi via the Fray Farthing Chen 

Cambridge process/31 December 2009 

Thermophysical properties and thermodynamic 

stability of zirconium carbide as a function of nonstoichiometry/31 

August 2010 

Virjinie Jantou Professor David W McComb Analytical electron microscopy of mineralised 

dentine/30 November 2009 

Alexander J Jasper Professor David W McComb and 


Shima Kadkhodazadeh Professor David W McComb and 

Professor Tim Jones (University of 

Warwick) 

Ioanna Kourti Professor Aldo R Boccaccini 


and Dr Chris R Cheeseman (Civil and 

Environmental Engineering) 

TEM studies of interfaces in fuel cell materials/ 

1 July 2010 

Analytical electron microscopy of InAs/GaAs quantum 

dots and GaInNAs/GaAs quantum wells/ 

1 December 2009 

Sustainable construction materials containing 

plasma treated air pollution control residues/ 

31 May 2010 

Hiroko Kusumoto Professor Robert G Hill (QMUL) and 

Dr Robert V Law (Chemistry) 

Characterisation of Mg, Sr, and Zn containing 

fluro-aluminosilicate glasses and their glass 

polyalkenoate cements/1 January 2010 

Libing Li Dr David S McPhail Strategies for secondary ion yield enhancements 

in focused ion beam secondary ion mass 

spectrometry/31 March 2010 

Sen Lin Dr Julian R Jones Tailoring the nanostructure of sol-gel derived 

bioactive glasses and investigating their interactions 

with proteins/1 March 2010 

Jingjing Liu Dr Stephen J Skinner Mass transport and electrochemical properties of 

La2Mo2O9 as a fast ionic conductor/1 April 2010 

Philip S Mason Dr Jason Riley Patterned nanoparticles for optical applications/ 

31 May 2010 

Alessandro Mottura Professor Mike W Finnis and 

Professor Roger C Reed (University 

of Birmingham) 

Analysis of atomic-scale phenomena and the 

rhenium effect in nickel superalloys/1 May 2010 

Samuel Murphy Professor Robin W Grimes Atomistic simulation of defects and diffusion in 

oxides/30 November 2009 

Steve Mwenifumbo Professor Molly M Stevens Investigations of carbon nanotube and monolayer 

protected metal nanoparticle systems and their 

biological interactions/31 October 2009 

Pavel E Ramirez Lopez Professor Peter D Lee and Professor 

Kenneth C Mills 

Ruth Sayers Dr Stephen J Skinner and Professor 

John A Kilner 

Modelling shell and oscillation mark formation during 

continuous casting via explicit incorporation of slag 

infiltration/1 March 2010 

Electrochemical performance and transport 

properties of La2NiO4+σ/1 June 2010 

Panpailin Seeharaj Professor Alan Atkinson Mixed-conducting LSC/CGO and Ag/CGO composites 

for passive oxygen separation membranes/1 July 2010 

Neil Simrick Professor Alan Atkinson and 


Randhir Singh Professor Peter D Lee and Professor 

Trevor C Lindley 

Patterned thin film cathodes for micro-solid oxide 

fuel cells/31 August 2010 

A novel ceramic precursor route for the direct 

production of hierarchically structured titanium alloy 

foams/1 November 2010 

Peter J Smith Professor Alan Atkinson Investigation into environmental stress cracking: 

processed food cans/31 August 2010 

Paul Stuart Dr Stephen J Skinner and Professor 

John A Kilner 

The synthesis and evaluation of proton conducting 

electrolytes for high temperature steam 

electrolysers/1 March 2010 

Sarah J Wagstaffe Dr Jason Riley Improving chronic wound healing with self signalling 

antibodies for specific bacterial detection/30 

September 2009 

Sally Watts Professor Robert G Hill (QMUL) and 

Dr Robert V Law (Chemistry) 

Composition – structure – property relationships in 

bioactive glasses/1 June 2010 

Lang Yuan Professor Peter D Lee Multiscale modelling of the influence of convection 

on dendrite formation and freckle initiation during 

vacuum arc remelting/1 June 2010 

Rong Zhu Dr Mary P Ryan and Professor David 

W McComb 

Electrochemical growth of three-dimensionally 

ordered macroporous metals as photonic crystals/ 

1 July 2010 



Prizes, awards and distinctions 

The excellence of our Department has been recognised by various awards, 

prizes, distinctions and public/media attention. Some of the achievements of 

our staff are highlighted below. 

In July 2010, the Department of Materials was 

awarded an Athena Silver SWAN award. These 

awards recognise and celebrate good practice 

on recruiting, retaining and promoting women 

in SET in higher education. The Department was 

delighted to receive the award. 

New year’s honour 

for Professor Sue Ion 

Professor Sue Ion, 

Visiting Professor, was 

awarded the DBE for 

services to science and 

engineering. 

Super year for Professor Molly M Stevens 

It was a bumper year for Professor Molly M 

Stevens who received numerous outstanding 

awards in the 2009–10 session. These include the 

Amgen Life Sciences Award at the ACES (Academic 

Enterprise Awards) for transforming ‘outstanding 

science’ into an materials innovations that have 

‘enormous potential for human health’, the 2010 

Macro- IUPAC Award for Creativity in Applied 

Polymer Science or Polymer Technology, the IOM 3 

Rosenhain Medal and Prize 2010, awarded to 

candidates under the age of 40 for distinguished 

achievement in any branch of materials science, 

and the Royal Society of Chemistry 2010 Norman 

Heatley Award for ‘her pioneering work on tissue 

engineering and regeneration that combines 

research skills at the interface of biology, 

chemistry, engineering and pharmaceutical 

sciences’. Her research has received considerable 

media attention and recognition including a 

number two ranking in the Top 10 UK scientists 

under the age of 40 list in The Times, an 

interview on BBC Radio Today, articles in various 

publications including Wired UK, Nature News, The 

Observer, the Financial Times and The Telegraph. 

The EPSRC also issued a press release on some 

of Molly’s work (in collaboration with Dr Charlotte 

Williams, Chemistry) on new biodegradable 

polymers for nanostructured polymer scaffolds for 

regenerative medicine and drug delivery (and also 

degradable packaging). Last but not least, Molly 

was one of two scientists chosen to represent 

Europe at the ‘The Lights and Shadows of Science 

and Technology’ forum in Kyoto, Japan, 3–5 

October 2010. 

Grant successes 

for Drs Alexandra 

Porter and Mary P 

Ryan 

Drs Alexandra E 

Porter (top left) and 

Mary P Ryan (bottom 

left) had numerous 

grant successes in 

the 2009-10 period 

including a National 

Institutes of Health 

(NIH) award valued 

at £1.825 million to 

fund a project entitled Respiratory effects of 

silver and carbon nanomaterials with Professor 

Terry Tetley (Royal Brompton Hospital) as 

Principal Investigator and Mary and Alexandra 

(Materials), Dr Milo SP Shaffer (Chemistry) and 

Professor Fan Chung (Royal Brompton Hospital) 

as Co-Investigators and a Natural Environment 

Research Council (NERC) and National Institutes 

of Health (NIH) award to fund a joint proposal 

between Imperial, the Royal Brompton Hospital 

and Rutgers University. The project entitled Risk 

assessment for manufactured nanoparticles used 

in consumer products (RAMNUC), valued at ~£1.1 

million, is being led by Professor Fan Chung (Royal 

Brompton Hospital), with Mary and Alexandra 

(Imperial), Professor Terry Tetley (Royal Brompton 

Hospital) as Co-Investigators. In addition, 

Alexandra, was awarded an ERC starting grant 

valued at €1.25 million for a project entitled The 

targeting potential of carbon nanotubes at the 

blood brain barrier. 


37

Robert L Coble Award for Dr Julian R 

Jones 

Dr Julian R Jones (above right) was awarded the 

2010 Robert L Coble Award for Young Scholars 

by The American Ceramics Society. The award 

recognizes an outstanding scientist (under the age 

of 35) who is conducting research in academia, 

in industry or at a government-funded laboratory. 

This award honours the late Professor Coble, 

whose lifelong mission was to enhance the 

achievement and advancement of young ceramic 

scientists. Julian received the award at the 112th 

Annual Meeting of The American Ceramics Society 

in Houston, Texas in October 2010. In addition, 

Julian was appointed Visiting Professor at the 

Nagoya Institute of Technology, Japan for the 

period 2010–14. 

Landmark paper by 

Professor Mike W 

Finnis 

A special issue of 

Philosophical Magazine 

(edited by Graeme 

Ackland, Vasek Vitek and Adrian Sutton) was 

published to mark a landmark publication in 1984 

by Professor Mike W Finnis (above, right) and 

Professor Jim Sinclair. The paper dramatically 

changed the world of simulating transition metals 

at the atomic scale – (Interatomic potentials of 

the kind they derived are now known as Finnis- 

Sinclair potentials). Mike and Jim were presented 

with leather-bound copies of the special issue by 

Paul Bristowe, Associate Editor of Philosophical 

Magazine, at a celebration on Wednesday 10 

February. In addition, proposal submitted to 

The Leverhulme Trust, led by Mike and Dr Paul 

Tangney (Materials), Professor Matthew Foulkes 

(Physics) and Professor Arthur H Heuer (Case 

Western Reserve University, USA) was funded. The 

research grant, valued at £228,914, will fund the 

project Quantum mechanics of dislocations and 

grain boundaries in alumina. 

Imperial Junior 

Research Fellowship 

awards 

Dr Cecilia Mattevi (top 

left), Research Associate 

working with Professor 

Manish Chhowalla, and 

Dr Fang Xie (bottom 

left), Research Associate 

working with Dr Jason 

Riley, Professor Neil 

Alford and Dr Mary P 

Ryan, were awarded 

highly competitive 

Imperial Junior Research Fellowships. In addition, 

a paper entitled Structural evolution during the 

reduction of chemically derived graphene oxide 

by A Bagri, Dr Cecilia Mattevi, M Acik, Y Chabal, 

Professor Manish Chhowalla, V B Shenoy was 

accepted for publication in Nature Chemistry. 

Image Chosen for 

Nano Letters cover 

A 3D schematic of a novel 

enzyme assay created 

by Dr Morgan Mager 

(Research Associate 

working with Professor Molly M Stevens) and 

Daniel Aili (Linkoping University, Sweden), was 

chosen for the cover of the April 2011 issue of 

the ACS journal Nano Letters. In addition, an 

article published by Morgan and Daniel entitled 

Hybrid nanoparticle−liposome detection of 

phospholipase activity was highlighted in the 

Editor’s Choice section of the journal Science and 

was also featured in a News and Views piece in 

the journal Nature Chemistry. 

HoKwon Kim 

awarded NSERC 

scholarship 

HoKwon Kim (PhD 

student in the 

Department) was 

awarded a Natural Science and Engineering 

Council of Canada (NSERC) Postgraduate 

Scholarship, valued at $CAD21,000 for three 

years. These scholarships 

provide financial support to 

high-calibre students who are 

engaged in master’s or doctoral 

programs in the natural 

sciences or engineering. In 

addition, Hokwon was awarded 

an Imperial College Trust travel 

grant (valued at £500) to fund 

his attendance at IEEE Nano 

2010 in Ilsan, South Korea, 

17–20 August 2010. 

Shakiba wins Fluor 

Corporation 

scholarship 

Shakiba Kaveh 

(fourth year MEng students) 

was awarded a final year 

scholarship (£2,000) from 

Fluor Corporation, (one of the 

world’s largest publicly-owned 

engineering, procurement, 

construction, maintenance 

and project management 

companies). She is one of six 

Imperial engineering students, 

who have received such a 

bursary. 

The Department 

would also like to 

recognise the following 

achievements: 


An EPSRC proposal submitted 

by Professors Neil M Alford 

(PI) and David W McComb 

(Co-Investigator), was funded. 

The project (joint with UCL) 

is entitled Nano-scale SQUID 

magnetometry of oxide 

heterointerfaces and is valued 

at £1.3 million (£565,000 to 

Imperial). 

A paper written by Dan Brett 

(UCL), Professor Alan Atkinson, 

Brandon NP (ESE) and Dr 

Stephen J Skinner entitled 

Intermediate temperature 

solid oxide fuel cells (Chem. 

Soc. Rev. 37[8]:1568-78, 

2008), was selected by 

Essential Science Indicators SM 

from Thomson Reuters as 

the most-cited paper in the 

research area of Chemistry. 

In addition, Alan was made 

Fellow of The American Ceramic 

Society. Recognition of this 

achievement was given at the 

ACerS Honors and Awards 

Banquet at the 112th Annual 

meeting in Houston, Texas, 

USA, October 2010. 


was awarded a Leverhulme 

Trust Grant valued at £132k for 

two years starting May 2010 to 

fund a project entitled Large 

area electronics with solution 

processed chemically derived 

graphene. 

A paper by Dr David Dye and Dr 

Russell Talling (with co-authors 

in IMR, China and Tohoku, 

Japan) based on work at the 

ESRF in Grenoble is one of 

the Top 25 ‘Hottest’ articles in 

Acta Materialia for April–June 

2010. The work investigates the 

mechanics of the superelastic 

phase transformations 

exploited by low modulus 

biocompatible beta titanium 

alloys being developed for 

orthopaedic applications. In 

addition, David was awarded 

the IOM 3 Harvey Flower 

Titanium Prize 2010. The 

prize is awarded annually 

to a materials engineer for 

contributions to titanium 

metallurgy, alloy development, 

applications and use of 

titanium, performance 

enhancement and innovations 

in processing. 

Dr Christopher M Gourlay was 

awarded the IOM 3 Silver Medal 

2010. This prize is awarded 

to a member, under the age 

of 30, in recognition of an 

outstanding contribution to 

the broad field of materials 

science, engineering and 

technology, including 

promotion of their subject on a 

national or international basis. 

Professor Robin W Grimes and 

Dr Bill Nuttall (University of 

Cambridge) outlined a 20-year 

master plan for the global 

renaissance of nuclear energy. 

The research was published 

in the journal Science. Robin 

also continues his role as our 

media star and was interviewed 

by freelance film makers for 

an independent documentary 

project exploring the issue of 

nuclear energy in the UK. In 

addition, Robin was awarded 

the IOM 3 Griffith Medal and 

Prize 2010. 

Dr Peter D Haynes was 

awarded the Institute of 

Physics Maxwell Medal and 

Prize 2010 for his work on 

linear-scaling methods for 

large-scale first-principles 

simulation of materials based 

on density-functional theory, in 

particular his leading role in the 

development of the ONETEP 

code used in both academe 

and industry. In addition, 

Peter was elected Fellow of 

the Institute of Physics and his 

application to renew his Royal 

Society University Research 

Fellowship for a further three 

years, was successful. 

Dr Sandrine EM Heutz was 

promoted to Senior Lecturer, 

from 1 October 2010. 

Dr Andrew P Horsfield was 

promoted to Senior Lecturer, 

from 1 October 2010. 

Professor Bill Lee was 

elected to The American 

Ceramic Society (ACerS) 

Board of Directors which 

sets policy, approves the 

budget, makes appointments 


to leadership and representative positions, 

confers awards, and carries out other important 

matters for the Society. In addition, Bill gave 

two keynote lectures during 2010, one at the 

8th India International Refractories Congress 

(IRECON 10) and the other at the opening 

of the Energy Research Institute @ Nanyang 

Technological University (ERI@N) in June 2010. 

Bill was also interviewed on the Radio 4 

programme You and Yours on 7 April 2010 

about the UK’s programme for managing 

radioactive waste leading to its eventual 

geological disposal. He was invited because 

of his role as Deputy Chair of the DECC 

Government Committee on Radioactive 

Waste Management (CoRWM). 

Professor David W McComb was made Fellow of the 

Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IOM 3 ). 

Dr David S McPhail was elected as group 

representative on Institute of Physics’ Group 

Co-ordination Committee. The Committee advises 

Council on the structure and operation of Divisions 

and Groups, including their creation, merging and 

closure and ensures that the portfolio of groups 

reflects accurately current and emerging physics 

activities. In addition, David was promoted to 

Reader in Surface Analysis, from 1 October 2010. 

Dr Arash A Mostofi was promoted to Senior 

Lecturer, from 1 October 2010. 

Dr Rongshan Qin was invited to join the Editorial 

Board of Materials Science and Technology 

(MST). In addition to this, Rongshan attended 

Wuhan University of Science and Technology 

(WUSTECH), Huazhong University of Science 

& Technology and Wuhan Steel (WISCO) to 

give three invited seminars and was made 

Visiting Professor at WUSTECH. Rongshan 

was awarded a Royal Academy of Engineering 

equipment grant valued at £9,500 for the 

purchase of an electropulse generator. 

Dr Jason Riley was made Fellow of the Royal 

Society of Chemistry. 

The paper Electrophoretic deposition: from 

traditional ceramics to nanotechnology written 

by I Corni, Dr Mary P Ryan and Professor 

Aldo R Boccaccini was voted as the ‘Hottest’ 

article in J. Euro. Ceram. Soc. during the July- 

September 2009 period. 

Dr Stephen J Skinner was made Fellow of the 

Royal Society of Chemistry. 

At the Times Higher Education Awards (THES) 

Banquet on 15 October 2009, IBE won the 2009 

Award for Outstanding Contribution to Innovation 

and Technology. This is out of 670 UK Institutions 

and the only award to Imperial. Professor Molly M 

Stevens (Materials) is a joint appointment with IBE. 

Dr Natalie Stingelin was invited to give a keynote 

lecture at the 10th International Conference on 

Materials Chemistry (MC10) at the University of 

Manchester, 4–7 July 2011. In addition, Natalie was 

promoted to Senior Lecturer, from 1 October 2010. 

A paper by David D O’Regan (Cambridge), Dr 

Nicholas DM Hine, Mike C Payne (Cambridge) 

and Dr Arash A Mostofi, was selected as an 

Editors’ Suggestion in Physical Review B Rapid 

Communications. Such papers are those which 

‘the editors and referees find of particular interest, 

importance, or clarity.’ 

An image taken with an aberration-corrected 

STEM at the SuperSTEM facility in the UK by 

Mhairi Gass (University of Liverpool), Dr Alexandra 

E Porter (Materials) and Trevor Douglas (Montana 

State University) was used in a feature article 

entitled Surely you’re happy, Mr Feynman! in the 

December 2009 issue of Nature Nanotechnology 

( VOL 4). 

Dr Luc J Vandeperre was awarded a Rector’s 

Award for Excellence in Teaching 2010. The award 

celebrates and acknowledges staff who are 

considered to have made the most outstanding 

contribution to teaching, and who gain 

consistently excellent feedback from students. In 

addition, Luc was made Fellow of the Institute of 

Materials, Minerals and Mining. 

Dr Jonathan Weaver’s application for a Royal 

Society University Research Fellowship 2010 was 

successful. The aim of the Fellowship is to support 

researchers at an early stage of their career. John’s 

proposed research is A new materials platform for 

structuring liquids into complex 3D solids. 

Postdoctoral research 

associates 

and assistants 

Dr Jingjing Liu won the Best Talk 

prize for his talk Explore the 

potential of proton transport 

in LAMOX ionic conductors at 

the Ceramic Membranes for 

Green Chemical Production 

and Clean Power Generation 

conference in Valencia, Spain, 

8–10 September 2010. 

Richard Hamilton received an 

award for Best Oral Presentation 

at the Department of Materials 

first Postdoctoral Researcher 

Symposium on 25 June 2010. 

Dr Solveig Felton received 

an award for Best Poster 

Presentation at the Department 

of Materials first Postdoctoral 

Researcher Symposium on 25 

June 2010. 

Dr Amy Cruickshank received 

an award for Best Poster 

Presentation (runner up) at 

the Department of Materials 

first Postdoctoral Researcher 

Symposium on 25 June 2010. 

Undergraduate and 

postgraduate students 

Sobhan Abolghasemi was 

awarded first prize for Best 

Poster Design and Layout at the 

Postgraduate Research Day, 22 

March 2010. Second place went 

to Stuart Cook. 

Nathan Barber (first year 

undergraduate student), was 

awarded an Ironmongers 

Company scholarship to support 

his studies. 

Sergey Belyakov was awarded 

a Materials Overseas Research 

Scholarship (M-ORS). These 

scholarships are awarded to 

overseas postgraduate students 

who have demonstrated 

academic excellence and 

financial need. 

Bai Cui was awarded first 

prize for Best Scientific 

Content of a Poster at the 

Postgraduate Research Day, 

22 March 2010. Second place 

went to Jonathan Phillips. 

Salahud Din was awarded first 

prize for Best Public Speaker at 

the Postgraduate Research Day, 

17 March 2008. Second place 

went to John Dick. 

Carolin Ecsy was awarded 

the Governors’ MEng Prize in 

Materials. This prize is awarded 

to an outstanding final year 

undergraduate student of the 

MEng course. 

Edward Fitzpatrick (first year 

Materials undergraduate 

student), was awarded 

an Ironmongers Company 

scholarship to support his 

studies. 

Benjamin Foss was awarded 

an Ernest Edward Glorney 

Scholarship, valued at £1,000. 

This scholarship is awarded 

to a final year undergraduate 

for excellence in the final year 

examinations in Materials and 

can be used to study for another 

year at the College or to obtain 

practical training after leaving. 

Julian HS George was awarded 

the McLean Medal and prize. 

This prize is awarded to the PhD 

Graduate with Best Journal Paper. 

Joe Gleeson was awarded 

The Worshipful Company of 

Engineers Cadzow Smith Award. 

The award encourages business 

enterprise in young engineers 

and is given to a final year 

engineering undergraduate 

student who displays a 

combination of academic ability, 

personality and leadership skills. 

In addition, Joe was awarded 

the Charles Salter Prize. This 

prize is awarded for excellence 

in Metallurgy to a student 

completing his/her finals in this 

subject. 

Piotr Gryko was awarded a 

JSPS Fellowship to attend a 

two month research program 

over the summer of 2010. The 

placement was carried out in the 

Department of Bioengineering 

in the Riken research institute 

Japan. 

Laura Hare (first year Materials 

undergraduate student), was 

awarded a scholarship valued 

at £5,000 by the Ironmongers 

Company and the International 

Steel Trade Association, to 

support her studies. 

Chun Ann Huang was awarded 

an Ernest Edward Glorney 

Scholarship, valued at £1,000. 

This scholarship is awarded 

to a final year undergraduate 

for excellence in the final year 

examinations in Materials and 

can be used to study for another 

year at the College or to obtain 

practical training after leaving. 

Benoit Illy was awarded the 

Tony Evans Memorial Prize. This 

prize is awarded to the best 

PhD graduate in the Ceramics 

Discipline. 

Ge Jin was awarded one of 

four Armourers’ and Brasiers’ 

Company Prizes. These prizes are 

awarded to the undergraduate 

students who have completed 

the best third year design study. 

Oliver Joris was awarded the 

Institute of Materials Prize. This 

prize is awarded to a final year 

undergraduate student in the 

Department of Materials for 

performance during the whole of 


his/her undergraduate course. In 

addition to examination results, 

particular attention is given to 

character, personality and to 

participation in general College 

or University activities. 

Minsung Ko was awarded one 

of four Armourers’ and Brasiers’ 

Company Prizes. These prizes are 

awarded to the undergraduate 

students who have completed 

the best third year design study. 

Alex Leung was awarded the 

David West Prize. This prize 

is awarded to a final year 

undergraduate student for 

excellence in the application of 

phase diagrams to the solution 

of materials problems in design 

study or research work in the 

Department of Materials. 

Shurin Lin was awarded one 

of two Rolls Royce/Armourers’ 

and Brasiers’ Company First 

Year Undergraduate Awards. 

These prizes are awarded to the 

top two performing first year 

undergraduate students. 

Melchior Lorin was awarded 

the Thomas Young Centre 

Mathematics Prize. This prize 

is awarded to the second year 

undergraduate student achieving 

the highest overall mark in the 

Mathematics and Computing 

Course (MSE.201). 

Nasrin Lotfibakhshaiesh received 

an award from the European 

Science Foundation to cover costs 

associated with her attendance 

at the ESF-UB Conference on 

Nanomedicine. In addition, Nasrin 

received funds from The Royal 

Academy of Engineering valued 

at £300 to fund her attendance 

at TERMIS-EU meeting 2010 

in Galway, Ireland. At that 

conference, Nasrin’s abstract 

entitled Bioactive glass coatings 

and bone tissue engineering 

was selected for a Best Abstracts 

Award. The Armourers and 

Brasiers Company also supported 

Nasin’s attendance at the ICOMBT 

conference with a travel grant 

valued at £750. 

Stuart Lowe had a proposal 

accepted to use the facilities at 

the Molecular Foundry, Lawrence 

Berkeley National Laboratory, 

Berkeley, USA. In order to support 

his visit, and attendance at the 

Bio Nanotech conference (also 

in California), Stuart secured 

funding worth £2,000 from the 

Royal Academy of Engineering 

and the Armourers’ and Brasiers’ 

Gauntlet Trust. The research 

at the Molecular Foundry was 

carried out between June and 

August. 

Yanwei Lum was awarded one 

of two Rolls Royce/Armourers’ 

and Brasiers’ Company First 

Year Undergraduate Awards. 


top two performing first year 

undergraduate students. 

Joseph MacDonald was awarded 

one of four Armourers’ and 

Brasiers’ Company Prizes. 


undergraduate students who 

have completed the best third 

year design study. 

Oliver Mahony was awarded an 

EPSRC PhD Plus Award, which 

covers his post-doctoral salary 

for 12 months to increase the 

impact of his novel PhD research 

in silica/gelatin hybrid scaffolds 

for tissue engineering. 

Park Maneepairoj was awarded 

one of four Armourers’ and 

Brasiers’ Company Prizes. 


undergraduate students who 

have completed the best third 

year design study. 

Eva McGuire was awarded 

the Don Pashley Memorial 

Prize and Medal. This prize is 

awarded to the postgraduate 

student for the Best Scientific 

Content of a Lecture given at 

the Department of Materials 

Postgraduate Research Day. 

Second place went to Sheng 

Yue. In addition, Eva was 

granted an IFSM (International 

Federation of Societies for 

Microscopy) Scholarship 

to attend the International 

Microscopy Congress 17 (IMC17) 

in Rio de Janeiro in September 

2010. The scholarship included 

complimentary registration, hotel 

accommodation, complimentary 

access to the welcome reception 

and congress banquet and a 

stipend of US$1,000 as well as an 

Advanced Microscopy School. 

Sunny Phuah came first place in 

the London stage of the Young 

Persons’ Lecture Competition 

on 25 February 2010 for his 

presentation entitled Corrosion of 

spent advance gas reactor (AGR) 

fuel cladding in trace electrolyte 

environments. 

Fatemeh Pishbin was awarded 

a Trust of the Journal of the 

European Ceramic Society 

Grant valued at €500 as well 

as an Armourers and Brasiers’ 

Travel Grant to attend the 

4th International Conference 

on Shaping of Advanced 

Ceramics held in Madrid on 

16–18 November 2009. At the 

conference, Fatemeh won the 

second prize in the Student 

Contest for her poster/short oral 

presentation entitled Progress 

in the electrophoretic deposition 

(EPD) of bioactive glass and 

bioactive glass-biopolymer 

composite coatings. In addition 

to this, her paper was selected 

for publication in a special issue 

related to the Conference to be 

published in the J. European 

Ceramic Society. 

Gowsihan Poologasundarampillai was awarded 

the Matthey Prize. This prize is awarded to the best 

PhD graduate who is an Associate of the Royal 

School of Mines. 

Chedtha Puncreobutr was awarded a Materials 

Overseas Research Scholarship (M-ORS). 

These scholarships are awarded to overseas 

postgraduate students who have demonstrated 

academic excellence and financial need. 

Christopher Reece was awarded the Bessemer 

Medal. This prize is awarded to a final year 

undergraduate student for the Associateship of the 

Royal School of Mines for excellence in Metallurgy 

and Materials. 

An article, published in The Times (Letters) on 

20 October 2010 entitled English, possibly; 

Buckingham, no, refers to a microscopy done in 

2007 by Rafael Sa and Morgan Wesley on the 

supposed ‘Buckingham’ porcelain vases. This 

work revealed that porcelain was manufactured 

in England much earlier than had previously been 

thought. 

Thibault Salomon was awarded the Materials 

Student Centenary Prize. This prize is awarded 

to the forth year undergraduate student who 

is adjudged to have completed the best MEng 

placement project. 

Ieuan Seymour was awarded the Morgan 

Advanced Ceramics Undergraduate Prize. This 

prize is awarded to the best overall second year 

undergraduate student in the Department of 

Materials. 

The review article Electrophoretic deposition 

of carbon nanotube – ceramic nanocomposites 

written by Professor Aldo R Boccaccini (Visiting 

Professor) with Johann Cho, Tayyab Subhani, C 

Kaya and F Kaya as co-authors, was voted as the 

fourth ‘Hottest’ article in J. European Ceramic 

Society during the period July to September 2009. 

Pinyuan Tian was awarded a Materials Overseas 

Research Scholarship (M-ORS). These scholarships 

are awarded to overseas postgraduate students 

who have demonstrated academic excellence and 

financial need. 

Christos Tsitsios was awarded one of two Ronald 

Jock McGregor Prizes. These prizes are awarded to 

the undergraduate students who produce the best 

second year case study. 

Esther Valliant received a Canadian Centennial 

Scholarship for the 2010–11 academic year. 

Arjoon Vohra was awarded one of two Ronald Jock 

McGregor Prizes. These prizes are awarded to the 

undergraduate students who produce the best 

second year case study. 

Clementine Walker was awarded the Peter Pratt 

Memorial Prize. This prize is awarded to the 

undergraduate student from the Department of 

Materials who produces the best final year project. 

Junsheng Wang was awarded the Constance 

Fligg Tipper Centenary Memorial Prize. This prize 

is awarded to PhD graduate showing the most 

industry and independence in research with 

outstanding contributions to Materials Science 

and Engineering. 

Jing Yang was awarded the Governors’ BEng 

Prize in Materials. This prize is awarded to an 

outstanding student in the final undergraduate 

year of the BEng course. 

Sadegh Yazdi was awarded first prize for Industrial 

Relevance at the Postgraduate Research Day, 

17 March 2008. Second place went to Sobhan 

Abolghasemi. 

An image of three-dimensionally ordered porous 

silver from an article entitled Controlling the 

electrodeposition of mesoporous metals for 

nanoplasmonics by Rong Zhu was selected for the 

December front cover of the new RSC nanoscience 

journal Nanoscale. 



Undergraduate students 

The Department of Materials has a reputation for excellence in undergraduate 

teaching. Over the past three years analysis by newspapers (The Times, 

The Guardian, The Independent and The Telegraph) have consistently placed 

the Department in the top three for teaching of the discipline. The Department 

continues to attract the best students, the 2009–10 students having the best 

A level results of any intake, and produce highly motivated, skilled, 

employable graduates. 

The undergraduate course is led by the 

Director of Undergraduate Studies (DUGS) with 

the assistance of the Senior Tutor, Teaching 

Committee and Teaching Office. The Senior Tutor 

is responsible for monitoring student progression 

and welfare. The Teaching Committee oversees 

developments in course structure, admissions 

policy and educational strategy, whilst the 

Teaching Office manages all aspects of course 

delivery and student applications. 

The following staff help deliver the high quality 

courses: 

Teaching Committee 

Dr Jason Riley » DUGS 

Dr Stephen J Skinner » Admissions Tutor 

Dr Sandrine EM Heutz » Assistant Admissions Tutor 

Dr Barbara A Shollock » First Year Co-ordinator 


Dr Barbara A Shollock » Aerospace Materials 

Dr Mark R Wenman » Nuclear Materials 

Dr David Dye » Examinations Officer 


Dr Sandrine EM Heutz » Assistant Admissions Tutor 

Dr Barbara A Shollock » First Year Co-ordinator 



Dr Julian R Jones » Biomaterials 

Dr Christopher M Gourlay » Placement and Careers Officer 

Teaching Office 

Manager » Ms Fiona J Thomson 

Administrative Assistant » Ms Emma J Warriss 

In the past year the teaching committee has 

undertaken a major review of the undergraduate 

teaching laboratory experience. To ensure that 

the students gain the practical skills required and 

that the laboratory experience re-enforces the 

concepts introduced in lectures, new experiments 

have been commissioned. It is anticipated 

that over the next few years equipment will 

be obtained to improve the students’ practical 

experience. In addition the teaching committee 

have taken steps to improve the quality and 

timeliness of feedback to students, a college 

wide ambition, and continued to monitor the 

progress of the new MEng course in Materials and 

Nuclear Engineering from which the first cohort of 

students graduated in summer 2010. 

Undergraduate courses 

The Department of Materials offers a number of 

honours degree courses: 

• 3-year BEng in Materials Science and 

Engineering and BEng Materials with 

Management and 4-year BEng with a Year 

Abroad in Materials Science and Engineering 

• 4-year MEng courses in Materials Science 

and Engineering, Biomaterials and Tissue 

Engineering, Nuclear Materials and Aerospace 

Materials 

The courses cover a wide range of materials 

science, engineering and technology and are 

taught by a combination of lectures, laboratories, 

tutorials and project work. The annual intake of 

~80 undergraduate materials students (the largest 

in Europe) shares a common syllabus in the first 

two years. In the third and fourth year students 

are offered a wide range of electives within the 

Department covering topics such as ceramics, 

polymers, metals, composites, nanomaterials, 

nuclear materials and electrical materials. Fourth 

year students are also now able to select an 

option from a wide selection of courses offered 

throughout the Faculty of Engineering. In the 

Spring and Summer terms of the second year, 

students conduct a group case study where each 


45

group is assigned an artefact (i.e. a kettle, toaster, 

golf club, etc.) and is expected to dismantle it, 

assess the design and function of the individual 

components, and then conduct tests to identify 

the material and production method used. In 

the third year students conduct a group design 

study. The project is initiated by a design brief, 

which can be to design a product or process. 

The team of students independently plans how 

to address the brief; including how to o acquire 

the knowledge needed to carry out the design, 

how to organise the work as a team effort and 

how progress will be monitored. In addition 

to technical content the final report should 

contain a business plan for commercialisation 

of the design and address IP and QA issues. 

The MEng students spend the summer between 

their third and fourth year on placement before 

returning to join one of the research groups 

to carry out an individual project conducted 

over both the Autumn and Spring terms. 

The Department also provides teaching to other 

College Departments. Courses in Biomaterials 

are offered to students in the School of Medicine 

and the Department of Bioengineering and 

Introductory Materials Science and Engineering 

is taught to first and second year Aeronautical 

Engineering students. 

Industrial experience and work placements 

Sources of support for undergraduates 

Various funds are available to students to support 

their studies. The following students received 

assistance in the 2009–10 period: 

Armourers and Brasiers’ Company and The Harvey 

Flower Undergraduate Scholarship grant to 

support students’ travel to summer placements 

Student Amount 

Ashton Berry £394 

Ruth Birch £183 

Patrick Burr £749 

Katerina Christofidou £529 

Sajjad Jaffer £600 

Daniel Price £757 

Bartosz Polomski £539 

Anwar Sufi £757 

Yi Wang £1,000 

Armourers and Brasiers’ Company/AWE bursaries 

for MEng Materials with Nuclear Engineering 

Student Amount 

Arjon Vohra £1,000 

Adam Foley £1,000 

It is a compulsory requirement of the MEng courses that students spend a period of four months 

undertaking an industrial placement between their third and fourth year of study (May–September). Listed 

below are details of the placements conducted in 2010. 

The students are required to compile a full report detailing their placement and give a presentation to 

which their industrial supervisors are invited to attend. Both elements are assessed and count as 10 per 

cent of their final year result. 

Student Theme of placement Home institute/company 

Ashton Berry Investigating critical mechanisms in grain transport mechanisms 

of high-temperature ceramics 

Coranda Berry Design and implementation of a test-rig, suitable for allowing 

measurement of internal surfaces on components 

Lehigh University, USA 

Finsbury (Development) 

Limited, UK 

Ruth Birch Glass foams (IASTE) TU Bergakademie 

Freiberg, Germany 

Patrick Burr FAE Modelling of cyclic behaviour of P91 steel using a Chaboche 

approach and comparison to real-scale experimental test 

Australian Nuclear Science 

and Technology Organisation 

(ANSTO), Australia 

Alvin Chan Surface engineering in tribology Rolls-Royce Plc., UK 

Adrian Chiang Processing and casting of cast irons and QA Kai Ming Engineering Co. 

Ltd., China 


Katerina 

Christofidou 

Atoms to Aircraft in composite materials analysis and testing Purdue University, USA 

Tobias Clarke AWE, UK 

Toby Davis Evaluating the high temperature performance of 

polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) spring-energised seals 

Evgeniy Donchev Practical adhesion of barriers and capping layers to low-k 

materials using 4-point bending 

Adam Foley AWE, UK 

Rolls-Royce Plc.,UK 

IMEC VZW, Belgium 

Ge Jin Synthesis of graphene for optoelectronic applications Imperial College London, UK 

Shuojie Gu Welding metal quality control China Nuclear Power 

Engineering Co. Ltd., UK 

Sajjad Jaffer A machinability study on the surface roughness in end milling of 

discontinuously reinforced aluminium composites 

Mabel Lew Remnant life deterministic fitness-for-purpose assessment 

methodology for subsea pipelines 

Zhen Ling Low temperature assessment of materials in oil and gas 

applications 

Alistair Owen The synthesis and characterisation of silicon-doped boron carbide 

nanowires 

Manipal Institute of 

Technology (IASTE), India 

Wood Group Integrity 

Management, UK 

Shell UK Limited, UK 

Imperial College London, UK 

Shanika Pathirane Corrosion study of a combined cycle power station West Coast Power (Pvt) Ltd., 

Sri Lanka 

Jonathan Peel Toward best corrosion practice British Petroleum, UK 

Lucia Podhorska Silicon dioxide characterisation Aalto University, Finland 

Bartosz Polomski Cellulose nanocomposites Purdue University, USA 

Luisa Riera Lamela Pressure profile during labelling Procter & Gamble, Belgium 

Carlos Schuster The influence of thermal conductivity on orientated pore structure 

in collagen scaffolds using directional freeze-drying process 

Kisharn 

Thanalingam 

Cambridge University, UK 

Field M drilling fluids, losses study BP Exploration Operating 

Company Ltd., UK 

Yi Wang Research on epoxy based nanocomposites, National Centre for 

Nanoscience and Technology (NCNST) 

Final year undergraduate projects 

Beijing, China 

Student Title of project Supervisor 

BEng Materials Science and Engineering 

Benjamin Foss Development of protocols for the analysis of SIMS mass spectral data Dr David S McPhail 

Chun Ann Huang Double perovskites for ITSOFC cathodes Professor John A Kilner 

Zhi Yang Lim Defect formation in high integrity Al castings for automotive chassis 

applications 

MEng Materials Science and Engineering 

Dr Christopher M Gourlay 

Chen Chang Thermal analysis of phase transformation in (Cu,Ni)6Sn5 Dr Christopher M Gourlay 

Ruskin Constant Fabrication of cantilevers for biosensors Dr Yeong Ah-Soh 

Zoe Dobel Effect of crystallographic texture on the micro-mechanism of fatigue 

in Zr alloys 

Dr David Dye 

Carolin Ecsy Future nuclear fuel behaviour/phosphate based nuclear waste Professor Robin W Grimes 

Alexandru Enica Growth and characterisation of molecular spintronic devices Dr Sandrine EM Heutz 

Alexander Ford Semi-conductor Q-dot modified electrodes Dr Jason Riley

Yasir Gani Modelling the interaction between creep, fatigue and oxidation Professor Trevor C Lindley 

Joseph Gleeson Defect formation in high integrity Al castings for automotive chassis 

applications 


Benjamin Hanson The effects of soot on engine wear Dr Barbara A Shollock 

Oliver Joris A new Co-based family of super alloys Dr David Dye 

Shakiba Kaveh Mixed conductors for renewable energy systems Professor John A Kilner 

Harpal Khaira Bio-functionalised nanoparticles for biosensing Professor Molly M Stevens 

Bij-Na Kim SIMS studies on micrometeorites Dr David S McPhail 

Taek Bo Kim Bioactivity of bone scaffolds Dr Julian R Jones 

Edwella Lee Large-area fabrication of plastic electronic components by wire-bar 

coating 


Alex Leung Light alloys for the next generation of aerospace applications Professor Peter D Lee 

Alankar Lodha The dissolution behaviour of nanostructures in physiological 

environments 

Yiming Ma Cyclic carbon capture with CaO: mechanisms of capture efficiency 

degradation 


Dr Luc J Vandeperre 

Mathias Mesa Electrochemical deposition of novel fuel cell electrolyte Dr Stephen J Skinner 

Charles Murdoch Microstructure formation in next generation Pb-free solders Dr Christopher M Gourlay 

Aaron Nunkoosing Use of X-ray microtomography to image cracks in nuclear fuel cladding Dr Mark R Wenman 

Alistair Philpott Formation of ordered macroporous thin films for photovoltaic 

applications 

Dr Martyn A McLachlan 

Christopher Reece Future nuclear fuel behaviour/phosphate based nuclear waste Professor Robin W Grimes 

Thibault Salomon Surface modification of alloy surfaces for improved oxidation resistance Dr Barbara A Shollock 

Bowen Shen Understanding the mechanism of TiB2 grain refinement in aluminium 

alloys 

Dr Andrew P Horsfield 

Omar Shaikh New bioactive glass scaffolds for bone regeneration Dr Julian R Jones 

Simranjit Singh Finite element modelling of Luders behaviour in ferritic steels Dr Mark R Wenman 

Saxon Tint Elastic properties of thermal barrier coatings Professor Alan Atkinson 

Clementine Walker Electrical characterisation of functional oxide thin films Professor Neil McN Alford 

Tian Wang Fabrication and characterisation of stripped nanorods Dr Jason Riley 

Chengbo Xie Mechanical stability of SOFC cathodes Professor Alan Atkinson 

Junjie Xiong Ionic conductivity of ITSOFC electrolyte materials Professor John A Kilner 

Hui Yan In situ observation of fatigue crack growth Professor Peter D Lee 

Postgraduate school 

Typically, there are over 100 postgraduate research students in the Department 

of Materials studying for higher degrees. Their research objectives are to study 

and improve the chemical, physical and engineering processes by which materials 

may be produced and improve their understanding of the nature and behaviour of 

the materials. These objectives are supported by world-class facilities in the areas 

of transmission and scanning electron microscopy, mechanical testing, electrical 

characterisation, X-ray diffraction and surface characterisation. The broad range 

of postgraduate projects available are based around six core themes depending 

on the type of materials being studied: biomaterials and tissue engineering, 

ceramics and glasses, advanced alloys, nanotechnology and nanoscale 

characterisation, functional materials and theory and simulation of materials. 

Postgraduate masters courses 

The Department of Materials also contributes 

to the MSc course in Composite Materials run 

by the Centre for Composite Materials in the 

Department of Aeronautics and started new MSc 

courses in Biomaterials (with the Department 

of Bioengineering) and Nuclear Engineering in 

Autumn 2010. In addition, a new MSc course in 

Advanced Materials Science and Engineering will 

be offered in October 2011. 

MSc in Nuclear Engineering 

The MSc in Nuclear Engineering is a new course 

being offered by the Department of Materials to 

be completed over one year of full time study 

commencing in October 2010. 

The course is aimed at a new generation of 

engineers with the intention of ensuring they 

are equipped with specific nuclear training to 

satisfy the demands of the nuclear industry. The 

course will cover all major aspects of the nuclear 

industry from the design and build of nuclear 

power stations, their operations through to 

decommissioning and final disposal. 

The course is a multidisciplinary subject and 

the core courses are taught by research leaders 

from the Departments of Materials, Mechanical, 

Chemical and Earth Science Engineering with 

expertise unique to the UK from our Reactor 

Centre staff at the Silwood Park campus who 

operate the CONSORT test reactor. 

www.imperial.ac.uk/materials/courses/msccourses/ 

mscnuclear 

MSc in Biomedical Engineering with 

Biomaterials 

The Biomaterials stream focuses on the design 

and synthesis of new materials that will be 

used as implants or prostheses. Key to implant 

development is the understanding of how the 

material design affects biological response. An 

example is total joint replacement: understanding 

materials selection and properties and the 

advantages and disadvantages of their use and 

long term effects. Another example is the design 

of temporary templates (scaffolds) that can act 

as guides for tissue repair and can signal stem 

cells depending on their surface chemistry and 

topography. Depending on their design, materials 

can be degradable, can stimulate tissue growth 

at the cellular level and can release drugs at 

controlled rates. The design of the material is very 

specific to the tissue that is being repaired or the 

drug being delivered. Techniques for imaging the 

cell-material interactions are also important. 

www.imperial.ac.uk/bioengineering/courses/msc 


MSc in Advanced Materials Science and 

Engineering 

The MSc in Advanced Materials Science and 

Engineering is a course offered by the Department 

of Materials to be completed over one year of full 

time study commencing in October 2011. 

This MSc is a stand-alone qualification designed 

to prepare students to solve problems in Materials 

Science and Engineering under the exacting 

conditions we encounter today. The programme is 

broad, covering many aspects of both the science 

of materials and engineering applications. It will 

include course work, projects, exams and original 

research. 

www.imperial.ac.uk/materials/courses/msccourses/ 

mscmaterials 

Postgraduate research students 

36 new research students joined us in the 2009– 

10 session compared with 44 in the 2008–09 

session, 29 in 2007–08 and 35 in 2006–07. Of the 

25 UK/EU entrants, 24 were supported by EPSRC 

including three CASE and the other by BBSRC. 

Of the 11 overseas entrants, one by the National 

Heart and Lung Institute, one from Nihon Superior, 

one from Hydro Aluminium, one from the Thai 

Government, one from Stephen and Anna Hui 

Scholarship, one from the Korea Electric Power 

co and five were self-financing. The number of 

applications received in the 2009–10 session was 

129 compared with 118 in the 2008–09 session, 

122 in the 2007–08 session and 106 in the 

2006–07. 

The following table summarises the information 

for the past three years: 

Session Postgraduate 

research students * 

(MPhil/PhD) 

2009–10 134 

2008–09 123 

2007–08 106 

* includes those writing up 

Sources of support for postgraduate 

research students 

The Department of Materials runs an exclusive 

Materials Overseas Research Scholarships 

(M-ORS) scheme. All PhD applicants to the 

Department who are eligible are automatically 

considered for these awards. The two key criteria 

for these awards are outstanding academic record 

and demonstrable financial need. 

Recipients in the 2009–10 session: 

Sergey Belyakov 

Chedtha Puncreobutr 

Pinyuan Tian 

Postgraduate Research Day 

The Twentieth Postgraduate Research Day took 

place on Monday 22 March 2010. This annual 

event takes the form of a one-day scientific 

meeting with a programme of oral presentations 

interspersed with poster sessions. As part of their 

postgraduate training, all third year postgraduate 

students are required to make a fifteen-minute 

oral presentation or present a poster on their 

research, and second year postgraduates are 

required to present a poster. All members of 

the Department and collaborating researchers 

are invited to attend. The audience consists 

of industrial sponsors, members of academic, 

research, technical and administrative staff, 

and postgraduate and final year undergraduate 

students. 

The aims of the day are: 

• to train postgraduates in the important 

transferable skills of oral and poster 

presentation 

• to inform postgraduates and other members of 

the Department of the wide range of research 

being carried out in the Department 

• to inform final year undergraduates of 

interesting research possibilities in the 

Department 

• to help create a ‘PG community’ 

This year, there were a large number of 

presentations on biomaterials, indicating that this 

thematic area has now become a core aspect of 

the departmental research profile. The standard of 

both the presentations and the posters gets better 

every year; testament to the professionalism of 

the students and their supervisors as well as 

to the GSEPS training courses that they attend. 

Overall the standard was at least that of a 

professional meeting. At the end of the day, it is a 

tradition that members of the audience participate 

in judging panels to award prizes for all aspects 

of Postgraduate performance. The prize-giving 

ceremony, which brings together all members of 

the Department, makes a very enjoyable ending 

to an excellent day. This year the first prize for 

the Best Scientific Content of a Lecture included 

the Pashley medal. This medal commemorates 

Professor Don Pashley, a former Head of 

Department, who passed away in May 2009. Mrs 

Glenys Pashley, Professor Pashley’s widow, was 

kind enough to attend the day and to present 

the medal to Eva McGuire. In a short speech, Mrs 

Pashley indicated how impressed she was with 

the quality of the presentations and posters and 

with the rigour of the science therein, which would 

have pleased Professor Pashley. 


Postgraduate Research Day presentations 

Student Oral presentations 

Maria Azevedo Hypoxia-mimicking materials for bone tissue engineering 

Mohammed Abdul Azeem Transformation pathways in NiTi-based high temperature shape memory alloys 

Salahud Din Molecular thin films and nanostructures grown by organic vapor phase deposition (OVPD) 

Zohaib Malik A solidification approach to correcting for the effect of impurities in fixed points 

Eva McGuire Imaging disease-related protein aggregates inside human cells using a selenium label 

Bo Pang Development and characterization of transparent optomechanical glass matrix composites 

Carrina Turner Effect of doping on the growth of zinc oxide nanostructures 

Nasrin Lotfibakhshaiesh Strontium-substituted bioactive glass coatings for bone tissue engineering 

Sheng Yue Non destructive quantification of bioactive scaffolds via X–ray microtomography 

John Dick Detection of disease associated enzymes by peptide functionalized quantum dots 

Decheng Meng Development of multifunctional scaffolds for bone tissue engineering with drug delivery 

capability 

Khatijah Aisha Yaacob Formation and characterization of the CdSe-TiO2 nanoparticle films by electrophoretic 

deposition 

Piotr Gryko Small angle X-ray scattering of peptide functionalized gold nanoparticle aggregates 

Jessica May Highly aligned poly-γ-glutamic acid scaffolds for musculoskeletal tissue engineering 

applications 

Student Poster presentations 

Stefano Angioletti-Uberti Solid liquid interface free energy through metadynamics simulations 

Appala Naidu Gandi Martensitic transformation study in shape memory alloys 

Sobhan Abolghasemi Flare tips: design, materials and failure 

Pelin Candarlioglu Strontium containing bioactive glass coatings for titanium implants stimulate 

osteogenesis in vitro 

Mathew Hembury Investigation of monolayer-protected metal nanoparticle systems and their biological 

interactions 

Farina Muhamad Electrospinning photocrosslinkable methacrylate monomers for tissue engineering 

Stuart Lowe Enzyme-responsive quantum dot-peptide conjugates for detection of disease-related 

biomarkers 

Esther Valliant Novel bioactive hybrids for bone tissue regeneration 

Bai Cui Microstructural evolution during high-temperature oxidation of Ti2AlN and Ti2AlC ceramics 

Xin Tian Yang Investigating tin diffusion in float glass by an inverse method 

Jonathan Phillips Synthesis of layered double hydroxides for anion capture and storage 

Naeem Ur-Rehman Evolution of AlN distribution during processing of AlN doped SiC 

Jianye Wang The effect of load and temperature on hardness of ZrB2 based materials 

Phillipa Newby Introducing therapeutic metal ions into 45S5 bioglass-based scaffolds using molten salt 

ion exchange 

Tayyab Subhani Glass matrix composites containing carbon nanotubes: fabrication and characterisation 

Fatemehsadat Pishbin Progress in the electrophoretic deposition (EPD) of bioactive glass and bioactive glassbiopolymer 

composite coatings 

Ryan Bayliss Structure and redox behaviour in CeNbO4+δ 

Stuart Cook Ionic conductivity in samarium doped ceria based oxide heterostructures 

Eleanor Jay Predicted structures of beta-tricalcium phosphate 

Simon Middleburgh Atomistic simulation of advanced nuclear fuels 

Haiming Lu Investigating bulk and electrical properties of Li2O 

Sutthinum Taebunpakul ICP-MS and ESI orbitrap MS/MS for plant elemental speciation: the need for accurate 

mass measurement 

Michael Cecchini Towards using surface enhanced raman spectroscopy for single molecule detection 

Wei Li Cheah Theory and simulation of interfaces 

Sadegh Yazdi FIB TEM specimen preparation for quantitative electron holographic of semiconductor 

devices 

Joseph Franklin Processing methods for the preparation of model planar hybrid photovoltaics 

Angela Goode Correlating EELS spectrum imaging with X-ray microscopy 

John O’Neill Assessment of the validity of ceria as a surrogate for PuO2 

Chin H Phuah Corrosion of grain boundary chromium-depleted 20Cr/25Ni/Nb stainless steel in trace 

electrolyte aqueous environments 

Julio Aguilar Virgen Processing of nanocrystalline nickel thin films via electrodeposition 

Johann Boleininger Synthesis and characterisation of nanostructured metal films and their use as 

substrates for SERS 

Frederic Aguesse Study of CoFe2O4/BaTiO3 magneto-electric thin films 

David Gonzalez Arellano New methods for implantation of dopants and formation of oxides 

Zhenlin Wu Magnetic properties of manganese phthalocyanine thin films for spintronic applications 

Hannah Nerl Biostability and toxicological potential of carbon nanotubes in cells 

Preetma Soin Simulations of defects in BCC iron using tight binding 

Cathy White Simulating electron transport in carbon nanowires 

Liyang Yu Processing of solution-processable pentacene derivatives over large areas – arene/ 

perfluoroarene interaction 

Postgraduate Research Day: prizes awarded 

Title of prize First prize Second prize 

Best Scientific Content of a Lecture Eva McGuire Sheng Yue 

Best Scientific Content of a Poster Bai Cui Jonathan Phillips 

Best Public Speaker Salahud Din John Dick 

Best Poster Design and Layout Sobhan Abolghasemi Stuart Cook 

Industrial Relevance Sadegh Yazdi Sobhan Abolghasemi 

Left to right: Professor Manish Chhowalla presenting Eva McGuire, Salahud Din, Bai Cui, Sobhan 

Abolghasemi, Manish Chhowalla and Sadegh Yazdi with their award 


2 

4 5 

3 

1. Department of Materials 

postdoctoral research 

staff with Dr Natalie 

Stingelin (front row, far 

right) 

2. Dr Liz Elvidge, 

Dr David McPhail, 

Dr Amy Cruickshank and 


3. Tony Centeno giving a 

presentation 

4. Richard Hamilton giving a 

presentation 

5. Dr Liz Elvidge, 

Dr David McPhail, 

Dr Solveig Felton and Dr 

Natalie Stingelin 

1 

Postdoctoral research staff 

Typically, there are about 50 postdoctoral research associates and assistants and 

10 postdoctoral research fellows engaged in investigations extending over the 

broad fields of materials science and materials engineering. 

The Department of Materials assists in the 

development of our postdoctoral researchers 

by encouraging them to take on a number of 

responsibilities related to both research and 

teaching, including: writing papers, giving 

presentations, reviewing publications, mentoring 

younger researchers, and assisting with teaching 

undergraduates. Additionally, postdoctoral staff 

may undertake some form of teaching or student 

supervision. The Postdoc Development Centre 

at Imperial is also committed to supporting our 

postdocs by providing a range of courses and 

development events, a series of publications and 

one-to-one coaching. 

Postdoctoral Research Staff Committee 

This committee is a forum to discuss issues 

relevant to PDRA researchers in the Department 

including safety, space, facilities and career 

development. Committee members include: 

Dr Natalie Stingelin » Chair, Postdoctoral Research 

Staff Mentor/Tutor 

Darakshan Khan » Secretary 

Dr Claudia Walter and Dr Monica Burriel » Postdoc 

representatives 

All research staff 

Postdoctoral research staff numbers 

The number of postdoctoral research staff is on an 

upward trend as the figures in the following table 

indicate. The table summarises the information for 

the past three years: 

Session Postdoctoral research 

associates and assistants 

2009–10 64 11 

2008–09 56 11 

2007–08 49 11 

Postdoctoral 

research fellows 

Postdoctoral Researcher Symposium 

The first Postdoctoral Researcher Symposium took 

place in the Department on 25 June 2010. This 

annual event takes the form of a one-day scientific 

meeting with a programme of oral presentations 

interspersed with poster sessions. The aims of the 

day were: 

• to give the postdocs and other members of the 

Department an overview of the wide range of 

research being carried out in the Department 

• to allow the postdocs an opportunity to present 

their research and practise the important skills 

of oral and poster presentation 

• to give the postdocs the chance to meet each 

other in an informal setting and exchange 

experiences 

At the end of the day a cheese and wine reception 

was held where awards were presented to 

Richard Hamilton, Dr Solveig Felton and Dr Amy 

Cruickshank for Best Oral Presentation, Best 

Poster Presentation and Best Poster Presentation 

(runner up) respectively. 


Research and industrial colloquia 

Leading experts are invited to present colloquia which cover all the 

Department’s activities and the aim is to keep talks general to ensure a high 

level of departmental interest. The Department is greatly indebted for the 

following talks in 2009–10. 

Presenter Title of talk Home institution 

Dr Irene Guiamatsia A unified approach for predicting damage in 

composite structures 

Axel van de Walle Ab initio alloy thermodynamics: Computational 

tools and methods 

Haksung Lee Atomic structures of asymmetric tilt grain 

boundaries in SrTiO3 

Department of Aeronautics, Imperial 

College London 

Engineering and Applied Science 

Division, California Institute of 

Technology 

The University of Tokyo, Japan 


Professor John J 

Mecholsky, Jr. 

Biomimetic design of toughened ceramic-polymer 

multi-layer bioactive composites 

Professor Mark Asta Crystal-melt interfaces: insights from atomic-scale 

simulations 

Dr Joshua Edel Detecting DNA translocation events through 

an array of solid state nanopores, at the single 

molecule level 

Dr Will Branford Direct observation of magnetic monopole defects 

in an artificial spin-ice system 

Dr Aron Cohen Discontinuous nature of the exchange-correlation 

functional: the key for strongly correlated systems 

Professor Jerzy Berholc Electronic structure and electron transport in 

nanoscale systems 

Professor Arthur H Heuer Enhanced corrosion resistance of interstitially 

hardened austenitic stainless steel through 

accelerated passive film dissolution 

Dr Thomas Anthopoulos Field-effect transistors based on hybrid 

semiconducting films 

Andrei Musienko Finite element modelling: crystal plasticity model 

of SCC 

Jason Beaudin First-principles studies of fabrication strategies 

for electronic devices built from functionalized 

nanotubes 

Dr Mohamed Mohamed Formability study for hot stamping of AA6082 

aluminium alloys 

Professor John J 

Mecholsky, Jr. 

Professor Richard C 

Bradt 

Fractal geometry applied to failure analysis in 

materials 

Department of Materials Science and 

Engineering, University of Florida 


Engineering, UC Berkeley, USA 

Senior Lecturer in Micro and 

Nanotechnology, Department of 

Chemistry 

Department of Physics, Imperial 


Department of Chemistry, University 

of Cambridge, UK 

North Carolina State University, USA 


Engineering, Case Western Reserve 

University 

Reader in Experimental Solid State 

Physics, Department of Physics, 


MINES ParisTech 

Department of Physics, University of 

Montreal 

Department of Mechanical 

Engineering, Imperial College London 


Engineering, University of Florida 

Fractography and crack patterns in glass Emeritus and Alton N. Scott 

Professor of Engineering, The 

University of Alabama, USA 

Professor Craig Carter Growth and morphological evolution of micellar 

structures 

Professor Hidde H 

Brongersma 

High-sensitivity LEIS: a new tool in the 

understanding of surface and interface processes 

in materials science 

Professor Jenny Nelson Influence of microsctructure on the performance of 

polymer: fullerene blend solar cells 

MIT, USA 

T.U. Eindhoven 

Department of Physics, Imperial 

College London

Professor Walter Caseri Inorganic-organic hybrid materials ETH, Zurich 

Dr Andy Duff Interatomic Fe-C potential for steel TU Delft 

Professor Manish 

Chhowalla 

Large area electronics with solution processable 

chemically derived graphene 

Liliang Wang Lighter, stronger and greener: a novel metal forming 

technology for aircraft and automotive panel parts 

Dr Wei Wu Magnetic interactions in copper-phthalocyanines 

and manganese phthalocyanines 

Dr Ian Pong Materials science related to superconductors for 

LHC magnets 

Dr Jennifer Rupp Microstrain and oxygen ion conductivity of thin 

films 

Dr Carlos Avendano Molecular simulation study of liquid crystalline 

antinematic behaviour of shape-persistent 

macrocycles 

Dr Peter K Petrov Monte Carlo simulation of sputtered atoms 

transport 

Dr Edo Boek Multiscale simulation of asphaltene aggregation 

and deposition in capillary flow 

Department of Materials, Imperial 


Department of Mechanical 

Engineering, Imperial College London 

Department of Chemistry, Imperial 


Materials Scientist, Fellow CERN 

(European Organisation for Nuclear 

Research) 

Nonmetallic Inorganic Materials 

Department, ETH Zurich, Switzerland 

Department of Chemical Engineering, 




Senior Lecturer, Department of 

Chemical Engineering, Imperial 


Dr Sophia Yaliraki Multiscale dynamics of (bio) molecular networks Department of Chemistry, Imperial 


Professor Mark Sansom Multiscale simulations of biological membranes University of Oxford, UK 

Dr Sandrine EM Heutz New properties and characterisation methods for 

molecular nanostructures 

Dr Cecilia Mattevi Novel optoelectronic properties of graphene oxide 

(GO) 

Dr Peter K Petrov Novel techniques for deposition of nanoscale, 

ferroelectric thin film multilayer structures for 

microwave application 

Dr Stephan Hofmann Nucleation and step-flow kinetics of Si/Ge 

nanowire growth 

Dr Philippe Lacorre On the thermal stability of (La1-xAx)2Mo2O9-δ oxide 

ion conductors (A=alkali, alkaline earth) 

Professor Erio Tosatti Patting, rubbing, scratching, kicking – in 

nanoscale theory and simulation 

Matthias Wuttig Phase change materials: towards a universal 

memory? 

Dr Michele Vendruscolo Prediction of folding and misfolding of proteins 

from their amino acid sequences 

Dr Ruth Martinez-Casado Quantum-mechanical study of He-atom diffraction 

from metal-oxide surfaces 

Professor Emily Carter Quantum simulations of materials at the 

mesoscale: physics, algorithms, and applications 







Department of Engineering, 

University of Cambridge, UK 

Université du Maine, France 

SISSA, ICTP, and CNR-IOM 

Democritos Trieste 

RWTH Aachen, University of 

Technology, Aachen, Germany 


Department of Chemistry, Imperial 


Department of Mechanical and 

Aerospace Engineering and Program 

in Applied and Computational 

Mathematics, Princeton University, USA 

Professor Ray F Egerton Radiation damage in metals and polymers Emeritus Professor, Department of 

Physics, University of Alberta 

Dr James Kirkpatrick Simulating charge dynamics in conjugated solids Department of Physics, Imperial 


Dr Kevin Rosso Simulating solid-state charge transport for 

advanced materials applications 

Professor Hamish Fraser The development of integrated computational 

materials science and engineering for Ti alloys 

Professor Larry L Hench The future of ceramic technologies; how they 

could transform the world 

Pacific Northwest National Lab, USA 


Engineering, Ohio State University 

Emeritus Professor, Department of 

Materials, Imperial College London 

Professor Mike Payne The impact of first principles simulations FRS, TCM Group, Cavendish 

Laboratory, Cambridge 

Dr Loredana Valenzano Theoretical investigation of metal-organic 

frameworks (MOFs): structures, vibrations, and 

adsorption properties 

Dr Martyn A McLachlan Using colloidal crystal templating to engineer 

three-dimensionally ordered macroporous films 

University of Turin, Italy 




Visitors to the Department 

During the year the Department had, as usual, a considerable number of 

visitors, many from overseas, who stayed for varying periods. This evidence of 

our international reputation is very welcome. The list of visitors below, is by no 

means complete but gives some indication of the range of our interactions, both 

nationally and internationally. 

Dr Frank Abdi » CEO, Alpha STAR Corporation, USA 

Dr Marie-Laure Abel » University of Surrey, UK 

Dr Jérémie Abou » Imerys Innovation, France 

Dr SK Ajmani » Head of Steel and Casting Research 

Group at Tata Steel, Jamshedpur, India 

Ben Anderson » Sim-Cast Ltd, Derby, UK 

Professor Mark Asta » Department of Materials Science 

and Engineering, University of California at Berkeley, USA 

Dr PK Banerjee » Head of Raw Material and Ironmaking 


Hector Basoalto » University of Strathclyde, UK 

Dr Christopher Bayley » Defence Research and 

Development Canada, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada 

Dr John H Beatty » Senior Programme Leader, Army 

Research Laboratory (ARL), Aberdeen, Maryland, USA 

Professor Jerzy Bernholc » Center for High Performance 

Simulation, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, 

North Carolina, USA 

Professor Dick Bradt » Alton N Scott Professor Emeritus, 

University of Alabama, USA 

Jeff Brooks » University of Strathclyde, UK 

Professor Hidde Brongersma » Calypso BV, Holland 

Pete Brown » Defence Science and Technology 

Laboratory (DSTL), UK 

Dr Ed Butcher » National Nuclear Laboratory, UK 

Professor Craig Carter » Department of Materials Science 

and Engineering, MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA 

Professor Emily Carter » Department of Mechanical and 

Aerospace Engineering, Princeton University, New Jersey, 

USA 

Professor Walter Caseri » Swiss Federal Institute of 

Technology (ETH) Zurich, Switzerland 

Professor Purushottam Chakraborty » Saha Institute, 

India 

Dr Mei Chandler » US Army Engineers, ERDC, USA 

George Chen » University of Nottingham, UK 

Professor Jerome Chevalier » INSA, Lyon, France 

Tzie Chien » NTU, Singapore 

Professor Kuo-Chih Chou » Academician of The Chinese 

Academy of Sciences, University of Science and 

Technology Beijing and Shanghai University, China 

Dr Julie Christodoulou » Director, Naval Materials 

Division, Office of Naval Research, Arlington, Virginia, 

USA 

Dr Mike Cinibulk » USAF Research Labs, USA 

Dr Emma Claxton » Rolls Royce Fuel Cell Systems 

Dr Bill Clegg » University of Cambridge, UK 

Dr Janis Cocking » Chief, Maritime Platforms Division, 

Defence Science and Technology Organisation, Australia 

Dr Patrick Conor » Director Applied Vehicle Systems, 

Defence Technology Agency, New Zealand 

Dr Gwenael Corbel » Unversite du Maine, Le Mans, France 

Dr Neil Curson » UCL, UK 

Dr Paul Curtis » Defence Science and Technology 

Laboratory (DSTL), Porton Down, UK 

Dr Sumitesh Das » Head of R&D at Tata Steel, India 

Professor Dago de Leeuw » Philips Research, Eindhoven, 

The Netherlands 

Dr Andrew Dove » University of Warwick, UK 

Professor Georg N Duda » Julius Wolff Institute and 

Center for Musculoskeletal Surgery, Berlin, Germany 

Dr Greg Exarhos » Leader of the Materials Sciences 

group, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, 

Washington, USA 

Dr Didier Farrugia » Tata Steel Research 

Dr Paul Findlay » Hydra Polymers Ltd., MerseyBio, 

Liverpool, UK 

Mike Fish » Executive Director, Research and 

Development, Element 6, South Africa 

Mike Fitzpatrick » OU, UK 

Dr Jaime Franco » Keramat, Santiago de Compostela, 

Spain 

Ms Esther Garcia-Tuñon » University of Santiago de 

Compostela, Spain 

Dr Bruce Garrett » Leader of the Chemical and Material 

Science Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, 

Richland, Washington, USA 

Dr Steve Grant » US Army Engineers ERDC, USA 

Dr Donald Gubser » Office of Naval Research, 


Mark Hardy » Rolls-Royce, Derby, UK 


Professor Martin Harmer » Director, Center for Advanced 

Materials and Nanotechnology, Lehigh University, USA 

Professor Sue Harrison » HoD Chemical Engineering, 

University of Cape Town, South Africa 

Dr Randall Hay » Research Group Leader, Ceramics AFRL/ 

RXLN, USA 

Dr Andrew Hector » School of Chemistry, University of 

Southampton, UK 

Professor Larry Hench » University of Florida, USA 

Professor Julian Henderson » Nottingham University 

(Archaeology), UK 

Professor Arthur H Heuer » Case Western Reserve 

University, USA 

Dr Yasuharu Hirabara » Asahi Glass Company, Japan 

Dr Sharif Hussein » Universiti Sains Malaysia 

Dr Sylvia Johnson » Branch Chief, Thermal Protection 

Materials and Systems, NASA Ames Research Lab, USA 

Dr Eric Jones » Stryker, Ireland 

Professor Richard Jones » Defence Science and 

Technology Laboratory (DSTL), Porton Down, UK 

Dr Jaeho Jun » Research Institute of Industrial Science 

and Technology (RIST) Korea 

Professor Deb Kane » Macquarie University (Physics 

Department), Australia 

Dr Toshihiro Kasuga, Director of Ceramics Research and 

Education, Nagoya Institute of Technology, Japan 

Dr James Kennedy » Defence Research and Development 

Canada, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada 

Chew Kean Khoon » Universiti Sains Malaysia 

Dr Yeongwoo Kim » Research Institute of Industrial 

Science and Technology (RIST), Korea 

Dr Tony Kinsella » Chief Executive, CERAM, UK 

Professor Matt Krane » Purdue University, USA 

Dr Philippe Lacorre » Unversite du Maine, Le Mans, 

France 

Professor Seung-Wuk Lee » Bioengineering, University of 

California, Berkeley, USA 

Dr Florence Lefebvre-Joud » CEA Grenoble, France 

Dr Sivaldo Leite Correia » State University of Santa 

Catarina, Brazil State University of Santa Catarina, Brazil 

Dr Zainovia Lockman » Universiti Sains Malaysia 

Dr Sonia Lopez Esteban » CSIC, Oviedo, Spain 

Matt Lunt » DSTL, UK 

Amarjit Mahal » Sim-Cast Ltd, Derby, UK 

Dr Ade Makinde » GE Global Research Centre, USA 

Professor George Malliaras » Centre Microélectronique 

de Provence, Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Mines de 

Saint Etienne, Gardanne, France 

Professor Jack Mecholsky » University of Florida, 

Gainsville, USA 

Professor Nicholas Melsoh » Materials Science and 

Engineering, Stanford University, California, USA 

Mr Jonathan Miller » Air Force Research Laboratory, USA 

Dr Christopher Mitchell » University of Ulster, UK 

Professor Dr Mohd Hamdi Bin Abd ShukorHamdi » Dean 

of Faculty of Engineering, University of Malaya 

Dr Roy Moobola » Rolls Royce Fuel Cell Systems 

Dr Mike Murray » Morgan Technical Ceramics, UK 

Professor Joerg Neugebauer » Max-Planck-Institut, 

Düsseldorf, Germany 

Ms Noriko Nishina » Graduate Student, Nagoya Institute 

of Technology, Japan 

Dr Akiko Obata » Nagoya Institute of Technology, Japan 

Edward Obbard » IMR, China 

Serdar Ozbayraktar » Head, Diamond Research 

Laboratory, Element 6, South Africa 

Dr Tap Parthasarathy » USAF Research Labs, USA 

Dr Juan Pena Martinez » PCYTA, UCLM, Albacete, Spain 

Professor Juan Jose Pavón Palacio » Universidad de 

Antioquia, Medellin, Colombia 

Professor Mike Payne FRS » Department of Physics, 


Dr John Peters, US Army Engineers » ERDC, USA 

Cathie Rae » University of Cambridge, UK 

Dr Vee Rajendran » Centre for Nano Science and 

Technology, K S R Kalvi Nagar, Tamil Nadu, India 

Professor Steve Rannard » University of Liverpool and 

Iota NanoSolutions Ltd., MerseyBio, Liverpool, UK 

Professor Dr-Ing Jürgen Rödel » Head of Nonmetallic 

– Inorganic Materials section, Darmstadt University of 

Technology, Germany 

Dr Kevin Rosso » Associate Director of the Chemical and 

Material Science Division, Pacific Northwest National 

Laboratory, Richland, Washington, USA 

Professor Concepció Rovira Angulo » Institut de Ciència 

de Materials de Barcelona (CSIC), Cerdanyola, Spain 

David Rugg » Rolls-Royce, Derby, UK 

Professor Garry Rumbles » U.S. DOE National Renewable 

Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, USA 

Laura Russo » Universita degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, 

Italy 

Professor Mark Samson » Department of Biochemistry, 

University of Oxford, UK 

Dr Ana Estíbaliz Sánchez-Gonzalez » University of 

Extremadura, Spain 

Dr George Schmitt » US Air Force, Dayton, Ohio, USA 

Dr Debbie Seng » IMRE Singapore 

Dr Mike Sennett » Chief Scientist, USAITC-A, USA 

Rob Shaw » University of Cambridge, UK 

Dr Michael Shin » Orteq Ltd., London, UK 

Dr Lewis Sloter » Associate Director, Materials and 

Structures, Defence Research and Engineering, 


Mr Lee Smith » Technical Director, Forging Division, 

Doncasters Ltd., UK 

Emanuele Speciale » Universite of Pavia, Italy 

Howard Stone » University of Cambridge, UK 

Dr Marta Suarez » CINN-CSIC, Oviedo, Spain 

Dr Naoki Sugimoto » Asahi Glass Company, Japan 

Dr Vilas Tathavadkar Head » Ferroalloys Department 


Dr Naruaki Tomita » Asahi Glass Company, Japan 

Miss Min NahTong » University of Loughborough, UK 

Professor Erio Tosatti » International Centre for 

Theoretical Physics, Trieste, Italy 

Dr Himansu Sekhar Tripathi » Scientist, Refractories 

Division, Central Glass and Ceramics Institute, India 

Dr Michele Vendruscolo » Department of Chemistry, 


Professor Malcolm Ward-Close » QinetiQ, UK 

Dr John Walker » NDS Ltd., UK 

Professor John Watts » University of Surrey, UK 

John Webster » Rolls-Royce, Derby, UK 

Professor Andrew Wee » Dean of Science, NUS, 

Singapore 

Dr Robert Welch » US Army Engineers, ERDC, USA 

Dr Charles Welch » US Army Corps of Engineers, 

Vicksburg, Mississippi, USA 

Professor Roger Whatmore » Tyndall National Institute, 

Cork, Ireland 

Dr Mia Woodruff » Institute of Health and Biomedical 

Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, 

Queensland, Australia 

Professor Kaiming Wu » Professor and Executive Director 

at International Research Institute for Steel Technology, 

Wuhan University of Science and Technology, China 

Dr Rudder Wu » NIMS, Japan 

Dr Eric Wuchina » Office of Naval Research, USA 

Dr Nikolai Yakovlev » IMRE Singapore 

Dr Bilge Yilditz » Department of Nuclear Engineering, 

MIT, Cambridge, USA 

Dr Eugenio Zapata-Solvas » Researcher, University of 

Seville, Spain 

Dr Qi Zhang » Materials Department, Cranfield 

University, UK 

Dr Zhu Zhang »Principal Technical Specialist, Doncasters 

Ltd., UK 


Out and about 

A key part of research is presenting results to our peers in the UK and further 

afield. Listed here are details of talks given at national and international 

conferences. 



The quest for Q–dielectric loss, 

grain boundaries and new 

super-Q structures 

Hume-Rothery Memorial 

Lecture 2009 

Department of Materials, 


13 October 2009 

Middle East – research and 

education engagement 

Invited talk 


Conference on Engagement 

with the Middle East, 

London, UK 


Low loss dielectric structures 

Invited talk 

Queen Mary’s College, UK 

14 April 2010 

Microwave dielectric loss 

Invited talk 

School of Engineering, 

University of Surrey, UK 

6 May 2010 

Dielectric loss, grain 

boundaries and new super-Q 

structures 

Invited lecture 

Microwave Materials and their 

Applications conference (MMA), 

Warsaw, Poland 


Professor Alan Atkinson 

Constrained sintering of 

zirconia films 


SOFCXI, Vienna, Austria 

5–9 October 2009 

Transport in Co-based materials 

for fuel cells and oxygen 

separation membranes 


MS&T, Pittsburgh, USA 

26–29 October 2009 

The UK SuperGen fuel cell 

consortium project 

Plenary lecture 

4th National Congress on Fuel 

Cells, Seville, Spain 

16–18 June 2010 

Solid oxide fuel cell anodes 

Workshop 

SOFC Summer School, 

Thessaloniki, Greece 

30 August–2 September 2010 

Solid oxide fuel cell cathodes 

Workshop 

SOFC Summer School 

Thessaloniki, Greece 



Dr David Dye 

Creep modelling and internal 

strain evolution in single crystal 

superalloy 

Invited talk 

CMSX-4. Gas turbines: high 

temperature coatings and 

life extension, IOM3 meeting, 

London, UK 

9–10 December 2009 

Micromechanics in aerospace 

alloys 

Invited talk 

Rolls-Royce – USAF meeting, 

Indianapolis, IN, USA 

10–11 January 2010 

Compositional effects on the 

superelasticity of gum metal 

Oral presentation 

TMS Annual meeting, Seattle, 

WA, USA 

28 February–3 March 2010 

Transformation pathways in 

NiTi based high temperature 

shape memory alloys 



WA, USA 


Co-base alloys strengthened 

by an ordered intermetallic: 

prospects and some initial 

observations 

Invited talk 

Rolls-Royce nickel discs 

workshop, Derby, UK 

21 May 2010 

Dr Finn Giuliani 

Understanding reverse 

plasticity in multilayer ceramics 


Materials Science and 

Technology Conference, 

Pittsburgh, PA, USA 

25–29 October 2009 

High temperature deformation 

of transition metal nitride 

coatings 


ICMCTF, San Diego, USA 

26–30 April 2010


Phase equilibria and 

solidification in Sn-rich Cu-Ni- 

Sn alloys 

Invited talk 

Working Group Meeting, COST 

Action MP0602 ‘Advanced 

Solder Materials for High 

Temperature Application’, 

Genoa, Italy 

23–24 November 2009 

Time resolved X-ray imaging of 

deformation in partially-solid 

equiaxed alloys 

Invited presentation 

2nd International Symposium 

on Cutting Edge of Computer 

Simulation of Solidification and 

Casting (CSSC2010), Sapporo, 

Japan 

3–5 February 2010 

Time resolved X-ray imaging of 

deformation in partially-solid 

equiaxed alloys 


International workshop on 

X-ray imaging of solidification 

of metallic materials, SPring-8 

synchrotron, Hyogo, Japan 


Solidification and phase 

Equilibria of Sn-Cu-Ni lead-free 

solders 

Invited seminar 

Loughborough University, UK 

17 March 2010 

Direct observation of 

deformation mechanisms in 

partially-solid alloys 


FEMS Lecturer Session, 

Junior EUROMAT, Lausanne, 

Switzerland 

26–29 July 2010 

In-situ observation of granular 

deformation in globular semisolid 

alloys 



on Semi-Solid Processing 

of Alloys and Composites 

(S2P2010), Beijing, China 

16–18 September 2010 


Atomic scale processes in UN 

and the accommodation of 

nonstoichiometry – differences 

to UO2 

Invited talk 

The Westinghouse expert 

meeting, Stora Brannbo, 

Sweden 


Nuclear non-proliferation: 

linking energy and climate 

challenges 

Presentation 

Imperial College Business 

School, London, UK 


How modelling and simulation 

helps address nuclear fuels 

challenges 

Invited talk 

Cocoa Beach Energy Meeting 

Florida, USA 



ONETEP: linear-scaling DFT 

with local orbitals and plane 

waves 


Computational Materials 

Science Group Annual Meeting, 

Daresbury Laboratory, 

Daresbury, UK 


ONETEP: linear-scaling DFT 

with local orbitals and plane 

waves 


International Symposium 

of Electronic Structure 

Calculations, Tokyo, Japan 


Optimized local orbitals 

from linear-scaling densityfunctional 

theory calculations 


American Physical Society 

March Meeting, Portland, USA 

15–19 March 2010 

Linear-scaling densityfunctional 

theory with the 

ONETEP code 


Psi-k Conference, Berlin, 

Germany 



Investigation of a nanowire 

electronic nose by computer 

simulation 


Window on Science, Wright- 

Patterson USAF base, Dayton, 

OH, USA 


Non-adiabatic molecular 

dynamics simulations of 

radiation damage 

Invited talk 

CECAM workshop on Materials 

Modelling in Nuclear Energy 

Environments: State of the Art, 

Zurich, Switzerland 

26–29 April 2010 


Bioactive scaffolds and their 3D 


Invited talk 

Nagoya Institute of Technology, 

Japan 


Inorganic/organic hybrid 

scaffolds for vascularized bone 

regeneration 

Invited talk 


and Exposition on Advanced 

Ceramics and Composites, 

Daytona Beach, Florida, USA 

23–29 January 2010 

Bioactive scaffolds for 

bone regeneration and new 

methods for quantifying their 

hierarchical pore structure 

Keynote lecture 

Functional Materials 

for Healthcare, the 21st 

Symposium of the Finnish 

Society of Physical Pharmacy, 

Turku, Finland 

28 January 2010 

Glass bones, tough scaffolds 

and tissue engineering 

Invited talk 

Universita degli Studi di Milano- 

Bicocca, Milan, Italy 

9 July 2010 

Nanostructured bioactive 

hybrid scaffolds: toughness, 

degradation and stem cell 

response 


23rd European Conference on 

Biomaterials, Tampere, Finland 


Bioactive glass and hybrid 

scaffolds for bone regeneration 


International Congress on 

Glass, Bahia, Brazil 



New materials for solid oxide 

fuel cells 


Workshop on Solid Oxide Fuel 

Cells: Materials and Technology, 

PCYTA, UCLM, Albacete, Spain 


Understanding the next 

generation of SOFC materials 


UK-SE Asia Workshop, 

Bangkok, Thailand 


Structure and nanostructure: 

layered materials for low 

temperature SOFC’s 


MANA International 

Symposium, Tsukuba, Japan 

2–4 March 2010 

Discovering new materials for 

SOFC’s 

NIMS-MANA Workshop Hakone, 

Japan 

24–26 March 2010 

Thin oxide films and 

heterostructures for application 

in SOFC’s 


Symposium O MRS Spring 

Meeting, San Francisco, CA, 

USA 

5–9 April 2010 

Oxide ion transport in complex 

oxides 


Symposium O E-MRS Spring 

Meeting 2010, Strasbourg, 

France 

7–11 June 2010 

Oxygen transport in materials 

for SOFC’s 

Invited Seminar 

Paul Scherrer Institute, 

Switzerland 

29 June 2010 

Materials for next generation 

SOFC’s 


9th European Fuel Cell Forum, 

Lucerne, Switzerland 

30 June–2 July 2010 

Discovering new materials for 

SOFC’s 

Discussion leader 

Gordon Conference on High 

Temperature Materials, Colby 

College, Maine, USA 

19–23 July 2010 

Defect chemistry of perovskite 

materials 

Plenary lecture 

Ceramic Membranes for Green 

Chemical Production and Power 

Generation, Spain 




Status of the UK’s geological 

disposal programme 



on Environmental Remediation 

and Radioactive Waste 

Management, Liverpool, UK 


Expert panel discussion 

member 


on Environmental Remediation 

and Radioactive Waste 

Management, Liverpool, UK 


Processing and laser melting 

of ultra high temperature 

ceramics: ZrB2, ZrB2/SiC and ZrC 


Malaysian Institute of Advanced 

Technology Congress at Putra 

World Trade Center, Kuala 

Lumpar, Malaysia 


Glasses and ceramic 

composites 

1-day workshop 

Glass and Composites Group, 

Universiti Putra Malaysia, Kuala 

Lumpur, Malaysia 

5 November 2009 

Ceramics and glass composite 

materials for radwaste 

immobilisation 

1-week course 

China Institute for Atomic 

Energy (CIAE), IAEA Expert 

Mission, Beijing, China 

December 7–12 2009 

Challenges and opportunities 

for the refractories industry – 

an academic perspective 


8th International Refractories 

Congress (IRECON 10), Calcutta, 

India 


Refractories: microstructures, 

corrosion mechanisms and 

lifetime extension 

Industrial workshop 

Tata Steel, Jamshedpur, India 


UK capability in 

decommissioning and waste 

storage and disposal 


UK Showcase on Materials 

Technologies for Energy 

Applications, Manchester, UK 

1–5 March 2010 

The UK nuclear waste scene 


UK-China Workshop on Nuclear 

Waste Management, Beijing, 

China 

11–15 April 2010 

Storage and disposal of higher 

activity wastes 


Nanyang Technological 

University, Singapore 

19 April 2010 

Infrastructure requirements for 

new nuclear countries 


Opening of the Energy 

Research Institute at Nanyang 

Technological University (NTU), 

Singapore 

16 June 2010 

Nuclear energy – a solution for 

a small country? 


Imperial College Alumni 

Association of Singapore 

18 June 2010 

Laser modified microstructures 

in ZrB2, ZrB2/SiC and ZrC 


University of Erlangen- 

Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany 

29 June 2010 

Ceramic opportunities in the 

nuclear industry 


Morgan Technical Ceramics, 

Sellafield, Cumbria 


Importance of solid-liquid 

interactions in microstructural 

evolution of ceramics 



on Ceramic Processing Science 

(ICCPS-11), ETH, Zurich, 

Switzerland 


Correlating corrosion and 

thermal shock in refractories 


German Research Foundation 

Priority Programme Autumn 

School, FIRE Autumn School, 

Aachen, Germany 

7 September 2010 

Laser melted UHTC 

microstructures 


Advanced Ceramics Group, 

University of Bremen, Germany 



Modelling slag infiltration and 

solidification in a continuous 

casting mould 

Invited speaker 

2nd International Symposium 

on Cutting Edge of Computer 

Simulation of Solidification and 

Casting (CSSC2010), Sapporo, 

Japan 


Can we bridge the scales to 

predict aerospace component 

lifing as a function of 

microstructural defects? 

Invited talk 

Department of Aeronautics, 


3 March 2010 

Can in situ observation coupled 

to modelling predict defects? 

Invited talk 

Corus Research, Holland 

18 June 2010 

Can we bridge the scales to 

predict component lifing as 

a function of microstructural 

solidification defects? 


The Science of Metals 

Processing Symposium, Delft, 


11 June 2010 

Solidification defect prediction 

using multiscale modelling 

Opening keynote speaker 

Corus – Academia Symposium, 


14–15 July 2010 

Integrated modelling of 

the effect of solidification 

microstructures on final 

properties in aluminium alloy 

automotive components 

Keynote speaker 

Optimising Performance 

Through Integrated Modelling 

of Microstructure, Cambridge, 

UK 



Understanding emergent 

behaviour 

Session chair 

Center for Nanophase Materials 

Science, annual user meeting 


Hybrid photovoltaic 

heterostructures: 

understanding planar systems 

and developing nanostructured 

devices 

Invited talk 

2010 Ordos International Forum 

on Clean Energy and Green 

Economy, Ordos, China 

July 2010 

Dr David S McPhail 

Some surface analysis 

techniques used in the study of 

glass deterioration 

Invited talk 

Glass Conservation and 

Restoration: Current Museum 

Matters and Problems, 

Ecomusée de l’Avesnois Atelier 

Musée du Verre, Trélon, France 

21–23 October 2009 

Applications of SIMS and FIB- 

SIMS in materials science 

Invited talk 

11th ISMAS-TRICON 2009, 

Hyderabad, India 


Education ‘San Frontières’ 

measuring the impact of 

student and staff exchanges 

with particular reference to the 

UK-Singapore and the UK- 

Malaysia axes. Going Global 4 

British Council Conference, 

London, UK 


25 March 2010 

Application of SIMS in 

materials science using stable 

isotope exchange protocols 

Invited talk 

Biological and Proteomics 

Session at the BMSS2010, 

Cardiff, UK 


The application of ultra-high 

resolution surface analysis 

techniques to the study of glass 

corrosion processes 

Society of Glass Technology 

SGT 2010 Meeting, Cambridge 

University, UK 



Exploiting locality with linearscaling 

methods Invited lecture 

Department of Materials, 



Exploiting locality with linearscaling 

density-functional 

theory 



Science and Engineering, 

Massachusetts Institute of 

Technology, Cambridge, MA, 

USA 


Multiscale modelling and the 

Centre for Doctoral Training 

in Theory and Simulation of 



The Molecular Foundry, 

Lawrence Berkeley National 

Laboratory, Berkeley, California, 

USA 

8 April 2010 

ONETEP linear-scaling 

DFT: design, development, 

directions 


The Materials Chemistry 

Consortium, University College 

London, UK 

7 May 2010

DFT+U with generalized 

Wannier functions: selfconsistent 

projectors and 

linear-scaling 


A Thomas Young Centre Soiree, 

King’s College London, UK 

22 July 2010 

Heterostructured Si/Ge 

nanowire thermoelectrics: 

a first-principles model 

Hamiltonian approach 


Psi–k Conference 2010, Berlin, 

Germany 



Imaging the cellular uptake of 

multi-walled carbon nanotubes 

using 3D Electron tomography 

Invited talk 


on the Science and Application 

of Nanotubes, Montreal, 

Canada 


Interactions of carbon 

nanotubes with target 

epithelial and macrophage cells 

Invited talk 

European Respiratory Society 

Annual Congress, Barcelona, 

Spain 


Cellular uptake of bioceramic 

nanoparticles 

Invited talk 

SCERN Meeting on Bioceramics 

in the UK, London, UK 


Dr Rongshan Qin 

Local 0rganizer 

Corus-Academia Symposium, 


14–15 July 2010 

Organizing Committee Member 

1st UK-China Steel Forum, 

Leicester, UK 

19–20 July 2010 

Manufacturing engineering at 



UK-China Forum on Advanced 

Materials Manufacturing, 

Shanghai, China 

14–17 August 2010 

Electrical current metallurgy 


Wuhan University of Science 

and Technology, Wuhan, China 

12 April 2010 



Wuhan Steel Ltd, Wuhan, China 

12 April 2010 



Huazhong University of Science 


13 April 2010 

Supercooled simultaneous 

composite casting 


Wuhan University of Science 


13 April 2010 

Application of electropulsing in 

tailoring the microstructure of 

pearlitic steels 



Leicester, UK 

19–20 July 2010 

Phase-field simulation of 

crystal growth during warm 

rolling of steels 



Leicester, UK 

19–20 July 2010 

Green steel processing 

Poster presentation 

The Royal Academy of 

Engineering Annual Research 

Forum 2010 



Engineering nanomaterials for 

light harvesting 

Seminar 

University of Leicester, UK 


Q-dots for efficient light 

harvesting in solar cells 


MRS Fall Meeting, Boston, USA 

30 November–4 December 

2009 

Professor Eduardo Saiz 

Gutierrez 

Tissue engineering scaffolds 

Invited talk 

AADR 2nd Fall Focused 

Symposium: Tissue Engineering 

of Craniofacial and Oral Tissues, 

San Francisco, USA 


Nuevas tendencias y conceptos 

en el diseño de biomateriales 

para regeneración 

Invited talk 

Osteocite – Worshop sobre 

Regeneración Ósea, Santiago 

de Compostela, Spain 


Early stages of dissolutive 

spreading 

Invited talk 

Triple Lines in Metals and 

Ceramics, Ecole de Physique 

des Houches, France 

25–28 May 2010 

Dissolutive spreading 

Invited talk 

IIB2010 (XIII international 

conference in intergranular 

and interphase boundaries in 

materials), Mie, Japan 


Hierarchical materials through 

freezing 

Invited talk 

Solidification of Colloidal 

Suspensions, Avignon (France) 

6-8 September 2010 

Bio-inspired hybrid composites 

with complex hierarchical 

structures 

Plenary talk 

11th International Symposium 

on Multiscale, Multifunctional 

and Functionally Graded 

Materials, Guimaraes, Portugal 



Fuel cell technology 

Invited talk 

University of Uppsala, Sweden 

14–16 October 2009 

New materials advances for 

solid oxide fuel cells 

Invited talk 

University of Science and 

Technology, Beijing, China 

October 2009 

Novel high conductivity 

electrochemical gas sensors 

based on La2CuO2 

Invited talk 

SCI Gas Sensors Group, 

London, UK 

December 2009 

Ionic mobility in novel materials 

for solid oxide fuel cells: new 

structural solutions 

Invited talk 

Trinity College Dublin, Ireland 

February 2010 

Novel materials for lower 

operating temperature SOFCs 

Invited talk 

UK-SEA Symposium, Bangkok, 

Thailand 

February 2010 

Fuel cells for stationary 

applications: materials 

advances and capabilities 

Invited talk 

UKTI Materials Technologies 

for energy Applications, 

Manchester, UK 

March 2010 

A researchers view of scientific 

publishing 

Invited talk 

STM Journal workshop, London, 

UK 

May 2010 

Advances in novel ionic 

conductors for electrochemical 

applications 

Invited talk 

12th International Ceramics 

Congress, Italy 

June 2010 


Layered oxides as SOFC 

cathodes 

Invited talk 

9th European Solid Oxide Fuel 

cell forum, Lucerne, Switzerland 

July 2010 

Development and deployment 

of solid oxide fuel cells: a UK 

perspective 

Invited talk 

2010 Ordos International Forum 

on Clean Energy and Green 

Economy, Ordos, China 

July 2010 

Phase evolution, reactivity and 

redox processes in complex 

oxides: in situ investigation 

of fuel cell electrodes using 

synchrotron techniques 

Invited talk 

Diamond User meeting, Didcot, 

UK 


Dr Yeong-Ah Soh 

Chromium a simple system with 

complex behaviour 

Invited talk 

2009 Hangzhou Workshop 

on Quantum Matter, Zhejiang 

University, Hangzhou, China 

12–15 October 2009 

Measuring the phase of a 

superstructure 

Invited talk 


Technology 2009 Meeting, 

Pittsburgh, USA 

25–29 October 2009 

New mesoscopic effects in a 

simple old metal 


Condensed matter physics 

seminar, Imperial College 

London, UK 

3 March 2010 

Mesoscopic physics in 

antiferromagnetic chromium 

films 

Invited talk 

Workshop on Current trends 

in nanoscale and molecular 

magnetism, in Orlando, FL, USA 

20–25 June 2010 

Discoveries in magnetism by 

application of new tools to old 

systems 


Workshop on Trends in crossdisciplinary 

nano, bio and IT 

research, Beijing, China 



Electrospinning and 

electrospraying: creating living 

cells in a polymer to produce 

and tissues, regenerative 

medicine for new organs 


IET/IoN Seminar on Bionic 

Health, London, UK 


New strategies for 

musculoskeletal repair 


Bone-Tec 2009, Hannover, 

Germany 


Bio-inspired materials for 

biosensing and regenerative 

medicine 

Guest lecture 

Institute of Biotechnology, 

Cambridge, UK 




medicine 

Guest speaker 

Radboud University, Nijmegen, 





medicine 

Guest speaker 

MIRA UTwente, Enschese, The 

Netherlands 


In vivo engineering of bone 


Biomechanics and Biology of 

Bone Regeneration Symposium, 

Berlin, Germany 


New approaches for bone 

regeneration 


Regenerative Surgery 

Conference, Rome, Italy 


New materials-based strategies 

for regenerative medicine 


UK/Iberia Nanomedicine 

Workshop, Madrid, Spain 


New materials based 

approaches for regenerative 

medicine and biosensing 

Guest speaker 

Reading University, UK 


Bio-inspired nanomaterials 

for regenerative medicine and 

biosensing 


iNANO Conference, Aarhus, 

Denmark 




biosensing 

Guest speaker 

Warwick University, UK 


Creating bone like materials from 

stem cells 


SMI Stem Cell Conference, 

London, UK 




biosensing 


Nanomedicine: Visions for the 

Future Conference, Amsterdam, 





medicine 

Guest speaker 

Istanbul University, Turkey 

15 March 2010 



medicine 

Guest speaker 

Strathclyde University, Glasgow, 

UK 

18 March 2010 

Peptide functionalised 

nanoparticles for enzyme 

sensing and cell response and 

Engineering the cell-material 

interface for regenerative 

medicine 


American Chemical Society Spring 

Meeting, San Francisco, USA 

21–25 March 2010 

New strategies for bone 

regeneration using biomaterials 

and stem cells 


Mesenchymal Stem Cell 

Conference, Leeds, UK 

14 April 2010 


regenerative medicine and 

sensing 


Polymeric Biomaterials 

Conference, Reading, UK 

15 April 2010 

Is the ERAB strategy ambitious 

enough? 

Panel discussion speaker 

ERAB Conference, Seville, Spain 

6 May 2010 

Establishing a multidisciplinary 

research group in biomedical 

engineering 


Wellcome Trust Medical 

Engineering Initiative, London, UK 

8 June 2010 


regenerative medicine and 

biosensing 

Guest speaker 

SEGI University, Kuala Lumpur, 

Malaysia 

17 May 2010 

Engineering human tissue 


Cheltenham Science Festival, 

Cheltenham, UK 

9 June 2010 

NanoMiTE Steering Committee 

Participant 

NanoMiTE Steering Committee 

Meeting, London, UK 

18 June 2010 

Modulation of cell behaviour 

through nanoscale architecture 


eCM XI 2010, Davos, Switzerland 

29 June 2010 

Innovation board policy dialogue 

Participant 

Science/Business Innovation 

Board Meeting, Brussels, Belgium 

1 July 2010 

Engineering organs and other 

small challenges in biomedical 

engineering 

Keynote speaker 

FHMS Festival of Research, 

Surrey, UK 

6 July 2010 

Polymers in therapeutics: 

polymer nanomedicines and 

young polymer scientists 


Macro2010: 43rd IUPAC World 

Polymer Congress, Glasgow, UK 

12 July 2010 

New materials based strategies 

for regenerative medicine 


3rd International Congress on 

Stem Cells and Tissue Formation, 

Dresden, Germany 

14 July 2010 



sensing 


5th SBE International 

Conference on Bioengineering 

and Nanotechnology, Biopolis, 

Singapore 

4 August 2010 




Sensing 


3rd International NanoBio 

Conference, ETH Zurich, 

Switzerland 


Bio-inspired design of materials 


biosensing 


3rd EuCheMS Chemistry 

Congress, Nürnberg, Germany 


Regenerative Medicine 1 - Cell 

Therapies 

Session chair 

UK-PharmSci 2010, Nottingham, 

UK 


Bio-inspired design of materials 


biosensing 


UK-China Summer School, 

Beijing, China 


New biomaterials strategies in 

bone engineering 


TERMIS-AP Annual Conference, 

Sydney, Australia 



Bringing conjugated polymers 

to order 


216th Meeting of the 

Electrochemcial Society, Vienna, 

Austria 

4–9 October 2009 

Ordering poly(3-hexylthiophene) 


Freiburg Institute for Advanced 

Studies (FRIAS), Albert-Ludwigs- 

Universität Freiburg, Freiburg, 

Germany 


Bringing semiconducting 

polymers to order 


11th Pacific Polymer Conference 

(PPC) 2009, Cairns, Australia 

6-10 December 2009 

Processing conjugated 

macromolecular systems 


V Congress of Young Scientists in 

Polymers (V Congreso de Jovenes 

Investigadores en Polimeros) 

(CIP2010), Calella de Palafrugell, 

Spain 

2–6th May 2010 

Assembling complex 

architectures 


FUNctional Multiscale 

ARCHitectures (FunMARCH) 

(CIP2010), Bolgna, Italy 

5–7 May 2010 

Ordering semiconducting 

polymers 


FPi-9 International Symposium 

on Functional π- Electron 

Systems, Atlanta, USA 

23–28 May 2010 

Interacting with the creative 

industries: a materials scientist 

perspective 


Grand Challenge Ideas Lab: The 

Creative Industriess: Bridging 

the Physical and Digital Worlds, 


26 May 2010 

Solvent-free processing of 

poly(3-hexylthiophene) 


Institute of Materials for 

Electronics and Energy 

Technology, Friedrich-Alexander- 

Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg 

and Bayerisches Zentrum für 

Angewandte Energieforschung 

(ZAE Bayern), Erlangen, Germany 

1 June 2010 

Plastic electronics: a materials 

scientist point of view 


CeNS-colloquium, Ludwig- 

Maximilians University Munich, 

Germany 

2 July 2010 

Introduction to organic electronic 

applications: polymer processing 


Erasmus IP OREA 2010 

Summerschool, Chania, Greece 

5–16 July 2010 

Solid-state processing of organic 

semiconductors 

Contributed lecture 

Macro2010: 43rd IUPAC World 


11–16 July 2010 


organic materials for solar cell 

application 


LCOPV 2010 Workshop, Boulder, 

USA 

7–10 August 2010 


macromolecular structures 


UCSB-Imperial College London 

Organic Electronic Materials 

Workshop, Santa Barbara, USA 



organic materials for solar cell 

application 


Orcas 2010: International 

Conference on Energy 

Conversion, Friday Harbour, 

USA 



Organiser 

1 Day Research Meeting on 

Advanced Ceramics (1DRAC), 



Attendee 

2009 MRS Fall meeting, Boston, 

USA 

30 November–4 December 

2009 

Evolution of AlN distribution 

during processing of AlN doped 

SiC 





Daytona Beach, USA 

25–29 January 2010 

The role of carbon in processing 

hot pressed aluminium nitride 

doped silicon carbide 





Daytona Beach, USA 

25–29 January 2010 

The relation between 

microstructural scale and 

the influence of porosity and 

second phases on hardness 

Invited poster presentation 

Symposium on Fine-Scale 

Mechanical Characterisation 

and Behaviour, Cambridge, UK 

29–30 March 2010 

Sintering, microstructure and 

oxidation behaviour of ultra 

high temperature ceramic 

composites 


High temperature ceramic 

matrix composites (HT-CMC VII), 

Bayreuth, German 


Dr Jonathan VM Weaver 

Fabrication of advanced 

hierarchical soft materials using 

responsive, architecturallydefined 

copolymers 


43rd IUPAC World Polymer 

Congress, Young Polymer 

Scientists Symposium, 

Glasgow, UK 

11–16 July 2010 

Research assistants and 

postdoctoral research 

associates 

Many of our researchers also 

attended conferences, giving 

talks or posters on their work. 

Dr Mónica Burriel 

Study of the surface structure 

of Sr doped La2NiO4 single 

crystals 


9th European SOFC Forum, 


30 June–2nd July 2010 

Microstructure and transport 

properties of GdBaCo2O5+δ 

epitaxial thin films 


9th European SOFC Forum, 



Estudio de la estructura de la 

superficie de monocristales de 

La2NiO4 dopados con Sr 


XI National Conference on 

Materials, Zaragoza, Spain 

June 2010 

Dr Tony Centeno 

Localised surface plasmon 

resonance: modelling using 

FDTD and some applications 

Invited talk 

Institute of High Performance 

Computing, A*STAR, Singapore 

August 2010 

Richard Chater 

Low energy focused ion beams 

and SIMS 

Seminar presentation 

National Centre for 

Advanced Tribology (nCATS), 

Southampton University, UK 

27–29 June 2010 

Optics of mass spectrometers 

for SIMS 


8th International Conference on 

Charged Particle Optics, Suntec 

Singapore Convention and 

Exhibition Centre, Singapore 

12–16 July 2010 

Dr Amy Cruickshank 

Growth and molecular 

orientation of copper 

phthalocyanine films 

evaporated onto single crystal 

zinc oxide 


9th International Symposium on 

Functional π-Electron Systems, 

Atlanta, GA, USA 

23–28 May 2010 


Electrodeposition of ZnO 

nanostructures for photovoltaic 

applications 


61st Annual Meeting of the 

International Society of 

Electrochemistry, Nice, France 

26 September–1 October 2010 

Dr Solveig Felton 

Orientation effects in copper 

phthalocyanine films studied 

by EPR spectroscopy 


43rd Annual International 

Meeting of the Electron Spin 

Resonance Group of the Royal 

Society of Chemistry, Cardiff, UK 

21–25 March 2010 

Orientation effects in copper 

phthalocyanine films studied 

by electron paramagnetic 

resonance spectroscopy 


Spinos III 3rd Topical 

Meeting on Spins in Organic 

Semiconductors, Amsterdam, 



Dr Cristina Gentilini 

Poly (γ-Glutamic Acid): a 

biodegradable, biocompatible 

and naturally produced 

polymer as a promising 

candidate for regenerative 

medicine applications 


Macro2010 – 43rd IUPAC World 


11–16 July 2010 

Dr Matthew Gilbert 

Krypton and helium irradiation 

damage in Nd-Zirconolite 


Symposium N, European 

Materials Research Society 

Spring Meeting, Strasbourg, 

France 

7–11 June 2010 

Dr Jingjing Liu 

Oxygen transport properties of 

La2Mo2O9, a novel electrolyte 

for SOFC 


13th CMA-UK Conference 

on Materials Science and 

Engineering, Leicester, UK 

17–18 July 2010 

Explore the potential of proton 

transport in LAMOX ionic 

conductors 


Ceramic Membranes for Green 

Chemical Production and Clean 

Power Generation, Valencia, 

Spain 


Dr Morgan Mager 

Nanoparticle and quantum 

dot biosensors for clinical 

applications 


London Technology Network 


28 April 2010 

A hybrid nanoparticle-liposome 

assay for phospholipase 

detection 


Gordon Research Conference on 

Biointerfaces, Les Diablerets, 

Switzerland 


Dr Catriona M McGilvery 

Attendee 

LESS 2009, 60th IUVSTA 

workshop on Low Energy 

Spectroscopy and Simulations, 

Vienna, Austria 


Understanding amorphous 

to crystalline phase 

transformations in HfxSi(1-x)O2 


Merging Atomistic and 

Continuum Analysis of 

Nanometer Length-Scale Metal 

Oxide Systems for Energy and 

Catalysis Applications (MACAN) 

partners meeting, Bohinj, 

Slovenia 

25–28 July 2010 

Dr Luis Rojo Del Olmo 

Biomimetic alginate based 

microgels for skeletal tissue 

engineering 


Recent Appointee in Materials 

and Polymer Science 

Conference, Leeds, UK 


Nanosized self assembled 

polymer conjugates with 

modulated bioactivity 


Europolymer Conference 2010 

– Hierarchically Structured 

Polymers, Gargnano, Italy 

30 May–4 June 2010 

Dr Xin Wang 

A constrained sintering model 

for ceramic films based on the 

variational principle 



on Ceramic Processing Science 

(ICCPS-11), Zurich 



Fraser Wigley 

Characterisation of a fouling 

deposit from peat CFBC 


Impacts of Fuel Quality 

on Power Production and 

Environment, Saariselka, 

Finland 


Postgraduate research 

students 

Suwimon Boonrungsiman 

The role of mitochondria in 

mineralization of bone-like 

tissue derived from mouse 

primary osteoblasts and 

mesenchymal stem cells 


Gordon conference in 

Biomineralization, New London, 

USA 

15–20 August 2010 

James Coakley 

Modelling the effect of initial 

heat treatment of the creep of 

multi-modal nickel superalloys 


MS Annual meeting, Seattle, 

WA, USA 


Fabiano Corsetti 

Vibrational frequency 

calculations in ONETEP 


ONETEP developers’ meeting, 


30 November–1 December 2009 

A study of doped 

semiconducting nanowires 

using linear-scaling densityfunctional 

theory 


APS March Meeting, Portland, 

OR, US 

15–19 March 2010 

Phonon calculations in ONETEP 

with the finite displacement 

method 


Workshop on Linear-scaling 

density-functional theory with 

the ONETEP code, University of 

Cambridge, UK 

13–16 April 2010 

Large-scale DFT calculations of 

point defects in silicon 


Psi-k Conference, Freie 

Universität Berlin, Germany 


Kristy Cloyd 

A comparative raman 

spectroscopy characterization 

of aortic valve calcification in 

situ and valvular interstitial 

cells in vitro 


SPEC 2010, Manchester, UK 

June 2010 

Characterization of in situ and in 

vitro aortic valve nodules using 

bio-raman micro-spectroscopy 


4th Biennial Heart Valve 

Biology and Tissue Engineering 

Meeting, Hilton Head, SC, USA 

March 2010 

Bai Cui 

Microstructural evolution during 

high-temperature oxidation of 

Ti2AlC ceramics 


One day Research Meeting in 

Ceramics (1-DRAC), University of 

Manchester, UK 

18 May 2010

Microstructural evolution during 

high-temperature oxidation of 

Ti2AlN ceramics 


12th International Ceramics 

Congress, Montecatini Terme, 

Tuscany, Italy 

6–11 June 2010 

Nanowhisker-containing Ti2AlN 

ceramics 


CMA-UK Conference, Leicester 

Conference Centre, Leicester, UK 

17 July 2010 

Salahud Din 

Molecular thin films and 

nanostructures grown by organic 

vapor phase deposition (OVPD) 


9th International Symposium 

on Functional π-Electron 

Systems, Georgia Institute of 

Technology in Atlanta, Georgia, 

USA 

23–28 May 2010 

Angela Goode 

Correlative microscopy of nano 

and micro-sized particles in 

human tissue surrounding hip 

replacements 


MRS Fall Meeting, Boston, USA 


Heather F Jackson 

Laser melting of zirconium 

carbide: microstructural 

evolution as a function of nonstoichiometry 



Technology Conference, 

Pittsburgh, PA, USA 

25–29 October 2009 

Atomistic simulation of nonstoichiometry 

in zirconium 

carbide 


Thomas Young Centre Nuclear 

Workshop, London, UK 


Sheyda Labbaf 

Mesenchymal stem cell response 

to bioactive glass nanoparticles 





Nasrin Lotfibakhshaiesh 

Bioactive coatings for prosthetic 

implants 


3rd International Conference on 

Mechanics of Biomaterials and 

Tissues (ICOMBT), Clearwater 

beach, Florida, USA 


A novel bioactive glass coating 


SET for BRITAIN, House of 

Commons, London, UK 

8 March 2010 

Bioactive glass coatings for 

medical applications 


Postgraduate Research Day, 


22 March 2010 

Strontium containing bioactive 

glass coatings for orthopedic 

application 


International Conference 

and Course on Orthopaedic 

Biomechanics, Clinical 

Applications and Surgery 

Orthopaedics, Brunel University, 

London, UK 

6–9 June 2010 

Bioactive glass coatings and 

bone tissue engineering 


Tissue Engineering and 

Regenerative Medicine 

International Society – EU 

Meeting (TERMIS-EU), Galway, 

Ireland 

13–17 June 2010 

Stuart Lowe 

Enzyme-responsive quantum 

dot-peptide conjugates for 

detection of disease-related 

biomarkers 


Science, Engineering and 

Technology for Britain, Houses of 

Parliament, London, UK 

8 March 2010 

Quantum dot-peptide conjugates 

for determination of transferase 

enzyme activity 


Bio Nanotech Conference and 

Expo, Anaheim, California, USA 

22–24 June 2010 

Quantum dot-peptide conjugates 

for determination of transferase 

enzyme activity 


3rd International NanoBio 

Conference, ETH Zurich, 

Switzerland 

24–27 August 2010 

Soumaya Mauthoor 

Organic multilayers with electron 

microscopy 


MRS Fall Symposium, Boston, 

USA 



Eva McGuire 

Imaging disease-related protein 

aggregates inside human cells 

using a selenium label 


International Microscopy 

Congress, Brazil 


Decheng Meng 

Multifunctional polymer/ 

bioactive glass scaffolds for bone 

tissue engineering 





Hannah Nerl 

Imaging of surface modified 

multi-walled carbon nanotubes 

directly inserting into cell 

membranes using 3D electron 

tomography 


International Microscopy 

Congress, Brazil 

2010 

John O’Neill 

The suitability of ceria as a 

surrogate for studies on the 

stability of spent MOX in wet 

storage 


E-MRS 2010 Spring Conference, 

Strasbourg, France 

7–11 June 2010 

The durability of spent MOX 


DIAMOND Conference, Leeds, UK 


Preferentially orientated 

CeO2(111) thin films deposited 

onto (100) silicon by pulsed laser 

deposition 


DIAMOND Work Package 3 


30 March 2010 

Bo Pang 

Development and 

characterization of transparent 

glass matrix composites 


CIMTEC 2010 – 12th International 

Ceramics Congress, Montecatini 

Terme, Italy 

7–12 June 2010 

Development and 

characterization of transparent 

glass matrix composites 


The Society of Glass Technology 

Annual Meeting, Cambridge, UK 


Sunny Phuah 

Corrosion of spent advance gas 

reactor (AGR) fuel cladding 


Electron Microscopy and 

Multiscale Modelling (EMMM’09), 

Zurich, Switzerland 

27–30 October 2009 

Corrosion of spent advance 

gas reactor (AGR) fuel cladding 

in trace aqueous electrolyte 

environment 


Universities Nuclear Technology 

Forum (UNTF’10), University of 

Salford, UK? 

14–16 April 2010 

Aqueous corrosion of grain 

boundary chromium-depleted 

20Cr/25Ni/Nb stainless steel 


European Material Research 

Society Spring Meeting (EMRS 

Spring’10), Strasbourg, France 

7–11 June 2010 

Fatemehsadat Pishbin 

Progress in the electrophoretic 

deposition (EPD) of bioactive 

glass and bioactive glassbiopolymer 


Poster and short oral 

presentation 

4th International conference on 

Shaping of Advanced Ceramics, 

Madrid, Spain 

15–18 November 2009

Bioactive coatings by 

electrochemical means: 

development and 



Centre for Advanced Structural 

Ceramics Meetings, Imperial 

College London, UK 

May 2010 

Electrophoretic deposition 

(EPD) of bioactive orthopaedic 



International Conference 

on Orthopaedic Surgery, 

Biomechanics and Clinical 

Applications, Brunel University, 

London, UK 

6–9 June 2010 

Biomedical coatings by EPD 

based on bioactive glass 

and chitosan-bioactive glass 

composites 


Recent Advances in 

Electrophoretic Deposition 

meeting, University of Modena, 

Modena, Italy 


Chedtha Puncreobutr 

In situ synchrotron 

quantification of fe-rich 

intermetallic formation in Al-Si- 

Cu-Fe alloys 


139th TMS Annual Meeting and 

Exhibition, Seattle, WA 


Laura Ratcliff 

Towards the calculation of 

experimental spectra using 

linear-scaling density functional 

theory 



OR, USA 

15–19 March 2010 

Towards the calculation of 

experimental spectra using 

linear-scaling density functional 

theory 


ONETEP Spring School, 

Cambridge, UK 

April 2010 

Joanne Sarsam 

A polarisable atomistic forcefield 

for alumina parametrised 

using density functional theory 



USA 

15–19 March 2010 

Esther Valliant 

Novel bioactive gPGA solgel 

hybrid scaffold for tissue 

regeneration 


European Society for 

Biomaterials 2010, Tampere, 

Finland 


Jonnathan Warwick 

In situ observation of texture 

evolution during rolling and 

aging of Ti-6Al-4V 


WA, USA 


Zhenlin Wu 

Magnetic properties of 

manganese phthalocyanine 

thin films for spintronic 

applications 


SPINOS III, the 3rd Topical 

Meeting on Spintronics in 

Organic Semiconductors, 

Amsterdam, Netherlands 


Sheng Yue 

Non-destructive quantification 

of bioactive scaffold 

degradation in vitro via X-ray 

microtomography 


Imperial Early Career 

Researchers Imaging Events 

2010, Imperial College London, 

UK 

26 April 2010 

Microtomographic 

quantification of irregular 

scaffolds for bone tissue 

engineering 


The UK Society for Biomaterials 

Conference 2010 (UKSB 2010), 

Glasgow, UK 

1–2 July 2010 

Quantification of porous 

structure from 3D Micro-CT 

image 


13th CMA-UK Conference 

on Materials Science and 

Engineering (CMA-UK 2010), 

Leicester, UK 

17–18 July 2010 

Quantification of selective laser 

melting Ti scaffolds from X-ray 

micro-computed tomography 


2nd International Conference 

on 3D-Imaging of Materials 

and Systems (3D-IMS2010), 

Hourtin, France 


National and international profile 

The academic staff fulfil a number of roles on national and international boards 

and committees as well as other materials community services listed here. 


Fellow » Institution of Engineering and Technology 


Fellow » IOM 3 

Fellow » Institute of Physics 

Fellow » Royal Society of Arts 

Member » Advisory Board, Cambridge Massachusetts 

Institute Ltd 

Member » Technical Advisory Board, Antenova Ltd., 

Cambridge 

Member » DTI Working Group, Quantum Metrology 

Programme, NPL 

Member » Lambert group advising the Government on 

intellectual property matters 

Member » EPSRC Peer Review College and Panel Chair 

Member » RAE Panel, Electrical and Electronic Engineering 

Honorary Member » University of Nova Gorica, Slovenia 

FREng » Royal Academy of Engineering 

Senior Technical Advisor » Gatsby Charitable Foundation 

Visiting Professor » London South Bank University 

Associate Editor » Journal of the American Ceramic Society 


Fellow » The American Ceramic Society 



Member » Scientific Committee of the EU Joint 

Undertaking on Fuel Cells and Hydrogen 

Member » EPSRC Peer Review College 

Member » Electrochemical Society 

Reviewer » NEDO, Japan. Science Foundation of Canada, 

Research Council of Norway, Qatar National. Research 

Fund, A*STAR, Singapore 

Topic Editor » Current Opinion in Materials Science 

Associate Editor » Fuel Cells 


Deputy Director » UK Centre for Advanced Structural 

Ceramics 

Member » Advisory Board, Silcan Nanotechnology 

Limited, Hong Kong 

Member » Materials Research Society 

Member » Sigma Xi Honor Society 

Member » Editorial Board, Advances in Materials Science 

and Engineering 

Lead Organizer » Materials Research Society Fall Meeting 

(Symposium L) 

Reviewer and Panelist » US NSF 

Reviewer » US DOE 

Reviewer » Nature Nanotechnology 

Reviewer » Nature Chemistry 

Reviewer » Nano Letters 

Reviewer » Advanced Materials 

Dr Iain E Dunlop 

Member » German Physical Society (Deutsche 

Physikalische Gesellschaft) 

Dr David Dye 


Member » TMS High Temperature Alloys Committee 

Member » TMS Titanium Committee 

Member » User Working Group for the I12 beamline at the 

Diamond Synchrotron 

Member » TMS 

Member » MRS 

Member and Panel Member » EPSRC Peer Review College 

Key Reader » Metallurgical and Materials Transactions B 



Member » Editorial Board, Reports on Progress in Physics 

Member » Scientific Advisory Board, Max-Planck-Institut 

für Eisenforschung, Düsseldorf 

Member » RAE2008 Subpanel 19 (Physics) 


Member » IDEA League representing IC Materials 

Member » Scientific Advisory Committee of Psi-k network 

National Representative » Management Committee of 

COST P19 

Chairman » Thomas Young Centre – London Centre for 

Theory and Simulation of Materials

Dr Finn Giuliani 

Member » The American Ceramic Society 

Member » IOM 3 

Reviewer » Journal of Applied Physics 

Reviewer » Journal of Vacuum Science 



Member » Institute of Cast Metals Engineers (ICME) 

Member » TMS, USA 

Reviewer » Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A 

and B 


Fellow » Institute of Nuclear Engineers 





Member » Health and Safety Commission Nuclear Safety 

Advisory Committee’s sub-committee on Research 

Reviewer » Research Council of Norway 

Reviewer » US DOE 

Reviewer » US NSF 

External Examiner » University of Cambridge, Natural 

Science Tripos, Part Two and Part Three Materials Science 

and Metallurgy from 2005 for three years 

Editorial Board » Journal of Materials Science 

Editorial Board » Journal of Nuclear Materials 

Editorial Board » Defects and Diffusion Forum 



Member » Theory of Condensed Matter Committee, 

Institute of Physics 

Member » Working Group of the Collaborative 

Computational Project for the Electronic Structure of 

Condensed Matter 

Member » European Psi-k Network for ab initio (from 

electronic structure) calculation of complex processes in 

materials 

Deputy Director » EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in 

Theory and Simulation of Materials. 

Reviewer » Physical Review Letters and Physical Review B 

Reviewer » Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter 

Reviewer » Journal of Chemical Physics 

Reviewer » Molecular Simulation 



Reviewer » Thin Solid Films 

Reviewer » Surface Science 

Reviewer » Advanced Materials 


Member » Institute of Physics 

Member » American Physical Society 


Reviewer » Physical Review Letters 

Reviewer » Physical Review B 

Reviewer » Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter 

Treasurer and Vice Chair » Computational Physics 

Committee, Institute of Physics 




Member » Biomedical Applications Division Committee, 

IOM 3 


Member » The American Ceramics Society 

Member » Editorial Board, International Materials Reviews 

Member » Editorial Board, Ceramics International 

Member » Editorial Board, Journal of Biomaterials and 

Tissue Engineering 

Chair » Technical Committee (TC4) on ‘Glass for Medicine 

and Biotechnology’, International Commission on Glass 

(ICG) 

Visiting International Professor » Nagoya Institute of 

Technology, Japan 




Fellow » City and Guilds Institute of London 

Member » Electronic Materials Application Board, IOM 3 

Member » Industry and Technology Policy Board, IOM 3 

Member » Editorial Board, Materials Letters 

Member » Editorial Board, Energy Materials 

Member » Editorial Board, International Journal of 

Hydrogen Energy 


Member » Materials UK Energy Materials Working Group 

Member » School of Chemistry Advisory Board, University 

of Southampton 

Member » EU Basic Research and Innovative Science for 

Energy (BRISE) Steering Committee 

Member » Electrochemical Society 

Member » International Power Sources Symposium Board 

Member » Committee, Scientific Advisory Board Catalonia 

institute for Energy Research (IREC) 

Member » Committee, Scientific Committee CIC 

Energigune (Basque regional Energy Centre) 

Chair » Energy Materials Group, IOM 3 

Regional Editor » Europe Solid State Ionics 

Investigator » World Premier Institute for Carbon Free 

Energy, Kyushu University, Japan 




Fellow » City and Guilds Institute of London 

Member » Board of Directors, The American Ceramic 

Society 

Member » EPSRC Peer Review College and Panel Chair 

Member » IOM 3 Prize Awards Panel 

Member » Leverhulme Trust Panel of Advisors 

Member » Morgan Technical Ceramics Ltd., International 

Advisory Board 

Member » Gustav Eirich Europe Prize Award Panel for 

excellence in PhD research in high temperature ceramics 

Member » International Commission on Glass – Technical 

Committee on Nuclear and Hazardous Waste Vitrification 

Director » UK Centre for Advanced Structural Ceramics 

Chair » International Ceramic Federation – Technical 

Committee on Nuclear Ceramics 

Deputy Chair » DECC Government Advisory Committee on 

Radioactive Waste Management (CoRWM) 

Technical Expert » International Atomic Energy Agency, 

Vienna, Austria 

Associate Editor » Journal of the American Ceramic 

Society, USA 

Associate Editor » International Journal of Applied Glass 

Science, USA 

International Editorial Panel Member » Advances in 

Applied Ceramics, UK 

International Editorial Panel Member » Refractories 

Applications and News, USA 

International Editorial Panel Member » Refractories 

Worldforum, Germany 

International Editorial Panel Member » Ceramics 

International, Italy 

International Editorial Panel Member » Safety Barrier, 

Russia 

External Examiner » University of Cambridge, Natural 

Science Tripos, Part Two and Part Three Materials Science 

and Metallurgy from 2009 for three years 

Visiting International Professor » Nagoya Institute of 

Technology, Japan 

Member » International Advisory Committee of: 

12th International Ceramics Congress 

Grosseto, Tuscany, Italy 

6–11 June 2010 

5th International Symposium on Advances in 

Refractories for Metallurgical Industries (ISARMI 2010) 

Vancouver, Canada 

2–5th October 2010

3rd International Congress on Ceramics 

Osaka, Japan 




Fellow » Institute of Cast Metals Engineers (ICME) 

Member » ASM International 

Member » TMS 


Member » IOM 3 Castings Division Board 

Member » Royal Society, International Grants Panel 

Reviewer » NSERC, Canada 

Key Reader » Board of Review of Metallurgical and 

Materials Transactions A 

Key Reader » Board of Review of Metallurgical and 

Materials Transactions B 


Member » Royal Society of Chemistry 

Member » Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences 

(CNMS) Executive User Committee, Oak Ridge National 

Laboratory 

Associate Member » Institute of Physics 

Referee » Journal of Materials Chemistry 

Referee » The Journal of Physical Chemistry 

Referee » Crystal Growth and Design 

Referee » Chemical Communications 



Fellow » Royal Society of Chemistry 

Member » Electron Microscopy and Analysis Committee, 

Institute of Physics 

Member » Council of Royal Microscopical Society 





Deputy Director » London Centre for Nanotechnology 

Consultant » Core Characterisation Facilities Panel, KAUST 


Member » Council at the Institute of Physics 

Member » Group Coordination Committee, Institute of 

Physics 


Member » UK Centre for Materials Education Advisory 

Panel 

Member » UKSAF 

Member » International SIMS conference series 

International Board 

Chairman » Materials Characterisation Group, Institute of 

Physics 



Member » Events and Publicity Working Groups,Thomas 

Young Centre 

Member » Working Group of the Collaborative 

Computational Project for the Electronic Structure of 

Condensed Matter 

Member » European Psi-k Network for ab initio calculation 

of complex processes in materials 

Member » Executive Committee, Thomas Young Centre 

Referee » Journal of the American Chemical Society 

Referee » Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter 

Referee » Journal of Chemical Physics 

Referee » Journal of Physics: Mathematical and General 

Referee » Computer Physics Communications 

Referee » Journal of Chemical Theory and Computation 

Chartered Physicist 


Fellow » Royal Microscopical Society 

Referee » Journal of the American Chemical Society 

Referee » Biomaterials 

Referee » Journal of Biomedical Materials Research 

Referee » Journal of Materials Science: Materials in 

Medicine 

Referee » Royal Society Journal of Soft Matter 


Member » Editorial Board, Materials Science and 

Technology 

Guest Editor » Special Issue for Current Opinion in Solid 

State and Materials Science 




Member » RSC Colloid and Interface Science Group 

Committee 

Member » International Society of Electrochemistry 

Member » The Electrochemical Society 


Reviewer » National Research Foundation, Singapore 

Reviewer » National Science Foundation, USA 

Referee » American Chemical Society (four journals) 

Referee » Royal Society of Chemistry (four journals) 

Referee » Science 



Member » Editorial Advisory Panel, Journal of Materials 

Science 

Professor Eduardo Saiz Gutierrez 


Member » Scientific Committee of the Solidification of 

Colloidal Suspensions Workshop 

Member (ad-hoc) » NIH study section 

Deputy Director » Centre for Advanced Structural Ceramics 

(CASC) 

Referee » International Journal of Materials Research 

Referee » Langmuir 

Referee » Acta Biomaterialia 

Referee » Acta Materialia 

Referee » Journal of Materials Science 

Referee » Nature Communications 

Associated Adjunct Professor » University of California, 

San Francisco 

Guest » Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory 

Dr Barbara A Shollock 




Fellow » Higher Education Academy 




Member » The Electrochemical Society 

Committee Member » RSC Solid State Group 

Committee Member » RSC Materials Chemistry Division 

Chartered Chemist 

Chartered Scientist 

Reviewer » University of California Energy Institute, USA 

Reviewer » A*STAR Intelligent Energy Distribution 

Systems Program, Singapore 

Reviewer » Research Council of the Netherlands 

Reviewer » Spallation Neutron Source, Oak Ridge National 

Laboratory, USA 

Reviewer » Agence Nationale de la Recherche, France 


Reviewer » Israel Science Foundation (May 2010) 

Reviewer » EPSRC (April 2010) 

Reviewer » Nature Physics 




Member » MC8 Committee (Royal Society of Chemistry) 

Member » Royal Pharmaceutical Society, MRPharmS 


Member » Academy of Pharmaceutical Scientists, APSGB 

Member » Advisory Board, London Technology Network 

Member » Advisory Board, Journal of Materials Chemistry 

Member » Executive Editorial Board, Tissue Engineering 

Member » Editorial Board, Biomedical Materials: Materials 

for Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine 

Member » Editorial Board, International Journal of 

Nanomedicine 

Member » Editorial Board, PLoS ONE 

Member » Editorial Board, Nanoscale


Member » Executive Board of Doctoral Training Centre in 

Plastic Electronics (Imperial College London/Queen Mary 

University of London) 

Member » Programme Committee, International 

Conference of Organic Electronics ICOE10 




Member » American Chemical Society 

Member » American Physics Society 

Member » Swiss Polymer and Chemical Society 

Visiting Professor » Swiss Federal Institute of Technology 

(20 per cent) 



Fellow » Higher Education Academy 

Member » IOM 3 Ceramic Science Committee 



Reviewer » Journal of the American Ceramic Society 

Reviewer » Journal of Materials Research 

Reviewer » Journal of Materials Science 

Reviewer » Journal of Materials Processing 

Reviewer » Journal of Materials: Design and Applications 

Reviewer » Philosophical Magazine 

Reviewer » Materials Research Bulletin 



Member » American Chemical Society 

Committee Member » Pure and Applied Macromolecular 

Chemistry Group 

Referee » Angewandte Chemie 

Referee » Chemical Communications 

Referee » Soft Matter 

Referee » Macromolecules 

Referee » Polymer Chemistry 

Reviewer » EPSRC Research Proposals 

Reviewer » Greek Ministry of Education Research 

Proposals 

Dr Mark R Wenman 

MSc Course Director » Nuclear Engineering, Imperial 


Independent Member » MoD Core Materials Working 

Group 

Imperial College London Representative » Nuclear 

Academic and Industrial Liaison Society (NAILS) 

Imperial College London Representative » Nuclear 

Technology and Education Consortium (NTEC) 

Research in Progress 2009–10 

86 Department of Materials Annual Report 2009–10 www.imperial.ac.uk/materials www.imperial.ac.uk/materials Department of Materials Research in Progress 2009–10 87

88 Department of Materials Research in Progress 2009–10 www.imperial.ac.uk/materials 

Academic staff profiles 


BSc | PhD | FREng | FIMMM | 

FInstP | FIET | FRSA | CPhys | 

CEng 

» Professor of Physical Electronics and Thin Film 


» Director of Research 

» Deputy Head, Department of Materials * 

Neil received his BSc from St Andrews University 

and spent three years working in South-East 

Asia and South America in the Oil Exploration 

Industry. His PhD at Queen Mary College was in 

the area of fracture mechanics of cement mortars. 

He did postdoctoral work at Oxford University in 

collaboration with ICI developing high strength 

cement. He joined ICI Corporate Laboratory in 

1981 on projects concerning macro defect free 

cement, viscous processing of ceramics and 

properties of perovskite ceramics, specifically 

High Temperature Superconductors (HTS). He 

joined London South Bank University in 1994 and 

developed HTS Magnetic resonance receive coils, 

microwave dielectrics, novel signal transformers 

and ferroelectric thin films. Recent work on 

microwave dielectric materials has resulted in 

development of ultra low loss alumina resonators 

and an understanding of the defect chemistry of 

TiO2 which has allowed production of very high Q 

and high dielectric constant materials. His current 

research targets functional materials and thin film 

deposition. 

He was a member of the Electrical Engineering 

RAE 2008 panel, sits on the Advisory Board of 

Cambridge Massachusetts Institute, the Advisory 

Board, Antenova Limited, a member of the DTI 

Working Group for the Pathfinder Programme at 

NPL and is a consultant on technical programmes 

for the Gatsby Charitable Foundation. He is an 

associate editor for the Journal of the American 

Ceramic Society. He is the author of over 200 

journal publications and 21 patents. He is 

currently the KAUST (King Abdullah University 

of Science and Technology) ‘Champion’ for the 

Department of Materials. He was awarded the 

2008 IOM 3 Griffith Medal and Prize in recognition 

of his achievements in Materials Science. 

Email: n.alford@imperial.ac.uk 

www.imperial.ac.uk/people/n.alford 

* Neil became Head of the Department of Materials on 1 August 2010 


MA | PhD | Fellow ACerS | FInstP 

| FIMMM | CPhys | CEng 

» Professor of Materials Chemistry 

Alan joined the Department of Materials in 1995 

from AEA Technology (Harwell) where he was 

head of the Materials Chemistry Department. 

After graduating from Cambridge he studied 

the electronic properties of metals for his PhD 

at Leeds University. He then investigated the 

processing of silicon nitride ceramics before 

moving to Harwell in 1975. There his research 

interests included: mass transport in ceramics 

(particularly at grain boundaries); high 

temperature corrosion; sol-gel processing of 

ceramics; cements and concrete for the disposal 

of radioactive waste; catalysts and adsorbents 

for environmental pollution abatement; and the 

mechanical properties of thin films. His current 

research topics include solid oxide fuel cells, 

mechanical properties of films and coatings, 

ceramic processing and sensors. He was awarded 

the Carl Wagner Prize in 1983 for work on high 

temperature corrosion and the Kroll Medal and 

Prize for Materials Chemistry in 2000. He is a 

co-founder of the fuel cell company Ceres Power 

Limited and has published over 250 papers in 

scientific journals and books. He was a member 

of the General Engineering Panel for the RAE 

2008. He is currently on the Scientific Committee 

of the European Joint Undertaking on Fuel Cells 

and Hydrogen and is associate editor of the 

journal Fuel Cells. He was Dean of the Faculty of 

Engineering from September 2007 to August 2010. 

Alan retired on 30 September 2010 and is now 

part-time. 

Email: alan.atkinson@imperial.ac.uk 

www.imperial.ac.uk/people/alan.atkinson 

www.imperial.ac.uk/materials Department of Materials Research in Progress 2009–10 

89

» Professor of Materials Science 


BS | PhD 

Manish joined the Department in 2009 as Chair in 

Materials. Prior to Imperial, he was an Associate 

Professor and the Donald H Jacobs Chair at 

Rutgers University in NJ USA. At Rutgers University 

he awarded the prestigious NSF CAREER Award 

for young scientists as well as the Sigma Xi 

Outstanding Young Investigator Award for the 

Mid Atlantic Region. Before Rutgers, he was a 

Royal Academy of Engineering Research Fellow 

at the University of Cambridge after completing 

his PhD in Electrical Engineering there. Prior to 

his PhD, he worked for Multi-Arc Incorporated 

(now Ion Bond) where he developed one of 

the first applications of ‘amorphous diamond’ 

thin films. His technological interests are in the 

synthesis and characterisation of novel carbon 

materials and their incorporation into devices for 

electrical, optical and mechanical applications. 

Fundamentally, he is interested in understanding 

the role of disorder in determining material 

properties. His research topics presently include 

investigation of the opto-electronic properties of 

graphene and carbon nanotubes, organic memory 

and photovoltaic devices, structural properties of 

boron carbide, nanostructuring in alumina/spinel 

nanocomposites, and deposition of carbide and 

nitride thin films. He has over 120 publications 

with over 4,500 citations on these topics. 

He has served on organising committees for 

numerous international conferences. Most 

recently, he organised Symposium L at the MRS 

Fall 2009 Meeting in Boston. The Symposium 

highlighted advances in solution processable 

electronics using carbon nanomaterials. Manish 

left the Department on 15 July 2010 returning to 

Rutgers University, NJ USA. 

Email: m.chhowalla@imperial.ac.uk 

www.imperial.ac.uk/people/m.chhowalla 

» Lecturer 


MA | DPhil 

Iain joined the Department in 2009, having spent 

the previous few years in southwest Germany, 

as a postdoc and Alexander von Humboldt 

Research Fellow at the Max Planck Institute for 

Metals Research in Stuttgart. He did his doctorate 

(DPhil) in the Department of Chemistry at Oxford 

University, graduating in 2005. Previously, he read 

Natural Sciences at the University of Cambridge, 

specialising in physics. 

Iain’s research uses nanotechnology and surface 

chemistry to address outstanding questions in 

cell biology. The focus is on preparing artificial 

cell culture environments that mimic the complex 

structures encountered by cells in vivo. These 

well-defined articicial niches enable fundamental 

investigations of cell signalling processes, and 

are also directed towards improving cell-based 

therapies based on ex vivo culture. This research 

builds on Iain’s scientific background in soft 

matter physics, which dates to his doctoral work 

on electrostatically charged polymers at the 

solid liquid interface. He also maintains a strong 

interest in characterisation methods for soft and 

biologically active interfaces, including mechanical 

measurements, X-ray/neutron reflectometry, and 

surface-sensitive infrared spectroscopy. 

Email: i.dunlop@imperial.ac.uk 

www.imperial.ac.uk/people/i.dunlop 

» Senior Lecturer 

» Exams Co-ordinator 

David joined the Department in 2003 from 

the National Research Council in Chalk River, 

Canada. His undergraduate degree and PhD were 

from Cambridge University, where he studied 

the weldability of nickel-base superalloys. 

Subsequently at Chalk River, he continued to work 

on welding in single crystal nickel superalloys, the 

transient measurement of stress around welds 

and the micromechanics of deformation in metals 

and alloys. He has been the recipient of the 2002 

and 2005 Marcus A Grossman Award of ASM 

International and the 2005 IOM 3 Grunfeld Medal 

and is 2009 Chair of Metallurgical Transactions B 

and the 2010 IOM 3 Harvey Flower Titanium Prize. 

His primary research focus is the use of 

synchrotron and neutron diffraction to understand 

micromechanics and materials processing, e.g., 

at ISIS, Diamond, Los Alamos, and the ESRF. 

David has collaborated extensively with industry, 

working with Rolls-Royce, Corus, BAE Systems, 

QinetiQ, Timet and DSTL. Current projects focus 

on the creep in nickel single superalloys, fatigue 

and processing of Ti-6Al-4V and Zircaloy-4, 

and the micromechanics of NiTi alloys in aeroengine 

applications, of the ‘super’ titanium alloy 

Gum metal and of TRIP/TWIP steels. He has 

also worked on the in situ observation of the 

electroreduction of oxides to metals in NiTi and Ti 

using synchrotron X-ray diffraction. 

Email: david.dye@imperial.ac.uk 

www.imperial.ac.uk/people/david.dye 

» Professor of Materials Theory and Simulation 

» Director of Thomas Young Centre 

Mike has over 35 years experience and 5000 

citations in the field of theory and simulation of 

materials. His main research interest is in what is 

sometimes referred to as multiscale modelling, 

exploring the links between electronic structure 

of materials, the positions and dynamics of their 

atoms and the evolution of microstructure. His 

joint appointment in January 2006, between 

the Departments of Physics and of Materials is 

appropriate to the nature of this research. He won 

the Born Medal in 2005 for contributions to the 

understanding of interatomic forces and making 

links between atomic scale modelling and the 

structure and thermodynamics of interfaces. 

Recent and current projects include: 

• Understanding the structures of grain 

boundaries and multilayers in oxides 

• Use of metadynamics and Wang-Landau theory 

in interface science, e.g., calculation of solidliquid 

interfacial free energy 

• Explaining the anomalous rates of diffusion 

observed in alumina 

• Understanding the hardening of Ni-based 

superalloys by impurities 

He is a reviewer for EPSRC and the Deutsche 

Forschungsgemeinschaft, a member of the 

Scientific Advisory Board of the MPI für 

Eisenforschung, Düsseldorf, and he served on the 

Physics subpanel for RAE 2008. He is a founder 

member and current Director of the Thomas Young 

Centre – London Centre for Materials Theory and 

Simulation. 

Email: m.finnis@imperial.ac.uk 

www.imperial.ac.uk/people/m.finnis 

90 Department of Materials Research in Progress 2009–10 www.imperial.ac.uk/materials www.imperial.ac.uk/materials Department of Materials Research in Progress 2009–10 91 

Dr David Dye 

MA | PhD 

* Joint with Physics 

Professor Mike W Finnis * 

BA | PhD | FInstP | CPhys

» Lecturer 

Dr Finn Giuliani * 

BEng | PhD 

Finn joined the Department in April 2009 as Joint 

Lecturer within the Structural Ceramics Centre, 

a position shared between the Department of 

Mechanical Engineering and the Department of 

Materials. Prior to this he worked at Linköping 

University, Sweden where he was an Assistant 

Professor following a postdoc. Finn received his 

PhD from the Department of Materials Science 

and Metallurgy, University of Cambridge and has 

a BEng in Materials Science and Engineering from 

the University of Bath. 

During his PhD, Finn worked on understanding 

and controlling small scale plasticity in 

multilayered ceramics coatings. Particular 

emphasis was placed on measuring and observing 

small scale plasticity at elevated temperatures. 

While in Sweden he concentrated on deformation 

of a group of nanolaminated ceramics known as 

MAX phases. These are a group of ternary nitrides 

and carbides, for examples Ti3SiC2, which combine 

ceramic and metallic properties. However, of 

particular interest is their ability to dissipate 

energy through reverse plasticity. This continues 

to be a topic of research. He also has interest in 

ternary nitride systems which offer the possibility 

of an age hardenable ceramic. These systems 

are of particular importance to the cutting tool 

industry. Finally, he has an interest in novel in situ 

mechanical testing regimes whether in TEM, SEM 

or synchrotron. 

Email: f.giuliani@imperial.ac.uk 

www.imperial.ac.uk/people/f.giuliani 

* Joint with Mechanical Engineering 


MEng | PhD 

» Royal Academy of Engineering/EPSRC Research 

Fellow 

» Departmental Careers Advisor 

» UG Placement Co-ordinator 

Christopher is a Royal Academy of Engineering 

and EPSRC Research Fellow. He joined the 

Department in 2008 from the University of 

Queensland where he was a postdoctoral research 

fellow in the Australian Research Council’s Centre 

of Excellence for Design in Light Metals. He 

obtained his MEng degree in Metallurgy and the 

Science of Materials from the University of Oxford, 

and his PhD from the University of Queensland. 

He received the 2009 IOM 3 Frank Fitzgerald Medal 

and the 2010 IOM 3 Silver Medal. 

His research interests are in the solidification 

processing of alloys. One research theme 

focuses on the rheology of partially-solid Al- 

and Mg-based alloys, including determining 

the micromechanisms of deformation using 

time-resolved synchrotron X-ray radiography 

and understanding the role of granular strain 

localisation in casting defect formation. A second 

theme is on Pb-free solders, which combines 

research on eutectic solidification and solder 

reactions in the Sn-Cu-Ni system. Both themes 

involve collaborations with industry including 

Hydro Aluminium and Nihon Superior. 

Email: c.gourlay@imperial.ac.uk 

www.imperial.ac.uk/people/c.gourlay 


BSc | PhD | FInstP | FIMMM | 

Fellow ACerS | CEng | CSci 

» Professor of Materials Physics 

» Director of Centre for Nuclear Engineering 

Robin joined the Department in 1995 as 

Governors’ Lecturer. Prior to this he was Assistant 

Director of the Davy Faraday Research Laboratory 

at the Royal Institution. He spent the year 2000 

at Los Alamos National Laboratory as Bernd T 

Matthias Scholar. In 2002 he was appointed the 

Professor of Materials Physics and was awarded 

the 2002 IOM 3 Rosenhain Medal and 2010 IOM 3 

Griffith Medal and Prize. Since 1984 he has 

authored over 170 peer-reviewed publications. 

He is presently on the editorial boards of Journal 

of Materials Science and Journal of Nuclear 

Materials. 

His primary research interest is the application 

and development of computer simulation 

techniques to predict structural and dynamic 

properties of inorganic materials. Topics of 

particular interest include radiation damage, 

nuclear fuels and waste form behaviour, ionic 

conductivity and defect processes for fuel cell 

materials, surface structural processes and 

interfaces between glass and ceramic. He is 

Principle Investigator of the Research Councils 

£6.5 million multi-university initiative ‘Keeping the 

Nuclear Option Open’. 

Email: r.grimes@imperial.ac.uk 

www.imperial.ac.uk/people/r.grimes 


» Lecturer 

Dr Alison C Harrison 

MSci | MA | PhD 

Alison joined the Department in August 2007. She 

studied for her undergraduate and PhD degrees 

at the Department of Materials Science and 

Metallurgy at the University of Cambridge. After 

her PhD, she was awarded a research fellowship 

at the University of Cambridge and then continued 

with her research as a University Lecturer. 

Alison’s research interests lie in the field of novel 

electron microscopy and she has worked on 

developing the techniques of electron holography 

and tomography in the transmission electron 

microscope for the examination of threedimensional 

electrostatic fields in nanoscale 

device structures. Her work also includes 

the development of in situ methods for the 

characterisation of electrostatic and magnetic 

device structures with nanometre resolution 

in both transmission and scanning electron 

microscopes. 

Email: a.harrison@imperial.ac.uk 

www.imperial.ac.uk/people/a.harrison

Dr Peter D Haynes * 

MA | PhD | FInstP | CPhys 

» Reader in Materials and Physics 

» Royal Society University Research Fellow 

» PG Admissions Tutor 

Peter joined the Department in June 2007 

following eight years as a research fellow at 

Cambridge. He is a computational physicist by 

training, having graduated in physics in 1995 and 

obtained his PhD from the Theory of Condensed 

Matter group at the Cavendish Laboratory in 1998. 

His appointment as a Reader was made jointly by 

the Departments of Materials and Physics as part 

of the initiative to establish the Thomas Young 

Centre for Materials Theory and Simulation. He 

also holds a University Research Fellowship from 

the Royal Society. 

Peter’s expertise lies in the application and 

development of atomistic simulation methods 

and in particular those that solve the quantummechanical 

equations governing the behaviour of 

electrons in materials from first principles. He is 

one of the authors of the ONETEP code which was 

adopted by Accelrys Incorporated as the flagship 

product of their Nanotechnology Consortium and 

released as a standalone commercial product 

in 2008, with licenses now held by over 200 

organisations worldwide. He was awarded the 

2010 Institute of Physics Maxwell Medal and Prize 

for his work on linear-scaling methods for largescale 

first-principles simulation of materials. 

Email: p.haynes@imperial.ac.uk 

www.imperial.ac.uk/people/p.haynes 

» Senior Lecturer * 


BSc | PhD | DIC 

» Deputy UG Admissions Tutor 

Sandrine joined the Department in January 2007 

as a Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Fellow and 

lecturer designate. She obtained her first degree 

in Chemistry from the University of Liege, Belgium 

(1998) and her PhD from Imperial College London 

(2002). During the course of her PhD, Sandrine 

was awarded a Marie Curie training site fellowship 

at TU-Chemnitz, Germany, working in the group 

of Professor Zahn. She subsequently spent two 

years as a postdoctoral research fellow working on 

molecular photovoltaic cells at Imperial. She then 

moved to the Department of Physics and London 

Centre for Nanotechnology at University College 

London in 2004 to start her Fellowship, entitled 

Molecular magnetic biosensors. She was awarded 

the 2008 IOM 3 Silver Medal for outstanding 

achievement in materials science by a younger 

researcher and the promotion of the subject on 

the international scale. 

Sandrine’s research is focused mainly 

on molecular thin films with interesting 

optoelectronic and magnetic applications. In 

particular, she is interested in exploiting the 

electron spins in organometallic crystals and 

in investigating how these can be manipulated 

to form the basis of new types of molecular 

spintronic devices. The use of molecular thin films 

as interfaces for biological sensing is also being 

investigated. Her research activities involve film 

growth (mainly centred on sublimation methods), 

with a strong emphasis on morphology and 

structure (AFM, TEM, SEM, XRD), photophysics 

and magnetometry (SQUID). 

Email: s.heutz@imperial.ac.uk 

www.imperial.ac.uk/people/s.heutz 

* Joint with Physics * From 1 October 2010 * From 1 October 2010 


BA | MS | PhD | CPhys | MInstP 

» Senior Lecturer * (RCUK Academic Fellowship) 

Andrew Horsfield the Department in 2007 as an 

RCUK Fellow. He is now a Senior lecturer and an 

honorary Research Fellow at the London Centre 

for Nanotechnology. His research interests 

include atomistic simulations of defects in 

iron, the solidification of Al, nanowire chemical 

sensors, olfaction in humans, plasmonics and 

photovoltaics. Previous to this he was the 

Senior Research Fellow in charge of the theory 

core project for the IRC in Nanotechnology at 

UCL where he developed a novel scheme for 

non-adiabatic molecular dynamics (Correlated 

Electron-Ion Dynamics). His interest in the 

interface between biology and physics was made 

possible by a Career Development Fellowship 

from the Institute of Physics which he received 

while working for the Fujitsu European Centre for 

Information Technology. His interest in efficient 

electronic structure methods and the development 

of two electronic structure codes (Plato and 

OXON) occurred while working in the Department 

of Materials at Oxford University with Professor 

David Pettifor and Professor Adrian Sutton. This 

built on his experience with tight binding while 

studying liquid silicon with Professor Paulette 

Clancy at Cornell University as a PDRA and Junior 

Lecturer. He obtained his MSc and PhD in physics 

at Cornell University with Professor Neil Ashcroft. 

His first-class BA in physics was obtained from 

Oxford University. He is the schools liaison for the 

Department. 

Email: a.horsfield@imperial.ac.uk 

www.imperial.ac.uk/people/a.horsfield 


MEng (Oxon) | PhD | 

FIMMM | DIC 


» UG Biomaterials Co-ordinator 

» Biomaterials MSc Co-ordinator 

Julian was appointed Senior Lecturer in 2009, 

having been made a Lecturer in May 2009 while 

on a Royal Academy of Engineering and EPSRC 

Research Fellowship, which was awarded in 

2004. Prior to this he held a two year Lloyds 

Tercentenary Foundation Fellowship, having 

completed his PhD in the Department in 2002, 

following an MEng in Metallurgy and the Science 

of Materials from Oxford in 1999. His research 

interests are in biomaterials for regenerative 

medicine. His work on process development of 

foamed gel-derived bioactive glass (the first 3D 

porous scaffold made from bioactive glass) has 

produced scaffolds suitable for tissue engineering 

applications with hierarchical structures similar to 

that of trabecular bone. 

In 2010 he was awarded the Robert L Coble Award 

for Young Scholars by the American Ceramics 

Society and in 2007 he was awarded a prestigious 

Philip Leverhulme Prize for engineering. In 

2004 he was awarded the IOM 3 Silver Medal for 

outstanding achievement in materials science 

by a younger researcher and the promotion of 

the subject on the international scale. He also 

received the 2008 Young Investigator Award 

from the Tissue and Cell Engineering Society. 

In 2009 he was a recipient of a Rector’s Award 

for Research Supervision. His main research 

aim is the development of an ideal scaffold for 

tissue engineering applications using porous 

bioactive glasses and inorganic/organic hybrid 

nansoscale composites using the sol-gel process. 

The scaffolds are being optimised from a macro 

to an atomic scale with respect to cell response. 

Novel techniques for 3D pore networks are being 

developed with Professor Peter Lee’s team, 

by applying computer algorithms to 3D X-ray 

microtomography images. Cell response work is 

carried in the dedicated cell culture labs in the 

Department of Materials. Advanced cell biology 

and molecular biology is done by working closely 

with Professor Molly M Stevens’ group. Julian has 

close links with surgeons at St Mary’s Hospital 

(Imperial College Medical School). 

Email: julian.r.jones@imperial.ac.uk 

www.imperial.ac.uk/people/julian.r.jones 

94 Department of Materials Research in Progress 2009–10 www.imperial.ac.uk/materials www.imperial.ac.uk/materials Department of Materials Research in Progress 2009–10 95

Professor Norbert Klein 

Professor | Dr habil rer nat | 

Dipl Phys 

» Chair in Electromagnetic Nanomaterials 

Norbert received his Diploma and PhD in Physics 

from University of Wuppertal in Germany. In 

1990, he joined Juelich Research Center in 

Germany and worked there as division leader 

for electromagnetic sensors till September 

2009. From 1998 until 2009, Norbert was a 

lecturer for Physics at the Technical University of 

Aachen (Habilitation) and Technical University of 

Dortmund in Germany. 

Norbert’s main scientific activities are in the area 

of electromagnetic material characterisation, in 

particular superconductors and dielectrics. He 

developed various resonator techniques for the 

microwave-to-terahertz frequency range. Beyond 

materials science he has developed microwave 

filters and oscillators for mobile communication 

and holds several patents in this area. He has 

been involved in superconductor Josephson 

devices and terahertz spectroscopy and more 

recently, he has developed microwave sensors 

for hand luggage screening and has spun out a 

company engaged in the security branch. 

In October 2009, Norbert joined the Department 

as Chair in Electromagnetic Nanomaterials. His 

main emphasis is to develop advanced microwave 

– to – terahertz sensing techniques to explore 

advanced materials on the nanoscale. His work 

is linked with the Materials Team at the National 

Physical Laboratory where he holds a part-time 

research fellow position. He is co-heading the 

thin film team together with Professor Neil McN 

Alford and is currently establishing a Centre for 

Electromagnetic Material Characterisation with 

strong emphasis on the terahertz frequency range. 

This work is in collaboration with the Centre for 

Plasmonics and Metamaterials and the Institute of 

Security Science and Technology. 

Email: n.klein@imperial.ac.uk 

www.imperial.ac.uk/people/n.klein 


PhD | FIMMM | FlnstP | FCGI | 

CPhys | CEng 

» BCH Steele Chair in Energy Materials 

John is the BCH Steele Chair in Energy Materials, 

former head of the Department of Materials 

and former Dean of the Royal School of Mines. 

He has been involved in research into ionic and 

mixed conducting ceramics for 30 years and has 

published over 300 papers in this and related 

fields of Materials Science. He is European Editor 

for the Journal Solid State Ionics, holder of a 

number of patents relating to fuel cells and gas 

separation devices and co-founder of a successful 

spinout company Ceres Power Limited. 

John is primarily interested in the exchange and 

diffusion of oxygen in oxide ceramic materials for 

applications in devices such as fuel cells, oxygen 

separators and sensors and has been instrumental 

in the development of isotopic exchange-SIMS 

techniques to study these phenomena. Much 

of his work is centred upon development of 

the Intermediate Temperature Solid Oxide Fuel 

Cell and improved understanding of surface 

and interfacial phenomena is crucial for further 

development of this device. He has a continuing 

interest in the use of ion beam techniques, such 

as SIMS and LEIS for the surface characterization 

of oxide ceramic materials. 

Email: j.kilner@imperial.ac.uk 

www.imperial.ac.uk/people/j.kilner 


BASc | MASc | DPhil (Oxon) | 

FIMMM | FICME | CSci 

» Professor of Materials Science 

» Director of Postgraduate Studies 

Peter joined the Department in 1994 after 

completing his DPhil at Oxford University on 

the solidification of aluminium. Prior to this, he 

was a Research Scientist at Alcan International’s 

Kingston R&D Laboratory, where he helped 

establish their Modelling of Shape Castings 

Programme, both developing analysis software 

and applying it to the design of many automotive 

castings. He is a member of the Institute of Cast 

Metals Engineers, ASM International and TMS. He 

holds a BSc in Engineering Science and MSc in 

Materials from the University of Toronto, with his 

undergraduate and master’s thesis focusing on 

the simulation of ferrous metallurgical processes. 

Peter’s current research focuses on improving our 

understanding of microstructural development 

during the processing of materials through 

the physical and computational simulation of 

microstructures. In-house developed models 

of the formation of solidification structures are 

coupled into microstructure-explicit constitutive 

equations of materials behaviour forming 

multiscale through-process models to predict the 

final properties of components. Experimentally, 

his work focuses on developing in situ techniques 

to quantify the morphological changes and 

kinetics during phase changes at the mesoscale, 

in particular using X-ray radiography and microtomography 

(XMT). Applications include light 

metals for transport applications and biomaterials 

for tissue scaffolds. 

Email: p.d.lee@imperial.ac.uk 

www.imperial.ac.uk/people/p.d.lee 

Professor Bill Lee* 

BSc | DPhil (Oxon) | Fellow 

ACerS | FIMMM | FCGI | CSci | 

CEng 

» Professor of Ceramic Engineering 

» Head, Department of Materials 

» Director of Centre for Advanced Structural 

Ceramics (CASC) 

Bill joined the Department in January 2006. 

After graduating in Physical Metallurgy from 

Aston University he gained a DPhil from Oxford 

University on radiation damage in sapphire, 

was a postdoc at Oxford and Case Western 

Reserve Universities, Assistant Professor at 

Ohio State University USA, before becoming 

lecturer in ceramics at the University of 

Sheffield in 1989. While at Sheffield he was 

Manager of the Sorby Centre for Electron 

Microscopy and Director of the BNFL University 

Research Alliance the Immobilisation Science 

Laboratory. Bill studies the relation between 

processing, properties and microstructures in 

a broad range of ceramics and has supervised 

45 students to completion of their PhDs. 

Bill has authored four books (Ceramic 

Microstructures Property Control by Processing, 

with Professor WM Rainforth and An Introduction 

to Nuclear Waste Immobilisation, New 

Developments in Glassy Nuclear Wasteforms and 

Crystalline Materials for Actinide Immobilisation, 

all with Dr M Ojovan) and has published over 350 

peer-reviewed papers and eight book chapters. He 

has also been awarded research grants totalling 

over £40 million, including a recent EPSRC S&I 

Award valued at £5.5 million to host the Centre for 

Advanced Structural Ceramics here at Imperial. 

His research interests include: radwaste and 

radiation damage; silicates, clays and clay-based 

ceramics; crystallisation and glass ceramics; 

electron microscopy and microstructures; 

structural ceramics and ceramic matrix 

composites; high temperature refractory 

composites and ceramics in environmental 

cleanup. Prizes include the Rosenhain Medal 

(1999) and Pfeil Award (2000) of the IOM 3 and 

the Wakabayashi Prize (2004) of the Refractories 

Society of Japan. He is a fellow of IOM 3 , ACerS and 

the City and Guilds Institute and was elected to 

the Board of Directors of The American Ceramic 

Society in 2010. 


Bill is a Deputy Chair of the Government advisory 

Committee on Radioactive Waste Management 

(CoRWM), and a member of: The Leverhulme Trust 

Panel of Advisors, the IOM 3 Prize Awards Panel, 

The Morgan Technical Ceramics International 

Advisory Panel and the International Board of 

the Materials Research Society Symposia on the 

Scientific Basis of Nuclear Waste Management. In 

addition, he is an IAEA Technical Expert. 

Email: w.e.lee@imperial.ac.uk 

www.imperial.ac.uk/people/w.e.lee 

* Bill Lee was Head of the Department of Materials until 31 July 2010 

» Professor of Nanomaterials 

Professor David W McComb * 

BSc | PhD | FIMMM | FRSC | 

CChem | CPhys 

David joined the Department in 2003, becoming 

Professor in 2007. After gaining a BSc in Chemistry 

from the University of Glasgow, he graduated with 

a PhD in Physics from Cambridge University in 

1990. He then held research posts in Cambridge 

and in Canada, before returning to the University 

of Glasgow in 1996. As a former co-director David 

plays an active role in the London Centre for 

Nanotechnology. 

David leads a multidisciplinary programme of 

research focused on improving understanding of 

the relationship between structure, properties 

and applications of advanced structural and 

functional materials. This knowledge is facilitating 

development of novel nanostructured materials 

for advanced applications. 

He has established an internationally-leading 

research programme based on two major themes: 

• synthesis and structure-property relationships 

in three-dimensionally ordered macroporous 

materials 

• application of nano-analytical techniques 

for investigation of chemistry, structure and 

bonding in nanostructured materials 

He is also developing 3D ordered macroporous 

materials with particular emphasis on the 

total-synthesis of thin film photonic crystals for 

optoelectronic applications via directed selfassembly 

techniques. Thin-film photonic crystals 

with potential applications in sensor technology, 

catalysis and environmental clean-up operations 

in addition to optoelectronic applications in 

materials have been fabricated from materials 

such as Cu, TiO2, Fe2O3, BaTiO3, Pb(Zr,Ti)O3. He is 

former Chairman of the IoP Electron Microscopy 

and Analysis Group and a member of the council 

of the Royal Microscopical Society. 

Email: d.mccomb@imperial.ac.uk 

www.imperial.ac.uk/people/d.mccomb 

* David became Director of Research and Deputy Head of the 

Department of Materials on 1 August 2010 


BSc (Hons) | PhD 

» Royal Academy of Engineering/EPSRC Research 

Fellow 

Martyn was awarded a Royal Academy of 

Engineering/EPSRC research fellowship in July 

2007 after spending a spell in the Department 

as a Research Associate. During this time he 

worked on several projects focused on the micro 

and macrostructural characterisation of novel 

macroporous solids. Before commencing his 

postgraduate studies Martyn graduated with a 

BSc (First Class Honours) degree in Chemistry 

from the University of Paisley (2001). During his 

studies he was twice awarded the University Court 

Medal for outstanding academic achievement 

(highest aggregate mark in all BSc degree awards) 

and in his final year the Ivan S Allen Medal as the 

best student in the science faculty. He obtained 

his PhD (Department of Chemistry) from the 

University of Glasgow in 2005. 

His research is directed towards synthesis and 

characterisation of three-dimensionally ordered 

macroporous solids (3DOM) and the development 

of synthetic methods for the formation of these 

materials. 

Current projects include: 

• formation of structured nanocomposite thin 

films for photovoltaic applications 

• development of porous metal oxide thin films 

for photonic applications 

• formation of nanostructured films as chemical 

sensors 

Email: martyn.mclachlan@imperial.ac.uk 

www.imperial.ac.uk/people/martyn.mclachlan 


BSc | PGCE | PhD 

» Reader * in Surface Analysis, PG Tutor 

David joined the Department from Warwick 

University in 1989. He has a BSc in Physics 

from Bristol University, a PGCE from the London 

Institute of Education and a PhD in Materials 

from Imperial College London. After his PhD he 

undertook research posts at Imperial and the 

City of London Polytechnic before taking up 

a lectureship in the Department of Physics at 

Warwick University. For six months in 2009 David 

was a visiting Professor in the Department of 

Physics at the National University of Singapore. 

David’s research in concerned with the 

characterisation of materials using surface 

analysis techniques, especially Secondary Ion 

Mass Spectrometry (SIMS). His aim is to apply 

SIMS to as many different materials types as 

possible exploiting the very high resolution 

and sensitivity of the technique. Recent 

investigations include nanomaterials, electrical 

ceramics, biomaterials, glass, aerospace alloys, 

museum materials and micrometeorites. He is 

also interested in instrumental development 

and has secured funding through HEFCE for a 

focused ion beam (FIB) SIMS instrument, and 

a White Light Interferometer. More recently 

he has secured funding to up-grade the SIMS 

depth profiling instrument by retrofitting a 

low energy ion column. In 2009 he received 

a grant for £2.3 million from EPSRC for a new 

combined TOF SIMS – LEIS instrument. He has 

also received a British Council PMI2 grant (2008) 

to facilitate collaboration with the National 

University of Singapore on a program concerned 

with optimisation of ion yields for the study of 

nanomaterials. David has nearly 150 publications 

in press and recently received an award for the 

best paper at EMAS 2007, a paper on FIB SIMS. 

He is on the International Committee of the 

SIMS conference series and gave an invited talk 

on FIB SIMS at SIMS 17 (Toronto) in September 

2009 as well as an invited talk at ISMAS 2009 

(Hyderabad – November 2009). In addition to 

his interest in surface analysis, he is interested 

in educational research and has received four 

small grants to facilitate work on transferable 

skills, international students and student 

exchanges. He has several publications in the 

educational literature and has given four invited 

talks in this area, most recently at ICMAT 2009. 


David was elected to the Council of the Institute of 

Physics (IoP) in 2010. He is currently the Chairman 

of the IoP Materials and Characterisation group 

and he is also on the advisory panel of the UK 

Centre for Materials Education. 

Email: d.mcphail@imperial.ac.uk 

www.imperial.ac.uk/people/d.mcphail 

* From 1 October 2010 

Dr Arash A Mostofi* 

MA | MSci | PhD (Cantab) | 

CPhys | MInstP 

» Senior Lecturer ** (RCUK Academic Fellowship) 

Arash is a Lecturer and RCUK Fellow, a position 

held jointly between the Departments of 

Physics and Materials. He holds a first class 

undergraduate degree in Natural Sciences and 

a PhD in Condensed Matter Theory, both from 

the University of Cambridge. Before joining 

Imperial College London Arash held a prestigious 

Junior Research Fellowship at Christ’s College, 

Cambridge, and was Research Associate in the 

Department of Materials Science and Engineering 

at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 

His research is dedicated to the development 

and application of first-principles modelling tools 

for the theory and simulation of materials. He is 

one of the key developers of a new linear-scaling 

approach for performing quantum-mechanical 

simulations within density-functional theory, work 

that has resulted in a computer program (ONETEP, 

www.onetep.org) that is able to access systemsizes 

an order of magnitude larger previously 

possible with conventional approaches. He has 

also worked on novel approaches for constructing 

model Hamiltonians based on first-principles 

calculations using Wannier functions as an 

optimally compact basis (www.wannier.org). 

His work brings to bear the predictive power 

of first-principles quantum mechanics to more 

realistic systems that have been out of reach thus 

far. His current interests include: the electronic 

structure, optical properties and thermodynamics 

of semiconducting nanowires for energy 

applications; electrical and optical properties of 

DNA strands; and the mechanical properties of 

biomaterials such as amyloid fibrils. 

Arash is also the Warden of Wilkinson Hall of 

Residence and is a recipient of the Rector’s Award 

for Excellence in Pastoral Care (2009). 

Email: a.mostofi@imperial.ac.uk 

www.imperial.ac.uk/people/a.mostofi 

* Joint with Physics ** From 1 October 2010 

» Lecturer 

» Third Year Co-ordinator 


MEng | MSc | PhD 

Alexandra holds an MEng from Oxford University 

(Materials Science), MSc from Imperial College 

London in Biomedical Engineering and a PhD from 

Cambridge University in Biomedical Materials. 

Since completing her PhD she has worked as a 

postdoctoral research fellow at the Lawrence 

Berkeley National Laboratory (USA) and The 

Nanoscience Centre Cambridge in Professor Mark 

Welland’s Group. 

Alexandra’s research uses high resolution electron 

microscopy to visualise interactions between 

cells and bio- or nano-materials. Her current 

interest is to develop novel methodologies to 

image nanoparticles within cellular compartments 

using novel TEM techniques such as 3D electron 

tomography and energy-filtered TEM. The overall 

goal of this work is to understand the impact 

of synthetic nanoparticles on human health 

and the environment. She is also involved in 

applying these techniques to characterise 

interfaces between tissues and biomaterials 

(e.g., hydroxyapatite) at high resolution and to 

understand ageing and disease of human tissues 

(e.g., Osteoporosis and Alzheimer’s Disease). 

Alexandra held the Oppenheimer Research 

fellowship for physical sciences at Cambridge 

University and a Junior Research Fellowship at 

Newhall College, Cambridge. 

Email: a.porter@imperial.ac.uk 

www.imperial.ac.uk/people/a.porter 


PhD (Chinese Academy of 

Sciences) 

» Senior Lecturer in Steel Processing 

» Corus/RAEng Senior Research Fellow 

Rongshan Qin joined the Department in November 

2009 from Pohang University of Science and 

Technology (POSTECH) at South Korea where 

he held a Full Research Professorship in 

Computational Metallurgy. After graduating with 

PhD from the Institute of Metal Research at the 

Chinese Academy of Sciences he continued his 

research on electropulsing-metals in the Institute 

before moving to the UK in 1999. He carried 

out postdoctoral work at Brunel University and 

Cambridge University in alloy processing before 

moving to Daresbury Laboratory as a Senior 

Scientific Officer in 2003. There he developed the 

open-source software DL_MESO for simulation of 

complex fluids. He moved to POSTECH for focusing 

on teaching and research in steels in 2006. 

His current research topics include materials 

behaviour in electric and magnetic fields, 

high temperature reaction fluids, synthesis of 

microstructure, mathematic modelling, large scale 

computation and visualisation. He holds a Tata 

Steel and Royal Academy of Engineering Senior 

Research Fellowship, Guest Professorship of 

Wuhan University of Science and Technology, and 

membership of the Editorial Board of Materials 

Science and Technology. 

Email: r.qin@imperial.ac.uk 

www.imperial.ac.uk/people/r.qin 



MA | DPhil (Oxon) | FRSC | 

CChem 

» Reader in Nanomaterials Electrochemistry 

» Director of Undergraduate Studies 

Jason joined the Department in October 2006 from 

the School of Chemistry at the University of Bristol 

where, for almost a decade, he had investigated 

the formation and assembly of nanoparticles on 

electrode surfaces via a bottom-up approach to 

nanoparticle modified electrodes. Prior to his 

appointment as a lecturer at Bristol he worked 

as a postdoc at the University of Bath. Here 

he undertook investigations on formation and 

characterisation of porous silicon, a nanoparticle 

modified electrode prepared by a top-down 

approach. Jason was awarded a MA and DPhil 

from Oriel College, University of Oxford. 

Jason’s research activity concerns the 

preparation, characterisation and applications of 

nanomaterials. Colloid chemistry and templated 

deposition are employed to obtain materials of 

defined dimension. The as-prepared particles 

are characterised and then deposited on 

substrates to yield surface coatings with well 

defined architecture. The electrochemistry and 

photoelectrochemistry of electrodes modified 

using such techniques are investigated. The 

research activity in Jason’s group is supported 

by both Research Councils and industrial awards 

from e.g., Hewlett Packard. 

Email: jason.riley@imperial.ac.uk 

www.imperial.ac.uk/people/jason.riley 


BSc | MSc | PhD 

» Reader in Materials Science and Nanotechnology 

» Second Year Co-ordinator 

Mary joined the Department in 1998 having spent 

three years at Brookhaven National Laboratory 

in the US, first as a postdoctoral researcher and 

then as staff scientist in the Materials Division. 

Her doctoral work at the University of Manchester 

was on the use of in situ atomic resolution 

electrochemical STM to study the formation of 

ultra-thin surface oxides on base metals, showing 

for the first time that these surfaces are crystalline 

phases. At Brookhaven she continued to develop 

the use of in situ techniques in electrochemical 

systems, this time with synchrotron radiation, 

both absorption and scattering based techniques. 

Mary’s current research is in the area of applied 

electrochemistry with a focus on deposition 

of novel nanostructures and the study of selfforming 

nanocrystalline oxides; as well as 

degradation and stability issues in nanomaterials. 

She is a member of the International Society 

of Electrochemistry, the Electrochemical 

Society and the UK Institute of Corrosion. 

Email: m.p.ryan@imperial.ac.uk 

www.imperial.ac.uk/people/m.p.ryan 


Gutierrez 

» Professor in Structural Ceramics 

Eduardo joined the Department in October 

2009. He received his MsC from the Universidad 

de Cantabria (Spain) and his PhD from the 

Universidad Autonoma de Madrid in 1992. His 

PhD project was carried out at the Instituto de 

Cerámica y Vidrio – CSIC. There he worked in 

the development of ceramic superconducting 

thick films. In 1992 he joined Lawrence Berkeley 

National Laboratory (USA) with a Fulbright 

fellowship and remained there as a staff scientist 

in the Materials Science Division until 2009. He 

was also an adjunct professor at the University of 

California in San Francisco and an Invited Scientist 

at the University of Mons in Belgium. 

Eduardo has authored more than 100 publications 

and holds several US patents. His research 

interests include high temperature interfacial 

phenomena and spreading, the development 

of new ceramic-based composites, in particular 

hierarchical composites with bio-inspired 

architectures, the study of adhesion between 

dissimilar materials, and the development of new 

materials to support bone tissue engineering. 

Email: e.saiz@imperial.ac.uk 

www.imperial.ac.uk/people/e.saiz 


» First Year Co-ordinator 

» MEng Aerospace Materials Co-ordinator 

Barbara joined the Department in 1991 from 

Oxford University, where she was both a Rolls- 

Royce Junior Research Fellow and Rolls-Royce 

Research Fellow. Prior to completing her DPhil 

in Oxford, she worked at AT&T Bell Laboratories 

while studying for her MSc in Materials Science 

and Engineering from Lehigh University where she 

also received her BSc degree. The relationship 

between the microstructure, processing and 

properties of metals has been a unifying theme 

in her research. Focusing on the early stages 

of phase transformations, mainly in metallic 

alloys. She studies nanoscale precipitation 

reactions using a range of techniques such as 

conventional and high resolution transmission 

electron microscopy and field ion microscopy/ 

atom probe analysis. These techniques have been 

applied to a range of alloys including commercial 

and rapidly quenched aluminium alloys, titanium 

alloys and nickel base superalloys. Apart from 

studying the physical metallurgy of these alloys, 

Barbara also investigates the micro-mechanisms 

of deformation in them using a range of electron 

microscopy based techniques. At present, 

Barbara is extending her research by applying her 

knowledge to oxidation of nickel base superalloys 

to elucidate the mechanisms for the formation of 

thermally grown oxides. She has been awarded 

an Imperial Elsie Widdowson Fellowship and has 

also held a TFR Visiting Professorship in Lulea, 

Sweden. 

Email: b.shollock@imperial.ac.uk 

www.imperial.ac.uk/people/b.shollock 


MsC | PhD 


BSc | MSc | DPhil 

(Oxon)


» UG Admissions Tutor 


BSc | PhD | FRSC | FIMMM | 

FHEA | CSci | CChem 

Stephen joined the Department in 1998 and was 

promoted to Senior Lecturer in 2006. His research 

focuses on the development of new materials for 

energy technologies and is primarily concerned 

with the chemical and physical properties of 

solid oxide fuel cell electrolytes and electrodes, 

including investigation of interstitial oxides and 

proton conducting oxides. His work encompasses 

both the electrical and structural characteristion 

of materials. 

He has extensive experience of in situ high 

temperature characterisation techniques, 

combining X-ray, neutron and synchrotron 

scattering and spectroscopy, and is currently 

developing, with colleagues at neutron 

scattering facilities, sample environments to 

enable combined conductivity and structural 

measurements of new materials. Stephen 

is particularly interested in relating the 

structural characteristics of materials to their 

electrochemical properties. He has collaborated 

extensively throughout Europe, Canada and 

Japan on new materials advances and continues 

to develop links with research groups worldwide. 

He was a visiting professor at the Universite du 

Maine, Le Mans, in 2004 and is currently a Royal 

Society of Chemistry visiting professor to China. 

Further areas of interest include the development 

of high temperature electrolysers, solid state 

electrochemical sensors and thermal barrier 

coatings. He is deputy them leader for the Energy 

Futures Laboratory Fuel Cell Network. 

Email: s.skinner@imperial.ac.uk 

www.imperial.ac.uk/people/s.skinner 

» Lecturer 

Prior to her post in the Department, Yeong-Ah 

was an associate professor at Dartmouth College 

and had been a research fellow at University 

College London and a scientist at NEC Research 

Laboratory, USA. She obtained a BS in physics 

from Seoul National University, MS in physics 

from University of Maryland, College Park, and 

MS and PhD in applied physics from Cornell 

University. During her studies at the University 

of Maryland, she received the Ralph D Myers 

Award for Graduate Studies for outstanding 

academic achievement. In 2007, she was selected 

as a Scholarly Resident at Bellagio Study and 

Conference Centre, Rockefeller Foundation. 

Her current research focuses on mesoscopic 

phenomena in magnetic systems to exploit new 

materials or spin-based devices, with the goal 

of uncovering new physics while simultaneously 

laying the foundation for new devices exploiting the 

electron spin. Her research area ranges from lowdimensional 

electronic systems in GaAs/AlGaAs 

heterostructures, low-dimensional magnets, DX 

centres in semiconductors, transition metal oxides, 

quantum criticality, to magnetic memory. She 

specialises in nanofabrication, scanning probe 

microscopy, electrical, magnetic, and structural 

measurements including X-ray microdiffraction. 

Her work on magnetic oxides (Journal of Applied 

Physics 2002, Nature 2002, Science 2007; featured 

in Physics Today and MRS Bulletin) is an example 

where combining different techniques was essential 

to understanding grain boundary magnetism and 

electronic phase separation. Her recent studies on 

chromium films (Nature 2008; featured in Materials 

Today) represents a continuation of her work on 

quantum effects in chromium and its alloys (Nature 

2002; featured in Physics World) and opens up 

a possibility of exploiting antiferromagnets in 

spintronics, where the electron spin rather than the 

charge is exploited for data storage and processing. 

Email: ya.soh@imperial.ac.uk 


BS | MS | PhD 

Professor Molly M Stevens * 

BPharm | PhD | MRPharmS | 

FIMMM 

» Professor of Biomedical Materials and 

Regenerative Medicine 

Molly joined in 2004 after a period as Postdoctoral 

Associate in tissue engineering with Professor 

Robert Langer at MIT. She graduated from Bath 

University in Pharmaceutical Sciences and 

obtained a PhD in biophysical investigations of 

specific biomolecular interactions and single 

biomolecule mechanics from the University 

of Nottingham (2000). Awards include the 

prestigious Conference Science Medal from the 

Royal Pharmaceutical Society (2006), the Tissue 

and Cell Engineering Society Young Investigator 

Award (2006), the Philip Leverhulme Prize for 

Engineering (2005), the Ronald Belcher Memorial 

Lecture Award from the Royal Society of Chemistry 

(2000) and both the Janssen Prize and the UpJohn 

Prize for academic excellence and research. She 

has also recently been recognised by the TR100, 

a compilation of the top innovators, under the 

age of 35, who are transforming technology 

– and the world with their work. Research in 

regenerative medicine includes the directed 

differentiation of stem cells, the design of novel 

bioactive scaffolds and new approaches towards 

tissue regeneration. She has developed novel 

approaches to tissue engineering that have 

led to moves to commercialise the technology 

and set-up a clinical trial for bone regeneration 

in humans. She is the co-founder and Chief 

Scientific Officer of Bioceramic Therapeutics, a 

spin-out company launched in February 2007 to 

develop nanostructured materials and bioactive 

ceramics for bone and cartilage regeneration 

(www.bioceramictherapeutics.com). In the field 

of nanotechnology, current research efforts are in 

exploiting specific biomolecular recognition and 

self-assembly mechanisms to create new dynamic 

nano-materials, biosensors and drug delivery 

systems. 

Email: m.stevens@imperial.ac.uk 

www.imperial.ac.uk/people/m.stevens 

* Joint with Institute of Biomedical Engineering 

» Senior Lecturer * 

» Postdoctoral Staff Mentor 


Natalie Stingelin (-Stutzmann) studied Materials 

Science and Engineering in the Department 

of Materials at the Swiss Federal Institute of 

Technology in Zürich (ETHZ), Switzerland. She 

obtained the degree of Engineer in Materials 

Science in 1997, and in 2001 completed her 

doctoral studies in the Polymer Technology Group, 

for which she was awarded the ETH Medal. 

From 2001 to 2003, she was a postdoctoral fellow 

in the Cavendish Laboratory at the University of 

Cambridge, supported by a grant from the Swiss 

National Science Foundation; and in the period of 

2003 to 2005 she conducted research on organic 

field-effect transistors at the Philips Research 

Laboratories, Eindhoven, The Netherlands, funded 

by the Swiss Federal Office for Education and 

Science. From 2005 to 2008, Natalie Stingelin built 

up her own group, first in the position of Research 

Fellow, then Lecturer of Materials at Queen Mary, 

University of London. 

In January 2009, Natalie was appointed Lecturer of 

Organic Functional Materials in the Department of 

Materials, Imperial College London. 

Her research is supported by grants from 

EPSRC, The Royal Society, The Leverhulme 

Trust, the European Commission, The Dutch 

Polymer Institute and industrial partners. 

She furthermore benefits from national and 

international collaborators at the Technical 

University of Eindhoven, The Netherlands; ETH 

Zürich, Switzerland; Technion, Israel; Georgia 

Institute of Technology and the National Institute 

of Standards, USA. 

Her current research interests encompass the 

broad field of organic functional materials, 

including organic electronics, multifunctional 

inorganic/organic hybrids and smart, advanced 

optical systems based on organic matter. 

Email: n.stingelin-stutzmann@imperial.ac.uk 

www.imperial.ac.uk/people/n.stingelin-stutzmann 


PhD

» Lecturer (RCUK Academic Fellowship) 

Paul joined Imperial in 2007 from Lawrence 

Berkeley Laboratory (LBL). His undergraduate and 

masters degrees in physics were from University 

College Cork and, in 2002, he received his PhD in 

Condensed Matter Theory from the International 

School for Advanced Studies (SISSA) in Trieste. 

His doctoral research was carried out both at 

SISSA and at Princeton University where, in 2001 

and 2002, he was a visiting graduate student in 

the Departments of Chemistry and Geosciences 

and Princeton Materials Institute. In 2002 Paul 

became a postdoctoral fellow in the Physics 

Department of the University of California at 

Berkeley and the Material Sciences Division 

of LBL. In 2004 he joined the Theory Facility of 

the Molecular Foundry at LBL as postdoctoral 

fellow. Paul is a lecturer and Research Councils 

UK Academic Fellow and is jointly appointed by 

the Departments of Physics and Materials. His 

research is theoretical and computational in 

nature and he has broad interests in materials 

science, physics, chemistry, and related fields. 

He generally develops and applies computational 

techniques such as density functional theory (DFT) 

and molecular dynamics to study the electronic 

structure and finite temperature properties of both 

bulk and nanostructured materials and devices. 

Paul’s past work has included studies of the 

structural, vibrational, and electronic properties of 

carbon nanotubes and their responses to pressure 

and temperature; the mechanisms for mechanical 

energy dissipation in nanoscale machinery; the 

structure and dynamics of technologically and 

geophysically important oxides such as silica 

and MgO; and the dynamics of semiconductors 

following intense ultrafast laser excitation. At 

present his research is being partly funded by an 

EU Marie Curie International Reintegration Grant 

entitled Understanding materials and devices at 

the nanoscale using atomistic simulations. 

Email: p.tangney@imperial.ac.uk 

www.imperial.ac.uk/people/p.tangney 

* Joint with Physics 

Dr Paul Tangney* 

MSc | PhD 

» Lecturer 

» Senior Tutor 


MEng | PhD | FIMMM | FHEA 

Luc joined the Department in 2006 from the 

University of Cambridge, where he was a 

postdoctoral research associate. While studying 

for his PhD at the Catholic University of Leuven 

(Belgium), he investigated the electrophoretic 

deposition of layered ceramic shapes, and was 

awarded the 1997 Scientific Prize of the Belgian 

Ceramic Society for his work. Since then, he has 

worked in both commercial as well as academic 

environments researching shaping and thermomechanical 

properties of ceramics. He has carried 

out research on shaping of ceramics and ceramic 

foams, thermal shock, fracture of laminated 

ceramics, fracture of porous brittle materials, and 

the relation between hardness and deformation 

mechanisms. He also designed a device capable 

of thermal compensation of fibre Bragg gratings 

for optical data transmission. 

Luc’s current research spans two themes. The 

first theme is thermo-mechanical properties of 

structural ceramics, where he is investigating 

ceramics for use in high temperature and ballistic 

environments as well as design methodologies for 

ceramics in collaboration with the space industry. 

A second theme is environmental technologies. 

In this area, he is involved in research into 

cements for nuclear waste encapsulation, tailoring 

materials for removal of radionucleide anions from 

water, carbon capture and recycling. In 2010, Luc 

was awarded a Rector’s Award for Excellence in 

Teaching. 

Email: l.vandeperre@imperial.ac.uk 

www.imperial.ac.uk/people/l.vandeperre 

» Lecturer 

» Royal Society University Research Fellow 

Jonathan is a lecturer in Polymeric Biomaterials 

and a Royal Society University Research Fellow 

(2010) – positions he holds jointly between the 

Department of Materials and the Department 

Bioengineering. Prior to this he held a Research 

Fellowship at the University of Liverpool, 

Department of Chemistry within the Centre for 

Materials Discovery which he moved to having 

spent two years at Unilever (Port Sunlight, UK) 

working in their Home and Personal Care division. 

He completed his DPhil at University of Sussex 

(sponsored by Cognis) working with Professor 

Steve P Armes. He is co-founder of a start-up 

company Hydra Polymers Limited (2007). 

His group’s research activities span various 

aspects of synthetic polymer chemistry, polymer 

self-assembly mechanisms, nanoparticle 

synthesis, colloidal chemistry, responsive 

materials and functional polymer-stabilised 

emulsions. An overarching aim is to understand 

the fundamental design rules and mechanisms 

operating in these systems to the point that it 

is possible retro-design high-level complexity 

and advanced function using simplified, generic 

and viable processes. A focus of his research 

involves translating and applying these functional 

materials to regenerative medical challenges. 

Email: j.weaver@imperial.ac.uk 

www.imperial.ac.uk/people/j.weaver 

* Joint with Bioengineering 


» British Energy Research Fellow 

» UG Nuclear Materials Co-ordinator 

» Nuclear Materials MSc Co-ordinator 

joined the Department in November 2008 as a 

British Energy Research Fellow in Nuclear Fuels. 

He obtained a degree in Materials Science 

and Technology (BEng) from the University of 

Birmingham between 1996 and 1999 and stayed 

at Birmingham University to carry out a PhD, in 

Professor Paul Bowen’s research group, on the 

micromechanisms of fracture in the ductile-tobrittle 

transition region of BCC alloys. Having 

completed his PhD, Mark was appointed as a 

Lecturer in the Reactor Engineering Group at the 

Nuclear Department, HMS Sultan, in Gosport. 

His main research interests are in the field 

of nuclear engineering materials and include 

micromechanisms of fracture, stress and strain 

measurement, and finite element modelling from 

continuum to microscales. He is currently carrying 

out research into the modelling of pellet-cladding 

mechanical interactions in nuclear fuels, the 

effect of alloying additions and hydrogen on the 

performance of zirconium alloy fuel cladding 

materials and the role of hydrogen on the stress 

corrosion cracking of stainless steels. 

Email: m.wenman@imperial.ac.uk 

www.imperial.ac.uk/people/m.wenman 


BSc | PhD 


BEng | PhD


Materials-based university 

research centres 

Interaction between the Department of Materials and other Departments 

across Imperial is key to the development of our multi and inter-disciplinary 

research. Some of our collaborations take place through College Institutes 

and interdepartmental centres and groups, including the Energy Futures 

Laboratory, the Institute for Security Science and Technology the Centre for 

Nuclear Engineering (CNE), the London Centre for Nanotechnology (LCN) and the 

Institute for Biomedical Engineering (IBE). Details of these links are given in the 

following sections. 

London Centre for 

Nanotechnology 

(LCN) 

The London Centre 

for Nanotechnology 

is a UK-based 

multidisciplinary enterprise operating at the 

forefront of science and technology. Our purpose is 

to solve global problems in information processing, 

healthcare, energy and environment through the 

application of nanoscience and nanotechnology. 

Founded in 2003, the LCN is a joint venture between 

University College London and Imperial College 

London and based at the Bloomsbury and South 

Kensington sites. 

The LCN occupies a purpose-built eight storey 

facility in Gordon Street, Bloomsbury (opened 

in 2006) as well as extensive facilities within 

different departments at South Kensington. The 

Centre’s experimental research is supported by 

leading edge modelling, visualisation and theory 

through its access to state-of-the-art clean-room, 

characterisation, fabrication, manipulation and 

design laboratories. 

The Centre has a unique operating model that 

accesses and focuses the combined skills of both 

universities across several key departments; 

Chemistry, Physics, Materials, Medicine, Electrical 

and Electronic Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, 

Chemical Engineering, Biochemical Engineering and 

Earth Sciences. 

The LCN also has strong relationships with 

the broader nanotechnology and commercial 

communities and is involved in many major 

collaborations. As the world’s only such facility 

located in the heart of a metropolis, the Centre has 

superb access to corporate, investment and industrial 

partners. It is at the forefront of nanotechnology 

training and enjoys a strong media presence around 

educating the public and bringing transparency to 

this far-reaching and emerging science. 

www.london-nano.com/ 

Thomas Young 

Centre (TYC) 

The Thomas Young 

Centre (TYC) is an 

alliance of London 

research groups engaged 

in the theory and 

simulation of materials. The participating groups 

are based mainly at Imperial, King’s College and 

University College London, with some participants 

also at Queen Mary University London, Royal 

Holloway University London and the National 

Physical Laboratory. 

The TYC runs a programme of events with the aim 

of promoting cooperation and excellence in all 

aspects of the theory and simulation of materials. 

It encourages and supports: 

• interactions with external groups, both 

industrial and academic, through a programme 

of TYC seminars, soirées, workshops, Junior 

Research Fellowships and research visits from 

leading academics and industrial partners 

• graduate education, through lectures, student 

days and association with the Centres for 

Doctoral Training 

development of collaborative research projects 


• 

The TYC offers a hospitable and stimulating 

environment for sabbatical visitors to London 

or for short term collaborative visits. Seminars 

and discussion forums are focal points within 

London, with ample time and space for discussion, 

where coffee can be metabolised into science. 

There are annual student days, at which TYC 

research students present their work to their 

peers and TYC staff, after which prizes are 

awarded. Dissemination of events, activities and 

achievements is done mainly via the TYC website, 

which has recently been completely refurbished 

with new content and useful tools for searching 

the TYC by research topic, location or researcher. 

Research in the TYC@Imperial is further supported 

by a Computational Science Support specialist, 

Dr James Spencer, who collaborates on research 

109

projects with the TYC staff, helps solve technical, 

algorithmic and programming problems associated 

with using computational techniques and provides 

Linux support for the TYC workstations. For further 

information contact the current director, Professor 

Mike Finnis or go to the website. 

www.thomasyoungcentre.org 

Centre for Nuclear Engineering (CNE) 

The group exists to provide a forum for 

researchers engaged in the wide spectrum 

of topics relevant to nuclear power. These 

researchers are drawn from all Departments 

and Centres at Imperial. In addition, researchers 

from other London-based institutions are 

welcome. Greater cross-disciplinary awareness 

of the research interests and capabilities of 

Group members is helping identify areas for 

collaboration and supporting joint teaching 

activities. The Group also provides an external 

focus, complementary to that provided via 

Departments and Centres, in order that outside 

bodies appreciate the depth and breadth of 

Imperial’s activity in this field. 

The Centre brings together a number of disciplines 

including mechanical, chemical and materials 

engineering, modelling and radio ecology to 

create one of the most comprehensive research 

and teaching groups dedicated to nuclear 

engineering and science. 

Imperial has a long history of nuclear research 

and teaching, dating back to the post war period. 

The need to continue and expand the generation 

of nuclear power is now widely recognised as part 

of the solution to the world’s problem of meeting 

rapidly growing energy demands whilst at the 

same time protecting the environment. In order 

to achieve the rapid growth necessary, there has 

been a global nuclear renaissance. 

Nuclear Engineering Doctorate 

Programme 

Up to 75 per cent of the 

EngD will be made up of 

industrial placements 

A consortium of UK 

universities, led by the 

University of Manchester 

in partnership with 

Imperial College 

London, offers a 

fully-funded EngD in 

Nuclear Engineering, 

which commenced in 

September 2006. 

The primary objective of the Nuclear EngD is 

to provide outstanding young nuclear research 

engineers with intensive, broadly-based training 

in collaboration with industrial companies so that 

they are equipped to take up senior roles within 

the nuclear industry. In addition to obtaining a 

high quality qualification, the research engineers 

are gaining experience of working in an industrial 

research and development environment. This fouryear 

programme involves the student being based 

in a UK company. 

The programme comprises four elements: 

• a doctoral level research project or portfolio of 

projects 

• a management diploma 

• taught technical modules 

a professional development programme 

• 

The research themes being offered are: 

• reactor technology 

• waste management 

• decommissioning 

• materials 

• socio-economic aspects 

safety systems 

• 

www.dalton.manchester.ac.uk 

The DIAMOND University Consortium 

The Decommissioning, Immobilisation and 

Management of Nuclear Wastes for Disposal 

Consortium (DIAMOND) is a strategic grouping 

of over 50 academics from six UK universities 

(Imperial), Leeds, Loughborough, Manchester, 

Sheffield and University College London). It 

received £4.25 million from EPSRC in 2008 to run 

35 research projects in the area of Nuclear Waste 

Storage and Disposal. Seven of these projects 

are based at Imperial and involve a number of 

Materials staff (Professors Robin Grimes, Bill Lee, 

Drs Mary Ryan and Luc Vandeperre) as well as Dr 

Chris Cheeseman in the Department of Civil and 

Environmental Engineering. 

Within the DIAMOND programme there are three 

central research themes: 

• environment, migration and risk 

• decommissioning, legacy and site termination 

• materials design, development and 

performance and the materials activity is coordinated 

across the consortium by Professor 

Bill Lee ably supported by Dr Mary Ryan 

DIAMOND holds an annual conference and for the 

first two we have won first prize in the student 

speaking competition; Sunny Phuah in 2009 and 

Thorsten Selhorst in 2010. 

Energy Futures Lab 

The Energy Futures Lab is 

a major multidisciplinary, 

cross-faculty research 

institute designed to 

meet broad energy 

challenges and facilitate 

the transition to a sustainable energy economy. 

Building on the already impressive capabilities at 

Imperial in key areas, such as energy efficiency, 

fossil fuel decarbonisation, transport, the urban 

environment, nuclear energy, electrical networks, 

power generation, renewable energy technologies, 

as well as the analysis of energy systems, policy, 

economics and risk, the Lab provides a vehicle, 

and develops programmes, for advancing research 

specifically aimed at understanding and solving 

wide, cross-cutting energy problems. 

Prime objectives of the Lab are to: 

• develop and implement a portfolio of major 

cross-cutting, interdisciplinary research 

programmes in targeted areas of key scientific, 

technological or commercial interest 

• maximise the impact of energy research 

performed within the College by providing 

coordination across faculties and departments, 

and with external organisations including 

UKERC, the Carbon Trust, industry and 

Government 

• proactively engage with industry on strategic 

energy themes, and develop programmes for 

communication and discussion 

• provide a focal point for key international 

relationships and collaborations in energy 

research at Imperial 

• develop innovative ways of working with 

business and industry in the energy sector. 

• develop highly skilled students trained at the 

postgraduate level in cross-cutting energy 

analysis and technologies 

While some of the technologies required to enable 

a significant move to more sustainable energy 

systems already exist, others require development 

or outright new thinking. Teams in the Department 

as part of the Energy Futures Lab, are working 

to address these critical issues and are at the 

forefront of energy research in many areas in 

particular in solid oxide fuel cells, photovoltaics, 

energy harvesting clean coal technology and 

nuclear power. 

www.imperial.ac.uk/energyfutureslab 

Institute for 

Biomedical 

Engineering (IBE) 

The IBE promotes 

the inter-disciplinary 

potential in biomedical 

research at Imperial, 

and is an international centre of excellence in 

biomedical engineering research. It encourages 

collaboration between engineers, scientists, 

clinicians and medical researchers to tackle major 

challenges in modern healthcare. Using enabling 

technologies such as bionics, tissue engineering, 

image analysis and bio-nanotechnology, its 

researchers are developing medical devices which 

enable people to have more vigorous, independent 

lives despite illness, ageing, and disability. The 

IBE develops research ‘themes’ to attract major 

funding. These ‘themes’ are managed by the 

Technology Networks, each headed by a Committee 

drawn from the key researchers in the field from 

across Imperial. The majority of appointments are 

jointly funded with other college departments. The 

IBE also appoints visiting professors from other 

organisations, particularly from overseas, who wish 

to make a significant contribution to the interdisciplinary 

research activities at Imperial. 

IBE is located on four floors of the Bessemer 

Building with, space and facilities which integrate 

activities within biomedical engineering. There 

is laboratory space not only for researchers 

permanently attached to the IBE, but other staff 

from Imperial, PhD students and visiting academics 

needing access to specialised facilities during 

specific projects. Among the laboratory facilities are 

specialised spaces for microscopy, image analysis, 

micropower testing, scanning probe, biotelemetry, 

instrumentation, third generation biomaterials 

processing, hierarchical materials characterisation 

and biophotonics. The IBE also incorporates a 

purpose- built bionanotechnology centre. 

Professor Molly M Stevens is the Department’s 

main IBE contact and is Research Director for 

Biomedical Materials within the Institute. Professor 

Molly M Stevens is also the current Head of the 

Musculoskeletal Technology Network at Imperial. 

www.imperial.ac.uk/biomedeng 


Centre for Advanced 

Structural Ceramics 

The second year of 

EPSRC funding for the Centre for Advanced 

Structural Ceramics (CASC) has seen the 

completion of staff appointments, occupation 

of new space and progress with setting up new 

facilities. Developing an identity and publicising 

the Centre have been major themes. 

The three CASC academics are Professor Eduardo 

Saiz Gutierrez, Dr Luc Vandeperre and Dr Finn 

Giuliani, in addition to Professor Bill Lee as 

Director, Fraser Wigley as Technical Manager and 

Gary Stakalls as Technician. Three CASC-funded 

research staff have been appointed: Dr Suelen 

Barg, Dr Vineet Bhakhri and Dr Claudia Walter. 

All six CASC-funded PhD studentships are now in 

place – three at Imperial and three joint with other 

UK universities: 

• predicting in service thermo-mechanical 

performance of ultra-high temperature 

ceramics 

• high temperature deformation of TiAlN 

• fatigue of aerospace ceramics 

• the effect of carbon nanotubes on the sintering 

behaviour of ceramics with Professor Michael 

Reece at Queen Mary University of London 

• the deformation of transition metal carbides, 

borides and nitrides with Dr Bill Clegg at the 

University of Cambridge 

• preparation and characterisation of novel 

carbon materials for refractory applications 

with Dr Shaowei Zhang at the University of 

Sheffield 

CASC has hosted a wide range of visitors, 

including prestigious sabbaticals such as Dick 

Bradt (University of Alabama, USA), Martin Harmer 

(Lehigh University, USA) and Arthur Heuer (Case 

Western Reserve University, USA) and longer visits 

by more junior researchers from Spain, Brazil, 

Japan and India. 

CASC academic staff and 28 researchers have 

moved into the office space and ceramics lab 

created by refurbishment of the old workshop 

area – jointly funded by the College, CASC and the 

Department. The high temperature nanoindenter 

has moved to the new ceramics lab and is in 

frequent use, as is the server running software 

to model brittle fracture. Thermal analysis 

equipment, capable of reaching 2000°C or 

higher, has been installed in a newly-refurbished 

lab; this equipment complements the existing 

departmental facility. Construction of a vacuum 

hot press and thermo-mechanical testing 

equipment by external suppliers has continued, 

and a freeze-dryer has been created in-house. 

Thermodynamic database and phase equilibrium 

software has been purchased. 

In November 2009 the refurbished CASC rooms 

were formally opened, with an invited lecture on 

The ferroelasticity of ferroelectrics by Professor 

Dr-Ing. Jürgen Rödel (TU Darmstadt) followed 

by a reception and tours of the Department and 

CASC facilities. CASC has also hosted one-day 

research meetings on advanced ceramics (1DRAC) 

and on bioceramics. The CASC Steering Group 

met in July 2010 to review strategic research focus 

and links with industry. The first CASC Summer 

School on Ceramics took place in September 

2010, bringing together twenty attendees from 

outside Imperial with a wide range of backgrounds 

and an even mixture of industrial and academic 

experience. Presenters from several European 

and American institutions gave tutorials and 

practical demonstrations on current developments 

in ceramic synthesis, processing and mechanical 

characterisation. 

Publicity has focussed on staff presenting at and 

taking part in discussions at conferences and on 

UK and overseas visits, including to a range of 

companies. Some memoranda of understanding 

have been signed with prestigious ceramics 

research centres including the universities of 

Erlangen and Bremen in Germany and Nagoya 

Institute of Technology in Japan. An occasional 

newsletter is circulated. For more information visit 

the CASC website. 

www.imperial.ac.uk/casc 

CASC Summer School 

attendees and presenters 

Institute for Security Science Technology 

As one of four Imperial College London Global 

Institutes, we promote interdisciplinary working 

to meet some of the greatest challenges faced by 

society. 

Alongside traditional academic departments, 

the Institute interfaces with a wide range of 

government and business end-users, as well as 

guiding the College’s contribution to international 

security science policy. 

Individuals, communities, businesses and 

government are facing new security challenges in 

many aspects of everyday life, due to advances 

in technology, globalisation and living in a more 

interconnected world. 

The Institute seeks to improve security across a 

range of scales, from protecting the individual to 

ensuring the security of whole populations. 

The Institute brings together scientists and 

engineers at Imperial to develop novel ways of 

solving security problems and acts as a portal 

to a wide range of security-related technologies, 

including: 

• biomedical technologies and personal 

healthcare 

• data mining (text, speech, vision and web) 

• large-scale data handling and analytics 

• bayesian statistics for anomaly detection 

• materials science 

• CBRNE sensing technologies 

• network sciences 

• machine vision for robotics and surveillance 

• vision and speech processing 

bio/behaviour-metrics 


• 

www.imperial.ac.uk/securityinstitute 

Materials Characterisation 

Within the Department of Materials there is 

a wide range of facilities for processing and 

characterising materials. These facilities are 

available for use by researchers in both academia 

and industry. Users from other academic 

institutions and industry can also access 

the facilities and are advised to contact the 

appropriate Research Officer below to discuss 

their requirements and to obtain an estimate of 

the access charges. 

Electron Microscopy 

Dr Mahmoud Ardakani 

Tel: (+44) 020 7594 6739 

Email: m.ardakani@imperial.ac.uk 

Surface Analysis 

Mr Richard Chater 

Tel: (+44) 020 7594 6740 

Email: r.chater@imperial.ac.uk 

X-ray Diffraction and Thermal Analysis 

Mr Richard Sweeney 

Tel: (+44) 020 7594 6732 

Email: richard.sweeney@imperial.ac.uk 

X-ray MicroTomography 

Mr Richard Hamilton 

Tel: (+44) 020 7594 6810 

Email: rich.hamilton@imperial.ac.uk

The TITAN Microscope 

The Harvey Flower Centre for Electron 

Microscopy 

This centre for electron microscopy provides 

modern facilities for advanced materials imaging 

and characterisation. The facilities include four 

scanning electron microscopes (SEMs) and three 

transmission electron microscopes (TEMs), the 

latest being the state-of-the-art monochromated 

FEI TITAN 80/300. A recent addition is a FEI Helios 

600 NanoLab dual beam focussed ion beam 

system. In addition, the dedicated microscopy team 

maintain the latest technology in the two sample 

preparation labs, data processing suite and new 

remote microscopy facility. 

The Electron Microscopy Facility is run by Dr 

Mahmoud Ardakani with technical support from Dr 

Ecaterina Ware, who are able to answer queries on 

instrument specifications and SEM/TEM analytical 

suitability and methodology. Professor David 

McComb, Dr Barbara Shollock, Dr Alexandra Porter, 

Dr Finn Giuliani and Dr Alison Harrison lead the 

academic research in TEM within the Department. 

SEMs (Gemini 1525 FEGSEM and JEOL JSM6400) 

and TEMs (JEOL JEM Fx2000MKII and JEOLJEM 

2010) are fitted with Oxford Instruments ultra-thin 

window (capable of detecting light element Z>4) 

energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS) for 

X-ray microanalysis of specimens. SEMs are also 

fitted with the latest fast Nordlys EBSD detectors 

and associated HKL software for determining grain 

structure and orientation by scanning a nanosize 

probe over the surface of the sample. 

The FEI TITAN 80/300 is the flagship TEM in 

the facility. The TITAN is a London Centre for 

Nanotechnology facility, a joint venture between 

Imperial College London and University College 

London, and was funded by a £2.4 million 

EPSRC grant. Imperial College London invested 

£0.5 million for the refurbishment of the 

electron microscopy laboratories to provide an 

electromagnetically and acoustically shielded 

environment suitable for this state of the art 

instrument. This TEM/STEM instrument is fitted 

with a monochromator to deliver spatial/energy 

resolution capabilities of 0.14nm/0.5eV (mono 

off) and 0.3nm/0.12eV (mono on). With improved 

stability in the lenses and electronics this powerful 

instrument makes atomic resolution STEM and 

nano-analytical spectroscopy achievable in a high 

throughput, multi-user environment. The provision 

of an aberration corrector on the imaging lens 

system enables the ultimate in high resolution 

imaging to be achieved. 

It is now possible to apply for Titan time as an 

external user via the EPSRC access to equipment 

scheme using the form available on the website. 

www.imperial.ac.uk/materials/facilities/em 

Surface Analysis Facility 

The Surface Analysis Facility incorporates SIMS, 

FIB and optical interferometry and AFM. SIMS 

(Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry) is a vacuumbased 

technique for measuring the number 

and identity of atoms at and near the surface of 

materials. The sensitivity of the measurement is 

often better than parts per million, and the spatial 

resolution is within the nano-scale. The Facility 

aims to provide state of the art SIMS analyses for 

the widest possible range of materials including 

volatile samples that have to analysed at liquid 

nitrogen temperatures. The facility has recently 

been expanded to incorporate a Low Energy Ion 

Scattering (LEIS) system combined with a time-offlight 

(TOF) SIMS system. This system is unique as 

samples can be transferred between techniques 

rapidly within UHV conditions. LEIS provides 

ultimate sensitivity to measurements of topmost 

surface atomic concentration across the periodic 

table. 

The microscope-based optical interferometer 

provides for the high resolution measurement of 

surface structure, including the SIMS sputtered 

crater depths. Sample preparation facilities 

are available for top atom and molecule layer 

characterisation by SIMS. 

Focussed Ion Beam, or FIB-based SIMS is also used 

for site-specific preparation of thin membranes 

for transmission electron microscopy. This method 

is particularly suitable for composite, macroporous 

or fragile materials. The FIB-based SIMS 

is also suitable for the sequential ‘slice and view’ 

technique. 3D reconstruction of the microstructure 

after Matlab-based image analysis is done using 

SPIERS or AMIRA software packages. 

Much of the work of the facility concerns the 

measurement of oxygen mass transport in oxides 

for electrochemical applications such as solid 

oxide fuel cells, zirconia-based oxygen sensors, 

membranes for oxygen separation from air 

and electrolysers. Central to this application of 

SIMS is the isotopic tracer labelling facility and 

the Matlab-based modelling routines for the 

interpretation of the tracer fraction profile. 

The Surface Analysis Facility is run by Mr 

Richard Chater who is able to answer queries on 

instrument specifications and SIMS analytical 

suitability and methodology. Dr Sarah Fearn 

has a special reponsibility for the new TofSIMS/ 

LEIS system. Professor John Kilner and Dr David 

McPhaillead the academic research in SIMS within 

the Department. Professor Kilner has particular 

interests in the use of isotopic tracers and SIMS for 

oxygen mass transport measurements in oxides. 

X-ray Diffraction 

A wide range of X-ray diffraction techniques is 

available within the Department of Materials for 

the investigation of polycrystalline materials, 

single crystals and thin films. Samples may be 

examined in either bulk powdered form, or in 

some cases, liquid. 

The facility is equipped with five diffractometers, 

two Panalytical X’Pert MPDs and two Panalytical 

X’Pert MRDs and also a PW1700 series 

diffractometer system. These instruments are 

individually configured to enable a variety of 

techniques to be undertaken. 

Phase identification: Identification is aided by 

‘X’Pert HighScore Plus search and match software 

which compares experimental data with standard 

patterns from the ICDD reference database. 

Texture analysis: By monitoring the variation 

of intensity of the diffracted X-ray beam from a 

specific set of lattice planes, whilst the specimen 

is orientated, it is possible to determine both 

the direction and the magnitude of this preferred 

orientation. 

Residual stress: By precisely determining the 

inter-planar spacings for crystallites of different 

orientations it is possible to calculate the residual 

stress from the measured strain in the lattice. This 

technique offers the advantage of determining 

residual stress in a specimen without the need to 

measure the specimen in an unstressed state. 

Glancing angle X-ray diffraction: This technique 

greatly enhances the analysis of thin films by 

reducing the interference from the sample 

substrate and increasing the absorption path of 

the incident beam within the layer itself. 

High Temperature XRD: Measurements can 

be made on powdered specimens within the 

temperature range of room temperature to 1100°C. 

It is also possible to control the atmosphere and 

conduct elevated temperature measurements in 

vacuum, oxidising or reducing environments. 

The X-ray Diffraction Facility is run by Mr Richard 

Sweeney, he is able to answer queries on 

instrument specifications and XRD analytical 

suitability and methodology. Dr Stephen Skinner 

leads the academic research in XRD within the 

Department. 

Thermal Analysis 

The behaviour of materials as a function of 

temperature is investigated in the Thermal 

Analysis facility, where the major Thermal Analysis 

techniques involving the measurement of mass, 

temperature, heat flow and dimensions are 

available. 

With the exception of dilatometry, where a solid 

specimen is required, typical samples need only 

be a few mg and can be in bulk, powder or liquid 

form. 

The facility is equipped with a Netzsch ‘Jupiter’ 

Simultaneous DSC/TGA instrument, a Netzsch 

402E Dilatometer and a Stanton Redcroft 780 

series, Simultaneous DTA/TGA instrument. All 

of these instruments have a nominal maximum 

temperature of 1500°C and experiments can be 

conducted under a variety of atmospheres. 

The Thermal Analysis Facility is run by Mr Richard 

Sweeney and he is able to answer queries on 

instrument specifications and TA analytical 

suitability and methodology. Dr Stephen Skinner 

leads the academic research on TA within the 

Department. 


High Resolution Real-Time Microfocal X-ray 

Radiography and Tomography Facility 

X-ray microtomography is a technique which 

allows us to obtain geometric information about 

a wide range of materials and composites in 

three dimensions. It is ideally suited for nondestructively 

imaging structures with features 

ranging from 1 to 100 microns because of its 

large penetration depth and range of contrast 

over different materials. This 3D imaging gives 

us a great understanding of the 3D structure 

of these materials. Combined with powerful 

image processing techniques, the datasets can 

be interpreted to reveal the 3D morphology of 

different phases present in the system. With 

further processing these can be meshed into 

solids or surfaces; allowing them to be used in a 

variety of modelling techniques including stress/ 

strain, flow, permeability and heat conduction. 

This facility based in the Department of Materials 

at Imperial College London comprises two lab 

machines and a range of test facilities that can be 

used for in situ observation. 

In situ testing 

A series of test rigs are available to allow in situ 

observation under static or dynamic loads and 

temperatures ranging from sub-zero to 1000°C. 

• static load rig – loads 0-1000N 

• in situ tension/compression (+/-500N) rig with 

optional furnace (room-1000°C) 

• cold stage (room to -80°C) 

• radiography tension/compression rigs 

(allowing capture rates to 4Hz depending on 

material) 

Image analysis 

A series of image analysis tools and techniques 

are available for: 

• visualisation and qualitative observation of 

features 

• quantification of sizes and distribution of 

features 

• geometric quantification 

• meshing for use/comparison in FEM 

• image registration (multi axis and multiscale) 

to allow definitive visualisation of 

transformations 

The XMT facility is operated and managed by 

Mr Richard Hamilton. Academic research in the 

development and applications of XMT is led by 

Professor Peter D Lee. 

International links 

King Abdullah University of Science and 

Technology (KAUST) 

King Abdullah University of Science and 

Technology (KAUST) is now established in Saudi 

Arabia as an international graduate-level research 

university dedicated to inspiring a new age of 

scientific achievement that will benefit the region 

and the world. As an independent and meritbased 

institution and one of the best endowed 

universities in the world, KAUST intends to become 

a major new contributor to the global network of 

collaborative research. 

KAUST opened in September 2009, and the core 

campus is located on more than 36 million square 

metres on the Red Sea at Thuwal – approximately 

80 kilometres north of Saudi Arabia’s second 

largest city, Jeddah. 

As a graduate-level research University, KAUST will 

carry out research into the following four strategic 

areas: 

• resources, energy and environment 

• biosciences and bioengineering 

• materials science and engineering 

• applied mathematics and computational 

science 

The Department has (along with departments 

in other engineering disciplines at University 

of Cambridge, Stanford University, University 

of Texas, Austin, and University of California, 

Berkeley) become an Academic Excellence 

Alliance (AEA) partner with KAUST. This 

partnership includes our assistance in nominating 

a number of academic staff for KAUST, designing 

a Masters programme in Materials and working 

on collaborative research with KAUST Faculty. 

Professor Neil Alford is the designated KAUST 

Champion with administrative support from 

Graeme Rae. Since September 2008, a number of 

KAUST academic visitors have been welcomed to 

the Department of Materials and been involved in 

current collaborative KAUST research projects in 

the following areas: 

nanotechnologies 

functional thin films 

composites 


• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

materials for clean power generation 

modelling 

carbon capture 

The collaborative element of the KAUST 

relationship has so far involved two rounds of joint 

research projects and the department is currently 

developing a third round of large projects around 

the theme of Engineering Interfaces for Energy 

Applications. 

www.imperial.ac.uk/kaust 

IDEA League 

In 1999 a memorandum of understanding was 

signed by four major European technological 

universities (Imperial College London, Delft 

University of Technology, ETH Zurich, Aachen 

University RWTH), forming the IDEA League. In 2006 

ParisTech joined as fifth member of the League. 

Each of the members of the League is considered 

to be the leading institution for engineering and 

technology in their respective countries. 

The League was formed to address the grand 

challenges facing Europe in the 21st century. 

These challenges are: 

• energy 

• environment 

• healthcare 

• information and communications technology 

(ICT) 

• 

mobility 

The IDEA League aims to maximise effort in these 

important topic areas by working in a collaborative 

manner which encompasses: 

• research 

– through the sharing of facilities and 

research workshops on themed topics 

• 

• 

education 

– through mutual recognition of degrees, 

student interchange joint masters courses 

and joint summer schools 

innovation 

– through technology transfer and links 

with the major European industrial 

organisations

The Department of Materials was active in forming 

the Materials Science Interest Group within the 

IDEA grouping and was heavily involved in the 

second IDEA League summer school ‘Multiscale 

Modelling in Materials Science and Engineering’ 

held in the Eifel Mountains in July of 2007. Many 

of the Department’s PhD students have benefitted 

from the IDEA League student grants allowing 

them to work at facilities in ETH Zurich and RWTH 

Aachen for example. 

www.idealeague.org 

The National University of Singapore 

(NUS) and Nanyang Technological 

University (NTU) 

The Department is developing increasingly close 

links with the National University of Singapore 

(NUS) and Nanyang Technological University 

(NTU). The collaborations, will in time, involve 

staff visits, sabbaticals and exchanges, joint 

PhD programs, short visits by postdocs and PhD 

students, UROP projects and MEng placements. 

At the postgraduate level we are hoping to secure 

PhD students to commence on the Imperial- 

NTU and Imperial-NUS joint PhD programmes 

in 2011 (see link below). These programmes will 

offer PhD students the opportunity to get a PhD 

qualification from both institutions and to benefit 

from the complementary scientific equipment and 

expertise in the two institutions. David McPhail is 

the Imperial academic programme manager for the 

Imperial-NUS joint PhD programme. A number of 

visits have been made to Nanyang and NUS, and 

in March 2010 a delegation from the Department 

of Materials at Imperial College London spent 

two days at Nanyang exploring synergies and 

developing links (Imperial team – Professor 

Manish Chhowalla, Dr Stephen Skinner, Dr Mary 

Ryan and Dr Dave McPhail). The Nanyang group is 

headed by Professor Freddy Boey and Professor 

Members of the Department 

of Materials at NTU 

Ma-Jan. The Department of Materials at Imperial 

has had close links with NUS for some years, and 

enjoys close relations with Professor Andrew Wee, 

Dean of Science. Dr Barbara Shollock and Dr Dave 

McPhail have been collaborating with Professor 

Wee and with Dr Nikolai Yakovlev of Institute of 

Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE) on a 

PMI2 grant. It should be mentioned that we are 

seeking joint PhD projects (A*STAR) with IMRE. 

At the undergraduate level UROP projects have 

been set up. Three students worked at NTU in 2010 

and new projects are being put in place for 2011, 

both at NUS and NTU. 

www.imperial.ac.uk/international/students/ 

internationalopportunities 

Current research sponsors 

Over 120 projects were undertaken by postgraduate research students and 

postdoctoral research staff in 2009–10. The quality of the Department’s research 

has been judged consistently to be of the highest international standard and the 

proportion of income from research grants and contracts is one of the highest 

of any UK Materials Department. The concentration and strength of research 

in science, engineering and medicine gives Imperial College London a unique 

and internationally-distinctive research presence. Generous support for the 

Department’s research comes from a wide variety of sources. From industry there 

are donations towards senior academic posts, advanced courses, bursaries, 

scholarships and research projects. The Department also gains considerable 

support from research councils and charities to undertake research. 

The Department of Materials 

is grateful to the organisations 

listed below for their support. 

Our level of research activity 

would not have been possible 

without their generous 

contributions. 


A 

Aeromet International plc 

Aerospace Metals Composites 

Limited (AMC) 

Alcoa Incorporated 

Alstom 

Aluminium Powder Company (Part 

of the Metallurg Corporation) 

AtlantTICC Alliance 

Atomic Weapons Establishment 

(AWE) 

A*STAR NSS PhD Scholarship 

B 

Baxter International (formally Apa 

Tech Limited) 

Biotechnology and Biological 

Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) 

British Coal Utilisation Research 

Association Limited (BCURA) 

British Heart Foundation 

C 

Carnegie Mellon University 

Ceres Power 

Culham Centre for Fusion Energy 

D 

(DIAMOND University Consortium), 

EPSRC 



Defence Science and Technology 

Laboratory (DSTL) 

Doctoral Training Account (DTA) 

Department of Trade and Industry 

(DTI) 

Dutch Polymer Institute (DPI) 

E 

Engineering and Physical Sciences 

Research Council (EPSRC) 

EC (ONE-P Project) 

E.ON International Research 

Initiative 

Ericsson 

European Union (EU) 

European Union Marie Curie 

Actions, Intra-European Fellowships 

European Research Council (ERC) 

F 

F-Bridge Fairfuels (FP7-Projects) 

Fonds National de la Recherche 

Luxembourg 

Ford Motor Company 

Fundação para a Ciência ea 

Tecnologia (FCT) 

G 

General Electric Company (GE) 

German Research Foundation (DFG) 

Government of Thailand 

H 

Hewlett-Packard Limited 

Hydro Aluminium Extrusion Limited 

I 


Imperial College Deputy Rector’s 

Award 

Institute of Space Technology, 

Pakistan (IST) 

K 

Korea Electric Power Corporation 

(KEPCO) 

King Abdullah University of Science 

and Technology (KAUST) 

Knowledge Transfer Networks (KTN) 

Korea Electric Power Company 

(KEPCO) 

L 

Laing O’Rourke plc 

Lee Family Scholarship 

Leverhulme Trust 

Los Alamos National Laboratory 

(LANL)

M 

Malaysian Government 

Malaysian Rubber Board (MRB) 

Marie Curie 

Medical Research Council (MRC) 

Ministry of Defence (MOD) 

Ministry of Education Singapore 

(MOE) 

N 

Nextek Limited 

National Council on Science and 

Technology (CONACYT), Mexico 

National Nuclear Laboratory UK 

(NNL) 

National Physical Laboratory (NPL) 

National Research Council of 

Canada (NRCC) 

National Science Foundation (NSF) 

Natural Science Foundation of 

China (NSFC) 

Natural Environment Research 

Council (NERC) 

Natural Sciences and Engineering 

Research Council of Canada 

(NSERC) 

Nihon Superior Company Limited 

Nuclear Decommissioning Authority 

(NDA) 

O 

Oak Ridge National Laboratory 

Ontario Power Generation (OPG) 

Overseas Research Scholarship 

(ORS) 

P 

Pilkington Group Limited 

Powerwave Technologies 

Pratt and Whitney 

Q 

Queen’s University Belfast 

QinetiQ Group plc 

R 

Research Councils UK (RCUK) 

Rolls-Royce plc 

Rolls-Royce Fuel Cell Systems 

Limited (RRFCS) 

Rolls-Royce UTP (University of 

Cambridge) 


(RAEng) 

Royal Society 

Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) 

Royal Thailand Government 

RWE npower 

S 

Shell Global Solutions 

Schlumberger Foundation Faculty 

for the Future Program (FFTF) 

Special Metals 

Stephen and Anna Hui Scholarship 

Strategic Longer and Larger Grants 

(LoLas) 

Stryker Corporation 

Supergen Fuel Cells Consortium 

T 

Technology Strategy Board (TSB) 

Tetronics Limited 

U 

United Kingdom Energy Research 

Centre (UKERC) 

Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) 

UK-India Education and Research 

Initiative (UKIERI) 

W 

Westinghouse Electric Company 

120 Department of Materials Research in progress Progress 2009–10 www.imperial.ac.uk/materials www.imperial.ac.uk/materials 

Department of Materials Research in Progress 2009–10 121 

research themes

Research in the Department is centred around six core themes: 

biomaterials and tissue engineering 

ceramics and glasses 

advanced alloys 

nanotechnology and nanoscale characterisation 

functional materials 

theory and simulation of materials 

The research teams for 

each theme are: 

Biomaterials and tissue 

engineering 

Professor Molly M Stevens ** 





Ceramics and glasses 





Professor Eduardo Saiz Gutierrez *** 



Dr Finn Giuliani *** 

Advanced alloys 




Dr David Dye 



Nanotechnology and 

nanoscale characterisation 







Functional materials 


Dr Solveig Felton (from 1 January 

2011) 

Professor Norbert Klein 




Theory and simulation of 

materials 

Professor Mike W Finnis * 


Dr Peter D Haynes * 


Dr Arash A Mostofi * 

Dr Paul Tangney * 

* Joint with the Department of Physics ** Joint with the Institute for Biomedical Engineering (IBE) 

*** Joint with the Department of Mechanical Engineering 

The research highlights and 

project summaries being 

undertaken in the Department 

by postgraduate research 

students, postdoctoral research 

staff and other projects as well 

as highlighting research of 

particular merit are summarised 

in this section. 

Each sub-section includes a 

research highlight(s) and a 

complete list of summaries (in 

alphabetical order according 

to title) for projects that were 

undertaken during the 2009–10 

academic year. 

Each summary includes 

the name of the researcher 

performing the work, the 

name of the supervisor where 

appropriate and the company 

sponsoring the project. 

Where the name of a 

sponsoring company has 

been abbreviated the full 

company name can be found 

in the section current research 

sponsors (pages 119– 120). 

Representative micrograph 

of Saos-2 cells cultured with 

dissolution ions of SR10. Cells 

were immunostained with actin 

(red) and vinculin (green). Nuclei 

of the cells are counterstained 

with DAPI 

» Pelin Candarlioglu 

122 Department of Materials Research in Progress 2009–10 www.imperial.ac.uk/materials www.imperial.ac.uk/materials Department of Materials Research in Progress 2009–10 

biomaterials and tissue engineering 

123

Research highlight 

Hybrid silicagelatin 

scaffolds 

for human tissue 

regeneration 

» Researchers: Oliver Mahony 

and Dr Olga Tsigkou 

» Supervisors: Professor Molly 

M Stevens and Dr Julian R 

Jones 

» Sponsor: EPRSC 

One of the principle aims 

in biomaterials and tissue 

engineering research is to 

develop techniques that 

enable the generation of 

functional biological tissue 

to treat diseased or damaged 

tissue in the human body. 

One technique is to engineer 

‘scaffolds’ (figure 1) that can be 

inserted into the problem area 

in the body and stimulate the 

regeneration of that area by 

releasing dissolution products 

and providing a template to 

guide new tissue growth. Such 

scaffolds must also restore 

the mechanical function of 

the tissue. For instance, a 

scaffold for bone must be able 

to transmit the loads that the 

bone is normally subject to. 

We have developed new 

materials based on a silicagelatin 

hybrid that show 

great potential as a platform 

technology for tissue 

regeneration. Formed into 

macroporous scaffolds, 

they support the growth of 

human mesenchymal stem 

cells, demonstrating their 

biocompatibility (figure 2). 

They exhibit a controllable 

dissolution profile, which can 

be tailored based on their 

composition. It is important 

to control the degradation of 

the scaffold in the body as, 

ideally, this can be engineered 

to match the rate of new tissue 

regeneration. Hence, over time, 

new natural tissue should 

occupy the area once filled by 

the scaffold. These scaffolds 

also exhibit a wide range of 

1 2 

124 Department of Materials Research in Progress 2009–10 


3 

mechanical properties based 

on both their composition 

and their porosity. This means 

that they can be optimised 

for a range of tissue types 

depending on the mechanical 

properties of the tissue. We 

envisage that these scaffolds 

can be optimised for both hard 

and soft tissue applications. 

As these materials are a special 

type of composite, termed 

hybrid, they exhibit chemical 

bonding between the silica and 

gelatin phases. This nanoscale 

phase interaction is key to the 

high level control of material 

properties that are observed. 

Models of the hybrid scaffolds 

have been developed to 

show the range of mechanical 

properties available based 

on the scaffold’s porosity and 

pore interconnect size (both 

important parameters in 

scaffold design). These models 

enable the engineer and 

surgeon to specify the precise 

parameters achievable by the 

scaffold, before the scaffold 

has even been synthesised 

(figure 3). 

project summaries 

Postgraduate research student projects 

A calcium containing hybrid material for bone 

tissue scaffolds 

» Researcher: Wouter van den Bergh 

» Supervisors: Dr Julian R Jones and Dr Alexander 

E Porter 

» Sponsor: Department of Materials (Imperial 

College London) 

This work aims to produce a scaffold of covalently 

bonded silica and gelatin containing calcium. 

Such a scaffold would provide mechanical 

support, 3D structural guidance and encourage 

bone regeneration by releasing osteogenic 

ions. The major challenge of this work lies in 

incorporating calcium into the already promising 

silica-gelatin system. The use of gelatin limits the 

temperature range available for heat treatment 

and necessitates the development of novel 

approaches using Calcium Phosphate, CME and 

other potential calcium sources. Encouraging 

scaffolds have been developed. 

A novel hybrid material for bone tissue scaffolds 

» Researcher: Esther Valliant 

» Supervisor: Dr Julian R Jones 

» Sponsors: Department of Materials (Imperial 

College London), NSERC 

Tissue engineering scaffolds encourage the 

body’s natural repair mechanisms by providing 

temporary support, encouraging cell attachment, 

signaling differentiation and degrading at a rate 

suitable for new tissue formation. A promising 

material is a hybrid material of bioactive glass 

and polymer where the two components are 

covalently bonded together. The aim is to produce 

an inorganic/organic hybrid using poly(γ-glutamic 

acid) (PGA) and 70S30C glass. The monomer 

unit of γ-PGA is a naturally produced protein and 

this polymer is safe for use in the body. Covalent 

crosslinks between the two phases produce a 

material with superior mechanical properties and 

dissolution performance over existing glasses 

while maintaining bioactivity. One of the greatest 

challenges in this sol-gel system is to successfully 

incorporate calcium, this has been achieved by 

changing the chemistry of the polymer. Foamed 

scaffolds have been developed that provide a 

template suitable for cell ingrowth. 

Bioactive glass based cements for medical 

applications 

» Researcher: Yann C Fredholm 

» Supervisors: Professor Robert G Hill (Barts and 

The London, School of Medicine and Dentistry, 

Queen Mary University of London) and Professor 

Molly M Stevens 

» Sponsor: DTI 

This project aims to develop new cement 

composed of polymer and bioactive glasses. The 

project involves formulation development, glass 

structure study, dissolution studies on the glass, 

apatite formation in SBF and in vitro cell testing 

with osteoblast cells. 

Bioactive nanocomposite scaffolds using natural 

polymers 

» Researcher: Oliver Mahony 

» Supervisors: Dr Julian R Jones and Professor 


» Sponsor: EPSRC (Case Studentship with 

Repregen Limited) 

New bioinspired scaffolds have been created 

that mimic bone’s nanocomposite structure and 

biomechanical properties. The nanocomposites 

are being produced using a new sol-gel process. 

A polymer network and bioactive and resorbable 

inorganic network is formed simultaneously, 

creating interlocking inorganic and organic 

networks. Gelatin is used as an enzymatically 

degradable polymer that mimics collagen. The 

inorganic phase provides compressive strength, 

bone bonding and delivers Si and Ca ions that are 

known to stimulate bone cells to produce new 

bone (osteogenesis). The polymer phase provides 

toughness. The key to success of these materials 

is covalently bond of the inorganic to the organic. 

This has been achieved using a coupling agent. 

A combination of a sol-gel foaming process and 

freeze drying has produced porous scaffolds 

with interconnected pore networks for tissue 

engineering applications. The degradation rate 

of the scaffold can be tailored by controlling the 

amount of coupling agent used. Importantly, 

the inorganic degrades at a similar rate to the 

polymer. Mechanical properties can be varied from 

flexible to stiff by changing the polymer content. 


125

Bio-inorganic nanomaterials 

» Researcher: Piotr Gryko 

» Supervisor: Professor Molly M Stevens 

» Sponsor: EPSRC (DTA) 

The ability to direct the assembly of inorganic 

nanoparticles has received growing interest in 

the creation of new nanotechnology devices. 

The development of new methods to control 

nanoparticle assembly may also impact on certain 

applications in medical and engineering science 

such as the generation of novel tunable and/ 

or switchable materials. In particular, the ability 

to dynamically assemble and dis-assemble such 

structures under physiologically accessible 

environmental conditions, as triggered for 

example by changes in pH or enzymes would be 

valuable for materials to be utilized for sensing in 

vivo and drug delivery. This work involves using 

de novo designed small peptide sequences that 

can specifically self-assemble to form peptidenanoparticle 

networks. The stability of the 

assembled peptides can be tuned by varying the 

sequence. The goal of this work is to generate new 

nano-assembled materials that can be dynamically 

assembled and disassembled in response to small 

changes in environmental stimuli such as pH or 

enzymes or other small molecules. 

Cartilage tissue engineering 

» Researcher: Erh-Hsuin Lim 


» Sponsor: Self-funded 

This project is engineering a bioactive, biomimetic 

and biocompatible scaffold for cartilage tissue 

regeneration. The design of the scaffold is 3D in 

structure. Scaffolds are being produced using 

electro-spinning and 3D printing techniques. 

These scaffolds are designed to exhibit 

topographical features on the nano- and microscale 

to influence cell adhesion and migration. 

Scaffolds are being characterised with scanning 

electron microscopy to assess porosity and 

morphology. This has a direct impact on the 

perfusion, cell migration and tissue integration. 

In addition, the scaffolds will be subjected to 

standard mechanical testing with and without 

immersion in simulated body fluid. 

Cell response to defined nanopatterns of 

chemistry and topography 

» Researcher: Vanessa LaPointe 


» Sponsors: Self-funded, ORS 

Cells respond to nanotopographical cues, 

resulting in diverse cell behaviour from changes 

in cell adhesion to regulation of gene expression. 

Monolayer-protected metal nanoparticle 

(MPMN) surfaces have controlled chemistry and 

nanotopography but varying surface energy and 

subnanometre domains in their monolayer shell. 

The aim of this project is to use MPMN surfaces 

to improve our fundamental understanding of 

how embryonic stem cells (ESCs) interact with 

nanostructured surfaces. This project involves 

surface characterisation, cell culture, and 

quantification of cell response. 

Cellular response to sub-micron bioactive glass 

particles 

» Researcher: Sheyda Labbaf 

» Supervisor: Dr Julian R Jones and Dr Alexandra 

E Porter 


Bioactive glasses bond to bone and degrade in 

the body. There is interest in using sub-micron 

and nanoparticles as injectables for therapeutic 

applications. Bioactive glass implants also have 

high potential for bone repair. It is therefore 

important to assess how stem cells behave in 

the presence of small bioactive glass particles, 

which could have been injected into the body or 

generated by wear of larger implants. Spherical 

sub-micron bioactive glass particles have been 

synthesised and characterised. High resolution 

microscopy is being used to investigate cell/ 

material interactions. Particles with diameters 

smaller than 250 nm were taken up by adult stem 

cells but were not found to affect cell behaviour. 

Characterisation of gel-cast melt-derived bioactive 

glass scaffolds in bone regeneration 

» Researcher: Hok Man Tang 


Peter D Lee 


Bioactive glasses have the ability to bond to bone 

while stimulating its growth as it degrades in vivo. 

Scaffolds synthesized from these compositions 

can also mechanically support the bone defect 

site as well as acting as a three dimensional 

template for cell ingrowth and attachment. We 

are utilising the gel-casting foaming method to 

produce porous, interconnected scaffolds from 

varying compositions of melt derived glass. The 

challenge to foaming these structures has been 

the extremely short pouring window, leading to 

foam collapse or the premature setting of the 

polymer. This has been eliminated by the removal 

of the pouring process altogether, giving samples 

that are highly interconnected with homogenous 

pore sizes in the desired range of 100-400µm. 

Varying the compositions used has also led to 

the elimination of unwanted potassium sulphate 

surface crystals formed between the glass and the 

polymer initiator. 

Characterisation of heart valve related 

mineralisation using bio-raman microspectroscopy 

and supporting techniques 

» Researcher: Kristy Cloyd 


» Sponsor: British Heart Foundation 

Heart valves are remarkable in their ability to 

direct unidirectional blood flow through the heart 

while enduring incredible mechanical loads and 

cyclic deformation. When these valves become 

calcified, particularly in the aortic valve they 

become thick, stiff, and occasionally leaflets fuse 

together so their ability to perform is hindered. 

This disruption results in the heart being forced 

to work harder and the patient suffering. The 

tendency of some heart valves to calcify is an 

interesting biological phenomenon as well as 

a pertinent medical concern. The objective of 

my project is to investigate the mineralisation 

process of heart valves, in vitro and in vivo, using 

Bio-Raman micro-spectroscopy and conventional 

techniques such as calcium staining, FTIR, PCR, 

SEM EDX. This characterisation will enable the 

comparison of the matrix composing deposited 

calcified nodules in valves to bone and other 

mineral species. Hopefully this insight will help 

unravel some of the mechanisms underlying heart 

valve calcification, and help progress towards 

future replacement or repair options. 

Electrospinning of photocrosslinked fibrous 

scaffold for tissue engineering 

» Researcher: Farina Muhamad 


» Sponsor: Malaysian Government 

This project involves engineering a bioactive, 

biomimetic and biocompatible scaffold using 

electrospinning technique. The technique is able 

to create ECM analogue scaffolds composed 

of nanoscale fibres, which create high surface 

area to volume ratio to support cell growth 

and infiltration. In addition, the morphological 

similarities between the nanofibres scaffold and 

the ECM are believed to improve cellular response 

and overall biocompatibility. Electrospun scaffolds 

are being characterised using scanning electron 

microscopy to determine morphology as well 

as extensive cell culture studies to determine 

scaffold biocompatibility and cell response. In 

addition, mechanical characterisation of the 

electrospun fibres will be performed. 

Elemental speciation analysis of food-related and 

environmental samples 

» Researcher: Sutthinun Taebunpakul 

» Supervisors: Professors Kym E Jarvis (Faculty of 

Natural Sciences), Susan J Parry, (Department 

of Earth Science and Engineering) Professor Bill 

Lee and Dr Heidi Goenaga-Infante, (Micro and 

Trace Analysis Centre) 

» Sponsor: Royal Thailand Government 

Elemental speciation analysis has received an 

increasing interest over the last decade since 

the determination of total concentration is not 

sufficient for gaining insights into its actual 

impact on the surroundings and human health. 

Information on the distribution of metal(loid) 

species in environmental and food-related 

samples is required to assess environmental 

impact and risks associated with human 

consumption. Current trends in speciation analysis 

are being oriented to bioinorganic applications, 

particularly to the investigation of metal species 

with bio-induced biomolecules such as organic 

acids, proteins, sugars or DNA fragments. This 

project is developing a method for extracting 

and detecting elemental species in metalaccumulating 

plants exposed to heavy metals 

using Laboratory of Government Chemists Limited 

(LGC)’s expertise and facilities for speciation work. 

The uptake of Se, As and Hg in plants is being 

examined using a combination of chromatography 

with ICP-MS and organic mass spectrometry. 

Engineering novel implants with modified 

biomolecule coatings 

» Researcher: Pinyuan Tian 




Titanium (Ti) implants have been widely used to 

replace, support or enhance missing or damaged 

bones because of their superior properties, 

such as high mechanical strength, outstanding 

corrosion resistance, and its biocompatability. Ti 

implant surface characteristics such as surface 


(bio)chemistry are believed to determine new 

bone formation at the implant surface. In order 

to obtain early and strong implant fixation in the 

surrounding bone tissue, implant surface (bio) 

chemical modification which uses critical organic 

components of bone, such as bone growth factors 

and enzymes, which stimulate bone formation and 

enhance bone mineralisation, are of particular 

interest. The aim is to develop novel Ti implants 

incorporating modified biomolecule coatings to 

improve functionality and biological efficiency. 

Two biomolecules were chose: a peptide derived 

from bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) which 

induces bone formation; an engineered enzyme 

alkaline phosphatase (ALP) which enhances 

mineral deposition. Both biomolecules were 

modified by His-tag, a sequence of six histidine 

residues, which control over biomolecule 

orientation and expose the active sites of 

biomolecules. Ti implants with BMPs peptide and 

ALP coatings have been developed to improve 

implant fixation in the bone tissue. 

Enzyme-responsive quantum dot-peptide 

conjugates for biomarker detection and 

evaluation 

» Researcher: Stuart Lowe 



Many disease states are characterised by 

overexpression or abnormal function of enzymes 

(biomarkers). Semiconductor nanoparticles 

(Quantum Dots – QDs) with a CdSe/ZnS coreshell 

structure and size-dependent luminescence 

can be functionalised with biomolecules in 

order to achieve highly sensitive enzyme 

detection. Designer peptides that mimic natural 

substrates are modified by the target enzyme. 

The QD-peptide conjugates are then formed via 

thermodynamically-driven self assembly between 

hexahistidine sequences contained within the 

peptide sequence and the ZnS surface of the 

QDs. Finally, dye-labelled antibodies recognise 

and bind to the modified site, which produces a 

quantifiable signal via FRET (Forster Resonance 

Energy Transfer). Enzymes under study include 

p300 Histone Acetyltransferase and HER2 kinase, 

and detection sensitivities in the nM range have 

been recorded. 

Fabrication, physical and in vitro characterisation 

of nanostructured porous bioactive glass/polymer 

composite scaffolds for hard tissue engineering 

applications 

» Researcher: Darmawati Yunos 

» Supervisor: Professor Aldo R Boccaccini 


» Sponsor: Malaysian Government 

In this project, inorganic fillers such as bioactive 

glass particles or titanium oxide nanoparticles 

are being added to optimise the mechanical 

properties of the polymer matrix as well as to 

increase tissue integration and bioactivity of the 

scaffolds. Moreover strategies for the modification 

of the topography and chemistry of the scaffolds 

surfaces are being investigated to enhance cell 

attachment and proliferation upon cell seeding. 

We are: 

• Fabricating 3D porous composite scaffolds 

based on Bioactive glass/polymer 

and Bioglass/Polymer/Titanium oxide 

nanoparticles with or without carbon nanotube 

additions. 

• Developing methods for functionalisation of 

the surface of 3D porous scaffolds. 

• Characterising the physical and mechanical 

properties of the porous composite scaffolds. 

Determining the in vitro properties of the porous 

composite scaffolds. 

Flow and mechanical behaviours of porous 

implants in vitro and in vivo: simulation and in 

situ observation 

» Researcher: Ziyu Zhang 

» Supervisors: Professor Peter D Lee and Dr Julian 

R Jones 

» Sponsors: Self Funded, Stryker Corporation 

Joint replacement implants require good fixation 

into host tissue. Bone fixation devices are 

expected to stimulate bone in-growth to help 

implants attach to native tissue. Titanium(Ti) 

porous foams produced by selective laser 

melting(SLM) technique are promising fixation 

devices in orthopaedic applications. These 

scaffolds should possess sufficient permeability 

to allow for vascular invasion, integration with 

the host tissue and also satisfy the transport 

requirements of remodelling bone. We are using 

X-ray microtomography(µCT) to obtain the 

three dimensional(3D) structure of Ti scaffolds 

with different levels of randomness in structure 

design (0%, 10%, 20% and 30%). A discretized 

computational fluid dynamics model was 

produced to predict the permeability of scaffolds. 

The calculated permeability was compared to 

experimental results and values of permeability of 

human bone published in previous literatures. The 

agreement between the experimental results and 

the numerical values indicates the suitability of 

the material for its orthopaedic applications. 

High phosphate strontium containing bioactive 

glass coatings for bone tissue engineering 

» Researcher: Nasrin Lotfibakhshaiesh 

» Supervisors: Professor Molly M Stevens and 

Professor Robert G Hill (Barts and The London 

School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary 

University London) 


Ti6Al4V alloys are bioinert and elicit fibrous 

encapsulation when implanted into bone, as hip 

or knee prostheses. This project is designing 

and developing novel strontium (Sr) containing 

bioactive glasses with thermal expansion 

coefficients matched to the alloy that can be 

sintered to form coherent tightly bonded coatings, 

without crystallisation occurring. Bioactive 

glasses form bone mineral on their surface in 

physiological fluids and integrate and bond 

with bone tissue. Strontium actively stimulates 

the bone forming cells and inhibits the bone 

resorbing cells. Successful coatings containing 

varying proportions of strontium and phosphate 

have been produced and we will investigate the 

response of bone cells to these bioactive glasses. 

Then the osseo-integration of the high phosphate 

Sr containing BG coating will compare with plasma 

sprayed hydroxyapatite in vivo. 

Hypoxia-mimicking materials for skeletal tissue 

engineering 

» Researcher: Maria Manuel Azevedo 


» Sponsor: FCT 

This project is developing a hypoxia stimulating 

biomaterial to be used in cartilage and bone tissue 

engineering. A series of Bioactive Glasses (BG) 

will be produced with increasing concentrations of 

cobalt ions, as cobalt is known to mimic a hypoxic 

environment. These BGs are being characterised 

and their effect on cell growth and viability and 

hypoxia pathway stimulation tested. The effect 

of the BG in cell differentiation will then be 

tested using stem cells from adult and embryonic 

sources (human periosteal stem cells, human 

mesenchymal stem cells and mouse embryonic 

stem cells). The BG will then be incorporated in a 

scaffold that can be implanted in the body. Before 

this, the stability of the BG during the scaffold 

fabrication process will be tested and the best way 

of incorporation of the BG in the scaffold will be 

studied. Toxicity and biological activity of the final 

scaffold will then be tested in vitro. 

Investigation into the effects of material selection 

and topographical features in scaffold design for 

the tissue engineering of cartilage 

» Researcher: Juling Ong 

» Supervisors: Professor Robert G Hill (Barts and 

The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, 

Queen Mary University of London) and Professor 



Autologous chondrocyte transplantation (ACT) 

to regenerate articular cartilage defects has 

many potential advantages over conventional 

treatments such as total joint replacement. 

However, the harvesting and in vitro expansion 

of human chondrocytes is associated with dedifferentiation 

to a fibroblastic phenotype. This is 

characterised by an abnormal pattern of collagen 

expression and decreased GAG production. 

This project is examining how human primary 

chondrocytes respond in vitro, to the scaffold 

material as well as its microscopic architecture 

and topography. Cell culture experiments, 

involving studies using human primary 

chondrocytes were cultured on the different 

substrates. Cell adhesion and proliferation on 

the different substrates has been measured and 

genomic and proteomic expression analysed. 

Using an electrospinning technique we fabricated 

fibrous mats of these polymers. These fibrous 

scaffolds were characterised prior to further 

cell studies examining chondrocyte functional 

phenotype. 

Multifunctional Bioglass® based composite 

scaffolds for bone tissue engineering 

» Researcher: Phillipa Newby 


(University of Erlangen-Nuremberg) and 

Professor Eduardo Saiz Gutierrez 


Bioactive glass scaffolds have drawn a lot of 

attention in recent years in the field of bone 

tissue engineering as they provide suitable 3D 

substrates that promote new bone growth. These 

scaffolds support osteoblast cell attachment, 

proliferation and differentiation, and they exhibit 

adequate mechanical properties to support the 

surrounding bone tissue. With post-operative 

infections and implant rejection a concern, 

the ideal scaffold implant would be one that 


incorporates an antibacterial element to help 

to prevent infections and thus reducing post 

operative care and improving the patient’s 

recovery time. Advanced scaffolds should also 

promote angiogenesis and blood vessel formation 

upon implantation. This project concentrates on 

developing multifunctional scaffolds based on 

Bioglass® derived foams. One approach is the 

introduction of antibacterial agents into the base 

bioactive glass-ceramic structure. This is being 

done in a number of ways, including introducing 

metal ions directly into the scaffold structure, 

doping polymeric coatings with therapeutic drugs 

(e.g. antibiotics) or incorporating metal ions into 

biodegradable polymer coatings. 

In current work, silver and copper ions are being 

introduced into the scaffold surface through a 

molten salt ion exchange process. These ions both 

show antibacterial properties and, in addition, 

copper ions may have angiogenic effects, which 

is another aspect being investigated in this 

project. Other possible therapeutic ions such 

as gallium are being investigated in this regard. 

Polymer coatings onto the scaffolds are being 

developed with the double function of providing 

a carrier for therapeutic drugs, e.g. antibiotics, 

and also to improve the scaffold mechanical 

properties by developing bioactive glass-polymer 

interpenetrating networks. The two polymers 

that this project concentrates on in particular, 

are gelatin and poly(DL-lactide) (PDLLA). Several 

layers of the polymer are deposited onto the 

scaffold by dipping the scaffold into tailored 

solutions containing the polymer. Further tests 

are being carried out to evaluate the ion and drug 

release behavior of the scaffolds in vitro, including 

the assessment of the biological performance of 

the novel scaffolds in cell culture conditions. The 

overall objective of the project is to develop new 

Bioglass® -derived glass-ceramic scaffolds with 

multifunctional properties (antibacterial, antibiotic 

delivery, angiogenic) and enhanced mechanical 

properties. 

Multifunctional P(3HB) microsphere/45S5 

Bioglass®-based composite scaffolds for bone 

tissue engineering 

» Researcher: Decheng Meng 

» Supervisors: Professor Peter D Lee and 

Professor Aldo R Boccaccini (University of 

Erlangen-Nuremberg) 


The treatment of organ and tissue failures 

accounts for between 40 and 90 million hospital 

days each year in the US alone, resulting in 

estimated national healthcare costs in excess 

of $400 billion annually for patients suffering 

end-stage organ failure or tissue loss. By using 3D 

scaffolds, the scientific field of tissue engineering 

can help enhance healing processes for damaged 

body parts. Well-known for its bioactivity and 

osteoconductivity, 45S5 Bioglass® is a very 

convenient material to fabricate 3D scaffolds for 

bone tissue engineering. The present research 

project is focused on developing multifunctional 

scaffolds combining drug delivery capability 

and bioactivity in order to fight infections during 

or after operation. In addition, nanoscaled 

topography is being incorporated to enhance cell 

attachment and proliferation. In particular, we are 

investigating the processing and characterisation 

of novel P(3HB) microsphere/45S5 Bioglass®based 

composite scaffolds exhibiting potential 

for drug delivery. 45S5 Bioglass®-based glassceramic 

scaffolds with high interconnected 

porosity were produced using the foam-replication 

technique, and a solid-oil-in-water emulsion 

solvent extraction/evaporation technique was 

used to fabricate P(3HB) microspheres (size < 2 

µm). A simple slurry-dipping method, using a 1 wt 

% suspension of P(3HB) microspheres in water, 

dispersed by an ultrasonic bath, was used to coat 

the scaffold, producing a uniform microspherecoating 

throughout the 3D scaffold structure. 

The resulting composite scaffolds have higher 

compressive strength and surface roughness 

(given by hydroxyapatite crystal formation on 

the microspheres in contact with SBF). Results 

so far show that the scaffold also maintains the 

high bioactivity typical of a silicate glass-ceramic 

derived from Bioglass®. Its drug delivery ability 

using gentamicyn and other relevant therapeutic 

drugs is under investigation. 

Nanocomposite scaffolds for bone regeneration 

» Researcher: Bobo Yu 

» Supervisor: Dr Julian R Jones 

» Sponsors: Self-funded, The Royal Society 

Bone is a natural nano-composite of collagen 

(polymer) and mineral (ceramic). The aim of this 

project is to design a scaffold that mimics both 

the structure and properties of bone. Sol-gel 

derived bioactive glasses can be foamed to 

produce porous bioactive glass scaffolds that 

bond to bone and stimulate new bone growth in 

3D. However, toughness of the scaffolds is too low 

for load bearing applications. We are improving 

the toughness of the scaffolds by introducing a 

bioresorbable polymer to the sol-gel process so 

that polymer chains form at the same rate as the 

glass network to obtain a nano-scale composite. 

A key step for bone regeneration is to have a 

scaffold that releases calcium at a controlled rate. 

Calcium must be incorporated at low temperatures 

in the sol-gel process. The chemistry of the sol-gel 

process has been optimised, employing novel 

calcium alkoxide precursors. Important interactions 

with the Universities of Warwick, (solid state NMR) 

and Kent (X-ray diffraction) have shown that the 

calcium alkoxide successfully incorporates calcium 

into the silica network, which has allowed the 

developed of calcium containing poly-γ-glutamic 

acid hybrids. 

Nanometrology of the bone-silicon hydroxyapatite 

interface 

» Researcher: Donovan Nightingale 

» Supervisors: Dr Alexandra E Porter and Dr 

Chaman L Chander (Shire Pharmaceutical) 

» Sponsors: EPSRC (CASE) with Baxter 

International (formerly Apa Tech Limited) 

We are establishing mechanisms by which silicon 

increases bone quality around porous silicon 

hydroxyapatite (Si-HA) bone grafts which are 

being developed by Baxter for intevertebral disc 

replacement. We are using a combination of 

analytical electron microscopy and focused ion 

beam milling techniques to elucidate how silicon 

modifies the formation of collagen around Si-HA 

implants. We are also developing cryo-preparation 

techniques to map the structure and chemistry of 

the collagen fibrils implant surface. 

Novel bioactive nanofibre scaffolds for tissue 

engineering 

» Researcher: Jessica May 


» Sponsors: Self-funded, ORS 

Successful tissue engineering requires both cell 

culturing techniques and the manufacturing of 

biologically-active materials that mimic the extracellular 

matrix (ECM). The nanoscale structure 

of the ECM in the body provides a natural web of 

intricate nanofibres to support cells and present 

an instructive background to guide their behaviour. 

This project is aimed at the nanoengineering of 

novel 3D bioactive scaffolds for tissue engineering. 

Synthetic and biological composite polymer fibres 

are being produced via electrospinning, a method 

currently focused on artificial polymer studies 

that lack the key molecules for cell adhesion. In a 

novel approach, both synthetic polymers and novel 

biologically inspired motifs are being combined for 

improved cellular integration into the scaffolds with 

unparalleled biological activity. Bioactive peptides 

are being produced using solid phase peptide 

synthesis, purified, and incorporated into the 

scaffolds. Different human cell types (Osteoblasts, 

Chondrocytes and Periosteal cells will be cultured 

with these scaffolds, and cell differentiation 

examined so that we can assess the clinical 

applicability of the materials. 

Novel bioactive hydrogel scaffolds for tissue 

engineering 

» Researcher: Elsie Place 


» Sponsor: EPSRC 

The project involves establishing technology 

based on the bio-inspired engineering of novel 

bioactive scaffolds that can be utilised in the tissue 

engineering of bone and cartilage. The scaffolds 

will provide unique and much improved biomimetic 

in vitro models through which to study directed 

differentiation of stem cells to specific lineages. 

Cell adhesion motifs are being incorporated in 

physiologically relevant presentations, as will 

growth factors to promote cell migration and 

differentiation. Mechanical characterisation of the 

scaffolds is being performed as are cell culture 

experiments to determine material toxicity and cell 

proliferation and differentiation. 

Porous melt-derived bioactive glass scaffolds for 

bone regeneration 

» Researcher: Yunxie (Zoe) Wu 


Robert G Hill (Barts and The London School of 

Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of 

London) 


Melt-derived bioactiave glasses have been used 

clinically as bone repair materials and synthetic 

bone grafts for 20 years. Due to their ability to bond 

to bone, to resorb in the body and to stimulate 

new bone growth by gene activation, it is desirable 

to develop a 3D porous bioactive glass scaffold. 

The scaffold should have a fully interconnected 

porous network with aperture diameters in 

excess of 100µm if they are to be suitable for 

bone regeneration. It has not been possible to 

produce porous scaffolds that remain glassy from 

the commercial Bioglass® composition because 

Bioglass® crystallises during sintering. We have 

tailored the glass composition so that it will sinter 

without crystallising. This project used foaming 

technology to develop the first melt-derived 

bioactive glass scaffolds that have a pore network 

similar to cancellous bone and high compressive 

strength. 


Quantification of complex porosity and the effect 

of bioreactor conditions on bioactive scaffolds for 

bone regeneration 

» Researcher: Sheng Yue 


Peter D Lee 

» Sponsors: Self-funded, The Leverhulme Trust 

and Stryker Corporation 

This project is investigating the properties of novel 

bioactive templates (scaffolds) that will be used to 

regenerate damaged bone to its original function. 

A bioreactor system has been devised that has 

controllable fluid flow though the scaffolds. 

X-ray microtomography (µCT) has been used to 

obtain 3D images of the scaffolds as a function 

of time. New 3D image analysis techniques have 

been developed to quantify the pore networks. 

Multistep procedures for the analysis of tortuous 

and irregular pore networks have been devised. 

The µCT technique will also be developed to 

quantify bioactive mineral formation throughout 

the pore network. The mechanical properties of 

the scaffolds must also be optimised if they are to 

be implanted into people. 

Self assembled β-sheet peptide poly (γ-glutamic 

acid) hydrogels 

» Researcher: David Clarke 


» Sponsors: Department of Materials and 

Department of Bioengineering (Imperial College 

London) 

Tissue engineering strategies typically involve 

the use of a bio-mimetic scaffold carrier material 

such as polymer and peptide hydrogels or 

nanofibrous polymer scaffolds. These materials 

provide mechanical support for cells and can be 

combined with bioactive moieties to achieve a 

desired cellular response. However, these scaffold 

materials have many disadvantages; polymer 

hydrogels are often fabricated from unnatural 

monomers, peptide hydrogels suffer from quick 

degradation rates and fail at strains exerted on 

them by a cellular environment, and polymer 

fibres are difficult to incorporate or graft with 

biomolecules. A promising self-assembled β-sheet 

peptide polymer hybrid hydrogel offers a novel 

and alternative approach, having the ability to 

easily encorporate cells and biomolecules. Also, 

being designed to gel through self assembly, 

they can be used as an injectable system and 

with predicted high failure strain, makes them an 

excellent candidate for many tissue engineering 

applications. 

Studying new bioactive glass compositions for 

bone tissue engineering 

» Researcher: Pelin Candarlioglu 


Professor Tony Cass (Institute of Biomedical 

Engineering) 

» Sponsor: Schlumberger Foundation Faculty for 

the Future Program (FFTF) 

Bioactive glasses have been widely used in bone 

tissue engineering due to their osteoconductive 

and osteoinductive properties. Growing 

research in this field allows experiments on the 

composition of bioglasses for different purposes 

ranging from bone void fillers to titanium alloy 

coatings. The aim of this project is to investigate 

the effect of Strontium substitution on two 

different bioglass types aimed to be used as 

scaffold or coating material. Because strontium 

has been known for its osteoblast stimulating 

and osteoclast down regulating properties, this 

project aims to enhance the osteogenic properties 

of bioactive glasses leading to the development 

of more biocompatible materials for bone tissue 

engineering purposes. 

Surface sensitive techniques for quantitative 

chemical analysis of engineered bio-nano 

interfaces 

» Researcher: Nia Bell 

» Supervisors: Professor Molly M Stevens and Dr 

Alex Shard (National Physical Laboratory) 

» Sponsors: EPSRC and NPL 

Nanostructuring and functionalising biomaterial 

surfaces are accepted ways of eliciting specific 

responses from cells. For meaningful conclusions 

regarding the effect of surface chemistry on 

cellular behaviour, spatially resolved, quantitative 

measurements of the surface topography and 

chemistry are of the greatest importance. We are 

evaluating the suitability of the surface sensitive 

techniques X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy 

(XPS) and Time of Flight-Secondary Ion Mass 

Spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) for looking at model 

and actual biomaterial surfaces, concentrating 

on examples with significant nanotopography. 

Geometrical models are being used to correct for 

topography induced artefacts in the XPS data and 

suitable flat control samples are used to alleviate 

the decrease in mass resolution in ToF-SIMS data 

due to sample topography. 

The influence of substrate stiffness on cell 

signalling 

» Researcher: Benjamin White 




Cells grown in vitro for biological studies are 

typically cultured on plastic substrates that are 

much stiffer than the extracellular environments 

encountered in vivo. This is an important 

observation as it has been demonstrated 

that the physical and material properties of 

a cell’s environment alone can affect cellular 

behaviour. For example, adult stem cells grown 

in identical conditions on matrices corresponding 

to the stiffness of bone or brain have been 

found to preferentially differentiate towards 

osteogenicor neuronal lineages respectively. 

The detailed mechanisms behind these effects 

are still largely unknown but are of considerable 

interest to bioengineering as they may permit 

the rational design of biomaterials capable of 

precisely directing cell fate. This project aims to 

elucidate such mechanisms by understanding 

how atypical mammalian cell signalling 

pathway (Wnt/beta-catenin) is modified as a 

result of growing cells on different substrate 

stiffnesses. To achieve this, polyacrylamide gels 

are fabricated with Young’s moduli spanning a 

physiologically relevant range and characterised 

using AFM. The gels are coated with a uniform 

layer of collagen to permit cell attachment 

and cell behaviour is studied using modern 

biological techniques. To date, differences in 

intracellular localisation patterns of key signalling 

molecules have been successfully detected 

as a function of varying substrate stiffness. 

Ultrastructure comparison of bone-like tissue 

cultured from mouse primary osteoblast, 

mesenchymal stem cells and embryonic stem cells 

» Researcher: Suwimon Boonrungsiman 

» Supervisors: Professor Molly M Stevens, Dr 

Alexandra E Porter and Professor David W 

McComb 

» Sponsor: Thai Government 

Embryonic stem cells (ESC) and mesenchymal 

stem cells (MSC) have been proposed as cell 

sources for bone tissue engineering due to their 

ability to form mineralised, bone-like nodules 

in vitro. However, more insight can be gained 

by comparing the structure, chemistry and 

organisation of bone produced by each cell type. 

This is critical to establish as any variations in 

these parameters would affect the mechanical 

properties of engineered bone. We are examining 

the ultrastructure of the bone-like tissues 

formed from the MSCs and ESCs, compare to 

osteoblasts (bone forming cells) by TEM based 

techniques. MSCs produced a bone like structure 

similar to osteoblasts, while ESCs produced a 

less bone-like structure which lacked of mineralcollagen 

fibrils association at nano scale. We 

also study the intracellular mineralisation 

including the involvement of mitochondria in 

mineralisation process, which is still controversial 

and not fully understood. The matrix vesicle 

mediated mineralisation was observed in 

all three cell types. Mitochondria contained 

calcium phosphate particles during formation 

of mineralised tissues. We are examining 

how the mitochondria transport calcium and 

phosphate ions to extracellular matrix. 

3D characterisation and optimisation of bioactive 

scaffolds for bone regeneration 

» Researchers: Sheng Yue and Ziyu Zhang 


Peter D Lee 

» Sponsors: Self funded, Stryker Corporation 

Tissue engineering is a strategy for stimulating 

the body’s own regenerative mechanisms to 

heal tissue. One way this can be done is to use 

porous scaffolds as 3D supports for tissue growth. 

To design an ideal scaffold, it is imperative to 

be able to quantify the pore sizes and more 

importantly the interconnects between the pores. 

Pores must be sufficiently connected to allow 

cell migration, fluid flow and tissue growth. X-ray 

micro-computer tomography (µCT) has become 

a popular tool for obtaining 3D images of tissue 

scaffolds, however images are only qualitative. In 

this project, novel 3D image analysis techniques 

have been developed providing a full quantitative 

characterisation of the pore networks, including 

the pore diameter and the interconnect length 

distributions and flow properties. The techniques 

developed are being used to optimise scaffolds 

produced by foaming sol-gel derived bioactive 

glasses, which have the potential to fulfil the 

criteria for an ideal scaffold for bone tissue 

engineering. µCT images have been obtained from 

scaffolds with different pore structures. The images 

were thresholded and three algorithms were 

applied in 3D to identify pores and interconnects 

and to obtain pore size distributions. The µCT data 

were then input into models to predict mechanical 

properties and permeability as a function of the 

pore network. Such predictions will be useful 

for optimising bioreactor conditions for tissue 

engineering applications. These techniques would 


e suitable for many other types of tissue scaffold 

and may be used as a standard technique for 

scaffold characterisation throughout the field of 

biomaterials. 


research associate projects 

Angiogenic potential of bioactive glass for tissue 

engineering scaffolds 

» Researcher: Dr Lutz-Christian Gerhardt 

» Supervisors: Professor Aldo R Boccaccini 

(University of Erlangen-Nuremberg), Professor 

Eduardo Saiz Gutierrez, Dr Tahera Ansari 

(Northwick Park Institute for Medical Research, 

Harrow), Dr Simon Gabe (St Mark’s Hospital, 

Harrow) and Professor Iman Roqan (KAUST, 

Saudi Arabia) 

» Sponsor: KAUST 

This project focuses on the fabrication, 

characterisation and histological/immunohistochemical 

assessment of resorbable poly(D, L 

lactide) (PDLLA)/bioactive glass (45S5 Bioglass®) 

composite scaffolds for bone tissue engineering 

applications. In particular, the potential of 

nano-sized (30–40 nm) and conventional, 

micron-sized (1-20 µm) bioactive glass particles 

to stimulate vascular endothelial growth factor 

(VEGF) is being investigated in detail. Cell culture 

experiments on bioactive glass coatings showed 

that the ionic dissolution products from 45S5 

Bioglass® stimulated VEGF secretion over a 

limited particle concentration range (< 1.5 mg/ 

cm 2 ). On this basis, PDLLA/Bioglass® scaffolds 

were produced using bioactive glass particles 

as reinforcing and functional filler (5–20 wt.%). 

Porous 3D composite scaffolds with porosities 

between 79 and 94 per cent were fabricated using 

a modified sugar-template particulate leaching 

method. The prepared scaffolds demonstrated 

sufficient mechanical strength for implantation in 

animal models at non-load bearing sites. In vivo 

experiments on rats are currently underway to 

determine the cellularisation (tissue in-growth, 

blood vessel formation) and integration of the 

scaffolds into the immediate adjacent tissue 

at the implantation site. Advanced functional 

bioactive glass scaffolds showing osteogenic and 

angiogenic properties, i.e. the ability of becoming 

tightly bound to the host tissue, mineralised and 

vascularised, represent an attractive solution 

for the regeneration of complex tissue structure 

defects, for example at soft-hard tissue interfaces 

(e.g. tendon-bone interface). 

Bioactive glass and bone cells 

» Researcher: Dr Eileen Gentleman 



The aim of this project is to investigate how 

degradable bioactive glass-based cements affect 

bone cells. Bioactive glasses stimulate bone cells 

via both surface interactions and through their 

dissolution ions. We are therefore examining how 

these factors affect osteoblasts by measuring 

their ability to create bone, and osteoclasts by 

quantifying their bone resorbing capabilities. This 

project utilises techniques from the fields of cell 

and molecular biology and tissue engineering and 

should aid in furthering our understanding of the 

factors that stimulate bone cells when they come 

in contact with biomaterials. 

Bioactive microscaffolds for tissue engineering 

» Researcher: Dr Luis Rojo Del Olmo 


» Sponsors: Strategic Longer and Larger Grants 

(LoLas) and BBSRC 

The project pertains to the field of regenerative 

medicine and is focused on the preparation 

of bioactive polymeric matrix of alginate and 

active precursors of tissue regeneration such as 

extracellular matrix components, growth factors 

and others, for their application in skeletal tissue 

regeneration. We aim to carry out the preparation 

of the scaffolds following well designed protocols 

to achieve chemically modified alginates with a 

view to function as bioactive matrixes for specific 

cells such as stem cells, chondrocytes and 

osteoblasts and vehicles for different signalling 

factors able to promote and enhance the induction 

and development of new skeletal tissue. 

Cell therapy using stem cells and biomimetic 

biodegradable nanostructured materials 

» Researchers: Dr Cristina Gentilini and 

Yixiang Dong 


» Sponsor: Technology Strategy Board 

Aim of the project is to prepare biomimetic 

nanofibers composited with bioactive glasses as 

scaffolds for bone-cartilage tissue regeneration. 

Differentiated mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) is to 

be seeded on the scaffolds for implantation. 

The fibrous scaffolds are fabricated by using 

poly-(γ-glutamic acid) - γ-PGA - a biocompatible, 

enzyme-degradable, naturally occurring 

polymer, which is more resistant to hydrolysis 

than synthetic polyesters, such as the widely 

used polylactide (PLA). Moreover, the presence 

of carboxyl groups, known for promoting 

mineralisation, makes γ-PGA a promising 

candidate for bone tissue engineering purposes. 

The high water solubility of γ-PGA is overcome by 

esterification of the side groups, and the modified 

γ-PGA is shaped by electrospinning into ultrathin 

fibres that mimic the 3D fibre network of the 

extracellular matrix. 

Cellular response and angiogenesis in bioactive 

scaffolds 

» Researcher: Dr Olga Tsigkou 



» Sponsor: EPSRC (Project Grant) 

Bioactive glasses have the potential to be able 

to regenerate diseased or damaged bone to its 

healthy form. Bone can regenerate itself if the 

defect is small, but it needs a temporary template 

(scaffold) if the defect is large. Bioactive glass 

scaffolds have previously been developed by Dr 

Jones’ team. It is important to assess how the 

material properties (pore size, degradation rate 

etc.) affect cellular response. An important cell 

type to investigate is adult mesenchymal stem 

cells (MSCs) harvested from human bone marrow. 

These cells are responsible for bone repair in the 

body. How the materials affect the differentiation 

pathway of the cells is being investigated. The 

project also involves investigating how the 

cells can be grown and kept alive throughout 

the scaffold structure. Methods of culturing 

endothelial cells (responsible for blood vessel 

growth) with the MSCs have been developed 

to assess how the MSCs can stimulate the 

endothelial cells to produce blood vessels. Glass 

scaffolds are suitable for certain defect sites in 

the body (those under compressive loads) but 

are not suitable for sites that are under cyclic 

loads as the glass is brittle. We are developing 

novel nanocomposite scaffolds that combine 

all the benefits of the bioactive glass scaffolds 

with toughness. As these are new materials, 

cell viability (toxicity of the materials) must be 

assessed. Cellular response pathways will then 

be investigated and the results fed back into 

materials design. 

Engineering of mesoporous microspheres for 

biomaterials applications 

» Researcher: Dr Lijun Ji 

» Supervisors: Professor Molly M Stevens, Dr 

Alexandra E Porter and Dr Julian R Jones 


The aim of the proposed project is to engineer 

and characterise new composite microspheres 

of mesoporous sol-gel produced silica bioactive 

glass. These mesoporous bioactive glass 

microspheres are tested as novel biomaterials 

for their ability to carry and transport multiple 

therapeutic or diagnostic agents past the 

body’s biological defenses and control their 

release at designated targets such as cancer 

cells. Drug targeting and controlled release is 

an active area of research due to the serious 

side effects associated with systemic and 

unlocalised presentation of potent drugs such 

as chemotherapeutics for the treatment of 

cancer. Controlled drug delivery can potentially 

deliver drugs directly to the target cells thus 

improving efficiency and avoiding side-effects. The 

projectinvolves three main parts: 

• preparation of composite mesoporous 

bioactive glass microspheres 

• state of the art TEM and FIB-SEM 

characterisation of the structure of composite 

microspheres 

• state of the art TEM and FIB-SEM 

characterisation of the protein/material 

interface to elucidate the factors that govern 

the drug delivery efficiency of mesoporous 

bioactive glass microspheres 

Plastics from sugars: the preparation, processing 

and properties of compostable polymers from 

lignocellulosic biomass 

» Researcher: Dr Min Tang 

» Supervisors: Dr Charlotte Williams (Department 

of Chemistry) and Professor Molly M Stevens 


The project is exploring home-compostable 

plastics which derive from renewable (but 

inexpensive) resources for commodity 

applications (packaging). Such materials are 

also of great interest for medical applications, 

provided they degrade to metabolites. The 

project focuses on the polymerisation of 

carbohydrates, derived from lignocellulosic 

biomass, to give highly functionalised and rapidly 

degradable plastics. Lignocellulosic biomass 

derives primarily from non-food crops such as 

fast growing trees (e.g. poplar or willow) or from 


grasses (e.g. switch grass). Specifically, the 

feedstocks will be D-glucose, a carbohydrate 

derived from both cellulose and hemicelluloses, 

which in turn constitute 55–85 per cent of the 

plant mass. Such carbohydrates are highly 

attractive feedstocks for chemicals production 

as they are abundant, inexpensive and highly 

functionalised. They are also cost competitive 

with common petrochemicals and solvents. The 

plastics prepared in the proposal are 100 per 

cent degradable and compostable, ultimately 

they are broken down in soil or in the body to 

give naturally occurring by-products. The new 

materials are targeted for use in a variety of 

applications, including being used in compostable 

packaging, in particular they will facilitate the 

disposal and home-composting profile of currently 

commercial degradable plastics. Furthermore, the 

degradation of the new materials will be exploited 

for specialised medical applications. Specifically, 

we will study the use of the polymers as scaffolds 

in tissue regeneration; the key advantage of the 

new materials are the unusual physical properties 

they display and the ability to fully degrade them 

in the body. 

Other projects 

Novel bioactive glass-ceramic composites for 

dental restorations 

» Researcher: Dr Xanthippi Chatzistavrou 



» Sponsors: European Union Marie Curie Actions, 

Intra-European Fellowships 

There is continuous need for carrying out 

further research in the field of glass-ceramics for 

dental applications, which must attain stringent 

properties. The aim is to develop materials with 

desired mechanical properties and bioactive 

function, since the current restorative dental 

materials are biocompatible but they do not 

exhibit bioactive behaviour. The sol-gel process 

involves synthesis of materials by exploiting the 

transition of a system from the liquid phase to 

a porous solid allowing the fabrication of new 

inorganic materials with controlled mictrostructure 

and properties. In this project a new glass-ceramic 

in the system SiO2-Al2O3-K2P-Na2O-CaO-P2O5 is 

synthesized by sol-gel and composite materials 

are being fabricated combining this new glassceramic 

with the well known sol-gel bioactive 

glass 58S. The characterisation of the fabricated 

materials is performed by Fourier Transform 

Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, Scanning Electron 

Microscopy (SEM), Differential Thermal Analysis 

(DTA) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. The 

elemental analysis and backscattered SEM 

imaging show that the sol-gel method has 

produced materials of high chemical homogeneity. 

The composite materials exhibited a high 

bioactive behaviour through the development 

of a carbonate hydroxyapatite layer on their 

surface after three days of immersion in SBF. The 

new glass-ceramic and the composite materials 

have potential application in dental restorations 

and they are expected to exhibit better control 

of composition, microstructure and properties 

than equivalent materials fabricated by melting 

processes due to the intrinsic advantage of 

the sol-gel method for the synthesis of highly 

homogeneous multiphase materials. 

Rationally designed hydrogels for drug delivery 

applications 

» Researcher: Dr Caterina Minelli 


» Sponsor: European Union Marie Curie Actions 

One of the main causes of adverse effects in 

patients undertaking chemotherapy is that 

anticancer drugs spread randomly throughout 

the body, attacking healthy tissues as well 

as malignant ones. The encapsulation of 

antitumour drugs in engineered systems is a 

promising strategy, although specific tumour 

targeting and multifunctionalities of the drug 

carriers are highly desired for the development 

of innovative therapies. We propose novel drug 

delivery systems based on highly engineered 

nano-materials. The carriers consist of composite 

hydrogels made of protein-resistant polymer 

molecules cross linked together by rationally 

designed peptideable to assemble in biological 

environments and disassemble in response to 

exact environmental stimuli such as temperature 

and pH changes. The peptide coils exhibit gold 

nanorods or nanoshells at their free ends, which 

increase their temperature when irradiated with 

near-infrared light. Thanks to their innovative 

design and the attractive chemical and physical 

properties of their components, these drug 

carriers possess notable properties: 

• the drug is delivered specifically into tumours 

by means of the enhanced permeability of the 

tumoral vascular system to nano-sized beads 

• the drug release is triggered on demand or 

occurring in response to exact local conditions 

(i.e. lower pH of the tumoral tissue with respect 

to blood) 

the gold nanoshells and nanorods act as 

• 

contrast agents in tumour tomography as well 

as heat sources for tumour thermal ablation 

therapy. 

Synthetic superantibodies – bioinspired 

engineering of artificial receptor structures 

Researcher: Dr Heiko Andresen 

Supervisor: Professor Molly M Stevens 

Sponsors: European Commission (Marie Curie 

Fellowship), German Research Foundation (DFG) 

At the intersection of molecular biotechnology 

and materials science, the project provides an 

innovative scientific and experimental concept 

to transfer biomolecular recognition into nonbiological 

materials. We aim to converge the 

benefits of natural biorecognition with those 

of a synthetic approach to provide a new class 

of bioactive affinity materials with potential 

applications in biosensing, diagnostics, and 

target drug delivery. The bioinspired approach 

is modelled on the antibody binding site whose 

binding capacity is the result of a defined 

three-dimensional structure in which loops 

of polypeptides cooperatively interact with 

the antigen through specific biomolecular 

interactions. We use a combination of modern 

biomolecular and bioanalytical techniques to 

identify peptides within these structures that 

are pivotal for the interaction with the antigen, 

and synthetically mimic these peptides whilst 

maintaining their biological function. Affinity 

driven self-assembly between these peptides and 

their specific antigen is used to produce templates 

for a subsequent molecular imprinting process, 

resulting in a site-specific integration of peptides 

into the structural backbone of a molecularly 

imprinted polymer. The project thus encompasses 

an interdisciplinary approach to accomplish the 

first instance of a biohybrid, yet fully synthetic 

three dimensional recognition element – a 

synthetic antibody. In particular, we hypothesise 

that it will be possible to rationally engineer 

recognition elements with tailored affinities to 

create structures with new properties that can 

outperform naturally derived antibodies. 


Dendritic microstructure on the 

surface of a 20 vol% SiC/HfB 2/2 

wt% LaB 6 composite that has been 

heated above ~2700°C by a laser 

» Dr Doni Daniel 


ceramics and glasses

Figure 1: Section of 

SDC/CeO2 multilayer 

sample in bright and 

dark field (HAADF) STEM 

perpendicular to growth 

direction. 

Figure 2: ToF-SIMS 

depth profile through 

12 YSZ/CeO2 multilayer 

heterostructures 

highlighting the 

periodicity of the layers. 

Figure 3: Reconstruction 

of the Y and Zr mass 

spectrum signals from the 

TOF-SIMS depth profile in 

the YSZ/CeO2 multilayer 

structure and (right) 

Reconstruction of CeO + 

in a depth profile viewed 

perpendicular to sputter/ 

growth directions. 


Determination of 

the composition 

and interfacial 

characteristics 

of multilayer 

heterostructured 

oxides as potential 

high performance 

solid oxide fuel 

cell electrolytes 

» Researcher: Stuart Cook 

» Supervisor: Professor John A 

Kilner 

» Sponsors: EPSRC (DTA), Oak 

Ridge National Laboratory 

Enhancing the oxide ionic 

conductivity of fuel cell 

electrolytes is a challenge 

that has resulted in the use 

of substituting ions in a 

host matrix, such as yttria in 

ZrO2 (YSZ) producing mobile 

oxygen vacancies. Whilst this 

increases the ionic conductivity 

the effect does not extend 

from high temperatures to 

the lower (~500 o C) regime 

that would dramatically 

alter fuel cell technology. 

An alternative approach 

to enhancing performance 

has been proposed 

manipulating interfacial 

effects by the development of 

multilayered heterostructures. 

Significant claims have 

been attributed to such 

structures but there is little 

direct evidence of enhanced 

ionic mobility in these oxide 

structures. To probe these 

potential enhancements 

in a technologically 

relevant materials system 

heterostructures of Ce1-xSmxO2-d 

(SDC)/CeO2 were prepared by 

PLD with each layer ~20nm 

in thickness. High quality thin 

films of these structures were 

obtained as shown in figure 1. 

2 3 


1 

To probe the effect of the 

interfaces of these multilayer 

structures differential strain 

has been investigated in 

systems based on YSZ/CeO2 

complimenting the initial 

studies of the SDC/CeO2 films. 

The structure of the multilayer 

films has been investigated 

by TOF-SIMS to trace the 

reproducibility and consistency 

of the layers through the 

depth of the film. From figure 

2 it is clear that the Y and Zr 

signals coincide exactly and 

alternate with the CeO + signal, 

indicating that there is minimal 

interdiffusion between the 

layers. It is also apparent 

that the interfaces between 

the compositionally different 

layers are sharp. Further 

information on the consistency 

of the layers is achieved from 

a reconstruction of the depth 

profile through the multilayer 

structure highlighting the 

distribution of Y + , Zr + and 

CeO+, figure 3. The ability to 

distinguish individual layers 

and differentiate oxygen-16 and 

oxygen-18 isotopes allows the 

direct study of oxygen diffusion 

behaviour in different regions 

using an isotope exchange 

technique. 



Atomic scale modelling of phosphate mineral 

phases 

» Researcher: Eleanor Jay 

» Supervisor: Professor Robin W Grimes 

» Sponsors: EPSRC (DTA), AWE 

One of the 6a cation sites of the β-tricalcium 

phosphate structure has previously been 

described as half occupied. Classical static 

lattice techniques are used to model the different 

configurations that the Ca ions can exhibit over 

these Ca(4) 6a sites. All possible configurations 

in the single primitive unit cell and a hexagonal 

supercell (3h11) have been generated, along 

with configurationally averaged structures, that 

exhibits experimentally reported R3c symmetry. 

The lowest energy configuration of the primitive 

cell exhibits R3 symmetry. Conversely, the lowest 

energy configurations derived from the hexagonal 

supercell cell, which are considerably more 

stable than those computed previously, exhibit 

P31 and P32 symmetries, which are isomorphic 

supergroups of R3c. The implication of these 

simulations is discussed in terms of refined 

structural models of the material. 

Mixed crystalline phase composite ceramics 

offer the possibility of partitioning defect species 

between the phases as well as occupancy of 

specific sites within a given phase. Here we 

use atomic scale simulations to study the site 

preference of an extensive range of divalent 

and trivalent substitutional ions across the five 

cation sites in β-tricalcium phosphate (β -TCP) 

and the two cations sites in fluorapatite (FAp). 

This study indicates that in β -TCP small dopant 

species occupy the smaller of the five cation 

sites and vice versa. Conversely, in FAp, small 

divalent species occupy the nominally larger 

Ca(1) site while larger cations occupy the Ca(2) 

site. Partition energies between the two phases 

indicate that divalent species strongly segregate 

to β -TCP as do Al 3+ and Ga 3+ , whereas all other 

(larger) trivalent ions exhibit little preference. 

We are also looking at Molecular dynamics 

of radiation damage across both β-tricalcium 

phosphate and fluorapatite. Furthermore, fluorine 

migration in fluorapatite has very poorly defined 

migration mechanisms so this is currently being 

investigated using molecular dynamics. 

Atomic scale simulation of fission product 

interactions with nuclear materials 

» Researcher: Donat JM Fatet 


» Funding: EPSRC (DTA) 

The storage of spent Magnox fuel pins in water 

has resulted in an estimated 2,000m 3 of irradiated 

magnesium Corroded Magnox Sludge (CMS – 

containing mostly brucite) in the United Kingdom. 

It is important to better understand this waste and 

its interaction with its current environment in order 

to form an effective and safe disposal strategy. 

This project is concerned with creating an atomic 

scale model of brucite’s surface energies using pair 

potential methods. Both surface and attachment 

energies were derived for low index surfaces, 

and wulff diagrams of the resulting growth and 

equilibrium morphologies were drawn. The lowest 

energy surfaces were calculated to be {0001} (the 

basal plane family) and {10¯10} (the prismatic 

plane family). Calculated Wulff diagrams show 

platelet morphologies due to the dominance of the 

basal plane and are in agreement with available 

micrographs of the brucite in situ. The results also 

predict angled surfaces on the edges of the basal 

planes, these suggested appearances however 

are too small to be confirmed by the micrographs. 

Further work will focus on studying the stability 

of these surfaces in their aqueous environment 

and finding the mechanisms for the adsorption of 

radionuclides onto the surfaces. 

Cathode materials for low temperature protonic 

oxide fuel cells 

» Researcher: Matthew Sharp 

» Supervisor: Professor John A Kilner 

» Sponsor: EPSRC (Supergen Fuel Cells Consortium 

Project Studentship) 

Fuel cell technologies are largely defined by their 

temperature of operation. Of the many types 

available, fuel cells have shown promise for a 

wide variety of applications, from automotive to 

combined heat and power devices. As with most 

emerging technologies, there is scope for further 

development. Within the wide range of operating 

temperatures for fuel cells, a temperature gap 

exists between proton exchange membrane fuel 

cells (PEMFCs) and solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). 

This collaborative project seeks to develop a hybrid 

type PEMFC/SOFC capable of operating within this 

temperature window (200 – 500°C). Filling this gap 

will allow for improvements in existing technologies 

as well as introducing new potential technologies. 

Work at Imperial is focussed on developing a 

suitable cathode for the proposed fuel cell. 


141

Chromium poisoning of LSCF cathode in SOFCs 

» Researcher: Soo-Na Lee 

» Supervisors: Professor Alan Atkinson and 



The long operation time of SOFCs leads to a 

constant reduction in efficiency over time due to the 

degradations of internal materials. The degradation 

phenomena involve internal factors such chemical/ 

microstructural change over time or external 

factors, such as operational condition or foreign 

elements in the atmosphere. Chromium poisoning 

is one of the external factors that accelerate 

degradation at the cathode side of SOFCs. As 

the durability of a fuel cell system is the most 

important factor in commercialising, it challenges 

the understanding of any factors that would reduce 

the lifetime of a SOFC. Chromium-containing volatile 

vapours and scales of oxides are formed from 

metal components at the cathode sides of cells at 

high SOFC operating temperature, which leads to 

performance degradation. Many studies have been 

carried out to investigate the mechanisms, factors 

that increase chromium poisoning and prevention 

methods. However, the direct relationship between 

the amount of chromium and the degree of 

performance degradation of a cathode has not been 

investigated in depth. 

Correlating microstructure and mechanical 

properties of hot pressed SiC 

» Researcher: Naeem Ur-Rehman 

» Supervisors: Dr Luc J Vandeperre and Professor 

Bill Lee 

» Sponsors: EPSRC (Project Studentship), DSTL 

We are investigating the relationship between the 

processing, microstructure and properties of hot 

pressed SiC. Particular attention is being paid to 

determining how specific microstructural features 

affect SiC’s response to both quasi-static and 

impact loading. 

Corrosion of spent advance gas reactor (AGR) fuel 

cladding in trace aqueous electrolyte environments 

» Researcher: Chin Heng Phuah 

» Supervisors: Professor Bill Lee and Dr Mary P 

Ryan 

» Sponsors: EPSRC (DIAMOND Consortium Project 

Studentship) 

Grain boundary chromium-depletion in the spent 

advance gas-cooled reactor (AGR) fuel cladding, 

made of austenitic stainless steel 20Cr/25Ni/Nb, 

is a microstructural defect that adversely impacts 

on aqueous corrosion in the interim wet storage 

ponds. This phenomenon is characterised by the 

preferential segregation of alloying elements of 

varying diffusivity into the point defects that are 

created by neutron-clad collision – a condition also 

commonly termed radiation-induced segregation. 

The result is decreased corrosion resistance due 

to inadequate chromium-oxide protection against 

electrochemical interactions in corrosive agents. 

In the wet ponds where spent fuels are stored, the 

corrosion observed at trace concentrations (ppm) 

of anions is a concern. Throughout active-specimen 

is difficult to access for many common corrosion 

analyses. Thermal sensitisation, however, is a 

non-active alternative that could produce discrete 

levels of grain boundary chromium-depletion 

through the formation of chromium-rich carbide 

precipitates as a function of heating temperature 

and time. The objectives of this work are to quantify 

the corrosion potential of the thermally-sensitised 

20Cr/25Ni/Nb steel in trace aqueous electrolytes 

and compare our measurements to selected 

active-samples, performed at the UK’s National 

Nuclear Laboratory (NNL) facilities, in order to 

account for the characteristic differences in grain 

boundary chromium-depletion mechanisms. To 

date, transmission electron microscope analysis 

on Focus Ion Beam (FIB) specimens prepared from 

the annealed (1050°C for 2 hours, furnace cooled) 

and non-annealed AGR fuel cladding showed 

consistent grain-grain boundary compositions in 

both types – averaging 20.4±0.2%wt chromium, 

53.6±0.1%wt iron and 26.0±0.2%wt nickel – but 

the non-annealed cladding exhibited a 10.3±0.2% 

chromium depletion at the grain boundaries. 

The effect of electrolyte concentrations on the 

non-annealed cladding is tested using the anodic 

polarisation method, measuring +1.60V (more 

noble) and +0.70V, with respect to Ag|AgCl 

reference electrode, in 0.001M (lower chloride 

concentration) and 0.01M, respectively. 

Crystallisation studies of fluorapatite glassceramics 

» Researcher: Adam Calver 

» Supervisor: Professor Robert G Hill (Queen Mary, 

University of London) 


We are investigating phase development in 

fluorapatite glass-ceramics using a combination 

of: solid state nuclear magnetic resonance, X-ray 

powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron 

microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and 

differential thermal analysis. These techniques 

are being combined with real time neutron 

diffraction to follow crystallisation at temperature 

and real time small angle neutron scattering to 

follow amorphous phase separation and the 

early stages of nanocrystallisation. A range of 

fluorapatite glass-ceramic compositions are 

being investigated including calcium fluorapatite, 

strontium fluorapatite, and mixed calcium/ 

strontium fluorapatites. Applications of these 

materials include medical and dental ceramics, 

laser materials and matrices for radioactive waste 

entrapment. 

Deposition and characterisation of layered 

Ruddlesden-Popper Phases for solid oxide fuel cell 

cathodes 

» Researcher: Kuan-Ting Wu 

» Supervisor: Dr Stephen J Skinner and Dr Yeong-Ah 

Soh 


Ruddlesden-Popper (RP) type oxides, formulated 

An+1MnO3n+1, typically with A = La, Pr, Nd and 

M = Ni, Co, have recently been suggested as 

promising candidates for solid oxide fuel cell 

(SOFC) cathodes. Lan+1NinO3n+1 (n = 1, 2 and 3) is a 

type of layered mixed ionic-electronic conductor 

(MIEC) and composed of n consecutive LaNiO3 

perovskite blocks, alternating with LaO rock-salt 

blocks. Previous research has demonstrated 

that a very high ionic conductivity is obtained 

for La2NiO4 but performance is limited by its 

electronic conductivity. Thus, the higher order RP 

phases La3Ni2O7 and La4Ni3O10 respectively, are of 

interest for use as SOFC cathodes owing to their 

superior electrical conductivity, and good chemical 

and thermomechanical stability in operation at 

intermediate temperature (500~700°C). 

The purpose of this project is to synthesize dense 

La3Ni2O7 and La4Ni3O10 polycrystalline films or 

epitaxial films of different orientations using 

pulsed laser deposition (PLD) by either using 

different substrates or varying the deposition 

conditions, to study the variation in properties 

by substrate-induced strain. Also, a series of 

electrical and electrochemical measurements will 

be executed in order to obtain transport coefficients 

including diffusion coefficients and rate constants, 

representing cell performance and including 

electrical anisotropy measurements. 

To achieve this, the ionic and electronic conductivity 

will be determined via DC measurement and AC 

impedance spectroscopy and tracer experiments 

will be performed to examine the oxygen isotopic 

exchange and distribution via the isotope exchange 

depth profile (IEDP) method. 

Development of novel low pH cement systems for 

encapsulation of wastes containing aluminium 

» Researcher: Tingting Zhang 

» Supervisors: Dr Christopher R Cheeseman 

(Department of Civil and Environmental 

Engineering) and Dr Luc J Vandeperre 

» Sponsor: EPSRC (DIAMOND Consortium Project 

Studentship) 

There is a considerable amount of nuclear waste 

in the UK, generated either during the lifetime of 

existing nuclear power plants or more recently 

during decommissioning of nuclear installations. 

Encapsulation in cements has been proven to 

be a viable option for some of the wastes and a 

good record of treatment and containment for 

a range of wastes has been accrued over the 

years. In the first instance the cement provides 

a barrier to the escape of any radioactive or 

otherwise harmful species by encasing the waste 

in a material with low permeability. Additionally, 

the nature of the chemical reactions taking place 

during the hardening of cement pastes offer the 

potential in some cases of effectively immobilising 

them by incorporating into the newly-forming 

cement phases. A key cement formulation for 

the industry in the past has been Portland 

cement with addition of blast furnace slag. It is 

recognised, however, that the availability of a 

range of cementitious binders to allow tailored 

matching of binder and waste, will enhance the 

ability to effectively treat all waste. Hence there 

has been a considerable effort in evaluating 

the potential of existing alternative cement 

formulations such as calcium aluminate cements, 

magnesium and calcium phosphate cements, 

calcium sulphoaluminate cements, alkali activated 

systems and geopolymers. The work presented 

here aims to take advantage of recently proposed 

alternative cement system based on the hydration 

of MgO as a starting point for developing cements 

with a lower pH because the high pH in Portland 

cement based cements is likely to hamper the 

passivation of corrosion of some metals present in 

nuclear waste. The model material in the project 

is aluminium as its normal passive corrosion 

behaviour is predicted to be in the pH 4-10 range. 

Initial work has focused on formulating a simple 

cement system from reliable sources of raw 

materials, and optimising the pH. Further work 

has then been carried out to characterise the 

new binders and a study of the interaction with 

aluminium metal has been instigated. The results 

are compared to the Portland cement/blast furnce 

slag composite cement to evaluate the level of 

improvements that could be achieved with the 

new binder. 


Development of ultra-high temperature nonoxide 

ceramics for thermal protection systems in 

aerospace applications 

» Researcher: Emily G Eakins 

» Supervisor: Professor Bill Lee 


Ultra-High Temperature Ceramics (UHTCs) 

have received significant interest in recent 

years because of the drive to produce thermal 

protection systems (TPSs) and other components 

for hypersonic aerospace vehicles. Most of the 

thermal protection materials used on the leading 

edge of the space shuttle orbiter are SiC/Cbased, 

which are subject to massive ablation 

due to evaporation at elevated temperature. 

Unfortunately, large, blunt leading edges reduce 

vehicle manoeuvrability. Therefore, modern 

designs for hypersonic vehicles incorporate 

sharp leading edges to increase aerodynamic 

performance, but require materials capable 

of operating in oxidizing atmospheres at 

temperatures over 1700°C. Zr- and Hf-based 

diborides with SiC reinforcement have sufficient 

strength and oxidation resistance at high 

temperature for leading edge applications. In this 

study ZrB2-SiC UHTCs have been produced by 

hot pressing and spark plasma sintering (SPS). 

The compositions contain 5, 10, 15 and 20 vol% 

α-SiC. The ceramics are currently undergoing 

nanoscale characterisation by transmission 

electron microscopy (TEM) to characterise 

dislocations, planar defects and grain boundary 

phases. This analysis will allow determination of 

the effect of SiC content and production technique 

on the micro-and nanostructure. In addition, the 

microstructural evolution during oxidation is being 

analysed. Hot pressed UHTCs have undergone 

oxidation at 1500°C and 1700°C and will be 

analysed by TEM and focused ion beam-secondary 

ion mass spectrometry (FIB-SIMS). When UHTCs 

are oxidised, distinctive oxide layers are formed 

comprising columnar ZrO2 grains, spherical ZrO2 

grains and a surface glass containing mainly B2O3 

and SiO2. The glass protects the bulk material 

from further oxidation and therefore knowledge 

of the glass stability is essential for increasing the 

oxidation resistance of these UHTCs. 

Engineering nanocomposites for solid oxide fuel 

cells 

» Researcher: Ying An 

» Supervisors: Professor David W McComb and 


» Sponsor: ORS 

Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) are electrochemical 

conversion devices that produce electricity directly 

from a fuel. Their high efficiencies with, depending 

on the choice of fuel, low (hydrocarbons) or zero 

(hydrogen) CO2 emissions highlight SOFCs as 

one of the most promising energy generation 

systems for future energy generation. Generally 

SOFCs consist of three components, an oxide ionconducting 

electrolyte, an anode and a cathode. 

However, currently the performance of SOFCs 

is mainly constrained by cathode performance. 

In order to improve the performance, the 

electrochemical processes occurring at the 

cathode have to be considered: these are the 

catalytic dissociation of O2 to O 2- , the transport 

of the ionic species to the electrolyte surface and 

the charge transfer. A further requirement of the 

cathode structure is that porosity is essential 

to the gas diffusion from the atmosphere to the 

reaction site. In this project, colloidal crystal 

templating is used to fabricate the novel 3D 

ordered macroporous (3DOM) composite cathode. 

This technique is believed to increase the length 

of the catalytically active triple-phase boundary, 

improve the ionic conductivity and facilitate the 

gas diffusion. Using yttrium stabilised zirconia 

(YSZ) and lanthanum strontium manganite 

(LSM) as the electrolyte and cathode materials 

respectively, the 3DOM composite cathode 

is prepared and further characterised. The 

decomposition process and shrinkage mechanism 

of the oxide thin film during sintering is also 

investigated. 

Fabrication and characterisation of optically 

transparent oxide fibre reinforced glass matrix 

composites 

» Researcher: Deborah D Silva 

» Supervisors: Professor Aldo R Boccaccini 

(University of Erlangen-Nuremberg) and 


» Sponsor: European Union Marie Curie Fellowship 

Incorporation of stiff and strong ceramic fibres 

into brittle glass matrices has been shown to 

increase the mechanical strength, toughness, 

impact strength and thermal shock resistance 

of glasses. If the mechanical properties and 

structural integrity of the matrices can be 

improved without significantly transparency 

losses, their applications are expected to expand 

enormously, notably in optics and architecture. 

This is the motivation for the development 

of unidirectional composites in the systems 

NextelTM fibre/soda-lime silicate glass and 

Saphikon® fibre/borosilicate glass. The 

processing technique comprises heat-treatment 

of fibres ‘sandwiched’ between glass slides. 

The introduction of interfacial oxide layers is 

also being investigated, for modifying the fibre/ 

matrix bonding, to provide adequate bonding 

that favours fibre pull-out and debonding. Small 

decreases in the total light transmittance (up to 

20 per cent) upon introduction of fibres indicate 

that the composites are promising materials for 

use in optomechanical applications. Mechanical 

and interfacial properties of the composites are 

currently being investigated. 

Fundamental mechanisms for thermal 

conductivity complex oxide with high temperature 

applications 

» Researcher: Haiming Lu 


» Sponsor: EPSRC (NSF Project Studentship) 

Materials with low thermal conductivity at high 

temperature are crucial to the development 

of higher energy efficiency engines for power 

generation and transport. The focus of this project 

is the rapid discovery of oxide materials with 

exceptionally low thermal conductivity at high 

temperatures by combining methods of atomistic 

simulation, crystal-chemistry based exploration 

of multi-component oxides, and experimental 

validation carried out by our collaborators in the US. 

In tackling this research we address fundamental 

questions: 

• How can we identify a rational scientific 

and efficient means of searching for oxide 

compositions that have low thermal 

conductivity at high temperature? 

• Can new insights be gained from atomistic 

simulations as to the underlying mechanisms 

of heat propagation in structures that leads to 

low thermal conductivity? 

• To what degree does anisotropic thermal 

conductivity depend on crystallographic 

anisotropy and how does the anisotropy ratio 

depend on temperature? 

• Is there a correlation between the thermal 

conductivity of an oxide and other physical 

characteristics, in particular Raman spectra and 

elastic modulus? 

Glass and glass-ceramic matrix composites with 

carbon nanotube, ceramic fibres and nanoparticle 

inclusions 

» Researcher: Bo Pang 

» Supervisors: Dr David S McPhail and Professor 

Aldo R Boccaccini (University of Erlangen- 

Nuremberg) 


This project is developing novel glass and 

glass-ceramic matrix composites reinforced 

with ceramic fibres and nanoparticles exhibiting 

improved mechanical strength, fracture toughness 

and impact resistance. The possibility of using 

carbon nanotubes as reinforcing elements in 

glass-ceramic matrices for applications not 

requiring optical transparency is being explored. 

The programme will includes: selection of 

appropriate fibres, nanoparticles and glass 

and glass-ceramic matrices; characterisation 

of the starting materials; study of the sintering 

densification behaviour of glass matrices and 

of composites; and mechanical and optical 

characterisation of the fabricated composites. In 

addition, we will assess possible coating materials 

to optimise the interface strength between fibres 

and matrix. To obtain translucent properties, 

the composite constituents are chosen to be 

optically and thermally compatible, i.e. they will 

exhibit matched refractive indices and thermal 

expansion coefficients. Moreover elimination of 

residual porosity will be a target of the project 

to achieve optically transparent composites. In 

a parallel investigation transparent composites 

will be produced by exploiting the transparent 

window concept, e.g., using low volume fraction of 

continuous fibres in different orientations. 

Glass ceramic matrix composites containing 

carbon nanotubes 

» Researcher: Tayyab Subhani 

» Supervisors: Professor Aldo R Boccaccini, 

(University of Erlangen-Nuremberg), Professor 

Bill Lee and Dr Milo SP Shaffer (Department of 

Chemistry) 

» Sponsors: IST, Pakistan 

Due to their attractive physical and mechanical 

properties, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are 

candidate for use as reinforcement elements 

in inorganic matrices. The aim is to fabricate 

nanocomposites exhibiting improved functional 

and mechanical properties. Significant research 

has been focussed in the field of CNT-ceramic 

matrix composites; however, little attention has 

been paid to explore the enhancement in the 

mechanical and functional properties of silicate 


glasses by the incorporation of these novel 

nanofibres as reinforcement. In the present 

research, CNTs in different volume fractions and 

of different dimensions (length and diameter) 

are being used in silicate glass matrices. 

Special attention is paid to the dispersion and 

uniform distribution of CNTs in the matrix by the 

optimisation of colloidal mixing techniques, which 

will be followed by the densification of composites 

by hot-pressing and spark plasma sintering. The 

manufactured nanocomposites are characterised 

• microscopically by SEM, TEM, XRD, FTIR 

• mechanically by measuring hardness, impact 

resistance, Young’s modulus, fracture strength 

and fracture toughness 

Functional properties including thermal and 

electrical conductivity will be measured as 

well. Finally, the possible mechanisms involved 

in the improvement in fracture toughness by 

incorporation of CNTs in brittle matrices are being 

investigated and the true toughening effect 

of CNTs are being explored. The quantitative 

assessment of toughness improvement as 

function of CNT content and aspect ratio is being 

established by an analytical approach. 

Glass corrosion: parameter estimation in reaction 

diffusion problems involving ionic species with 

limited data 

» Researcher: Xin T Yang 

» Supervisors: Dr Paul Tangney and Professor 

Bill Lee 

» Sponsors: EPSRC (KTN Industrial Mathematics), 

Pilkington Group Limited 

Many problems in the manufacture and use of 

glass are associated with the thermally activated 

diffusion of ionic species and resultant redox 

reactions at the diffusion interface between 

species with different oxidation states. This 

applies to all types of glass, including ancient 

‘museum’ glass of historical significance, modern 

float glass and novel glasses used for the 

encapsulation and long term storage of nuclear 

waste. Research at Imperial has shown that 

dynamic SIMS (Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry) 

can produce accurate and well defined depth 

profiles of the relevant ionic species in glass. 

These profiles are rich in information and 

represent a classic example of a mathematical 

‘inverse problem’. This project is to working back 

from the depth profiles to elucidate the detail of 

the ionic diffusion processes and redox reactions 

that produced them. The primary focus of the 

experimental work is on the SIMS technique 

using state-of-the-art instruments at Imperial 

College London and other Institutions within 

Europe, including the University of Warwick and 

instrument manufacturers in Germany and France. 

However, other surface analysis techniques, such 

as XPS, SEM, etc., will be used to cross-check and 

calibrate the SIMS data. 

Growth of carbon nanotubes in oxide-carbon 

refractories 

» Researcher: Rafael G de Sa 


» Sponsor: Department of Materials 

Incorporation of CNTs in oxide composite 

systems by traditional mixing and dispersion 

techniques does not yield optimally dispersed 

CNTs. The objective of this research is to develop 

an alternative approach to incorporate CNTs 

in such systems by growing them inside the 

porous structure of the composite using a 

catalyst-assisted chemical vapour infiltration 

(CA-CVI) technique. The CA-CVI technique 

consists of a catalyst-impregnated porous 

substrate being subjected to a carbon-containing 

gaseous feedstock under vacuum and at high 

temperatures. Upon reaction of the gas with the 

catalyst, CNTs are produced. CNTs have been 

incorporated into the ceramic matrix and the 

optimum catalyst and operational conditions 

determined. Microstructural analysis reveals 

that bundles of multi-wall CNTs have grown from 

the catalyst sites with higher density of CNTs 

found inside the pores than on the surface of the 

powder. Catalyst precursors have been deposited 

in porous composites and growth of CNTs 

inside the pores is by the CA-CVI technique. The 

infiltrated composite materials showed improved 

properties and slag resistance compared to 

current commercial systems. 

High temperature deformation of age hardening 

coatings 

» Researcher: Constantin Ciprian Ciurea 

» Supervisors: Dr Finn Giuliani and Professor 

Neil McN Alford 


Traditional materials become softer as they are 

heated. We are studying a recently developed 

class of materials which are thought to increase 

their strength at high temperature. Initial work 

centres on the TiAlN system with further work 

involving other systems, to indentify the next 

generation of high temperature structural 

coatings. Particular emphasis is placed on 

understanding the changes in deformation 

behaviour with temperature on the nano scale 

between standard TiN and TiAlN. We have shown 

that the mechanical properties of TiN single 

crystal material were strongly influenced by 

the increase in temperature. The hardness and 

elastic modulus dropped from 21 GPa and 450 

GPa respectively, at room temperature to only 

11 GPa and 350 GPa at 350 C° when measured 

on the (001) crystal facet. The deformation 

mechanism seemed unaffected by the increase in 

temperature, with slip occurring along the {011} 

crystallographic planes at every temperature. This 

is the first time high temperature nanoindentation 

has been used to measure the properties of this 

class of materials. The high temperature testing of 

TiAlN is still ongoing. 

In situ dissolution measurements of CeO 2, PuO2 

and UO2 thin films using XAS spectroscopy and 

AFM 

» Researcher: John F O’Neill 

» Supervisors: Professor Bill Lee and Dr Mary P 

Ryan 


Studentship) 

The project aims to develop mechanistic 

understanding of the dissolution mechanisms 

of CeO2, UO2 and PuO2 which are of interest to 

the storage and disposal of spent nuclear fuel. 

This is achieved through a variety of techniques: 

Firstly, the development of CeO2 and UO2/PuO2 

thin films which are then used to measure in situ 

the dissolution kinetics in simulated groundwater. 

Fluorescence XAS is used to monitor the thickness 

of the film when in is in contact with a liquid 

and as the film thickness decreases so does 

the intensity of the XAS signal, the technique is 

also sensitive the oxidation state of the Ce, U or 

Pu in the film and can thus provide information 

on stoichiomery. This technique has been used 

successfully on CeO2 at Diamond Light Source and 

will be applied on PuO2 and UO2 films at ANKA. 

The CeO2 films will be further analysed using in 

situ AFM to determine the mode of dissolution. 

Investigation of the oxygen cathode of SOFC by 

nonlinear EIS 

» Researcher: Ning Xu 

» Supervisors: Dr Jason Riley, Professor John A 

Kilner and Professor David W McComb 

» Sponsors: Stephen and Anna Hui Fellowship 

Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) 

is regarded as a reliable technique to investigate 

solid-solid, solid-liquid interfaces involving 

electronic, ionic and/or dielectric conductivity. 

However, it assumes the system is linear whilst 

most practical ones exhibit nonlinear behaviours. 

In order to obtain deeper comprehension of 

the oxygen reduction processes occurred on 

the cathode/electrolyte interface in Solid Oxide 

Fuel Cells (SOFC), nonlinear EIS (NLEIS) is being 

developed in this work. By simultaneously 

recording higher order harmonic responses to 

large external ac excitations, nonlinear information 

is acquired experimentally and compared to 

theoretical simulation results. Various theoretical 

models which predict exactly the same EIS 

responses, can then be distinguished and verified 

with NLEIS. The microstructures of the cathode/ 

electrolyte interface are also being investigated by 

microscopy techniques in the later stages of this 

work to understand their influences on oxygen 

reduction mechanisms and SOFC efficiency. 

Investigation of perovskite related La2NiO4+δ 

electrodes and novel electrolytes for solid oxide 

electrolysis cells (SOECs) 

» Researcher: Lydia Fawcett 

» Supervisors: Dr Stephen J Skinner and Professor 

John A Kilner 


High temperature steam electrolysis is a 

promising method for producing hydrogen for fuel 

cells, with low carbon emissions when used in 

conjunction with renewable power sources. Solid 

Oxide Electrolysis Cells (SOECs) are receiving 

attention due to their ability to run in ‘reverse’ 

as Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFCs). The aim of this 

project is to investigate the oxygen conducting 

electrolytes Sc2O3-1%CeO2–ZrO2 (ScCeSZ) and 

La0.82Sr0.2Ga0.8Mg0.21O3 (LSGM). Both these 

materials have been shown to perform well as 

SOFC electrolytes and this project aims to study 

them as SOEC materials. The K2NiO4–type material 

La2NiO4 is to be studied as an electrode material in 

conjunction with ScCeSZ and LSGM. K2NiO4-type 

materials are promising electrode materials due 

to their mixed ionic and electronic conductivity, 

conducting oxygen ions via interstitials thereby 

allowing oxygen excess. Optimisation of electrode 

synthesis and deposition will be carried out and 

electrode performance will be studied through 

symmetrical and three electrode cell testing. 

Reactions between electrode and electrolyte will 

be investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and 

Secondary Ion Mass Spectroscopy (SIMS). 


Ionic mobility in superstructured oxides 

» Researcher: David Bayliss 

» Supervisor: Dr Stephen J Skinner 


Recent investigations have highlighted fast ionic 

conduction in the CeNbO4+δ material at relatively 

low temperatures. Indeed the conductivity is 

significant at relatively low temperatures (< 

750 o C) and at these low temperatures CeNbO4+δ 

adopts a monoclinic polymorph. Previous 

studies suggest that CeNbO4+δ forms as a 

superstructure at lower temperatures and the 

crystallography of the superstructure changes 

with oxygen content. This is a remarkable finding, 

that in a complex monoclinic oxide, the ionic 

conductivity is comparable with the current 

state-of-the-art oxides. These features raise the 

possibility of extending the range of materials 

currently considered as ion conductors to much 

more complex structures. To achieve this it is 

essential that a correlation between conductivity 

and superstructure is identified. In the case of 

CeNbO4+δ this will require the crystallography 

of the superstructure to be determined. Initial 

investigation has suggested a facile pathway for 

oxygen mobility, but this has yet to be verified. In 

this project we are using an array of techniques to 

fully characterise the CeNbO4+δ material including 

development of synthetic methods, diffraction 

and spectroscopy, both in situ and ex situ. An 

initial task will be to investigate the relationship 

between valence and superstructure – are the 

Ce 3+ and Ce 4+ ions ordered over a relatively long 

range. It will then be possible to correlate this 

structural data with conductivity and hence with 

structural transitions within the oxide. Finally to 

confirm the hypothesis of enhanced conductivity 

in superstuctured oxides, we are investigating 

further systems through substitution of the parent 

oxide and development of alternative oxides. 

Materials for integrated immobilisation and 

capture of aqueous radionuclides 

» Researcher: Jonathan Phillips 

» Supervisors: Dr Luc J Vandeperre and Professor 


» Sponsor: EPSRC (Project Grant) 

In nuclear waste management radionuclide 

ions need to be separated from aqueous waste 

streams. Existing methods use precipitation and 

ion exchange membranes and subsequently 

immobilise the radionuclides in cement. In this 

project, a more integrated approach is being 

explored in which layered double hydroxides are 

first used for separating the radionuclides from 

water and then through thermal conversion also 

for long term storage. Layered double hydroxides 

(LDH) consist of positively charged metal hydroxide 

sheets intercalated with charge balancing anions. 

These materials can be synthesized over a broad 

compositional range so that the composition 

can be tailored to that of a suitable ceramic 

phase, which can incorporate the radionuclide 

in its crystal structure. The project aims to prove 

this concept by applying it to the capture and 

immobilisation of pertechnetate, TcO4 - . The choice 

of pertechnetate is motivated by the fact that it 

is known that the separation method in use for 

technetium today cannot prevent remobilisation of 

TcO4 - into the pore water of the cement increasing 

its potential escape to the biosphere from any 

geological repository. Layered double hydroxides 

with a typical composition 

Ca0.7Al0.15Fe0.15 (OH)2(NO3-)0.3.nH2O were produced 

by co-precipitation from nitrate solutions and 

furthermore that nitrate ions can be exchanged 

for chloride and carbonate ions by simple ion 

exchange in solution. It has been shown that these 

materials can be converted into Brownmillerite 

Ca2(Al,Fe)2O5 by heating at relatively low 

temperature (400°C). The feasibility of the concept 

has therefore been established and the efficiency 

of these materials for the capture of ReO4 - will be 

investigated. 

Mixed conductors for oxygen separation devices in 

carbon capture and storage systems 

» Researcher: John Druce 


» Sponsors: UKERC, NERC 

One method to simplify the process of CO2 capture 

is to fire the hydrocarbon fuel with oxygen, 

removing the necessity of separating nitrogen from 

the exhaust gas, however the onsite production 

of oxygen by cryogenic methods is expensive 

and there is thus a need for an alternative 

method for the separation of pure oxygen from 

air. Mixed conducting ceramic membranes offer 

the possibility of cheaper and much simpler 

oxygen separation devices, however the materials 

requirements are extremely demanding and as 

yet no suitable material has been discovered. 

This project is developing mixed conducting oxide 

materials which are chemically and mechanically 

stable at high temperatures and able to support 

high permeation fluxes of oxygen. One of the key 

techniques being used is 18 O isotope exchange 

followed by high resolution SIMS depth profiling to 

measure the kinetic parameters which determine 

the oxygen permeability of candidate materials. 

New materials from extruded plastic paper 

laminates 

» Researcher: Jonathan Mitchell 



Engineering), Dr Luc J Vandeperre and Professor 

Aldo R Boccaccini, (University of Erlangen- 

Nuremberg) 

» Sponsors: EPSRC, KTN and Nextek Limited 

The project aims to establish viable routes for 

incorporating laminated waste materials into 

useful products. Examples of wastes being 

considered include paper plastic laminates, 

plastic fibre residues from paper mills, carpet 

fibres, automotive shredder residue (ASR) 

and waste electronic and electrical equipment 

(WEEE). The approach consists of combining 

these waste streams with polymer sources, 

some also from recycling, to produce composite 

materials and products. The research focuses on 

the processing to ensure a good distribution of 

the shredded waste to allow it to act as fillers and 

reinforcements and on the alteration of the bond 

between the fibrous waste and the polymer matrix 

to yield desirable properties. Initial trials suggest 

that competitive products should be possible. 

Novel metakaolin-derived geopolymer binders for 

radioactive wastes 

» Researcher: Carsten Kuenzel 



Engineering) and Professor Aldo R Boccaccini, 



Studentship) 

Geopolymers are novel synthetic binders 

produced by the reactions occurring between 

aluminosilicates and an activating solution, 

typically a mix of alkali hydroxide and alkali 

silicate. The properties of geopolymers such as 

strength, durability, acid resistance and density 

can be comparable to those of ceramics and 

concrete, and therefore they have potential to 

be used in the encapsulation/immobilisation 

of radioactive and hazardous wastes, and in a 

wide range of other applications. The UK nuclear 

power industry has a major issue with the 

disposal of the radioactive wastes remaining from 

decommissioning of Magnox reactors. One of the 

major problematic wastes contains a complex 

mix of aluminium metal, Magnox swarf, graphite 

and uranium. A blend of Portland cement (PC) 

and blast furnace slag (BFS) is currently being 

considered as an encapsulating matrix. A concern 

is the high pH of the solutiongenerated during 

PC/BFS hydration as this can cause corrosion 

reactions with components in the waste. The 

objective of this research is to develop novel 

geopolymers to be used for the encapsulation/ 

immobilisation of problematic radioactive wastes. 

Metakaolin is being used as the aluminosilicate 

and the aim is to synthesise low pH geopolymer 

systems with appropriate rheology and setting 

properties. Initial experiments are encapsulating 

aluminium metal and the research will fully 

characterise and understand these geopolymers 

and the reactions occurring with encapsulated 

surrogate waste materials. 

Predicting in service thermo-mechanical 

performance of ultra-high temperature ceramics 

» Researcher: Jianye Wang 

» Supervisors: Dr Luc J Vandeperre, Professor Neil 

McN Alford and Dr Finn Giuliani 

» Sponsor: EPSRC (Project Studentship) 

Ceramics such as the carbides and di-borides 

of zirconium and hafnium remain solid up to 

temperatures in excess of 3000 K, which makes 

these materials frontrunners for selected 

components in a new generation of more 

manoeuvrable spacecrafts. Recent research 

worldwide has been focussed on developing 

processing routes for these materials and 

improving the resistance to oxidation. Despite 

the fact that the resistance to thermal shock 

and to high stresses at temperature is crucial 

for the applications, very little is known about 

the mechanical and thermal properties of these 

materials at elevated temperature. The project 

aims to investigate in a systematic the variation 

of the mechanical (stiffness, strength, toughness, 

sub-critical crack growth, fatigue) and thermal 

(thermal expansion, thermal conductivity) 

properties with temperature of the virgin materials 

and of the oxide layers that form so that the 

performance of these materials at temperature 

can be modelled. 

Processing and high temperature properties of 

MAX phases 

» Researcher: Bai Cui 


» Sponsor: Lee Family Scholarship 

MAX phases are a structurally related family of 

layered ternary carbides and nitrides with the 

general formula Mn+1AXn. These materials have a 

unique combination of properties of metals and 

ceramics. This project is examining the crystal 

chemistry and processing of ceramics in this 


system with the aim of developing improved 

oxidation and thermomechanical properties. 

Spark Plasma Sintering is being used to 

generate small Mn+1AXn ceramic samples. They 

are characterised in terms of density, hardness, 

toughness, microstructure and electronic 

properties. High-temperature oxidation testing 

is carried out to understand the oxidation 

mechanism, with the aim of finding an approach of 

improving the limited oxidation resistance. 

Selection and optimisation of radiation detector 

materials 

» Researcher: Ankoor Patel 



To enhance capabilities for the reliable detection 

of nuclear material, new and improved scintillator 

materials for radiation detection are being 

identified through a combination of experiments 

that probe local defect environment and atomic 

scale defect modelling. The following systems are 

being investigated systematically as a function of 

composition: the activated rare earth containing 

RE2O3 bixbyite oxides, divalent doped REAlO3 

perovskites, rare earth activated garnet oxides 

RE3Al5O12 and activated rare earth tri-halides. The 

integration of atomic scale simulation, single 

crystal growth and experimental characterisation 

will allow optimisation of materials, where 

historically improvements have been empirical. 

Simulation of atomic scale processes in ADOPT 

fuel 

Researcher: Simon Middleburgh 

Supervisor: Professor Robin W Grimes 

Sponsor: Westinghouse Electric Company 

Conventional polycrystalline ceramic nuclear fuels 

need to accommodate the enormous range of 

fission products that are continuously generated 

during operation. Of specific concern is the 

grain size since fission products formed within a 

grain either remain trapped within the lattice or 

migrate to grain boundaries only slowly. Once at 

grain boundaries fission products can migrate 

much more rapidly. Recently Westinghouse have 

developed a new fuel called ADOPT that has 

a larger grain size and hence the potential to 

contain fission products for much longer. The 

improved grain size exhibited by the ADOPT fuel 

is facilitated by additions of Cr and Al, however, 

the reasons why Cr and Al additions work in 

this way are not known. In this project, atomic 

scale computer simulation is being used to 

investigate the role of Cr and Al by identifying 

where these elements reside in the fuel, the extent 

to which they segregate to grain boundaries and 

their influence on mechanical properties. The 

data generated will be important input to the 

Westinghouse fuel performance code STAV. 

The atomic structure of glass–crystal interfaces 

» Researcher: Thorsten Stechert 


» Sponsors: NDA, EPSRC (DIAMOND Consortium 


The vitrification of high level nuclear waste (HLW) 

is a suitable way to tackle the UK’s stockpile of 

nuclear waste from power generation, thanks 

to its ability to physically immobilise a wide 

compositional range of waste at high waste 

loadings. However, due to the variability in 

the waste stream composition, and process 

limitations, the presence of insoluble crystalline 

phases within the glass melt cannot be avoided. 

The aim is to develop a better understanding of 

the processes occurring along these glass-crystal 

interfaces, particularly the distribution of networkmodifying 

alkalis and the extent of segregation of 

radionuclides to the interfacial regions. Molecular 

Dynamics Simulations are being used to simulate 

and investigate these processes. Model glasses 

have been developed suitable for studying glasscrystal 

interfaces. 

The effect of transition metal oxide doping on 

ceria based electrolyte materials 

» Researcher: Samuel Taub 



» Sponsor: Ceres Power (CASE Award) 

Yttria-stabilised zirconia has been the traditional 

choice of electrolyte material for use in solid 

oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) due to its high mechanical 

and chemical stability over a wide range of 

temperatures and oxygen partial pressures. 

The operating temperature of this fuel cell is 

however considered too high for use in anything 

but integrated gas turbine power generators. For 

small scale power generation, there has been a 

recent impetus to lower the operating temperature 

to between 500-750°C thus enabling the use of 

cheaper and more robust stainless steel supports. 

Within this operating temperature range, 

gadolinium doped cerium oxide (CGO) has shown 

some of the highest ionic conductivities. The 

main problem in using CGO relates to its relatively 

poor densification behaviour at temperatures low 

enough to be sintered onto metallic supports. 

The introduction of a sintering aid, usually a 

low concentration of a given transition metal 

oxide (TMO), has been shown to improve the 

densification behaviour without effecting the 

conductivity deleteriously. The aim of this 

project is to examine both the effects of low level 

TMO doping on the densification and electrical 

performance of CGO and the effects of additional 

impurity elements which can be introduced from 

the stainless steel supports. 



Advanced SOFC technologies for low carbon, 

energy efficient and affordable power 

» Researchers: Dr Andrey V Berenov and 

Dr Sanghamitra Mukhopadhyay 



» Sponsors: EPSRC, RRFCS 

Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) have the potential 

to greatly reduce carbon emissions in electricity 

generation because of their high conversion 

efficiency and suitability for distributed 

generation. This research is part of a large 

collaborative project tackling the critical fuel cell 

issues of system cost and lifetime, including cell 

and stack cost, power density and affordability 

of a 1MW SOFC stationary power generation unit. 

Imperial’s contribution is developing new low-cost 

materials and geometries that are fundamental to 

the realisation of competitive fuel cells and stacks. 

This involves using theoretical modelling at the 

atomistic level to identify promising new materials 

with the appropriate electronic properties. 

These are then synthesised and characterised 

in detail and finally the most promising ones are 

being evaluated in the RRFCS fuel cell structure. 

This project is part of a UK consortium led by 

RRFCS with the overall aim of demonstrating a 

pressurised commercially viable solid oxide fuel 

cell. The role of Imperial is to research new oxide 

materials with high electrical conductivity that 

could be use to collect current from the cells. 

This is done through a combination of atomistic 

simulation and experimental investigations. 

Atomistic simulation of anisotropic ionic 

conductors 

» Researcher: Dr Alexander Chroneos 

» Supervisors: Professor John A Kilner and 


» Sponsor: EPSRC (Platform grant) 

This work is investigating the diffusion and stability 

of defects in Ruddlesden-Popper and double 

perovskite oxides. These oxide materials will be 

considered for application as fuel cell cathodes. The 

research focuses on the study of the anisotropic 

oxygen ion conductivity in layered oxides using 

computer simulation. Atomic scale simulation (such 

as molecular dynamics) has the ability to provide 

detailed information associated with the oxygen 

diffusion mechanisms that can be used in synergy 

with experimental results to provide a detailed 

model of defect processes in these materials. 

Carbon capture with desalination by-products 

» Researcher: Dr Maurizio Tarzia 

» Supervisors: Dr Luc J Vandeperre and Mr Fraser 

Wigley 


This short project aims to determine the 

feasibility of capturing carbon with the residues 

of desalination of water. The study is focussed 

on two practical questions. Firstly whether the 

residues, or magnesium hydroxide obtained by 

treating the residues, should be carbonated. 

Secondly, determining whether it is better to feed 

the material in with the fuel merely for capturing 

CO2 or to use the post-combustion flue gas as a 

source of CO2 for carbonation as a way to produce 

construction products. To date work has mainly 

focussed on post-combustion carbonation of 

magnesium hydroxide, the route with the highest 

potential for valorisation. The conditions for 

carbonation were estimated theoretically and 

confirmed by an experimental study. By comparing 

with the gas evolution from acid digestion of 

the magnesium carbonate, it is shown that in 

contrast to for example CaO carbonation, the 

weight changes that occur during treatment are 

not a good indicator of the extent of carbonation 

due to the competition between a weight loss 

due to dehydroxylation and the weight gain by 

carbonation. Extensive carbonation (35wt% 

of the final product) of Mg(OH)2 is possible by 

carbonation at 350°C, that is at a temperature 

just below the decomposition temperature of 

the carbonate estimated at 400°C. In further 

work magnesium hydroxide/dried brines are 

being added to a range of coals and then fired in 

air-firing and oxy-firing conditions in a specially 


uilt entrained flow reactor which will simulate 

the conditions existing in a coal-fired plant. 

To complete the slipstream carbonation task 

investigations are exploring various routes of 

carbonation for brines. It is expected that wet 

routes will be most efficient. 

Constrained sintering of fuel cell electrolytes 

» Researchers: Dr Jung-Sik Kim and Dr Xin Wang 

» Supervisor: Professor Alan Atkinson 

» Sponsor: EPSRC (Supergen Fuel Cell Consortium 


We have built a laser-based optical dilatomer 

to measure the sintering kinetics of thin films. 

We have successfully measured the sintering 

kinetics of electrolyte thin films and identified 

that the substrate constraint resulted in a delay of 

densification of structure by 200°C. We developed 

a novel ‘substrate creep’ method to measure 

real time stressin the films during sintering. The 

stress inpartially stabilised zirconiafilms was 

measured to be 1-3 MPa, varying with sintering 

temperature and porosity. The maximum stress 

was found to occur at relatively low temperature 

and high porosity, which indicates the initiation 

and formation of defects are more likely to occur 

at early stage of sintering. The microstructure 

of the zirconia electrolyte films was found to be 

aisotropic, with elongated pores preferentially 

oriented in perpendicular to the film plane. It 

has also been found that the larger defects tend 

to have larger elongation and more preferential 

orientation. This indicates that in order to produce 

leak-free electrolyte, to eliminate the larger 

defects (>2 mircons) are the most important issue. 

Demonstration of SOFC stack technology for 

operation at 600 o C (SOFC600) 

» Researcher: Dr Andrey V Berenov 



» Sponsor: European Union 

This project is developing the stack components 

for the operation of Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) 

systems at 600 o C. Reducing the operating 

temperature will have a great impact on the 

cost and lifetime of SOFC thus facilitating the 

commercialisation of the SOFC technology for 

combined heat and power generation. The overall 

objective of Imperial’s part of the project is to 

understand the electrochemical performance of 

cathode materials (e.g., Area Specific Resistance 

(ASR) in terms of the basic properties of the 

ceramics (e.g., oxygen tracer diffusion coefficient 

and surface exchange reaction constant). 

Isotopic Exchange followed by Secondary Ion 

Depth Profiling techniques have been used to 

measure oxygen tracer diffusion and exchange 

parameters of promising cathode materials such 

as Ba0.5Sr0.5Co0.8Fe0.2Oy (BSCF), La0.6Sr0.4CoO3 

(LSC) and Sm0.5Sr0.5CoO3-δ (SSC). Fundamental 

parameters of oxygen transport in ceramic 

materials have been correlated with the results 

of chemical diffusion studies and electrochemical 

measurements. 

Design of new engineered oxide thin films with 

tailored properties ‘engineered oxides’ 

» Researcher: Dr Mónica Burriel 


» Sponsor: Marie Curie Intra-European Fellowship 

The focus of the project is development of SOFC 

cathode materials offering low polarization losses 

and long-term stability at intermediate SOFC 

operating temperatures (IT-SOFC). This is being 

achieved by improving our understanding of the 

basic mechanisms controlling oxygen reduction 

and the ionic and the electronic transport 

properties. Several very promising MIEC (mixed 

ionic and electronic) ceramic materials from both 

the Ruddlesden-Popper family and the layered 

cobaltite family will be studied as single crystals, 

as thin films and as polycrystalline electrodes. The 

experimental work carried out to date has been 

focused in several different material systems: 

(La,Sr)NiO4 single crystals, La2NiO4 NdBaCo2O5+δ 

and GdBaCo2O5+δ epitaxial films, and PrBaCo2O5+δ 

and (La,Pr,Ba,Sr)(Fe,Co)O3 polycrystal materials. 

X-ray scattering techniques, through crystal 

truncation rod (CTR) experiments, have been 

used for the first time to probe the atomic surface 

structure and reconstruction/relaxation of (La,Sr) 

NiO4 single crystals and epitaxial thin films. In 

addition, these structural models have been 

complemented and correlated with elemental 

characterisation data of the outermost surface 

layer obtained by Low Energy Ion Scattering 

(LEIS) measurements. We have also measured the 

oxygen ion transport of several of these promising 

MIEC materials by high resolution isotopic 

imaging/depth profiling and Time-of-Flight-SIMS 

(ToF-SIMS). 

Radiation damage and gas accumulation in 

nuclear ceramics 

» Researcher: Dr Matthew Gilbert 



Studentship) 

Pu finishing produces a finely divided oxide 

which is an excellent starting material for ceramic 

fabrication. Together with the precise crystallochemical 

understanding of incorporation afforded 

by single phase ceramic compositions, this allows 

the development of tailored ceramic formulations 

for both waste-forms and fuels. In this project, 

two candidate waste-forms, zirconolite (CaZrTi2O7) 

and perovskite (CaTiO3), and a candidate IMF, 

Y-stabilised zirconia (Zr,Y)O2, have been doped 

with Nd as an inactive analogue for Pu. These 

materials have then been externally irradiated 

using He + and Kr + ions, both separately and in 

combination, to simulate the effects of radiation 

damage and fission gas production within these 

materials. FIB sections of these irradiated samples 

are being characterised by TEM to assess the 

formation of defects, gas bubbles and the degree 

of amorphisation within these candidate materials 

and so understand the impact of radiation 

damage and noble gas accommodation on the 

mechanical, structural and physical properties of 

these ceramics. This is being further supported 

by Monte Carlo TRIM calculations of the 

displacements per atom, formed as a result of the 

ion bombardment, and the depth of ion diffusion 

within the materials. 

Redox stable anode materials 

» Researcher: Dr Denis J Cumming 


» Sponsor: Ceres Power 

A current problem with Solid Oxide Fuel Cells is 

the stability and activity of the anode materials 

used. Conventional SOFC’s use a cermet 

consisting of the active Ni metal combined 

with the electrolyte of choice, usually a doped 

zirconia or ceria. These cermets have problems 

in operation associated with the sintering of the 

Ni metal at the operating temperatures and the 

resistance of the anodes to what is known as 

redox cycling when the Ni is essentially oxidised 

and reduced. Many groups have sought to find 

a way round this by using mixed conducting 

oxide ceramics as anode materials. These tend 

to be n-type conducting complex oxides with the 

perovskite or related structures. This project is 

investigating doped titanate materials for use as 

anode materials and deals with the basic electrical 

properties of these materials under oxidising and 

reducing conditions, comparable to those found 

in a fuel cell anode environment under normal 

operating conditions. 

Ultra-high temperature ceramics (UHTCs) for 

aerospace applications 

» Researcher: Dr Doni J Daniel 


» Sponsor: DSTL 

Ultra-high temperature ceramics (UHTC) including 

ZrB2–SiC and HfB2–SiC are being developed. 

Varying the SiC content has given added flexibility 

in optimising specific microstructural designs: 

adjusting the SiC content in ZrB2 and HfB2 matrices 

has proved beneficial for improving oxidation and 

ablation resistance, without being detrimental 

to high-temperature stability. Significant 

improvements in oxidation resistance of ZrB2 

(HfB2)-based UHTC below 1600°C have been 

achieved by the formation of silica glass layer 

with low oxygen permeability, which provides an 

efficacious protective oxidation barrier. However, 

silicates become non-protective at higher 

temperatures, especially above 2000°C, because 

of active oxidation and evaporation. Although 

great efforts have been made in this aspect, no 

effective approach has been reported up to now to 

improve the oxidation resistance. In this project, a 

series of complex UHTC are being investigated and 

the aim of this research is to form a third phase 

refractory material, i.e., rare earth zirconates 

such as Re2Zr2O7 or Re4Zr3O12, by reacting with 

ZrO2 during oxidation process. These rare earth 

zirconates generally have pyrochlore structure 

whose melting point is above 2000°C. This project 

is also examining densification of complex UHTC 

system to near theoretical density using the SPS 

technique for improved mechanical properties 

and oxidation resistance. Oxidation studies have 

been carried out and the oxidation mechanisms 

investigated. 


Micro-solid oxide fuel cells 

» Researcher: Neil J Simrick 




There is increasing interest in the potential 

for the use of small (e.g. less than 50 W) fuel 

cells to replace rechargeable batteries in many 

applications in which long operating times and 


light weight are at a premium (e.g., note book 

computers, telecoms). Solid oxide fuel cells 

(SOFCs) have a strong advantage because they 

can operate on a range of fuels, such as ethanol. 

This project is to develop and evaluate the 

fabrication methods that would be used in the 

manufacture of such devices, such as micropatterned 

electrode structures and supported 

electrolyte membranes and characterise their 

performance. Silver thin films were deposited 

using evaporation techniques onto single crystal 

yttria stabilised zirconia (YSZ) substrates of a 

defined orientation. They were then annealed in 

air between 250°C and 550°C, where the resulting 

microstructures shown were investigated using 

scanning electron microscopy and quantified 

using image analysis techniques. The Ag films 

de-wet via the formation of voids at the film/ 

substrate interface and at the film surface, 

uncovering the YSZ substrate. Void growth then 

proceeded to an interconnected Ag network and 

resulted in the equilibrium state of isolated Ag 

islands. The de-wetting is a function of a number 

of parameters including, film thickness, anneal 

temperature and anneal duration. 

New research directions for solid oxide fuel cell 

science and engineering 

» Investigators: Professor Alan Atkinson, 

Professor John A Kilner, Dr Stephen J Skinner and 

Professor Nigel P Brandon (Department of Earth 

Science and Engineering) 


The efficient generation of electrical power is a 

high priority for the developed world to reduce 

emissions of carbon dioxide and thus mitigate 

the effects of global warming. Fuel cells offer 

the promise of increased generation efficiency 

in applications encompassing large (> 1MW) 

stationary electrical power, small (< 10 kW), 

Combined Heat and Power units for applications 

such as domestic use, and transport (road 

vehicles, ships, trains and aircraft). Of the many 

fuel cell types, Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFCs) 

have the greatest flexibility in fuel type. They can 

work efficiently with existing hydrocarbon fossil 

fuels and carbon-neutral alternatives (such as 

bio-ethanol) and in addition they are easily fuelled 

by hydrogen, compatible with the introduction of 

the hydrogen economy. There is strong research 

and development interest in SOFCs world wide 

and the companies developing them have 

achieved impressive technical success. However, 

commercialisation on a large scale remains 

elusive and the key barriers are recognised to 

be durability and cost (to which contribute: 

performance, materials, manufacturing and 

system simplicity, especially with regard to 

running on practical carbon-containing fuels). 

Through this platform grant (which began in March 

2008), the SOFC team at Imperial College London 

aims to build on its past success in this field and 

explore new directions to address some of the 

fundamental issues underlying the problems of 

performance and durability of SOFCs. The most 

promising avenues will then be expanded into 

larger individual research projects outside the 

Platform. 

We are building an enhanced capability with which 

to explore new opportunities for future research 

that will ultimately lead to SOFCs with improved 

performance and durability and also new devices. 

We will also 

• build a capability for multi-scale integrated 

modelling (atoms to systems) and specifically 

to incorporate thermodynamic modelling of 

materials 

• investigate a range of new functional materials 

and micro- or nanostructures 

• develop new techniques for in situ diagnostics 

of cell reactions and for the characterisation 

of microstructure and transport properties of 

SOFC materials 

• apply these techniques to develop a framework 

for understanding the durability (ageing) and 

thermo-mechanical (thermal cycling, redox 

cycling) degradation of SOFCs and the use of 

other fuels, such as bio-ethanol and coal 

• explore other SOFC-related devices such as 

micro-engineered SOFCs, electrolysers, gas 

separators and polygeneration 

• expand international collaboration through 

bilateral staff secondments to laboratories in 

Europe, USA and Japan and build links with 

India, China, Singapore, Korea and Brazil. 

Novel bioactive glass-ceramic composites for 

dental restorations 

» Researcher: Dr Xanthippi Chatzistavrou 



» Sponsors: European Marie Curie Actions, Intra- 

European Fellowships 

The sol-gel process has been applied for the 

synthesis of bioactive composite materials with 

potential use in dental restorations. The current 

restorative dental materials are biocompatible 

but they do not exhibit bioactive behaviour. 

The novel composite materials aim to provide 

a bioactive surface around the margins of fixed 

restorations which could lead to periodontal 

tissue attachment, providing complete sealing 

of the marginal gap between tooth and the fixed 

prosthesis. Two types of composite materials 

were fabricated with four different proportions of 

the constituents selected in each case. The first 

group (Comp1) concerns composite materials of 

bioactive glass 58S with a commercial high fusing 

dental porcelain, while the second group (Comp2) 

contains composite materials of bioactive glass 

58S with a new glass-ceramic in the system SiO2- 

Al2O3-K2P-Na2O-CaO-P2O5 fabricated using the 

sol-gel method. The microstructural properties 

of the fabricated composites before and after 

the application of specific thermal treatments 

were studied by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) 

spectroscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy 

(SEM), Differential Thermal Analysis (DTA) and 

X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. Heat treated 

samples of each composite in form of cylindrical 

disks were immersed in Simulated Body 

Fluid (SBF) and their bioactive behaviour was 

investigated. After heat treatment increased of 

crystallinity and growth of new crystalline phases 

were observed (wollastonite, calcium silicate and 

sodium calcium aluminum silicate are the new 

crystal phases). 

Oxyfuel combustion – academic programme for 

the UK (OxyCAP) 

» Investigators: Dr Andreas M Kempf (Department 

of Mechanical Engineering, Imperial College 

London), Dr Paul S Fennell (Department of 

Chemical Engineering, Imperial College London) 

and Mr Fraser Wigley 


Oxyfuel combustion is a promising mechanism 

for incorporating carbon capture into the next 

generation of coal-fired power stations. This 

project funds collaborative research at several UK 

universities on issues that have arisen during the 

development of oxyfuel combustion at rig scale, 

to contribute towards the implementation of 

oxyfuel combustion at full scale. The activities at 

Imperial include characterisation of the inorganic 

components in coal and their combustion 

products, to investigate their behaviour under this 

new combustion process. 

The interactions of coal-biomass ash with 

supercritical boiler materials 

» Investigator: Fraser Wigley 

» Sponsor: BCURA 

Supercritical boiler technology, which will provide 

an important means of reducing carbon dioxide 

emissions from pulverised coal-fired power 

stations, involves new alloys. These alloys, 

engineered to provide improved strength and 

creep resistance at temperatures above 700°C, 

are based on advanced steels and nickel alloys. 

Previous work on the characterisation of the 

tubeside layers of coal ash deposits has shown 

that the interaction between iron-rich ash particles 

and boiler tubes is important in initiating a 

deposit. This project investigates the interaction of 

coal-biomass ash with different tube alloys under 

relevant conditions. Increased metal temperatures 

during supercritical combustion will cause 

depositing ash particles to transform more rapidly, 

producing deposits with lower melt viscosities and 

different phase equilibria. The deposition and the 

removal of boiler slags, and their potential impact 

on corrosion, are being investigated. 


3D simulation of microstructure 

formation and remelting in vacuum 

arc remelting process 

» Lang Yuan 


advanced alloys

Figure 1: P2R experimental 

rig for real-time 

tomographic observations 

whilst applying controlled 

thermal, loading, or 

displacement cycles, 

showing the rig on 

Beamline I12 at Diamond 

Light Source, and a 

zoomed schematic of 

bespoke furnace for 

controlled cooling. 

Figure 2: 3D rendering 

of the near final hottearing 

of (a) Al15Cu vs 

(b) Al15Cu-9.6wt%MMC 

shows a qualitative 

difference, while the 

quantified evolution of 

(c) the internal damage 

volume fraction and 

surface connected 

cracking elucidates the 

different mechanisms 

operating. 

1 


In situ synchrotron 

characterisation of 

defect evolution in 

Al alloys 

» Researcher: Richard Hamilton 

» Investigator: Professor Peter 

D Lee 


Obtaining the optimum 

properties from advanced 

alloys requires not only 

the design of the final 

microstructure, but also 

low cost processing routes 

that provide the minimum 

introduction of potential 

defects. Casting is still one 

of the most effective routes 

for producting geometrically 

complex components in a 

range of alloys, offering both 

cost and design advantages as 

compared to thermomechanical 

processing routes. Through the 

use of advanced aluminium 

alloys, it is hoped a 10 per 

cent reduction in vehicle 

weight could be obtained, 

with a concomitant reduction 

of 6-8 percent in greenhouse 

gas emissions, resulting in 

significant and immediate 

environmental 

benefits. 

However, the 

occurrence 

2 

of defects such as porosity 

and hot tears, remains an 

issue when casting these 

components. Determining how 

these potential defects form 

has always been a challenge 

at the high temperatures and 

reactive environments involved 

in alloy casting. However, 

the advent of high brilliance 

synchrotron sources, this is 

now possible not only in real 

time, but with quantitative 

characterisation of the 

structural morphology and 

crystallography in 3D. This 

quantification is providing 

significant new insight into the 

mechanisms controlling defect 

formation based, and how their 

morphology affects component 

performance. 

In order to directly observe 

the formation of such defects, 

a special rig was designed at 

Imperial and used at Beamline 

I12 at DIAMOND Light Source 

(see figure 1). This bespoke 

piece of equipment has can 

apply controlled tensile, 

or compressive, specimen 

loading over the range ±1-500 

N with extension in the range 

±0-150 mm and stepped or 

continuous specimen rotation 

over ±0-360° at speeds up to 

1Hz. The encoded accuracy 

for load was 0.1 N, 200 nm 

for extension, and 0.001º for 

rotation, all at temperature 


from -40 to 1000°C. (Note, 

working with Drs O’Sullivan 

and Fenton it was also used to 

quantify permafrost formation, 

while with Dr Julian Jones it was 

used for quantifying the latest 

biomaterials.) 

One key area now getting 

increasing attention in 

advanced alloys is the return 

to the addition of particulate, 

especially nano-particulate. 

However, the influence of 

particulate additions on 

defect formation is not well 

known. As a starting point, 

experiments were performed 

on an Al15Cu alloy with and 

without the additions of Al2O3 

particulate. The resulting hottearing 

behaviour at 560°C 

(fs=0.75) is shown in figure 

2. Without particulate the 

damage occurs both in the 

centre of the gage length, and 

well away, as liquid is drawn 

towards the centre to feed 

strain evolution. However, the 

MMC at the same temperature 

has a completely different 

behaviour. The particles clog 

up the interdendritic liquid 

regions, preventing liquid 

feeding, increasing the load, 

but reducing the elongation 

to failure. The failure is also 

much more brittle, even though 

there is less primary phase. 

These new insights gained from 

synchrotron in situ observation 

can be used to help optimise 

the materials behaviour during 

processing and hence reduce 

component weight, with direct 

benefits on reduced emissions 

in transport and energy 

applications. 



A computational approach for tailoring the 

growth kinetics of secondary phase formation in 

aluminium alloys 

» Researcher: Chedtha Puncreobutr 

» Supervisor: Professor Peter D Lee 


College London), Government of Thailand 

Aluminium alloys have a high strength-to-weight 

ratio, good ductility, castability, and machinability 

and are therefore used worldwide in many 

applications such as automotive components and 

aircraft structures. Aluminium recycling is also 

considered a well-developed and mature process. 

However, iron uptake occurring during aluminium 

recycling can alter alloy castability while limiting 

the fatigue life of the final component because 

of large Fe-rich intermetallic formation. To 

better understand these intermetallics, in situ 

synchrotron X-ray radiography was performed on 

an Al-7.5Si-3.5Cu-Fe(%wt.) alloy for two Fe levels 

(0.4 and 0.8 wt.% Fe) and for different cooling 

rates. The intermetallic growth was quantified 

using image analysis. Nucleation temperatures 

were estimated by extrapolating growth back to 

zero size. The results illustrate that nucleation of 

the β-intermetallics is a function of both Fe level 

and cooling rate. The β-intermetallics nucleate 

between α–Al dendrites and grow rapidly until 

they impinge on surrounding α–Al dendrites. 

As the cooling rate increases, finer and closer 

packed α-Al grains form, limiting intermetallic 

plate growth. This result agrees well with both 

previous in situ synchrotron X-ray experiments 

and metallography results. The three dimensional 

evolution of porosity was also studied via high 

speed synchrotron X-ray tomography in a W319 

alloy, Al–7.5Si–3.5Cu–1.2Fe (wt.%), at a cooling 

rate of 0.4°C/s. The morphology evolution 

and growth rate of pores were quantified. The 

interaction of the pores with the developing 

iron intermetallics was also examined via XMT 

experiments. The result indicates that the 

propagation of pores is constrained by the 

surrounding intermetallics, leading to the tortuous 

shape of the final pores. 

A study of the anaerobic corrosion of carbon steel 

in a canadian used nuclear fuel repository 

» Researcher: Gloria Kwong 

» Supervisor: Dr Mary P Ryan 

» Sponsor: OPG 

The Canadian nuclear waste management concept 

envisages using steel as a primary engineered 

barrier for isolating nuclear waste in the deep 

geological repositories (DGR). Steel corrosion 

in the anticipated repository environments have 

been studied but mostly focused in two main 

areas: 

• steel corrosion in aerobic or oxygen containing 

environments (both in vapour and liquid 

phases) 

• steel corrosion in anaerobic, solution 

environment 

The corrosion behaviour of steel in a humid (but 

not submerged), anaerobic or anoxic environment, 

have very limited reported corrosion data. 

This study aims to improve the existing knowledge 

of anaerobic, unsaturated corrosion of carbon 

steel. Atmosphere corrosion testing has been 

conducted on carbon steel wires in anoxic 

atmospheres in 30, 50 and 70°C, over a wide 

range of relative humidity (RH), with and without 

NaCl contamination of the wire surfaces. In 

parallel with the corrosion experiments, surface 

analyses are performed to determine the nature 

of the surface oxides present, in particular to look 

for the formation of magnetite (Fe3O4). Techniques 

employed include scanning electron microscopy 

coupled with energy dispersive X-ray (SEM/ 

EDX) to determine the structure of the corrosion 

product films, (i) X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy 

(XPS) to identify the chemical composition of the 

film, and (iii) Raman and Fourier transform infrared 

spectroscopy (FTIR) to analyse the molecules 

present in the oxide. The results will be used in 

assessing the performance of carbon steel during 

the anoxic, unsaturated phase of a repository in 

Canadian sedimentary rock. 

Atomistic simulation of hydrogen in zirconium and 

zirconium alloys 

» Researcher: Simon Lumley 

» Supervisors: Dr Mark R Wenman and Professor 


» Sponsor: MoD (HMS Sultan) 

Zirconium is an important material in the nuclear 

industry and is used in fuel cladding alloys 

due to its adequate thermal and mechanical 

properties, high corrosion resistance and low 

thermal neutron capture cross-section. The 


159

material is subject to corrosion while in an 

aqueous environment and can become brittle 

due to the uptake of hydrogen, possibly leading 

to cladding failure by mechanisms such as 

delayed hydride cracking. Although this system 

has been examined empirically, there is still 

disagreement about some of the mechanisms 

behind hydride precipitation. An investigation 

using atomistic simulation to investigate the 

behaviour of hydrogen in a zirconium alloy 

could potentially lead to better prediction of 

hydride related failures, or alternative fuel 

cladding alloys with improved performance. A 

density functional theory based investigation is 

currently being used to examine how hydrogen 

solubility is effected by stress and how it is 

effected by the presence of alloying agents. 

Extrusion of Zr-2.5Nb for pressure tube 

applications 

» Researcher: Konstantinos Alevizos 

» Supervisors: Dr David Dye, Professor Richard J 

Dashwood (University of Warwick) and Dr Martin 

Jackson (University of Sheffield) 

» Sponsor: European Union Marie Curie Fellowship 

The creep performance of Zr-2.5Nb is a sensitive 

function of both its texture and microstructure. 

In this project, model extrusions of Zr-2.5Nb are 

being performed with the aim of optimising the 

texture and microstructure to maximise creep 

performance. An auxilliary programme of Al tube 

extrusions and isothermal compression testing 

will be performed. Finite element models are 

being used to predict the metal flow, adiabatic 

heating and strain path within the material, and 

these will be linked to models for the texture and 

microstructure development. 

Combinatorial development of high temperature 

shape memory alloys 

» Researcher: Mohammed Abdul Azeem 

» Supervisors: Dr David Dye, Professor Richard J 

Dashwood (University of Warwick) and Professor 

Trevor C Lindley 

» Funding: UKIERI, Imperial College London 

Shape memory alloys (SMAs) have great potential 

to replace conventional electro-mechanical 

and hydraulic actuators in a broad range of 

applications, particularly in gas turbines. However, 

the temperature range of the transformations 

is currently quite restricted and it is of interest 

to develop SMAs with higher transformation 

temperatures. In this project, we are collaborating 

with the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 

to use the combinatorial approach to test a 

broad range of compositions using synchrotron 

diffraction and diffusion multiples. In addition, 

micromechanical and atomistic modelling will be 

used to develop insight into the alloy design and 

into the underlying science of the transformations, 

which are not well understood. 

Deformation mechanisms of twinning steels 

» Researcher: Khandaker M Rahman 

» Supervisor: Dr David Dye 

» Sponsor: EPSRC (Industrial Case) 

The continuing need for engineering alloys which 

combine high strength and ductility has focussed 

attention onto a range of austenitic steels 

which exhibit the formation of mechanical twins 

during deformation. This study is interested in 

understanding and characterising the twinning 

process in these steels and identifying how this 

is affected by alloying additions, deformation 

temperature and strain rate. The twinning 

process will be examined and characterised 

using a range on techniques including EBSD, 

TEM and mechanical loading experiments. 

Micromechanical behaviour and texture evolution 

during deformation will be investigated using in 

situ X-ray synchrotron diffraction (SXRD) loading 

experiments. Experimental observations will also 

be compared to those predicted by VPSC and 

EPSC models. 

Modelling of pellet clad interactions in AGR and 

PWR nuclear fuels 

» Researcher: Rizgar Mella 

» Supervisor: Dr Mark R Wenman 


The integrity of nuclear fuel is paramount to the 

continued safe operation of nuclear reactors. In 

the UK British Energy operate both the advanced 

gas cooled reactor (AGR) type and a pressurised 

water reactor (PWR). Whilst very different in 

operating conditions both types of reactor can 

experience fuel pin failures from time-to-time. One 

mechanism common to both types of reactor is 

known as pellet clad interactions (PCI). This can 

be in many forms but the basic failure mechanism 

arises due to the interaction between the ceramic 

UO2 fuel pellets and the metallic cladding material 

of the fuel pin, at high temperatures. The clad is a 

stainless steel for the AGR system and Zircaloy, a 

zirconium alloy, for the PWR. Many factors play a 

role in these interactions including temperature, 

irradiation, differential thermal expansion of the 

materials and clad-pellet bonding. The result can 

sometimes be cracks which develop in the clad 

material. If these cracks penetrate the clad wall 

the result is a fuel pin failure. PCI mechanisms 

are still not well understood and the mechanism 

of crack growth is a particular unknown in AGRs. 

The project uses the latest methods of finite 

element modelling at both the continuum and 

microscales in 2D and 3D to model PCI for both 

reactor systems. The aim is to improve the current 

British Energy fuel code ENIGMA and its predictive 

capability of PCI. 

High-temperature oxidation of thermal barrier 

systems on nickel-base superalloy 

» Researcher: Jinesung Jung 

» Supervisors: Dr Barbara A Shollock and Dr David 

S McPhail 

» Sponsors: KEPCO 

Advances in gas turbine efficiency demand 

higher operating temperatures, approaching or 

exceeding the melting point of the nickel-base 

superalloys in the turbine. To use the alloys 

in these conditions, thermal barrier systems 

(TBCs) that reduce the blade temperature and 

inhibit oxidation and corrosion are used. This 

research is investigating the thermally induced 

microsturctural changes of the base superalloy, 

the bond coat, the reaction zone and the thermally 

growth oxide. In addition, the oxygen transport 

mechanism for growth of the thermally grown 

oxide is studied using a two-stage oxidation 

experiment after which the location of oxygen 

and its depth profile is determined using 

secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS). In 

addition, the microstructure is examined using 

electron microscopy. By integrating data from this 

combination of characterisation techniques, a 

fuller understanding of these thermal protections 

systems is being developed. 

Fundamentals of deformation and cracking in 

zirconium alloys 

» Researcher: Christabel Evans 



Zirconium alloys are of great interest in civil 

nuclear applications because of their use in 

in-core structural components due to their low 

neutron adsorbtion cross-sections. However, 

cracking is frequently observed, often leading 

to fuel can failures and the contamination 

of the core with fission products, increasing 

decommisioning costs and effort. The deformation 

mechanisms that operate during crack growth 

and the effect of oxide and texture on these are 

not well characterised, which inhibits our ability 

to reliably life these components. The project will 

use in situ synchrotron and neutron diffraction, 

EBSD, FIB and TEM to characterise the operative 

deformation mechanisms around cracks, the 

evolution of texture during processing and EPSRC 

modelling to model the polycrystal behaviour. 

Microstructure formation and soldering in binary 

Sn-Ni alloys 

» Researcher: Sergey Belyakov 

» Supervisors: Dr Christopher M Gourlay and 


» Sponsor: Nihon Superior Company Limited 

As a result of environmental issues and 

consequent legislation, lead-free electronics 

manufacturing has become a global trend. The aim 

of this project is to develop the understanding of 

microstructure formation during the solidification 

and soldering of binary Sn-Ni alloys and to 

build a foundation for the understanding of the 

commercial ternary Sn-Cu-Ni solder system. The 

project focuses on metastable phase formation 

during solidification and reflow soldering. The 

phases, their orientation relationships and growth 

are being studied by electron microscopy (FEG- 

SEM, EDX-SEM, EBSD), optical microscopy and 

thermal analysis. The aims are to understand the 

sequence and kinetics of microstructure formation 

and the origins of metastability in this system. 

Modelling the melt and breeze behaviour 

of materials for the next generation of high 

temperature reference standard 

» Researcher: Zohaib Malik 

» Supervisors: Professor Peter D Lee and Dr R 

Lowe (National Physical Laboratory) 

» Sponsor: EPSRC (Case Studentship with NPL) 

This project is explaining the melt behaviour 

of metal-carbon binary eutectic alloys with 

melt temperatures up to 250°C. These alloys 

are attracting increasing interest as reference 

standards based on their eutectic temperature. 

It is expected they will be formally accepted as 

standards following the proposed redefinition 

of the kelvin in ~2012. We are applying 

and developing improved macroscopic and 

microscopic models of diffusion in eutectic alloys. 

These are being validated against experimental 

melt data and assessed microstructure. The 

relative importance of microstructure, impurities 

and thermal environment will be assessed. 


New materials for long life flare tips 

» Researcher: Sobhan Abolghasemi 

» Supervisors: Professor Peter D Lee and 

Professor Trevor C Lindley 


Flare tips are part of an oil and gas platform’s 

essential safety system, allowing for the safe 

disposal of hydrocarbons in the event of an 

emergency. Flare systems are increasingly 

operated at low gas flow rates to meet 

environmental regulations; an operating regime 

that increases the time that the flame impinges on 

the tip, thus increasing its operating temperature 

and decreasing the lifetime. Extending flare tip 

life will have a significant impact on both safety 

and maintenance costs. A potential failure 

involves a material degradation process based 

on a high temperature creep-fatigue-oxidation 

interactive mechanism which is thought to 

promote local grain boundary embrittlement of 

the metallic alloys. A Thermomechanical Index of 

alloy behaviour is being developed to optimise 

the selection of alloys for potential flare tip use. 

Flare tip metal temperatures are measured using 

thermo-imaging techniques. Knowledge of the 

actual operating temperature range will allow 

a more robust analysis of the alloy behaviour 

by removing the simplifying assumptions 

that have been made to date. The thermomechanical 

models will be extended to include 

local embrittlement processes, including the 

role of oxidation behaviour (particularly at grain 

boundaries), processes that are presently poorly 

understood. The kinetics of high temperature 

oxidation of Inconel 625, the 700 series and 

other alloys designed for high temperature 

oxidation resistance will be studied using 

optical and electron microscopic techniques. 

An understanding the materials issues involved 

and a development of improved solutions will 

enable platform operators to develop a risk-based 

inspection strategy for flare tips. 

Novel routes to titanium component processing 

» Researcher: Benjamin Moorhouse 

» Supervisor: Dr Barbara A Shollock 

» Sponsor: EPSRC (Industrial Case with QinetiQ) 

The use of titanium in healthcare and aerospace 

applications constantly increases, but applications 

are sometimes limited due to cost. Titanium 

powder offers a very effective route manufacturing 

low cost components; however, new cheaper 

powders tend to be high in oxygen. Further 

processing of the powder tends to increase oxygen 

and carbon contents even further. The high levels 

of these interstitial elements compromises the 

mechanical properties of the alloy, this is limiting 

their use in aerospace and medical sectors. 

In an effort to reduce interstitial levels, 

chemical methods of removing excess oxygen 

from titanium powder and titanium parts, 

such as treatment with de-oxidants, are being 

investigated. To make the aim of producing 

low cost components for the medical and 

aerospace sectors, low cost processing routes 

are being developed and this project is also 

investigating metal injection moulding (MIM) 

route for titanium alloy parts and developing 

a low-contamination binder system for MIM. 

Strain localisation in partially solid alloys 

» Researcher: Kristina M Kareh 

» Supervisors: Dr Christopher M Gourlay and 


» Sponsors: EPSRC, Hydro Aluminium Extrusion 

Limited 

In processes such as the high-pressure die casting 

of automotive parts, alloys are severely deformed 

as they solidify. Severely deforming alloys in 

the partially solid state, however, is frequently 

accompanied by defects such as positive 

macrosegregation bands and porosity bands that 

limit the use of the parts produced. 

The overall aim of this project is to quantify and 

understand strain localisation in the mushy zone via 

• three-dimensional characterisation of shearinduced 

macrosegregation 

• investigation of the onset and propagation of 

semi-solid shear banding using in situ imaging 

This will allow a better understanding of defect 

formation in processing routes where the alloys 

are deformed when semi-solid, which can then be 

optimised. This study uses microtomography for 

three-dimensional in situ imaging; radiography 

and optical microscopy are used for twodimensional 

imaging. 

TBC surface chemical contamination on serviceretrieved 

industrial gas turbine engines 

» Researcher: Steven SY Feng 

» Supervisors: Dr Mary P Ryan and Dr Barbara A 

Shollock 

» Sponsor: RWE npower 

RWE npower’s modern combined cycle gas turbine 

(CCGT) power plant in Didcot UK, has reported 

heavy surface chemical contamination on their 

thermal barrier coating (TBC) coated nozzle guide 

vanes and blades. Chemical deposits found were 

most significant on the first roll vanes which 

revealed various bands of colours on the surface 

of TBCs. Fifteen serviced-retrieved roll one nozzle 

guild vanes are being examined for surface 

chemical contaminations. 

The discolorations found on these vanes are 

a result of various oxide depositions on the 

surface and the colours vary from brown, red, 

black to green. The deposition mechanism 

of these surface contaminants is similar to 

calcium-magnesium alumino silicate (CMAS), 

yet the chemical compositions are different. 

This project is elucidating the allocation 

of these chemical deposits with respect to 

various regional TBC surface temperatures 

using phase and Ellingham diagrams. 

Ti-64 deformation 

» Researcher: Jonnathan Warwick 

» Supervisors: Dr David Dye and Professor Richard 

J Dashwood (University of Warwick) 


This project is part of an EPSRC programme in 

collaboration with Rolls-Royce and the universities 

of Manchester, Birmingham, Oxford and Swansea. 

The service performance of Ti-64 plate used in 

aero-engine fan blade applications is sensitive 

to the microstructure and texture produced 

during rolling. In this project, the evolution of 

microtexture and texture is being examined, with a 

particular focus on the variant selection problem. 

The effects on final performance will also be 

studied. 



Characterisation of diffusionless transformations 

» Researcher: Dr Nicholas G Jones 



The exploitation of diffusionless transformations 

in engineering materials such as steels, titanium 

alloys and nickel titanium based shape memory 

alloys, is an area of materials science with 

great potential. Such transformations offer the 

possibility of dynamic components, capable of 

reacting to their service conditions for enhanced 

performance, e.g. in more electric aero-engines 

and to achieve greater control over aerodynamic 

surfaces at a low weight penalty. Other 

diffusionless structures, such as athermal omega 

in Ti alloys, can be used as nucleation sites for 

equilibrium phases, thereby providing a potential 

mechanisms to optimise the microstructure of a 

component. The current understanding of these 

transformations is unsatisfactory, and further 

research into the mechanisms, crystallography, 

and response to service conditions (temperature, 

stress, strain rate etc.) is required to enable 

widespread application. 

The nature of diffusionless transformations can 

make traditional post mortem type analysis 

very difficult to interpret, and therefore, it is 

desirable to study these materials in situ, using 

techniques capable of direct observation of the 

phase changes. The low divergence and extremely 

narrow peak profiles acquired from high energy 

X-ray diffraction using synchrotron sources, 

has been shown to be a realistic way to study 

these transformations in far greater detail than 

possible with laboratory techniques. Such high 

quality data provides an excellent framework 

around which more traditional techniques, such 

as electron microscopy and texture analysis, can 

be employed. This project works with industrial 

partners to understand the propagation and 

influence of diffusionless transformations during 

service like conditions, with a view to enable the 

application of self actuating dynamic components. 

Crystal packing and dendrite coherency in 

equiaxed solidification 

» Researcher: Dr Lang Yuan 

» Supervisor: Dr Christopher M Gourlay 


This project is using the Discrete Element Method 

(DEM), a simulation tool developed for granular 

mechanics, to explore the mechanical transitions 

that occur during the equiaxed solidification of 

Al casting alloys. Crystal morphologies ranging 

from near-globular to highly-branched equiaxed 

dendritic are simulated in 2D. Particular focus is 

being given to understanding how the complex 

geometry of equiaxed dendrites influences crystal 

packing and force transmission through the crystal 

assemblies. The project is also comparing the 

simulation results with in situ imaging of packing 

and deformation in semi-solid alloys using 

synchrotron X-ray radiography. 


Metallic materials for enhanced ballistic 

protection 

» Researchers: Dr Nicholas G Jones and 

Khandaker Rahman 


» Sponsors: QinetiQ, MOD 

This project involves the evaluation of the 

high strain rate and impact behaviour of three 

novel metallic materials that employ shear 

transformations to adsorb energy during 

deformation events, such as automotive 

crashes and blast events. It involves alloy 

development, optimisation and supply chain 

demonstration as well as determination of the 

underlying deformation mechanisms and their 

sensitivity to strain rate and strain path, using 

in situ synchrotron diffraction to understand the 

evolution of the phase assemblage and texture 

and the variation in intergranular elastic strains as 

well as post hoc transmission electron microscopy. 

Micromechanics and phase transformations in 

welded steel joints 

» Researcher: Dr Miloslav Beres 

» Supervisors: Dr David Dye and Dr Noel P O’Dowd 

(Department of Mechanical Engineering) 


During the automated arc welding of ship steel 

joints, phase transformations play a major 

part in determining the final residual stress 

state. Previously, the transformation strain 

has been modelled using only a volume strain 

approximation, but the actual transformation 

process is dominated by shear strain and 

variant selection of the precipitating phase. 

This project is concerned with kinetic and 

micro-mechanical modelling of the precipitation 

process, in situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction 

(XRD) measurements at the ESRF of the 

transformation under temperature and load, 

coupled through to the modelling of welding 

and measurement of the welded stress 

state using neutron diffraction at ISIS. 

Microstructure-explicit modelling and 

characterisation for the rapid exploitation of 

materials 

» Researcher: Richard Hamilton 

» Supervisors: Professor Peter D Lee, Professor 

Richard J Dashwood (University of Warwick) and 

Dr David Dye 

» Sponsors: EPSRC, Aeromet International, Alcoa, 

Alstom, Aluminium Powder Company (Part 

of the Metallurg Corporation), AMC Limited, 

AECL, Carnegie Mellon University, GE, Pratt and 

Whitney, LANL, NPL, NRCC, QinetiQ, Rolls-Royce 

UTP (University of Cambridge), Rolls-Royce plc, 

Special Metals 

This project provides the infrastructural support 

required to fully integrate the research in the 

Materials Processing and Performance Centre in 

the Department of Materials on 

• modelling the processing of existing and 

developing materials to predict microstructure, 

• alloy/process development of advanced and 

developing engineering materials 

• development of constitutive equations to 

represent service behaviour 

This is leading to an integrated microstructureexplicit 

modelling approach to alloy and process 

development for performance. The models cover 

the entire cycle of design, synthesis, processing 

and life assessment. A key feature is of developing 

continuity between the different models, 

process and characterisation developments 

so that a co-ordinated research programme, 

rather than a series of individual projects. A 

quantitative description of microstructure is an 

explicit outcome of our process models and is 

also a critical input to the performance models, 

producing a clear link between the alloy/process 

route and performance which allows optimisation. 

This research consists of both model development 

and critical experimental measurement. The 

Centre is also well equipped to complement 

the modelling with pilot-scale experiments and 

advanced characterisation activities. The research 

programme addresses a range of processes 

including solidification, thermo-mechanical 

processing, reaction synthesis, joining and 

superplastic forming. In the course of recent work 

a number of instrumented test rigs have been 

built, including directional solidification/single 

crystal furnaces, an instrumented extrusion press, 

reaction synthesis cells, electroreduction cells, 

an MMC squeeze-casting unit, rolling apparatus 

and small ingot production facilities. The 

modelling techniques used include continuum, 

cellular automata, phase field, self-consistent 

and isokinetic finite element thermomechanical 

analysis and continuum damage mechanics. 

These are usually implemented as routines that 

can be coupled into commercial codes, for ease of 

knowledge transfer. 


Characterisation of wear mechanism and surface 

functionality of rolling/sliding elements 

» Researcher: Dr Hande Cote 

» Supervisor: Dr Barbara A Shollock 

» Sponsors: Marie Curie (Project Grant), EPSRC 

Rolling and sliding element bearings and gears 

will eventually fail as a result of a surface fatigue 

phenomenon. Micropitting is a form of surface 

contact fatigue encountered in bearings and 

gears, under lubricating conditions, which leads to 

their premature failure. Numerous investigations 

on micropitting have been carried out during the 

last decade but its underlying mechanism is still 

not fully understood. Since the phenomenon is 

an interdisciplinary subject, it is unpredictable 

and difficult to control. Its complexity is due 

to the numerous factors of influence involved; 

lubrication chemistry, environmental factors, 

nature of materials, surface finishes and loadings. 

This project is in collaboration with the Mechanical 

Engineering Department and aims to identify the 

major factors that cause micropitting in steels. 

Factors under investigation include the effects 

of antiwear additives, friction modifying agents 

under a range of tribological conditions. Various 

analysis techniques such as transmission electron 

microscopy (STEM-EELS), X-ray photoelectron 

spectroscopy (XPS) and atomic force microscopy 

(AFM) are used to study the surface and nearsurface 

of the tribofilm and tribo-altered layer are 

used to gain insight into the wear mechanisms. 

Granular rheology of partially solidified alloys 

and defect formation in advanced metal casting 

processes 

» Investigator: Dr Christopher M Gourlay 

» Sponsors: RAEng/EPSRC Research Fellowship 

This project uses the principles of granular 

materials to explore the mechanics of partially 

solid alloys. Granular materials are simply the 

disordered assemblies of macroscopic particles 

we encounter everyday, from the soils under our 

feet to the salt on the kitchen table; however, the 

mechanics of granular materials can be complex, 

emerging from mechanical interactions between 

the discrete particles which are often unrelated 

to the mechanics of the particles themselves. The 

goal of the project is to incorporate partially solid 

alloy deformation into a broad liquid-saturated 

granular framework. The research will include 

novel direct observation techniques enabling 

us to prove and quantify the micromechanics 

of deformation in these materials. The project 

also focuses on the rheology directly related 

to metal casting processes. During processes 

such as high-pressure die casting, the alloy is 

deformed throughout solidification so that loads 

act on solid-liquid microstructures ranging from 

dilute suspensions to cohesive solid skeletons 

saturated with liquid. As well as determining 

how the alloy enters the mould during casting, 

rheology also causes casting defects and the 

current understanding of mush rheology is 

insufficient to predict and control these defects 

accurately. The project will explore defects such as 

macrosegregation, porosity and cracking within a 

granular framework, and link these findings with 

observations in industrial castings. 

Reducing emissions by exploiting field-induced 

martensitic transformations 

» Investigator: Dr David Dye 

» Sponsor: EPSRC (Leadership Fellowship) 

The aim of the fellowship is to develop the 

analysis tools to design and use materials that 

exploit stress- and electromagnetic field-affected 

phase transformations. This area extends from 

bainite and martensite in steels to the variant 

selection problem during the beta->alpha 

transformation in titanium and zirconium alloys, 

from omega superelasticity in the beta-Ti alloy 

GUM metal to NiTi shape memory alloys (SMAs) 

and ferromagnetic SMAs. In the component 

context, conventional SMAs rely on a temperature 

change to provide actuation, which is achieved 

either passively in response to the environment 

or by heating/cooling using bleed air, resistance 

heating or heating filaments. Ferromagnetic SMAs 

use an electromagnetic field, which allows much 

faster switching, for example in a pump or to 

improve flow control. While the crystallography of 

these transformations is well understood, models 

are not generally available for the micromechanics 

that can be incorporated into Finite Element 

(FE) descriptions of component behaviour used 

by designers. In addition, whilst these systems 

are clearly tractable to atomistic approaches, 

atomistic modeling is still too immature to reliably 

design new alloys without experimental support; 

however approaches such as density functional 

theory (DFT) can enable insight into alloy design 

approaches to be developed. A subsidiary aim is 

to start to bridge the gap to the DFT community. 

In conventional alloys the problem is often 

complicated by a diffusional component to 

the transformation, or nucleation may be the 

limiting step. However, we have recently shown 

clearly that applied stress can bias variant 


selection, leading to the production of monovariant 

transformed beta grains in Ti-6246, with 

consequent effects on properties. 

The ability to model variant selection in 

diffusionless transformations, such as in 

martensite in steels, omega in Ti and Zr, and in 

(f)SMAs will be a prerequisite to modelling the 

more complicated problem in Ti-64 and Ti-6246. 

Industrially, the major goal of the fellowship is to 

build a capability to model such transformations 

and to design alloys exploiting them for use in 

aerospace, automotive and power applications, 

with QinetiQ, Rolls-Royce, Timet, Corus and DSTL. 

Smart materials: development of high 

temperature shape memory alloys for 

environmentally-friendly aero-engines 

» Investigator: Dr David Dye 

» Sponsors: UKIERI, Rolls-Royce plc 

Shape memory alloys (SMAs) exhibit reversible 

shape changes with temperature, the actuation 

strain being produced by a martensitic phase 

transformation. The current leading system is 

near-equiatomic NiTi, where the transformation 

temperature can be manipulated from 

approximately 150°C to around 180°C, with a 

practical upper limit in application of ~80°C. This 

project is developing high temperature (600 K) 

shape memory alloys (SMA’s), which will be of 

great benefit for gas turbines, e.g., lightweight 

passive actuators for variable stator vanes. The 

resultant engine weight reductions will allow 

continuing reductions in aerospace-related CO2 

emissions. The global research team assembled 

for this project brings together complementary 

skills in diffusion, micromechanical testing and 

fatigue (Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore and 

Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay), and in 

diffraction studies, SMAs, micromechanical and 

atomistic modelling (Imperial College London). 

The synergy between these domains of expertise 

is allowing us to rapidly develop new alloys more 

effectively than the individual groups alone. 

SEM image of ordered nanoporous 

silver (scale bar = 0.5µm). This 

image was selected for the front 

cover of the December 2009 issue 

of the new RSC nanoscience 

journal Nanoscale 

» Rong Zhu 


nanotechnology and nanoscale characterisation 

167

Figure 1: Wear debris 

found in the tissue of 

a patient with a failed 

MOM hip, imaged 

in a STXM (a), using 

bright field TEM (b) 

and HAADF-STEM (c). 

A chemical map of the 

debris was calculated 

from XAS spectra, and 

shows two types of 

particles: diffuse debris 

containing mainly Cr 3+ 

(in green) and denser 

particles containing 

metallic Cr and Co, as 

well as Cr 3+ (d). 

Research highlights 

Correlation of 

electron and X-ray 

spectroscopies in 

nanoscale systems 

» Researcher: Angela Goode 

» Supervisors: Dr Mary P Ryan, 


and Dr Alexandra E Porter 


Electron energy loss 

spectroscopy (EELS) in the 

scanning transmission electron 

microscope (STEM) uses 

the inelastic scattering of an 

electron probe by a sample to 

obtain chemical information. 

The amount of energy that 

is lost by the fast probe 

electrons is characteristic of 

elemental composition, as 

well as coordination number 

and oxidation state. Scanning 

transmission X-ray microscopy 

(STXM) is a complementary 

technique in which a 

monochromatic X-ray probe 

is scanned across a sample, 

and the X-ray absorption (XAS) 

at each point is recorded in 

an absorption image. The 

information obtained is 

analogous to an EELS spectrum 

image, but with different spatial 

and energy resolutions, and 

different damage properties. 

The aim of this project 

is to correlate these two 

spectroscopic techniques on a 

variety of nanoscale systems. 

One such system is the 

nanoparticulate wear debris 

generated by cobalt-chromium 

metal-on-metal (MOM) hip 

replacements. Debris particles 

may be associated with (a) 

local inflammatory response 

and (b) white blood cell DNA 

damage and experimentally 

induced sarcomas linked 

to carcinogenic hexavalent 

chromium. Figure 1 a-c shows 

correlated X-ray and electron 

microscopy images of debris 

particles in periprosthetic 

tissue from patients with failed 

MOM hips. Figure 1d shows a 

chemical speciation map of the 

metal particles calculated from 

XAS data. These complimentary 

methodologies provide 

spatially resolved quantitative 

information on the oxidation 

state and coordination 

environment of the wear debris. 

1 

A hybrid 

nanoparticleliposome 

assay 

for measuring 

phospholipase 

activity 

» Researcher: Dr Morgan 

Mager 

» Supervisor: Professor Molly 

M Stevens 

» Sponsor: European Research 

Council (ERC) 

For diagnostic and drug 

development purposes, it is 

often necessary to determine 

the concentration or activity 

of enzymes. Ideally, any 

detection method will be 

rapid and sensitive, but these 

factors must be accompanied 

by a high degree of specificity 

to prevent false positives. 

One class of enzymes that is 

particularly challenging to 

measure is the phospholipase 

family, since members respond 

to the nano-scale spatial 

organisation of their molecular 

substrate. These enzymes 

degrade and remodel the cell 

membrane and are involved 

in a wide range of biological 

processes and diseases. We 

have developed an assay that 

addresses the difficulties of 

phospholipase measurement 

by taking advantage of 

the membrane-mimicking 

properties of liposomes and 

the unique optical properties of 

gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). We 

first functionalise the AuNPs 

with a synthetic peptide, then 

incorporate a complimentary 

peptide inside the liposomes. 

When the phospholipase 

degrades the lipids comprising 

the liposome, it releases the 

complimentary peptide and 

causes aggregation of the 

AuNPs. This aggregation in turn 

causes a dramatic colour shift 

of the solution that can be read 

out by eye. The flexibility of this 

system has been demonstrated 

by the incorporation of a 

range of biologically-relevant 

molecules into the liposomes, 

including cholesterol, charged 

lipids and protein-resistant 

polymers. We have also shown 

the applicability for highthroughput 

drug screening 

by showing that this assay 

can quantify the effect of a 

phospholipase inhibitor. 

Figure 1: Typical results 

from the assay. The 

initial absorption 

spectrum (dashed) 

corresponds to a 

visibly red solution. 

As the nanoparticles 

aggregate, the color of 

the solution changes 

over time to blue, 

indicating the activity of 

phospholipase enzyme. 

Figure 2: A schematic 

illustration of how 

the assay works. 

Enzyme activity 

causes the liposomes 

to break, releasing a 

contained peptide. This 

peptide then causes 

aggregation of the gold 

nanoparticles. 


1 

2


Bio responsive nanomaterials 

» Researcher: John Dick 



The detection of elevated levels of protease 

enzymes associated with disease is an enticing 

approach to early diagnosis. The use of 

nanoparticles has created the potential for a 

simple, portable and highly sensitive technique for 

this detection. This system works by functionalising 

nanoparticles with designer peptide strands 

constructed to associate with protease enzymes. 

There are currently two types of nanoparticle 

systems being developed in this research. The first 

system uses gold nanoparticle aggregated systems 

to detect protease enzymes through a colorimetric 

assay. The protease enzymes can be detected by a 

simple colour change of the nanoparticle mixture 

when they are present. The colour change is 

monitored and quantified through use of a UV-vis 

spectrophotometer. Semi-conductive nanoparticles 

known as quantum dots are used in the second 

system. Quantum dots produce a strong narrow 

photoluminescent emission spectrum when they 

are excited by UV-light. This signal is quenched 

when they are functionalised by our designer 

peptide strands. When these peptide functionalised 

quantum dots are exposed to the protease enzyme 

of interest, their photoluminescent signal returns. 

This change is easily detected and quantified using 

a spectrofluorometer. Currently, we are creating a 

multiplexed detection assay that can detect two 

distinct proteases simultaneously using a single 

nanoparticle mixture. 

Cadmium selenide nanoparticles for antibodybased 

sensors 

» Researcher: Christopher R Smith (In collaboration 

with the University of Bristol, Cardiff University 

and Kings College London) 

» Supervisor: Dr Jason Riley 


This project focuses on the development of an 

intelligent wound dressing capable of producing 

instantaneous analysis of bacterial load and 

species detection in a chronic wound. In recent 

years binary II-VI nanoparticles have been 

of intense interest due to their wide range of 

electrical and optical properties and the fact that 

these can be tuned by changing the size and 

shape of the nanoparticles. Cadmium selenide 

has been produced by a facile, air free technique 

and tuned to give an absorbance ~540nm. These 

nanoparticles have been capped with a 25nm layer 

of silica to reduce toxicity and are in the process of 

being bound to Keyhole Limpet Hemocyanin (KLH) 

which will be used as the fluorescent marker in an 

antibody based sensor. 

Correlation of electron and X-ray tomography of 

porous materials 

» Researcher: Farid Tariq 



» Sponsor: Shell Global Solutions 

X-ray micro-tomography (XMT) is a branch of X-ray 

microscopy that can achieve a spatial resolution 

of

Imaging alzheimer’s plaques inside cells using a 

Se-labelling strategy 

» Researcher: Eva McGuire 

» Supervisors: Dr Alexandra E Porter, Professor 

David W McComb and Professor Chris M Dobson 

(University of Cambridge) 


We have employed a novel method for imaging 

the plaques associated with Alzheimer’s disease 

inside human cells to investigate the underlying 

mechanisms of the disease. A feature common 

to the brains of all Alzheimer’s patients is the 

presence of insoluble plaques, the main constituent 

of which is the amyloid-β (Aβ) peptide. The 

aggregation of this peptide has previously been 

studied in detail and it has been established that 

while the mature amyloid fibrils are not particularly 

toxic the precursors or early aggregates show high 

levels of toxicity. The reasons for this difference in 

toxicity and the underlying mechanisms by which 

these disease-related protein aggregates cause 

cell death are not yet well understood because 

major difficulties arise when imaging the carbonrich 

protein aggregates in a carbon-rich cellular 

environment due to a lack of contrast. Previous 

strategies for overcoming this lack of contrast 

have relied upon stains or tags that are either 

invasive or unreliable. The naturally occurring 

sulphur atom in a fragment of the Aβ peptide has 

been replaced with a selenium atom, a heavier 

element in the same group of the periodic table 

of elements. Cells exposed to these seleniumlabelled 

aggregates have been examined using 

high angle annular dark field scanning transmission 

electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM) so that an 

image is generated using electrons that are 

scattered to relatively high angles. The resulting 

image intensity is approximately proportional to 

the square of the atomic number of the element 

in the sample. HAADF-STEM tomography volumes 

are generated by taking images at incremental 

tilt angles which are then reconstructed using 

weighted back projection to create a threedimensional 

volume. While the non-toxic mature 

fibrils are observed in cell lysosomes and 

associated with the cell membrane the highly 

toxic early aggregates are observed in the cell 

cytoplasm and in the cell nucleus suggesting 

a different pathway into the cell which may be 

associated with the difference in toxicity. 

In situ electrical biasing of novel nanostructures in 

the TEM 

» Researcher: Sadegh Yazdi 




The need for mapping the electrostatic potential 

at high special resolution in 2D and 3D has been 

highlighted recently in The International Technology 

Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS). The aim of 

this project is to examine the electrostatic potential 

within the nanoscale semiconductor devices 

under working conditions in the TEM. Advanced 

electron microscopy techniques including electron 

holography and tomography are involved in this 

project in order to achieve the spatial resolution 

specified by ITRS. Electron holography is a 

promising technique for achieving high resolution 

electrostatic potential mapping. However, there 

are still important issues, in particular artifacts 

appearing during TEM sample preparation make 

the interpretation of the holograms challenging 

and limiting the resolution. To minimise these 

artifacts, a state-of-the-art dual beam workstation 

(FIB/SEM) is being used at low voltages to develop 

a protocol for the formation of site-specific 

TEM sections. These sections are being studied 

using electron holography and tomography in a 

contemporary electron microscope equipped with 

a monochromator and an aberration corrector, 

and for electrically biasing the samples a bespoke 

sample holder is being used. 

Investigations of monolayer protected metal 

nanoparticle systems and their biological 

interactions 

» Researcher: Mathew Hembury 




Nanostructuring of materials can create novel 

materials with unique properties in terms of 

topography, chemistry, and surface energy. 

This is of particular interest considering many 

biological processes occur at the nano-scale i.e., 

interactions between cells, proteins, and native 

extracellular matrix (ECM). This project focuses on 

the development, characterisation, and biological 

assessment of novel multi-layered monolayer 

protected metal nanoparticle (MPMN) surfaces. 

These ligand-coated metal nanoparticles are 

supramolecular assemblies of 2D monolayers 

(ligand shells) wrapped around 3D metallic 

cores have potential applications in fields 

ranging from biology to electronics. By varying 

ligand composition or metallic core size, phaseseparated 

domains as small as five angstroms 

can form. Due to their small size, these unique 

subnanometre-ordered domains interact with 

the molecular environment in novel ways. In this 

project, surfaces are being developed based on a 

series of gold nanoparticles coated with mixtures 

of octanethiol (hydrophobic) and mercaptohexanol 

(hydrophilic) ligands of varying ratios. The mixed 

ligand domains align into parallel hydrophobic and 

hydrophilic ripples that encircle the nanaoparticle 

metallic cores. These surfaces are used as 

model system to explore the effects of surface 

properties (chemistry, wettability and surface 

energy) on protein adsorption and cell behaviour 

(cell attachment, morphology, metabolic activity, 

and cytotoxicity) for applications in the medical 

field, biochips, bioassays etc. The knowledge thus 

gained from this study will not only enhance our 

ability to understand changes in cellular behaviour 

induced by nano-scaled structures, but also aid in 

the further development of emerging technologies 

intended for biological environments. 

Size effects in nanoscale dielectric materials 

» Researcher: Emanuela Liberti 


Professor Milo SP Shaffer (Department of 

Chemistry) 


The electronic properties of materials change 

substantially when size and shape are reduced 

to the nanometre scale. In this project we 

focus on the size dependence of the dielectric 

function in nanostructured dielectric materials. 

The aim is to measure the dielectric function of 

novel semiconducting nanoscale systems using 

electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) in 

the scanning transmission electron microscope 

(STEM), which provides sub-nanometre spatial 

resolution. Using the STEM-EELS approach 

allows to combine atomic resolution imaging 

with EEL spectroscopy and thus to probe the 

dielectric function locally while stepping a subnanometre 

probe across the sample. However, 

in the case of anisotropic materials, size effects 

in dielectrics become difficult to interpret. This 

is because the convergence of the STEM probe 

and the collection geometry used in STEM-EELS 

are such that a mixture of the components of the 

dielectric tensor is found in the EEL spectrum. In 

this work, the attempt is to measure each tensor 

component using orientation dependent EELS that 

allows selecting an unambiguous direction of the 

momentum transferred to the specimen. Currently, 

we are studying nanoplatelets, nanorods and 

nanoparticles of TiO2 anatase and investigating the 

size dependence by comparing the results obtained 

for the bulk case and density-functional theory 

(DFT) simulations. 

Multisegmented nanorods for optical applications 

» Researcher: Alice Orsi 


» Sponsors: Hewlett-Packard 

Nanorods made of alternate conductive 

and dielectric segments (multisegmented 

nanorods) may exhibit enhanced response 

to light and improve the definition of optical 

displays. Multisegmented nanorods can be 

achieved by changing the solution composition 

and the amplitude of the current during the 

electrodeposition process into a porous aluminium 

template. The solution determines the composition 

of the segment while the value and the duration 

of the current applied control the length of the 

segment. When using anodised aluminium as 

a template in order to allow the deposition of 

the ions from the solution inside the pores, the 

bottom of the pores needs to be opened; any 

remaining aluminium oxide layer at the end of 

the pore works as a resistive layer and disturbs 

the deposition. Reduction of anodisation the 

voltage was chosen as the method to remove 

the layer. The preliminary results show that there 

are some advantages in using an exponential 

decrease of this voltage after a constant voltage 

anodisation instead of a linear decrease. 

Nanomaterials for hybrid photovoltaic applications 

» Researcher: Jonathan Downing 

» Supervisor: Dr Martyn A McLachlan 


College London), Energy Futures Lab Centre for 

Doctoral Training (Imperial College London), 

EPSRC (DTA) 

There is increasing interest in the development 

of low-cost, solution processable photovoltaic 

devices. Hybrid cells, which feature nanostructured 

organic-inorganic interfaces, have the potential 

to achieve improved efficiency whilst minimising 

both material and processing costs. The metal 

oxide, ZnO is of specific importance for its 

numerous morphologies and high electron mobility. 

Furthermore, solution processing permits the 

formation of ZnO nanostructures with feature 

sizes ranging from a few nanometres to tens of 

microns over large areas. For organic materials, 

and in particular poly(3-hexylthiophene)(P3HT), 

excellent hole transport properties are combined 


with strong light-absorption. Compatibility with 

solution processing is well documented for this 

material. Our research primarily investigates the 

construction of a well defined nanostructured ZnO 

template. This is then used to investigate polymer 

processing methods. Of specific interest is the 

effect of polymer viscosity and molecular weight on 

nanostructure filling and device performance. 

Nanostructured materials for SERS-active 

substrates 

» Researcher: Johann Boleininger 

» Supervisors: Dr Mary P Ryan and Professor David 

W McComb 


This project focuses on the generation of Surface 

Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) active 

nanostructured substrates by electrodepostion. 

Three-dimensionally ordered porous films will be 

prepared from Ag, Au, Cu plating solutions and the 

effect of film and deposition parameters on the 

spectroscopic enhancement will be determined. 

Subsequent more advanced surfaces based on 

multilayers, alloys and hierarchical porosity are 

being developed. Complementary modelling of the 

electromagnetic enhancement is being carried out. 

Nanoparticles in suspension: effect of shape and 

size on rheological behaviour of high volume 

fraction suspension 

» Researcher: Kim S Tan 


» Sponsor: MRB 

This project involves the synthesis of various 

shape and size nano-structured particles and 

their rheological behaviour in high volume 

fraction dispersion. Spherical titanium (IV) dioxide 

(TiO2) nanoparticles have been synthesized by 

a low temperature hydrolysis reaction involving 

titanium (IV) chloride and water in the presence of 

alcohol. One-dimensional (1D) TiO2 nanoparticles 

were obtained via strong base treatment of 

suspensions of anatase nanopowders under 

autoclave conditions. Whilst the as-prepared 

nanospheres were discrete and monodisperse, 

with an average diameter of 300nm, the 1D 

nanoparticles were polydisperse. Add-on processes 

to narrow down the size distribution of the latter 

are being developed. Electrophoresis and density 

gradient centrifugation are well known separation 

techniques for DNAs and proteins and are being 

considered as methods for obtaining monodisperse 

suspensions of 1D TiO2 nanoparticles. The 

influence of particle shape on rheology will be 

tested using the as prepared TiO2 particles. 

New routes to optimised multiferroics 

Researcher: Liam J Spillane 

Supervisor: Professor David W McComb 

Sponsor: EPSRC (Project Studentship) 

Many materials which are used in sensor and 

data storage technology use effects associated 

with the alignment of atomic electric or magnetic 

moments. There are fundamental reasons for 

thinking that materials should either have electric 

order (called ferroelectric order) or magnetic 

order (called ferromagnetic order), but not both. 

However certain materials, called multiferroics, 

break this rule and do show both effects, and 

therefore have some rather intriguing properties. 

Ferromagnetic order can then be controlled 

by an electric field, or ferroelectric order can 

be controlled by a magnetic field. This could 

have a revolutionary effect on sensors and data 

storage applications, but multiferroics are poorly 

understood. This project is an interdisciplinary 

collaboration (Physics, Chemistry, Materials) 

between Oxford, UCL and Imperial College London, 

which is using combination of experimental 

techniques to solve this problem. By using 

this combination of state-of-the-art methods, 

neutrons, X-rays, muons, magnetometry, 

magnetodielectric measurements and electron 

microscopy, we are gaining new understanding in 

this complex problem which will enable the design 

of optimised materials for future applications. 

The biostability and toxicological potential of 

carbon nanotubes inside cells 

» Researcher: Hannah C Nerl 

» Supervisors: Dr Alexandra E Porter and Dr Peter 

D Haynes 

» Sponsors: EPSRC (DTA), Fonds National de la 

Recherche Luxembourg 

Functionalised carbon nanotubes (f-CNTs) 

are currently under investigation for medical 

applications such as drug delivery, however little 

is known about the mechanism of interaction, 

the pathway by which they enter the cell or the 

intracellular distribution. Such studies are critical 

as a screening strategy to assess nanoparticulate 

materials for their suitability as drug-targeting 

vectors destined for specific intracellular sites. 

The project combines molecular dynamics 

simulations with high-resolution and 3D electron 

microscopy techniques. The aim is to improve 

our understanding of the interactions between 

f-CNTs and cells focusing on whether f-CNTs can 

passively diffuse into cells and the long term fate 

of the f-CNTs inside the cells. The mechanism of 

cell membrane penetration is being investigated 

using 3D electron tomography. The long term 

fate of f-CNTs is being investigated using high 

resolution TEM to analyse whether the f-CNTs are 

trafficked intracellularly and whether they are 

stable inside cells and also in vivo. A coarse grained 

molecular dynamics simulation of the entry and 

exit mechanism of functionalised f-CNTs in the lipid 

bilayer will be performed comparing the effect of 

charge on the uptake of f-CNTs. 

Using surface enhanced raman scattering for single 

molecule detection 

» Researcher: Michael Cecchini 

» Supervisors: Professor David W McComb, Dr Tim 

Albrecht (Department of Chemistry) and Dr Joshua 

B Edel (Institute of Biomedical Engineering) 


Great interest has been shown in single molecule 

detection as it can be applied towards a wide range 

of applications including those in drug discovery, 

genetics, and pharmacology. To be of significant 

use, it is crucial therefore to use techniques that 

are non-destructive and require little to no sample 

preparation. The aim of this project is to use 

Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) 

towards detecting single molecules as they traverse 

through a solid state nanopore. Using a solid state 

nanopore will ensure that only a single molecule 

is present in the sample volume and allows for the 

use of electronic detection as a feedback system 

to further optimise the optical method. This project 

provides training in the use of advanced optical and 

electronic detection equipment, statistical analysis 

of time domain signals, and in both nano- and 

microscale fabrication methods. 



Chemistry, structure and bonding in high-k gate 

oxide stacks 

» Researcher: Dr Catriona M McGilvery 

» Supervisors: Professor David W McComb HU and 

Professor Alan J Craven (University of Glasgow) 

UHP 


The project is investigating high-k dielectric 

materials for incorporation into CMOS devices. 

The current gate dielectric, SiO2, is reaching 

atomic limits and as replacement materials both 

hafnia (HfO2) and hafnium silicate (HfO2)x(SiO2)1-x 

are being considered. Working in conjunction 

with the University of Glasgow and Interuniversity 

Microelectronics Centre (IMEC) the effects at the 

interfaces in the gate stack are being studied. 

We are characterising powder samples of hafnia 

and hafnium silicate prepared via a sol-gel route 

using ambient and high-temperature X-ray 

diffraction (HTXRD), thermal analysis and TEM 

imaging. It is hoped that these results will help 

us better understand the deposition of the high-k 

layer and the effects of subsequent processing. 

These samples will undergo further TEM analysis 

particularly making use of electron energy-loss 

spectroscopy (EELS). By modelling these EELS 

edges and comparing with experiment a bulk 

standard can be set. These standards will assist 

in the analysis of the interfaces in the thin film 

samples studied at the University of Glasgow. 

Cytotoxicity of ZnO nanowires using a correlative 

microscopy strategy 

» Researcher: Dr Karin Muller 

» Supervisors: Dr Mary P Ryan and Dr Alexandra E 

Porter 


The current debate about the safety of 

nanomaterials and their impact on both human 

health and the environment has been fuelled 

by a lack in fundamental understanding of the 

interaction of nanoparticles with cells (Royal 

Society Report, 2004). Metal oxide nanowires are at 

the forefront of application-driven nanotechnology 

research. They offer distinct advantages over their 

bulk counterparts in many applications ranging 

from transistors to sensors. However, little is known 

about their toxicity and risks to human health. ZnO 

nanowires were exposed to human macrophages 

and a correlative microscopy approach was used 

to relate uptake into cells to any cellular toxicity. 

The ZnO nanowires were sensitive to dissolution in 

the acidic environment of the cell and anisotropic 

nanowire degradation occured. Dissolution of 

ZnO nanowires at the nanometer scale inside 

the cell led to cell death by necrosis. Confocal 

microscopy of live cells demonstrated that cell 

death was preceded by the intracellular rise of ionic 

Zn 2+ concentrations due to nanowire dissolution, 

whereas outside the cell the wires appeared to 

be stable. This is consistent with a pH triggered 

dissolution mechanism. 

Electrodeposition of ZnO for photovoltaic 

applications 

» Researcher: Dr Amy C Cruickshank 

» Supervisors: Dr Mary P Ryan, Professor David W 

McComb, Dr Jason Riley, Dr Sandrine EM Heutz 

and Dr Martyn A McLachlan 



The fabrication of hybrid organic/inorganic 

structures consisting of strongly absorbing organic 

materials and an inorganic metal oxide to act as a 

transparent conducting oxide (TCO) contact and/ 

or an electron transporting layer is an attractive 

strategy for the production of low-cost photovoltaic 

technologies. Recently, ZnO has attracted 

widespread attention for use in solar cells due to 

its unique electrical and optical properties and 

because it offers a more cost-effective alternative 

to the use of indium tin oxide. 

There are two main research interests being 

developed in this project: 

• scalable solution-processing routes are being 

developed for fabricating ZnO TCO electrodes 

using electrochemical methods. Whilst a variety 

of methods have been reported for preparing 

ZnO films, such as magnetron-sputtering, 

chemical vapour deposition, pulsed laser 

deposition, hydrothermal deposition and spray 

pyrolysis, the use of electrochemical methods 

for depositing ZnO offers several advantages. 

For example, electrodeposition is a simple, 

low-cost, low-temperature process which 

requires inexpensive equipment, yields highly 

crystalline films without requiring further 

treatment post-deposition, allows great control 

over film thickness and morphology, and can 

be easily applied on a large scale. In our work, 

the controlled growth of highly conducting and 

transparent ZnO films on conducting substrates 

from aqueous zinc nitrate solutions is being 

investigated using electrochemical methods. In 

particular, the effects of solution concentration, 

applied potential, deposition time and 

temperature on the morphology, crystallinity 

and optical properties of the electrodeposited 

ZnO films has been examined, and the use of 

such films in hybrid photovoltaic devices is to 

be studied 

• a detailed synchrotron grazing incidence X-ray 

scattering (GIXS) study is being carried out to 

investigate the evolution of crystal structure 

and texture of CuPc films grown on ZnO from 

the interface up to thicknesses of 100 nm. 

Efficient hole transport in the donor and 

charge separation transfer across the donor/ 

acceptor interface is crucial for improving 

device efficiency; hence, an understanding 

of the interfacial properties between the two 

layers is extremely important. In our work, 

heterostructures consisting of thin films of 

copper phthalocyanine (CuPc) molecules 

evaporated onto polar, single crystal ZnO 

(002) substrates have been investigated as a 

model system and the implications of these 

results with respect to the use of CuPc/ZnO 

heterostructures in photovoltaic devices will be 

assessed. 

Fabrication of nanorods on the industrial scale 

» Researcher: Dr Fang Xie 

» Supervisors: Dr Jason Riley and Dr Mary P Ryan 


In recent years, the fabrication of one-dimensional 

(1D) nanostructures has attracted ever-increasing 

interest for its applications in many fields, 

including magnetics, self-assembly, electronics, 

biology, catalysis and optics. Among all the 

synthesis techniques, the template method for 

1D nanostructures synthesis has become a very 

simple yet powerful process, with the advantages 

of low cost, high throughput, high volume and 

ease of production. It is clear that if practical 

applications, such as solar energy and catalysis, 

are to be realised, methods for mass-producing 

template-synthesized nanostructures will be 

required. Anodic Aluminium Oxide (AAO) template 

is a well-established nanotechnique and has 

become a method of choice for scientists wishing 

to synthesise and characterise small quantities of 

multisegmented nanostructures. By varying the 

anodization voltage of the aluminium foil or film 

and the electrolyte, phosphoric, sulphuric or oxalic 

acid, the density and diameter of the nanopores 

can be readily controlled. The aim of this project is 

to demonstrate that this template electrosynthesis 

by AAO membrane can be employed to produce 

large quantities of nanomaterials of defined 

dimension, for their applications in electronics, 

optics, solar energy and sensor technology. To 

objectives that must be met are: production of large 

area AAO membranes; uniform filling of large area 

AAO membrane via electrosynthesis; and release 

of the electrosynthesised nanomaterials from the 

membrane. 

High-resolution electron energy-loss spectroscopy 

(EELS) of plasmonic nanostructures 

» Researcher: Dr Ai Leen Koh 


Professor Stefan A Maier (Department of Physics) 


This project involves the application of 

monochromated electron energy-loss spectroscopy 

(EELS) techniques to study localised surface 

plasmons (LSPs) in noble metallic nanostructures. 

LSPs are oscillations of the conduction electrons 

coupled to the electromagnetic field. The frequency 

and intensity of the oscillations are characteristic 

of the type of material (most commonly the 

noble metals Au, Ag) and are highly sensitive to 

nanostructure geometry and the surrounding 

medium. Applications of nanoplasmonics in 

areas such as optical data storage and optical 

wave-guiding arise from the ability to control 

nanoparticle shape and size to produce the desired 

LSP modes. Changes in geometry can also lead to 

large enhancements of the incident electromagnetic 

field at the nanoparticle surface. This effect is being 

used by the biomedical sciences community to 

detect single-molecule events. For this work, metal 

nanostructures fabricated using both top-down and 

bottom-up synthesis techniques are studied. Their 

geometry is then correlated with their plasmonic 

mode spectra. The objective of such a fundamental 

and systematic study is to provide insights into the 

electromagnetic coupling modes in noble metal 

nanostructures so as to develop structures with 

optimal geometry. 

The TITAN at Imperial College London 

» Researcher: Dr James M Perkins 

» Supervisor: Professor David W McComb 


The UK’s first monochromated FEI TITAN 80/300 

(Scanning) Transmission Electron Microscope has 

been installed in The Harvey Flower Microstructural 

Characterisation suite in the Department of 

Materials. The combined TEM/STEM facility 

enables routine imaging at sub-angstrom resolution 

alongside structural and compositional analysis. In 

addition, recent advances in electron microscopy 

techniques such as energy filtered imaging and 

electron tomography are an integral part of the 

new microscope’s armoury. The instrument has 

exceeded the specifications of 0.14nm/0.5eV and 

0.3nm/0.2eV spatial and energy resolutions for 

un-monochromated and monochromated modes 

respectively. We are now able to routinely reach 

energy resolutions of ~0.12 eV. We are using this 

capability to study multilayer dielectric devices, 

materials for fuel cell applications, catalysts, bone, 

quantum devices, nano-particles and nanotubes. 

An important feature of the TITAN is the installation 

of a monochromator. Electrons from the field 

emission source pass through a Wien filter 

restricting the electrons that pass to those with 

a specific energy. Fine spectral features normally 

hidden by broadening of edges may be resolved 

by using the monochromated system. This 

system is able to produce energy filtered images 

showing the distribution of specific elements 

within a given region. As each pixel in such a map 

contains an entire spectrum, maps generated 

from various energy windows can be compared 

or combined to solve a specific problem. 

Summer 2008 saw the installation of the aberration 

(image) corrector on the TITAN. This extra 30 cm of 

column allows improved spatial resolution in TEM 

mode without the problems associated with lens 

aberrations, including delocalisation and contrast 

reversal, therefore the images are much closer to 

directly representing the sample itself. Another 

upgrade due to take place in summer 2009 is the 

addition of a Bi-Prism allowing electron holography 

experimentation. Holography can map differences 

in magnetic or electric fields, especially important 

within semiconductor devices and magnetic 

materials. Work has almost been completed to set 

the TITAN up for full remote control allowing the 

user to remove themselves from the microscope 

room and therefore reduce the vibrations/fields 

associated with their presence. It will also allow 

long acquisition time experiments to be performed 

comfortably without the user being required to sit 

in front of the microscope. Furthermore, this will be 

added to the transatlantic connection (the lambda 

rail) for the transatlantic remote microscopy project. 


Determination of surface and interface processes in 

materials science 

» Researcher: Dr Sarah Fearn 

» Investigators: Dr David S McPhail, Dr Neil J 

Curson (London Centre for Nanotechnology) Dr 

Sandrine EM Heutz, Dr Julian R Jones, Professor 

John A Kilner, Professor Bill Lee, Dr Barbara A 

Shollock and Dr Stephen J Skinner 


Society is currently facing many important scientific 

challenges including developments in the areas of 

healthcare for an aging population, climate change 

and sustainable development. In this proposal it 

is our intention to use a state-of-the-art surface 

sensitive mass spectrometer to investigate the 

interaction of a wide range of materials with their 

environment, and analyse how these interactions 

affect the performance of the component in 

operation. Thematic areas that we will address 

include Materials for Energy, Healthcare, 

Nanomaterials, and Transport. The surface is a vital 

part of a material and often determines whether 

the material is ‘fit for purpose’. By applying an 

instrument that can probe materials surfaces with 

unparalleled precision we will be able to better 

understand and optimise the materials we are 

developing. To achieve this we are combining two 

techniques in a unique configuration to unravel 

questions surrounding the physics and chemistry of 

surfaces. One technique, low energy ion scattering, 


will enable us to examine the outermost surface 

layer of atoms. The other, Time-of-Flight Secondary 

Ion Mass Spectrometry, will allow us to characterise 

the very near surface. Together they will give us 

a detailed picture of the surface and how it is 

changing with time. 

Imperial College London and University College 

London have a dynamic nanotechnology centre 

that is working to develop the next generations 

of electronic and optoelectronic devices to 

underpin the information technology revolution, 

and for example, find a replacement for the 

silicon transistor. But nanotechnology also 

involves materials developments in medicine and 

energy, for example in photovoltaics and is highly 

interdisciplinary. Understanding surfaces and 

interfaces is vital in these fast-moving areas. In 

terms of the science this instrument will enable, 

energy is one of the sectors of greatest significance. 

Concerns over the effects of carbon dioxide 

emissions and the security of supply of existing 

fossil fuel reserves lead to the search for alternative 

and renewable energy technologies. There are, of 

course, many alternatives and here we will study 

materials being used to produce fuel cells and 

photovoltaics, seeking devices that work at lower 

temperatures and/or with higher efficiency. For fuel 

cell technology the understanding of surfaces and 

interfaces holds the key to enhancing performance 

and promises far superior devices. In both fuel cells 

and photovoltaics advances in nanotechnology 

are associated with these developments and as 

nanomaterials advance, the characterisation of 

these materials also has to advance. A combined 

LEIS-SIMS instrument will provide the enhanced 

characterisation required to fully exploit these 

technological advances. 

Our work on healthcare represents a second critical 

technology area and will focus on developing 

sensors for the early detection of disease, vascular 

grafts and heart patches to repair damaged 

tissue and scaffold for bone tissue engineering. 

In this work the ability to understand the highly 

complex chemistry at the interface between the 

biomaterial and its environment using mass 

spectrometry will yield vital information. We 

will also study materials for the containment of 

nuclear waste where we will measure, with great 

precision, the stability of glasses and ceramics 

being proposed for the containment of radioactive 

waste materials. Since we will be able to measure 

very small changes (less than one nanometre) 

we will be able to measure corrosion rates of 

a fraction of a millimetre per millennium. 

Doped magnetic ZnO p-n junction heterostructures 

for nano-spintronic devices 

» Researcher: Dr Jaideep S Kulkarni 

» Supervisors: Dr Mary P Ryan, Dr David W 

McComb, Dr Jason Riley, Professor Lesley Cohen 

(Department of Physics) and Dr Olga Kazakova 

(National Physical Laboratory) 

» Sponsor: Marie Curie Fellowship (EC) 

Semiconductor materials form the basis of 

modern electronics, communication, data storage 

and computing technologies. One of today’s 

major challenges for the development of future 

technologies is the realization of devices that 

control not only the electron charge, as in present 

electronics, but also its spin, setting the basis 

for future spintronics. Spintronics represents the 

concept of the synergetic and multifunctional 

use of charge and spin dynamics of electrons, 

aiming to go beyond the traditional dichotomy of 

semiconductor electronics and magnetic storage 

technology. The most direct method to induce 

spin-polarized electrons into a semiconductor is by 

introducing appropriate transition metal dopants 

producing a dilute magnetic semiconductor (DMS). 

The seamless integration of future spintronic 

architectures into nanodevices would require the 

fabrication 1D DMS nanostructures in well defined 

architectures. In this project we propose to use a 

simple low-cost, low temperature electrodeposition 

process to not only synthesise and characterise 

ZnO based bipolar DMS nanowire heterostructures 

but, even more importantly, fabricate an array 

of p-n and n-p-n junctions which could lead to 

novel nano-spintronic devices within ordered 

pre-defined nano-architectures. We will study 

the structural and functional properties of these 

heterostructures, which could have applications 

such as spin polarised LED and spin polarised 

bipolar junction transistor. By fully exploring the 

parameters controlling the growth and functionality 

of these materials we will try to gain a holistic 

understanding of the processing/structure/ 

property relationships for this system. The 

ultimate goal is to be able to design and fabricate 

specific nanowire heterostructures with tuneable 

magnetic and electrical properties which could 

lead to practical spintronic applications. The ability 

to synthesise and assemble an array of bipolar 

spintronic devices into organised architectures and 

which could be operational at room temperature 

would be major step towards practical spintronic 

devices. Additionally this approach is inherently 

clean and scalable and easily integrated within 

current industrial practices. 

Scanning Electron Microscope 

(SEM) image of Copper 

Phthalocyanine (CuPc) film grown 

on glass substrate using organic 

vapor phase deposition (OVPD) 

method 

» Salahud Din 


functional materials 

179

Figure 1: Scanning 

electron micrograph 

of the cantilever array 

developed at LCN. 

Figure 2: Response of 

the sensing cantilever 

coated with MHA to 

phosphate buffer 

solution with pH 9.0. 


Multimarker 

nanosensors for 

HIV 

» Researcher: Dr Samadhan 

Bhaulal Patil 

» Supervisor: Dr Yeong-Ah Soh 

» Sponsor: EPSRC Grand 

Challenge in Healthcare 

Diagnostics 

Micro-cantilevers are emerging 

as highly sensitive platforms 

for the sensing of biomarkers. 

This work is aimed 

at development of the smart 

microchip as a multimarker 

nanosensor for HIV. Microcantilevers 

act as a sensing 

component of this chip. 

Silicon cantilevers are being 

developed in LCN cleanroom 

(Figure 1). Optimised 

cantilevers were tested for 

the sensitivity performance 

after functionalising with self 

assembled monolayers such 

as hexadecanethiol (HDT) 

and mercaptohexadecanoic 

acid (MHA). In an array, 

cantilevers coated with MHA 

act as sensing cantilevers 

(respond to pH 9.0 and 4.84 

solutions by deprotonation and 

protonation respectively) and 

remaining cantilevers coated 

with HDT act as reference 

(with minimum effect from 

the solutions with different 

pH). Sensing cantilevers bend 

due to repulsive Coulomb 

interaction between adjacent 

immobilised molecules on 

cantilever surface. Response 

of the sensing and reference 

cantilevers in terms of the 

deflection is shown in figure 2. 

1 2 




Composite Pi-Pi stacked organic semiconductor 

alloys 

» Researcher: Liyang Yu 

» Supervisor: Dr Natalie Stingelin 

» Sponsor: Dutch Polymer Institute 

Organic p-conjugated materials are the key 

materials in cost-effective large area electronic 

devices. The p-p stacked supramolecular organic 

semiconductors are best in class with respect to 

the charge efficiency but still difficult to process 

into device structures with controlled mesoscopic 

and microscopic order. This research is developing 

new materials and processes to obtain perfect 

monolithic alignment of one-dimensional p-p 

stacked organic semiconductors. We aim to 

enhance and stabilise molecular alignment by 

generating a polymer composite that is in situ 

formed from solution. Use will be made of 

• epitaxial crystallisation at pre-treated surfaces 

• solvent processing of pre-stacked molecular 

assemblies with evaporation under receding 

contact lines 

• well controlled-phase separation of polymer 

and\or small molecular additives that both 

stabilise the formed entities and support 

molecular alignment e.g., by lyotropic induction 

In addition, the processes and the materials will 

be designed such that patterning is possible 

enabling organic field effect transistor (OFET) 

device integration on large surfaces. 

Developing functionally graded bioactive 

composite coatings by electrochemical means 

» Researcher: Fatemehsadet Pishbin 

» Supervisors: Dr Mary P Ryan and Professor Aldo 

R Boccaccini (University of Erlangen-Nuremberg) 


Orthopaedical applications have resulted 

in vast areas of research to improve the 

biocompatibility of materials used in this field. 

Surface functionality of prostheses used in bone 

injuries is of noticeable importance. Several 

polymeric and ceramic systems have been studied 

as suitable coatings for bioinert and bioactive 

implants as well as tissue engineered scaffolds. 

To combine the advantages of both systems, 

polymer-matrix ceramic composite coatings 

have been suggested. The properties of these 

coatings can be tailored by incorporating drugs 

and growth factors to stimulate phenomena 

such as osteogenesis, angiogenesis and anti 

inflammatory responses of the body which are 

all necessary for a successful application. In 

this work we concentrate on coatings based 

on polysacharaides of chitosan and alginate 

in addition to bioactive glass, in single and 

combined (composite) forms. The ceramic 

particles are used in both micron and nano sized 

forms. The fabrication method is electrophoretic 

deposition (EPD) which has previously been 

proved promising in making uniform deposits with 

high purity. To optimise the process the initial 

tests are done on stainless steel substrate and 

the effect of suspension pH, EPD time, voltage 

and polymer concentration on the resultant film 

quality (homogeneity, thickness, microstructure, 

and adhesion) is being investigated. Functionally 

graded composite coatings based on the previous 

findings are being developed. Appropriate 

drugs and growth factors for osteogenesis and 

angiogenesis will be incorporated in the coating to 

improve the biocompatibility properties. Different 

characterisation methods are used to study the 

coatings. In-vitro as well as drug release tests 

are being used to characterise the biological 

response of the films. The methods developed can 

be exploited to coat different bioinert implants as 

well as bioactive tissue scaffolds. 

Engineered nano-layered structures for energy 

harvesting devices 

» Researcher: Dr Bin (Kevin) Zou 

» Supervisors: Professor Neil McN Alford and Dr 

Peter K Petrov 


This project is a feasibility study aimed to a 

particular type of nanolayered energy harvesting 

structure, which will be used for development 

of high frequency (THz) rectenna. The study is 

focussed on three practical problems. Firstly, 

to deposit continuous ultra-thin (up to 10nm) 

functional oxide and metal thin films. Secondly, to 

develop techniques for ultra-thin structural and 

electrical characterisation. Finally, novel concept 

development of an energy harvesting device. To 

date work has mainly focussed on deposition of 

thin and ultrathin (Ba0.5,Sr0.5)TiO3 (BSTO) films and 

their electrical and structural characterisation. Work 

on rectenna device layout has been carried out in 

parallel. Films of (Ba0.5,Sr0.5)TiO3 with thicknesses 

varying from 150nm down to 12nm were deposited 

on LaAlO3 and MgO substrates and their electrical 

and structural properties characterised. Work is in 

progress to reduce further the BSTO film thickness 

and improve their electrical properties. 


181

Formation and characterisation of nanoparticulate 

films for solar cells 

» Researcher: Khatijah Aisha Yaacob 


» Sponsor: USM 

This work is concerned with the creation of 

solar cells by the electrophoretic deposition 

of semiconductor nanoparticles. Colloidal 

suspensions of titania and chalcogenide 

nanoparticles are being prepared and 

electrophoretically deposited on to conducting 

substrates to form interpenetrating semiconductor 

junctions, thus maximising charge separation 

of the excitons when the light is absorbed in 

the chalcogenide layers. The optimal conditions 

to prepare cheap efficient solar cells will be 

identified. 

Foundations of molecular spintronics 

» Researcher: Michele Serri 

» Supervisor: Dr Sandrine EM Heutz 

» Sponsors: EPSRC, NSFC 

Spintronics is a new paradigm of electronics 

that introduce the spin degree of freedom in 

conventional semiconductor technology. Organic 

spintronics is a recently born discipline which 

aims to develop spin electronics on organic 

semiconductors, taking advantage of unique 

properties of organic molecules, like chemical 

tunability, biocompatibility, cheap production 

methods and combination of optical properties 

with electronic/magnetic ones, with scope 

for application in novel and cheaper optoelectronic 

devices, non-volatile memories, 

magnetic switches and chemical sensors. The 

main challenge is to develop an organic material 

which combines sizeable magnetic transition 

temperatures, spin polarizing properties, 

structural order and chemical stability. This 

would also allow a thorough investigation of 

the physics of these systems, which is still 

lacking. This project aims to develop molecular 

materials, based on phthalocyanines and other 

conjugated molecules, for the fabrication of a fully 

organic spin-valve; the organic nanostructures 

(thin films and nanowires) will be grown with 

vapour deposition techniques and used in novel 

types of devices. This work is in collaboration 

with University College London and Tsinghua 

University, who focus on studies at the molecular 

level using scanning tunnelling microscopy. 

Molecular thin films: a new type of magnetic 

switch 

» Researcher: Salahud Din 


» Sponsor: EPRSC (DTA) 

Molecular materials are attracting increasing 

interest for lightweight, flexible and low cost 

optoelectronic devices; organic light emitting 

diodes (OLEDs) are now appearing on the market 

and organic photovoltaic (PV) cells are striving 

towards viable performances. New applications are 

also emerging in the field of molecular magnetism 

and spintronics – molecules present clear 

advantages compared to conventional inorganic 

magnets, such as well-defined electron couplings, 

biocompatibility and chemical flexibility. However, 

contrary to the OLED and PV technology, hardly 

any effort has been made in the deposition of 

magnetic thin films, necessary for the integration 

into devices and for an increased fundamental 

understanding of the material properties. 

The aim of this project is to grow new types of 

molecular thin films, based on charge-transfer 

complexes of polyaromatic organometallic 

species, which have demonstrated very promising 

magnetic properties in the bulk phase, such 

as extremely high coercivity and ferromagnetic 

ordering up to several tens of Kelvin. The work 

will involve the development of appropriate film 

growth methods which will allow increased control 

over material stoechiometry, morphology and 

structure, and collaboration with the industrial 

sponsor on their manufacturing site is expected. 

The film properties will be assessed using a 

range of microscopy, spectroscopy and diffraction 

techniques. Simulations of flow dynamics within 

the deposition chamber will also be required, in 

order to interpret and predict the observed film 

characteristics. Finally, the magnetic properties 

will be determined, and strategies to increase the 

operation temperatures of possible spintronic 

devices will be developed 

Molecular thin films: growth, magnetism and 

spintronic applications 

» Researcher: Zhenlin Wu 



Molecular magnets offer attractive characteristics 

compared to their inorganic counterparts, such 

as low temperature processing routes, low cost, 

high chemical purity and biocompatibility. This 

project aims to develop new types of magnetic 

thin films based on polyaromatic compounds 

such as phthalocyanines and porphyrins, which 

are archetypal molecular semiconductors. Also, 

organic vapour phase deposition (OVPD) system 

will be optimised for the growth of chargetransfer 

complexes including electron accepting 

components such as tetracyano derivatives, which 

has shown very high coercivity. The magnetic 

properties will be optimised to improve either the 

transition temperature/coercivity or the facility 

with which the magnetic coupling can be switched 

using external triggers. 

Nanostructured functional materials for energy 

efficient refrigeration, energy harvesting and 

production of hydrogen from water 

» Researcher: Florian Le Goupil 

» Supervisor: Professor Neil McN Alford 

» Sponsor: EPSRC (Programme grant) 

This programme is about using nanostructured 

materials to address key areas in energy related 

applications. This proposal will deliver world class 

materials science through ambitious thin and thick 

film development and analysis and the proposal 

targets the EPSRC strategic areas ‘Energy’ and 

‘Nanoscience through nanoengineering.’ The 

programme grant will provide the opportunity 

to integrate three well established research 

areas that currently operate independently of 

each other and will establish a new consortium 

of activities. Collectively they offer the essential 

ingredients to move this particular field forward. 

The planned program of work is timely because 

of the convergence of modelling capability, 

precision multilayer oxide growth expertise and 

nanofabrication facilities. 

The overall vision for the programme grant is 

focussed on Energy. Within the programme we aim 

to find means of reducing energy consumption 

for example by using electro and magnetocaloric 

means of cooling; generating energy by use of 

nanoscale rectifying antennas and finally storing 

energy by photocatalytic splitting of hydrogen 

from water. The programme is divided into two 

themed areas: 

• Nanostructured oxides for Energy Efficient 

Refrigeration with two project areas 

– Electrocalorics 

– Magnetocalorics 

• Nanostructured oxides for energy production 

and storage with two project areas 

– Solar Harvesting 

– Photocatalysis 

This research enables the development of new 

materials, new material architectures and new 

device concepts for energy refrigeration and 

energy harvesting. The synergy across a range 

of programs particularly the underpinning 

activities of materials theory, modelling and 

characterisation will move these important fields 

closer to application. It also enables a new forum 

to be established, with representation from UK 

and European scientists and industrialists so that 

broad discussions can be held to enable moving 

these fields forward with a significant emphasis 

on training, outreach and knowledge transfer. 

The research challenges are 

• Designing physical systems that are close to an 

instability so that small external perturbations 

from magnetic or electric fields, optical or 

thermal excitation will tip the system into a 

new ground state. 

• Optimising control over (strain, defects, doping 

inhomogeneity, disorder) and first layer effects 

in thin film oxides (with thicknesses of the 

order of 10nm or less) so that we can develop 

the capability to tune the band gap of the oxide 

using directed modelling and targeted growth 

control. 

New method for templated doping 

» Researcher: Junwei Yang 

» Supervisors: Dr Sandrine EM Heutz, Dr David S 

McPhail and Dr Mary P Ryan 


Doping of semiconductors is at the basis of a vast 

range of optoelectronic applications. Inclusion 

of transition metals to produce dilute magnetic 

semiconductors can also be used for application 

in spintronics, the next generation of information 

processing. This relies on precise control over the 

location of the spins, which is difficult to achieve 

using traditional implantation techniques, while 

microscopic strategies cannot be easily scaled up. 

In this project, molecular thin films are being used 

as precursors for the controlled doping of a range 

of semiconductors. High vacuum sublimation 

methods are used to grow ordered films leading to 

arrays of metals. Different strategies for degrading 

the organic ring are being investigated, including 

UV lithography, electron beam and ion sputtering. 

The success of the implantation will be assessed 

using low energy ion scattering and Time-of-Flight 

Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry, as well as 

spectroscopic techniques such as extended X-ray 

absorption spectroscopy. Finally, charge transport 

and magnetism measurements will provide 

an insight into the modifications of electronic 

properties after doping. 


New methods for implantation of dopants and 

formation of oxides 

» Researcher: David L Gonzalez Arellano 

» Supervisors: Dr Sandrine EM Heutz and Dr Mary 

P Ryan 

» Sponsors: National Council on Science and 

Technology (CONACYT), Mexico 

Organometallic thin films are being used as 

precursors for both the formation of metallic oxide 

nanostructures and the doping of semiconductors. 

The process relies on treatment using a range of 

techniques (for example exposure to UV excimer 

light), which breaks metal-organic bonds, driving 

dopants into the substrate and generating 

surface metal oxide in presence of residual 

oxygen. Major advantages of the method are 

their unique low-temperature operation, as well 

as the potential for using the organic scaffold 

and thin film morphology as templates for the 

generation of well-controlled dopant spacings 

and oxide nanostructures. The success of the 

implantation and oxide formation will be assessed 

using diffraction techniques, secondary ion mass 

spectrometry, as well as spectroscopic techniques 

such as extended X-ray absorption spectroscopy. 

Finally, the functionality of the new materials 

generated will be provided by charge transport 

and magnetism measurements. 

Novel multiferroic thin films 

» Researcher: Frederic Aguesse 

» Supervisors: Professor Neil McN Alford and 

Dr Anna-Karin Axelsson 


Increasing interest in multifunctional materials 

such as multiferroics and magneto-electrics 

results from their potential application in memory 

devices and novel field sensors. There is a great 

challenge in developing high performance 

magneto-electric composites as thin films and 

the key source of the challenge is a proper 

understanding of the interface between the 

materials. In order to achieve the understanding 

of these materials, in this EPSRC project we are 

developing multilayers of ferroelectric BaTiO3, and 

magnetostrictive CoFe2O4. 

The nanostructures are produced at the London 

Centre of Nanotechnology using our pulsed laser 

deposition system. The first part of the experiment 

consisted in studying Co-ferrite as single layer. 

We highlight the positive benefit of an oxygen 

annealing treatment on films of 25nm as its 

magnetic properties reach values as high as the 

bulk material. Furthermore we discovered than 

under 100 nm this material presents an auxetic 

behaviour which means than under a compressive 

strain in an uniaxial direction the material laterally 

shrinks: this property is physically determined 

by a negative poisson ratio. Then we developed 

bilayers of CoFe2O4 and BaTiO3 on different 

templates: SrTiO3, BaTiO3, LaAlO3 and MgO. The 

films are characterised using MOKE (Magneto- 

Optic Kerr Effect) measurements to determine the 

magnetoelectric properties of the films at NPL 

(National Physics Laboratory). Vibrating Sample 

Magnetometry, Magnetic Force Microscopy and 

high resolution Scanning Transmission Electron 

Microscopy. 

Polymorphic molecular thin films: a new type of 

magnetic switch 

» Researcher: Soumaya Mauthoor 

» Supervisors: Dr Sandrine EM Heutz and 



Molecular materials are attracting increasing 

interest for lightweight, flexible and low cost 

optoelectronic devices; organic light emitting 

diodes (OLEDs) are now appearing on the market 

and organic photovoltaic (PV) cells are striving 

towards viable performances. New applications 

are also emerging in the field of molecular 

magnetism – molecules present clear advantages 

compared to conventional inorganic magnets, such 

as simplified electron couplings, biocompatibility 

and chemical flexibility. However, contrary to the 

OLED and PV technology, little effort has been 

made in the deposition of magnetic thin films, 

necessary for the integration into devices and for 

an increased fundamental understanding of the 

material properties. This project is exploring the 

magnetic properties of thin films based on metal 

phthalocyanines and porphyrins, i.e., polyaromatic 

molecules which can accommodate a wide variety 

of metals in their central cavity and hence provide 

a wide range of spin values. Preliminary studies 

have shown that the magnetic coupling can 

change sign depending on the crystal structure 

of the phthalocyanine, switching from ferro- to 

antiferromagnetic upon film annealing. This will 

have important consequences in the fields of data 

storage and quantum computing for example, and 

the ability to produce and control different crystal 

phases using a range of deposition conditions will 

be crucial. Characterisation will mainly focus on 

structural, morphological and magnetic properties 

as measured by electron and X-ray diffraction (TEM 

and XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and 

superconducting quantum interference devices 

(SQUID), in collaboration with the London Centre 

for Nanotechnology. 

Probing the magnetic structure of complex 

magnetic materials using local probes 

» Researcher: Kevin Heritage 



The potential applications of magnetic thin films 

in electronic devices has led to much research into 

phenomena such as colossal magnetoresistance 

with the possible optimisation of the 

magnetoresistive properties for widespread use 

within memory devices. Extensive studies of this 

system have shown large variation of the magnetic 

and electrical properties depending on the strain 

in the system, which can vary locally. This local 

variation of the magnetic/electrical properties can 

have profound consequences on the macroscopic 

behaviour of the system. In order to understand 

the macroscopic behaviour, examination of the 

local magnetic structure is required. We are using 

magnetic force microscopy to study the magnetic 

structure of complex magnetic materials such as 

manganites and frustrated magnets on a local 

scale. Combining this with X-ray microdiffraction 

and/or electrical transport measurements 

provides insight into the underlying physics 

behind colossal magnetoresistance and the 

magnetic/electrical behaviour of frustrated 

magnets. 

Solution processable chemically derived graphene 

for large-area electronics 

» Researcher: HoKwon Kim 

» Supervisor: Professor Eduardo Saiz Gutierrez 

» Sponsors: NSERC (Postgraduate Scholarship), 

The Leverhulme Trust 

While graphene could be viewed as the material 

for next generation of electronics, reliable 

means of fabricating and manipulating it for 

large-scale integration into devices are presently 

lacking. To overcome this, fabrication method 

using solution processable chemically derived 

graphene via oxidative exfoliation of graphite 

has been developed. Aqueous dispersions of 

chemically derived graphene provide solution 

process for uniform deposition of graphene thin 

films, facilitating its implementation to devices. 

However, chemically derived graphene contains 

defects introduced by the chemical treatments. 

The aim of the project is to investigate the atomic 

and nano scale structures of chemically derived 

graphene and their effects on the macroscopic 

optoelectronic properties. 

Tuneable-refractive-index inorganic/organic 

hybrid systems for solution-fabrication of 

distributed all-dielectric bragg reflectors 

» Researcher: Manuela Russo 

» Supervisors: Dr Natalie Stingelin and Walter 

Caseri (ETH Zurich, Switzerland) 


In this project inorganic/organic hybrid materials 

are investigated that allow straight-forward 

control of the refractive index by both varying the 

composition of the system as well as suitable 

post-treatment procedures (e.g., annealing 

and/or UV-light exposure). The objective is to 

produce a system of refractive indices of more 

than two without sacrificing the transparency 

of the final architectures over the entire visible 

spectrum. Hybrid systems are explored that can 

be processed from solution. 



Charge-transport phenomena in organic 

semiconducting blends 

» Researcher: Dr Gianluca Latini 

» Supervisors: Dr Natalie Stingelin and Professor 

Carlos Silva (Université de Montréal, Canada) 

» Sponsor: EC (ONE-P Project) 

Blending functional polymers permits to realise 

entirely novel features and characteristics 

compared to single-component systems. 

Indeed, due to the ease with which several 

organic materials can be combined into one 

final architecture – especially when processing 

them from solution – a vast variety of other 

property sets can be accessed; most prominently, 

mechanical flexibility can be introduced without 

compromising the electronic properties. In this 

project, we exploit a range of options that such 

blend structures offer in terms of microstructural 

control and supramolecular assembly in order 

to provide model systems that allow exploring 

in detail intermolecular electronic interactions, 

charge generation and recombination dynamics, 

and related electronic properties of π-conjugated 

materials. For this purpose, advanced materials 

processing is combined with state-of-the-art 

ultrafast spectroscopic techniques, flashphotolysis 

and transient microwave conductivity 

measurements, as well as theoretical calculations. 


DECAF: delivering electronic components with 

aligned layers by foil stamping 

» Researchers: Manuela Russo and Mohammed A 

Baklar 



This research is directed toward rapid, low 

cost, low temperature, roll-to-roll printing of 

organic thin film transistors with high resolution 

conductive tracks as source and drain electrodes. 

The work encompasses improving the resolution 

of a recently developed demetalisation process 

via a thorough and innovative understanding of 

ink transfer processes and research into a novel 

multiple layer transfer technique to pattern the 

semiconductor, dielectric and gate electrode. The 

combination of these technologies will allow the 

economic production of flexible circuitry with high 

throughput, which will result in dramatically lower 

costs and higher profit margins for manufacturers 

of flexible electronics. 

Gaphene thin films for plamonics 

» Researcher: Dr Cecilia Mattevi 


» Sponsor: Imperial Junior Research Fellowship 

In this project we are developing a novel 

inexpensive and versatile method for controlled 

non-covalent exfoliation of graphite into high 

quality atomically thin graphene for applications 

in plasmonics. Emphasis is placed on devising 

general schemes for exfoliation and selection of 

atomically thin graphene sheets through careful 

control of chemistry and on depositing uniform 

thin films that are free of defects, with the ultimate 

objective of developing a coherent terahertz 

oscillator based on charge density wave (plasmon) 

amplification in graphene. 

Large area graphene thin films for electronics 

» Researcher: Dr Cecilia Mattevi 


» Sponsor: Imperial Start Up Funds 

The integration of novel materials such as single 

walled carbon nanotubes and nanowires into 

devices has been challenging. Similarly, although 

fundamental research on graphene has been 

prolific since its discovery, reports on making 

it technologically feasible for integration into 

devices have only recently appeared. In this 

project, solution based methods that allow 

uniform and controllable deposition of reduced 

graphene oxide thin films with thicknesses 

ranging from a single monolayer up to several 

layers over large areas will be developed. The 

atomic and electronic structure along with tunable 

photoluminescence of graphene oxide at various 

degrees of reduction are explored. 

Lightweight structural health monitoring system 

(SHEMS) 

» Researcher: Dr Tony Centeno 



This project aims to develop a stand alone, 

self-supporting, embedded inspection system 

to provide continous in-service, full coverage 

monitoring of aircraft components, such as wing 

flaps, tail fins and critical structural components. 

The system will be designed to be modular and 

adaptable for inspection of future aerospace 

components Novel flexible piezoelectric 

transducers will be developed that are lighter and 

use less power than those currently available. 

It is intended that the system will use wireless 

communications from the component to the 

central analysis computer and will derive its power 

from energy harvesting techniques. The system 

will detect, position and measure the severity of 

degradation in composite and metalic structures, 

such as delamination, fibre breakage, corrosion, 

fatigue and impact damage, enabling repairs to 

be carried out at an early stage, extending the 

component life and reducing needless waste. 

The project involves ten partners throughout the 

UK over a three year period. It has a total value 

of £1.4 million, and is 46 per cent funded by the 

Technology Strategy Board. 

Molecular spintronics 

» Researcher: Dr Solveig Felton 


» Sponsor: EPSRC (Basic Technology Grant) 

In this project we are developing molecular 

spintronics (i.e. electronics with additional degree 

of freedom offered by the spin of the electron) 

based on organic magnetic materials. For this 

purpose we are studying phthalocyanines (Pc’s), 

which is a group of organic semiconductors 

that can incorporate a magnetic ion in their 

structure. This atom can be chosen from a wide 

range of transition metals, leading to materials 

with different magnetic properties. We aim to 

study the basic magnetic properties of these 

materials as thin films using techniques such as 

SQUID (superconducting quantum interference 

device) magnetometry and EPR/ESR (electron 

paramagnetic/spin resonance) spectroscopy. 

These measurements will yield information such 

as whether the materials order magnetically, 

and if so what the strength of the interaction 

between the magnetic moments is, anisotropy 

of the magnetic properties and orientation of 

the molecules. The results of these fundamental 

magnetic characterisation measurements will be 

a guide in choosing materials for the fabrication 

of simple devices targeted at biosensing and 

information technology applications. We will study 

charge transport in these devices under different 

conditions, such as applied magnetic fields, 

optical excitation and varying temperatures. This 

information will be used to create spintronic 

devices of larger complexity, allowing for example 

the devices to be switched on/off magnetically. 

Sorting and concentrating HIV virus and T-cells in 

blood 

» Researcher: Daniel S Engstrøm 


» Sponsor: EPSRC Grand Challenge 

Patients diagnosed with HIV needs constant 

monitoring of T-cell and HIV virus counts while 

on anti-viral drugs. Such tests require advanced 

laboratories and highly skilled staff currently 

not available in developing countries. The goal 

for the Grand Challenge project is to fabricate a 

hand-held device for HIV and T-cell counts that 

can be operated by non-specialised health care 

workers. This part of the Grand Challenge project 

concerns sorting the HIV virus and T-cells from the 

blood and concentrating them prior to detection. 

The sorting is performed by a silicon nanopillar 

bumper array which sorts the particles by size. 

The pillar dimensions and spacing determines the 

particle separation as does the size of the device 

and one of the major challenges is to fabricate 

uniform nanopillar arrays on macro scale that can 

sort the 120 nm HIV virus as well as the several 

micron large T-cells. 


Active plasmonics: electronic and all-optical 

control of photonic signals on sub-wavelength 

scales 

» Researcher: Dr Jonathan DB Breeze 


» Sponsors: EPSRC (Programme grant) with 

the Department of Physics (Imperial College 

London), Queen’s University Belfast 

The term ‘plasmonics’ refers to the science 

and technology dealing with manipulation of 

electromagnetic signals by coherent coupling 

of photons to free electron oscillations at the 

interface between a conductor and a dielectric. 

This field of research has emerged as an extremely 

promising technology with several main fields of 

application: information technologies, energy, 

high-density data storage, life sciences and 

security. The opportunity to guide light in the 

form of surface plasmon waves on metallic films 

is attractive for the development of integrated 

photonic chips where the information can be 

processed all-optically without the need of 

electronic-to-optical and optical-to-electronic 

conversion, as well as for integrating photonics 

with silicon electronics on a fully compatible 

platform. 

Performance of optoelectronic devices, such 

as light emitting diodes and photodetectors, 

can also be improved by integrating them with 

plasmonic nanostructures. Recent research 

in plasmonics has led to significant progress 

in development of various passive plasmonic 

components, such as waveguides, plasmonic 

crystals, plasmonic metamaterials, with tailored 

photonic properties. Plasmonic studies have, 

however, almost exclusively concentrated on pure 

metallic nanostructures and passive devices with 

properties fixed by the nanostructure parameters. 

At the same time, real-life applications require 

active control to achieve signal switching and 

modulation, amplification to compensate losses 

along with the direct generation and detection of 

plasmons. All these can be realised if plasmonic 

nanostructures are hybridised with functional 

(molecular or ferroelectric) materials. Here we 

propose to develop and study hybrid plasmonic 

nanostructures consisting of nanostructured 

metals combined with dielectrics to enable 

active functionalities in plasmonic circuitry. This 

project will unlock the plasmonics’ potential 

for improvement of real-world photonic and 

optoelectronic devices and provide insight into 

physical phenomena which are important for 

various areas of optical physics and photonic 

technologies. 

Active substrate approach for switchable 

multiferroic thin films 

» Researchers: Dr Anna-Karin Axelsson and Dr 

Matjaz Valant 


» Sponsor: The Leverhulme Trust 

In the quest for ever-higher data densities, 

multiferroics can provide a medium for a fourstate, 

rather than two-state data storage by 

switching the ferroelectric and magnetic domains. 

Here, it simply means a management of magnetic 


domains by other means than a magnetic field 

such as an electric field, and this is of high 

interest, for example, for read/write devices. 

However, the coupling between the magnetic 

field and electric field (ME coupling) has to 

be high for commercial interest. ME coupling 

is relatively low in a single-phase multiferroic 

material but for a two-phase magnetostrictive 

and piezoelectric composite, ME coupling can be 

increased dramatically. The ME coupling appears 

when an applied electric field creates an alteration 

of the magnetic properties in the thin-film via the 

interface elastic coupling. Thin-film growth needs 

a substrate and by using piezoelectric substrates 

such as BaTiO3 or PZT, which by themselves will 

respond to an external electric field, we reduce 

the normal occurring clamping effect. In a bilayer 

like CoFe2O4-BaTiO3 for example, the strain 

developed in the piezoelectric BaTiO3 substrate 

is directly transferred to the thin magnetostrictive 

CoFe2O4 layer without any reduction in electric 

displacement, d31. The initial step of this research 

was to look into the chemistry of CoFe2O4, 

chosen because of its high magnetostrictive 

(magnetoelastic) properties. In bulk, the magnetic 

properties are mainly dominated by volume but in 

thin-films other sources plays an important role. 

These factors can be; ordering of Co and Fe ions, 

epitaxy, oxygen vacancies, broken symmetries 

and surface defects. By finely adjusting the 

thin-film processing (by Pulsed Laser Deposition) 

different magnetic properties will be achieved. In 

addition, the interface at the growth template i.e., 

the active piezoelectric substrate, plays a crucial 

role as different developed strain and stress 

can further manipulate the CoFe2O4 magnetic 

properties. Crystallographic tools such as XRD, 

AFM, TEM and Raman are being used while the 

magnetic properties are measured by SQUID, 

VSM and MFM. The results are compared to see 

the relation between of film thickness-interface 

- deposition factors - magnetic properties. 

After a full understanding of the chemistry and 

physics of the thin films, the magnetostrictive 

properties will be investigated to determine 

how to maximise the ME-coupling. Initial results 

prove that the coercivity can be reduced to 200 

Oe while retaining the magnetisation high in a 

13nm film on a SrTiO3 substrate, which indicates a 

greatly reduced magnetic field is needed to obtain 

the domain switching in these ultra thin-films 

compared with bulk. 

Heterointerface control of organic semiconductor 

devices 

» Researchers: Dr Jennifer Nekuda-Malik and Dr 

Ester Buchaca Domingo 


» Investigators: Dr Martin J Heeney (Department 

of Chemistry), Dr Neil Greenham, Professor 

Wilhelm Huck, Dr Chris R McNeill and Professor 

Henning Sirringhaus (University of Cambridge) 

» Sponsor: EPSRC (Grant) 

The vision of this project is to achieve a 

step-change improvement in the control of 

molecular and nanoscale structure at organic 

heterointerfaces and thus to bring about a 

step-change in electronic functionality and 

performance of active semiconductor devices 

including light-emitting diodes, field-effect 

transistors and photovoltaics. Improved control 

of how molecules arrange at interfaces and 

deeper scientific understanding how through such 

improved structural control the energy landscape 

at interfaces can be designed is necessary if the 

present performance limitations such as the low 

efficiency of organic solar cells and field-effect 

mobility of organic field-effect transistors are 

to be overcome and organic electronic devices 

are to become pervasive in a broad range of 

applications. If this can be achieved, solutionprocessed 

organic semiconductors will become 

a very powerful materials platform for a scalable 

nanotechnology, in which controlled nanoscale 

phenomena can be used to achieve particular 

functions without sacrificing the ability to make 

such structures reproducibly, uniformly and with 

high yield over large substrate areas. 

Multifunctional oxides – materials to devices 

» Investigators: Professor Neil McN Alford, 

Professor David W McComb and Dr Alison C 

Harrison 


In this new platform our objectives are: 

• to use the platform flexibility to carry out 

speculative and adventurous research 

• to develop thin film multilayers with particular 

emphasis on interfaces 

• to develop novel devices, prototypes and 

applications 

• to ensure that the expertise is maintained and 

that key postdoctoral staff can develop their 

careers and move to more senior positions 

We are exploring three areas: 

‘Fundamental Chemistry of Functional Ceramics’, 

focusing on the chemistry, crystal structure and 

physical properties of ceramics. This knowledge 

is vital as a reference point for the production 

of thin films, which are after all made from bulk 

ceramics targets. We are concentrating on three 

main groups of ceramics: Microwave Dielectrics, 

Piezoelectrics and Multiferroics/magnetoelectrics. 

‘Thin Functional Oxide Films/advanced 

Characterisation Methods’, our core areas 

of research are: materials development, thin 

film deposition, structural and electrical 

characterisation and device development. The 

future strategy requires extra expertise in the area 

of TEM (Professor David W McComb) and electron 

holography (Dr Alison C Harrison). 

‘New Device Structures to Test Material 

Properties’, a material’s structural and electrical 

properties will be tested during development to 

assess its performance in a prototype device. This 

enables us to evaluate the different influences 

on performance. We will examine ultra High Q 

structures and frequency agile devices. 

Nano-scale SQUID magnetometry of oxide 

heterointerfaces 

» Principal Investigators: Professor Neil McN 

Alford and Dr Edward J Romans (UCL) 


The study of the interplay between the electronic 

and magnetic properties of complex functional 

oxide materials is of central importance to 

the international condensed matter physics 

community, and for the future development of 

electronic devices. Recently this field has been 

set alight by pioneering work at Tokyo and Cornell 

Universities that showed it is possible to obtain 

a highly mobile two dimensional electron gas 

at the interface between two perovskite oxides, 

SrTiO3 and LaAlO3, both of which are insulating. 

In that work the oxides were grown in a layerby-layer 

manner by pulsed laser deposition 

(PLD) with atomic level monitoring and control. 

The work has pushed the capabilities of PLD 

to a new level. Other researchers have since 

found indirect evidence for magnetic ordering at 

this type of interface below ~300 mK and have 

recently detected a superconducting transition 

in the two dimensional electron gas at ~200mK. 

The potential of this work for a new generation of 

electronic devices is enormous, but so far there 

are many unresolved issues about the nature 

of this two-dimensional electron gas, the role 

of oxygen vacancies close to the interface, and 

especially the nature of the magnetic ordering and 

how it relates to the superconducting state. 

In the present work we aim to address and answer 

these key questions by developing new nano-scale 

sensors and measurement techniques to probe the 

dc and ac magnetisation of small mesas containing 

a two dimensional electron gas at an oxide 

heterointerface. By confining the two dimensional 

electron gas to a small area ~ 200nm x 200 nm 

we will minimise issues relating to defects in 

oxide films. This interface is buried well inside the 

oxide structure and cannot be probed by surface 

techniques such as scanning tunnelling microscopy. 

Instead we will develop sensors based on nanoscale 

superconducting quantum interference 

devices (SQUIDs) that are very sensitive detectors 

of magnetic flux. These consists of a very small 

loop of superconducting thin film interrupted by 

two weak links (Josephson elements) which consist 

of a very narrow track (~150 nm wide) made by 

a focussed ion beam (FIB). We will design and 

optimise such devices to operate at temperatures 

from 4.2K down to ~ 100mK, and integrate them 

with oxide structures. SQUID-based instruments 

are the key tool in many laboratories for 

performing dc magnetisation and ac susceptibility 

measurements on macroscopic samples containing 

a very large number of magnetic moments. By 

shrinking the devices to the nano-scale we will 

be able to measure much smaller changes in 

magnetisation and have sufficient resolution to 

make useful measurements on the relatively small 

number of magnetic dipole moments expected in 

our oxide samples. 

Phase transitions and mesoscopic physics in films 

of simple metals 

» Investigator: Dr Yeong-Ah Soh 

» Sponsor: NSF 

This project is examining classical and quantum 

phase transitions in intermetallic alloy films. 

Classical phase transitions are driven by thermal 

fluctuations and occur at finite temperature, 

whereas quantum phase transitions are driven by 

quantum fluctuations and occur at absolute zero 

temperature. The system of choice to study classical 

phase transitions is Pd1-xCox intermetallic alloy films, 

which are model random magnetic media and can 

be simply prepared as homogeneous binary alloys 

using conventional thin film deposition techniques. 

Pd1-xCox has technological importance because it 

is a strong candidate for perpendicular magnetic 

recording media. We are developing a unique 

precision-controlled temperature and magnetic field 

stage for force microscopy to study magnetic phase 

transitions on a local scale. 


The system of choice for exploring quantum phase 

transitions is V-doped Cr thin films. Continuing 

our recent work on bulk Cr1-xVx, our goal is to study 

transport properties in two-dimensional films with 

particular emphasis on the Hall effect since it turned 

out to be the most sensitive probe of quantum 

criticality in bulk Cr1-xVx. The results in thin films will 

be compared with results in bulk Cr1-xVx to shed light 

on the role of dimensionality in quantum phase 

transitions. 

Recently, we have discovered new electrical effects 

due to quantisation of spin density wave in pure Cr 

films (published in Nature 2008 and featured in the 

June 2008 issue of Materials Today). By varying the 

film thickness we can tune between non quantised 

density wave for thick films and quantised density 

wave regime for thin films. This marks the beginning 

of ‘spintronics’ in antiferromagnets. Our next step 

is to explore whether V doped Cr alloy films exhibit 

similar mesoscopic effects and how dimensionality 

plays a role in quantum phase transitions. 

Si/SiGe nanowire arrays for thermoelectric power 

scavenging 

» Researcher: Dr Chuanbo Li (Electrical and 

Electronic Engineering) 

» Supervisors: Dr Kristel Fobelets (Electrical and 

Electronic Engineering), Dr Zahid AK Durrani 

(Electrical and Electronic Engineering), Professor 

Mino Green (Electrical and Electronic Engineering) 

and Dr Arash A Mostofi 

» Sponsor: E.ON International Research Initiative 

The objective of this project is to develop 

thermoelectric power generation cells, using Si 

and Si/SiGe nanowire arrays embedded within 

a polymer. Vertical nanowire arrays are defined 

via a top-down etch approach on Si, and on 

pre-grown Si/SiGe heterojunctions. These arrays 

will subsequently be imbedded within a polymer 

coating with multiple functionalities: passivation/ 

modulation doping of the embedded nanowires, 

enhanced stability for further fabrication steps, and 

thermal and electrical insulation. 

Our application domain is envisioned to be low 

power portable applications. The thermoelectric 

cells will have the potential to harvest energy 

associated with joule heating in net and battery 

powered portable equipment, and energy 

associated with other sources including body heat, 

and will allow recharging of batteries. Our aim is to 

exploit the integration capability of Si/SiGe CMOS 

technology in order to develop miniature power 

generators. 

The experimental work above is taking place in the 

Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering 

and is supported by theoretical calculations 

within the Department of Materials, allowing a 

qualitative comparison between the different 

material approaches. State-of-the-art first-principles 

calculations based on density-functional theory 

are being used to determine the effects of growth 

direction, diameter and surface structure on the 

electronic properties of nanowires. In particular, 

pristine silicon nanowires are being compared to 

multilayered Si/SiGe nanowires, with a view to 

optimising the SiGe system for minimal thermal 

conductivity while maintaining high electrical 

conductivity. Our theoretical predictions will guide 

the experimental effort toward maximizing the 

thermoelectric figure of merit. 

Three-dimensionally ordered macroporous solids 

» Investigator: Dr Martyn A McLachlan 

» Sponsors: RAEng, EPSRC 

The use of ordered macroporous solids has 

attracted significant interest from areas as diverse 

as optoelectronics, catalysis and renewable energy. 

The use of colloidal crystals to control the structure 

of macroporous solids is attractive owing to the 

low cost and inherent scalability of the process. 

Colloidal crystals can be readily formed on a range 

of substrates by self-assembling monodisperse 

dielectric spheres into close packed arrays. These 

structures can be used as sacrificial scaffolds to 

direct the formation of ordered porous structures 

and further processed to prepare structured 

nanocomposites. The colloidal crystals, and 

thus the resultant templated structures, can be 

prepared with pore sizes in the range on 100nm 

to 1µm therefore the technique is a convenient 

for the preparation of high surface area ordered 

porous solids. This work involves the preparation 

of porous solids and nanocomposites for use as 

heterojunction solar cells. The controlled formation 

of nanostructured metal oxide and organic 

semiconducting arrays offers a unique solution 

to overcoming current performance limitations in 

such devices i.e., the low exciton diffusion length 

in organic semiconductors, the requirement for 

interconnected and interpenetrating structures 

and the ability to form large areas economically. 

The research is focussed on the formation of 

porous metal oxide arrays and the formation 

of nanocomposites structures using organic 

semiconductors. 

Ultra-violet radiation controlled non-linear 

dielectrics 

» Investigators: Professor Neil McN Alford and 

Dr Peter K Petrov 


We are investigating ultraviolet irradiation 

effects on nonlinear properties of ferroelectric 

films in the paraelectric phase state (above the 

Curie temperature). The effects of ultraviolet 

(UV) irradiation on the relaxation processes in 

BSTO thin film capacitors were experimentally 

investigated in a range of wavelengths λ=(310- 

400)nm. It was observed that irradiation with 

a specific wavelength reduces the time of slow 

capacitance relaxation up to three orders of 

magnitude in comparison with relaxation time in 

the ‘dark’ regime. It was also observed that at a 

certain wavelength of UV irradiation there was a 

maximum in the leakage current of the capacitors. 

This wavelength corresponded exactly with a 

minimum in the relaxation time of the capacitance. 

It was shown that the decrease of the ferroelectric 

film thickness resulted in a shift of τ(λ) minima 

and I(λ) maxima toward the shorter wavelengths. 

We also like to acknowledge the fruitful 

collaboration with Professor Andrey Kozyrev form 

the UML, St Petersburg Electrotechnical University 

‘LETI’, St Petersburg, Russia. 


Simulation of a crystalline metal 

at its melting temperature. Two 

crystal-melt interfaces are shown; 

the coloured ‘liquid’ atoms 

indicate the positions of the 

interfaces which are clearly not as 

abrupt as one might have expected 

» Stefano Angioletti-Uberti 


theory and simulation of materials 

193

Figure 1: Sequential 

images and calculated 

density profile of solid Al 

nucleation from the melt 

on top of TiB2 substrate 

at T=910K; Ti and B 

atoms in TiB2 structure 

are in red and cyan, 

respectively, and liquid 

Al atoms are in green 

Figure 2: Structural 

ordering at the 

beginning of continuous 

growth on Al3Ti (112) 

surface at 910K. (A) a 

snapshot at ts = 70ps, 

and projections of the 

outer four layers (a1-d1) 

and the corresponding 

time-averaged structure 

factors for 6ps (a2-d2). 

Ti and Al atoms in Al3Ti 

structure are in red and 

blue, respectively. Liquid 

Al atoms are in green 

1 2 


Heterogeneous 

nucleation of solid 

Al from the melt by 

TiB 2 and Al3Ti: an 

ab initio molecular 

dynamics study 

» Researcher: Dr Junsheng 

Wang 

» Supervisors: Dr Andrew P 

Horsfield and Professor Peter 

D Lee 


Heterogeneous nucleation 

is still a poorly understood 

phenomenon, but is critical to 

many key materials processing 

operations ranging from 

solidification to catalysis. 

The end goal of this project 

was to develop models of 

heterogeneous nucleation 

that will allow the design of 

intermetallic refiners and hence 

greatly increased recycling of 

aluminium alloys. This would 

have a huge impact on CO2 

release, as recycling generated 

approximately 1/20th of the 

CO2. As a first step towards 

this goal, we sought to 

simulate and hence understand 

existing heterogeneous nuclei, 

specifically the effect of TiB2 

on primary Al formation. 

The mechanism by which it 

operates is believed to involve 

the formation of Al3Ti, but 

as it is not fully understood 

we have used large scale 

computer simulation to provide 

insight. We employed density 

functional theory molecular 

dynamics simulations to probe 

the nucleation of solid Al from 

the melt on TiB2 (figure 1) and 

Al3Ti (figure 2) substrates at 

undercoolings of around 2K. 

We find limited ordering and 

no signs of incipient growth 

in the liquid Al close to the 

B-terminated surface of TiB2, 

as shown on the right handside 

in figure (I) when ts changes 

from 0.05 to 1.42, and then 

to 2.85ps. By contrast, we 

see fcc-like ordering near the 

Ti-terminated surface, with 

growth being frustrated by the 

lattice mismatch between bulk 

Al and the TiB2 substrate as 

shown on the left handside in 


figure (I). The Al interatomic 

distances at the Ti-terminated 

surface are similar to distances 

found in Al3Ti; we suggest 

that the layer encasing TiB2 

observed experimentally 

may be strained Al on a Titerminated 

surface rather than 

Al3Ti. For the Al3Ti substrate, 

fcc-like structures are observed 

on both sides which extend 

rapidly into the melt. If this 

mechanism is correct, then 

it means that systems with 

intermediate metastable 

phases are not required for 

effective heterogeneous 

nucleation, greatly increase the 

range of potential nuclei for 

systems such as intermetallics 

in aluminium alloys. 


A virtual laboratory for large-scale quantummechanical 

simulations of materials 

» Researcher: Laura Ratcliff 

» Supervisors: Dr Peter D Haynes and Dr Arash A 

Mostofi 


Spectroscopy is a key tool in the analysis of 

the properties of materials, and it is therefore 

essential to have a means of calculating spectra 

theoretically, both as an aid to understanding 

experimental results and to make predictions 

about new materials. In particular, it is possible to 

isolate specific spectral features and determine 

their origins through a spatial decomposition. 

To this end, we aim to implement the calculation 

of experimental spectra within a linear-scaling 

density functional theory (DFT) environment, 

which will allow calculations on large systems that 

would not be accessible within the conventional 

cubic scaling DFT framework. 

This will be achieved by first finding and 

implementing a method to calculate unoccupied 

electronic states (the virtual orbitals or conduction 

bands) within the ONETEP code, which is currently 

limited to the calculation of occupied states (the 

valence bands). This will then allow the use of 

perturbation theory to calculate excited states, 

as for example in the Green’s function formalism 

of perturbation theory a sum over all states is 

necessary. 

To date, a ‘toy model’ has been created with a 

one-dimensional Kronig-Penney potential and 

a localised basis set of B-splines, which solves 

the generalised Schrödinger equation using 

a preconditioned conjugate gradient energy 

minimisation scheme, analogous to that used 

within ONETEP. This program will be used to test 

the possible methods for calculating excited 

states before implementing them in ONETEP. 

www.onetep.org 

Ab initio simulations of SW-CNT electronic 

devices and sensors 

» Researcher: Catherine White 

» Supervisors: Dr Andrew P Horsfield and Dr Arash 

A Mostofi 


Carbon nanotubes are a promising building 

block for electronic devices because of high 

conductance, high field effect mobility, structural 

strength and chemical stability. A field effect 

transistor (CNT-FET) that operates at room 

temperature was first constructed from a 

single wall carbon nanotube in 1998. Further 

experimental research has shown that CNT-FETs 

can make effective gas sensors, particularly 

when doped with selective receptors. Quantised 

conductance and coherence effects occur in 

short, low defect nanotubes in which electron 

transport can be assumed to be ballistic 

(inelastic scattering is negligible.) Using the 

single electron wavefunction approximation 

in the ballistic regime, I am using tight 

binding and DFT methods implemented in the 

software package Plato to calculate charge 

transfer effects on conductance including the 

effects of contact resistance and of chemically 

doping the nanotube. I am also investigating 

tunneling effects by constructing barriers on 

the nanotube. A further aim is to investigate 

the limit of the ballistic transport regime, when 

electron-phonon interactions become significant, 

using the Correlated Electron-Ion Dynamics 

technique. The application of CEID will be to 

calculate the current through a double resonant 

tunneling diode, through which electron-phonon 

interactions with an external molecule mediate an 

additional inelastic channel. If this is practicable, 

it could be the basis for a highly accurate and 

selective inelastic tunneling spectrometer 

that could function as an ‘electronic nose.’ 

Atomic scale theory and simulation of high 

temperature shape-memory alloys 

» Researcher: Appala Naidu Gandhi 

» Supervisors: Professor Mike W Finnis and Dr 

David Dye 

» Sponsors: UKIERI, Imperial College London 

NiTi-based alloys are the most widely used for 

their shape-memory properties. These materials 

have a variety of specialised applications in 

such diverse fields as dentistry, medicine, and 

the aerospace industry. Our aim is to develop 

a theoretical understanding of how to control 

the temperature of their phase transition by 

additions of other elements to the basic alloy. The 

student would use a density functional method 

for calculating the total energy and phonon 

frequencies of a number of candidate materials 

for high temperature shape memory alloys based 

on NiAl. The energy of plausible crystal structures 

would be calculated at absolute zero to establish 

that the model indeed predicts the observed 

low temperature phase as the most stable, then 

from the phonon spectra, free energies in the 

quasiharmonic approximation can be calculated. 

This will enable phonon frequencies and elastic 


195

constants to be calculated as a function of 

temperature, and any signs of softening, the 

precursors to a phase transition, will be identified. 

The systematic effect of additions of impurities 

such as Pd, Pt, Fe, Cr, Zr and Hf to NiTi alloys are 

being studied, to elucidate the effect of atomic 

size, electronic structure and magnetism on the 

phase transition temperature. 

Developing atomistic force-fields for covalent 

materials and applying them to the study of 

nanostructured materials 

» Researcher: Joanne E Sarsam 

» Supervisors: Dr Paul Tangney and Professor 

Mike W Finnis 


Atomistic simulations of nanostructures are 

severely limited by a lack of accurate but efficient 

force-fields to describe bonding in covalent 

materials such as carbon, silicon, and III-V 

compounds. To be useful for many nanoscale 

applications, force fields must simultaneously 

describe the bonding in the crystalline bulk, 

at surfaces, and in disordered environments. 

Existing force fields can be very unreliable 

as they lack this transferability. This project 

involves the development of a new flexible 

mathematical model of covalent bonding and the 

parameterisation of this model using information 

obtained from first principles density functional 

theory calculations. The force fields constructed 

will be used to study the growth and morphology 

of semiconductor nanocrystals and nanowires in 

order to understand how the properties of these 

materials can be tailored to specific applications 

by changing the conditions under which they are 

synthesised. 

Electronic structure and electromagnetism of thinfilm 

and layered perovskite oxides 

» Researcher: James Martin 

» Supervisor: Dr Paul Tangney 


Perovskite oxides such as BaTiO3, SrTiO3, 

KTaO3 and PbTiO3 display many interesting 

dielectric properties such as paraelectricity 

and ferroelectricity, that can be exploited for 

use in a wide range of applications. They can 

be used for ferroelectric memories, for electrooptic 

applications such thin-film waveguides 

and optical memory displays. They can also be 

used to construct microwave tunable devices. 

However, there is much to understand about these 

materials. While a great deal is now understood 

about bulk perovskites, their properties change 

when their thicknesses are reduced to nanometer 

length scales and when they are grown on 

substrates. Large lateral strains and surface 

effects can alter their electronic properties 

significantly. In this project we are using density 

functional theory to calculate the electronic 

structures of these materials in a range of 

geometries and under strain. We are collaborating 

with the experimental group of Professor Neil 

McN Alford in the Department of Materials, to 

identify important issues that require theoretical 

input. We will calculate the spontaneous bulk 

polarization of these materials and examine the 

effect that this property, which arises from the 

inversion asymmetry of the crystal structure, has 

on the charge distribution in thin films of these 

materials. The goals are to understand, in terms 

of familiar concepts such as polarization, the 

electromagnetic response of thin film and layered 

perovskites. 

Energetics of point defects in oxides – a 

comparison of DFT and monte carlo methods 

» Researcher: Kilian Frensch 

» Supervisors: Professor Mike W Finnis and 

Professor Matthew Foulkes (Department of 

Physics) 


We are making first principles density functional 

(DFT) calculations and Quantum Monte Carlo 

(QMC) calculations of vacancies and divacancies 

in alumina. The motivations are 

• there is still uncertainty about the intrinsic 

defect type in alumina 

• there is uncertainty about the absolute 

accuracy of the DFT methods for defect 

energetics 

QMC is in principle exact although 

computationally much more demanding than 

DFT and it is now feasible to calculate vacancy 

formation energies for comparison with DFT. 

Alumina is also a good choice for the first tests of 

this kind since it is simplest for QMC. It is realistic 

to expect QMC calculations to be feasible for more 

complex oxides in the near future. Carrasco et 

al. Phys Rev Lett, 93, 225502 (2004), calculated 

energies of formation and energy barriers to 

diffusion with VASP LDA. Heuer and Lagerlöf, 

Phil Mag Lett, 79, 619-627 (1999) tried to extract 

such data from experiment and classical potential 

calculations. There still seems to be a problem 

with the migration barrier of the O vacancy. 3.7eV 

by DFT and 4.9eV as the experimental estimate. 

The latter value assumes single oxygen vacancies 

are the transport mechanism, which may not be 

the case. Other ab initio calculations of the O 

vacancy in Al2O3 disagree with Carrasco et al., on 

its charge state. 

First principles modelling of dislocations in BCC 

metals 

» Researcher: Preetma Soin 

» Supervisor: Dr Andrew P Horsfield 

» Sponsor: EPSRC (Case Studentship with Culham 

Centre for Fusion Energy) 

Ferritic steel is used for the first wall in 

hydrogen fusion power plants. High energy 

neutrons (14MeV) released in fusion reactions 

cause damage to this wall, creating stresses. 

The stresses can be relieved by the flow of 

dislocations, which can be of two types – screw 

and edge. However, screw dislocations are less 

mobile and control the plasticity of the iron. We 

therefore wish to understand screw dislocation 

properties in ferritic steel. We originally used 

Finnis-Sinclair potentials to model the core of 

straight dislocations, to get a get a rough idea of 

the structure. We are now using a tight binding 

model with magnetism included, to model more 

accurately the structure of dislocations and their 

movement through kink propagation. In the future 

the effect of impurities such as chromium and 

helium will be considered. 

NMR spectroscopy from first-principles 

» Researcher: Christopher Pointon 

» Supervisor: Dr Arash A Mostofi 


Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy 

is becoming one of the most important tools for 

structural and functional characterisation. It is 

used to study a diverse range of systems from 

biomolecules to cement-based materials. Although 

a great deal of progress has been made recently, 

the task of calculating accurate structures from 

experimental spectra remains a difficult one. This 

project is developing new methods and algorithms 

to do the reverse, to calculate from first-principles 

density-functional theory (DFT) accurate NMR 

spectra for given structures. In conjunction with 

other spectroscopic methods, such as X-ray 

diffraction data, we hope to be able to combine 

both experiment and theory in order to develop a 

predictive tool for identifying the atomic structure 

of complex materials. One of our particular aims is 

to extend the range of complexity of system that 

may be studied with first-principles NMR methods 

so that they may be applied to more challenging 

systems of technological and scientific interest 

such as amyloid fibrils, cement-based materials, 

and silica-polymer nano-composites. 

Properties of semiconducting nanowires from first 

principles 

» Researcher: Fabiano Corsetti 

» Supervisors: Dr Arash A Mostofi and Professor 

Matthew Foulkes (Department of Physics) 


Understanding, designing and controlling 

materials at the nanoscale will enable significant 

advances in a wide range of technologies. One of 

the most promising classes of building block for 

nanostructured devices is that of semiconducting 

nanowires. They have potential uses in efficient 

thermoelectric cells (conversion of heat into 

electricity) and solar cells (conversion of light into 

electricity), and highly sensitive gas detectors. 

The aims of this project are to characterise and 

understand the thermodynamic properties of 

doped semiconducting nanowires by means of 

first-principles quantum-mechanical simulations 

based on density-functional theory. The ultimate 

goal is to use this understanding to optimise the 

structure and composition of nanowires in order 

to tune their properties. One impurity of particular 

interest is gold, nanoparticles of which are used 

as liquid catalyst in the vapour-liquid-solid 

(VLS) method for growing, for example, silicon 

nanowires. High-resolution TEM images show 

that gold atoms from the catalyst are consumed 

by the nanowires as they grow, with resulting 

consequences for their properties, which we are 

investigating. 

Solid-liquid interfacial free energy from 

metadynamics simulations 

» Researcher: Stefano Angioletti-Uberti 



» Sponsor: Rolls Royce plc 

The solid-liquid interfacial free energy is a key 

parameter in many processes such as nucleation 

and growth during solidification. Despite its 

importance, this parameter is very difficult to 

measure experimentally due to the many factors 

influencing it that must be controlled. For this 

reason, even for single component systems there 

are uncertainties in the measured values of as 

much as 300 per cent. This fact highly complicates 

the development of solidification models, where 

the interfacial solid-liquid free energy and its 

anisotropy must be known with higher accuracy 

to give reliable predictions. Computational 

approaches based on atomistic simulations, 

where a perfect control of the ‘experimental’ 


parameters can be achieved, are certainly a 

valuable way to tackle this problem and in the 

last decade some groups have made progress in 

this direction. However the proposed approaches 

are computationally very expensive, or developed 

specifically with simple potentials in mind, and not 

readily transferable to more accurate, quantum 

mechanical based models. 

To improve the current situation we have been 

developing a new approach to calculating solidliquid 

interfacial free energy by exploiting a recent 

simulation technique called metadynamics. 

With the aid of this technique we are able to 

reconstruct, using an order parameter, the free 

energy landscape of a system transforming from a 

bulk solid to a solid+liquid+interface at the solidliquid 

coexistence temperature, and from this we 

extract the interfacial free energy. To compare our 

technique directly to the ones currently available 

we started by performing simulations using 

a thorougly studied Lennard-Jones potential. 

Our results agree with those of the previous 

techniques, demonstrating both the validity of our 

approach and its greater computational speed, 

mainly due to the possibility of obtaining reliable 

values with system sizes 1 or 2 order of magnitude 

smaller than previously used. Moreover, the 

method could be applied generally to any type of 

potential. We are applying our approach with more 

realistic potentials in order to obtain quantitative 

data for comparison with experiments on simple 

metals. 

Theory and simulation of interfaces 

» Researcher: Wei Li Cheah 



» Sponsors: A*STAR NSS PhD Scholarship, MOE 

Singapore 

Development of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) as 

a source of clean energy is being limited by low 

ionic conductivity at room temperature in bulk 

oxides. Until recently, sufficient conductivity has 

only been achieved at temperatures of about 

1000 K for yttria-stabilised zirconia (YSZ) systems. 

However, recent work in multilayered YSZ systems 

indicates that room-temperature SOFC may 

be viable in the near future. These results of 

extraordinary conductivity are postulated to be 

due to high interfacial mobility of anions. This 

project aims to understand the mechanism of 

ionic conductivity in such multilayer systems at 

the atomic scale, and to investigate theoretically 

whether electronic rather than ionic conductivity 

at the interfaces might also be significant. 

The work requires a study of the point defect 

energetics using standard methods of total energy 

and force calculation based on density functional 

theory, including the use of hybrid functionals. 

Simpler atomistic simulation techniques based 

on tight-binding and empirical potentials are also 

be tried for comparison and to generate plausible 

structures for more accurate analysis. Electronic 

structure are being calculated and compared to 

the results of EELS experiments. 

Theory and simulation of semiconducting 

nanowires from first-principles 

» Researcher: Matthew Shelley 

» Supervisor: Dr Arash A Mostofi 


This project is characterising systematically the 

structure of nanowires for different stoichiometry 

and growth directions; to calculate their electronic 

structure and electronic transport properties; and 

to determine and understand the dependence of 

these properties on nanowire composition, growth 

direction, radius, and the presence of chemical 

species adsorbed on the surface. Nanowires are 

quasi-one-dimensional structures with thickness 

of the order of tens of nanometres or less. 

They are one of the most promising classes of 

building block for nanostructured devices and 

have potential uses in important technologies 

such as efficient solar cells, high figure-of-merit 

thermoelectric devices and fast-response chemical 

sensors. The ultimate goal of the project is to 

develop a detailed understanding of structureproperty 

relationships that can be used to help 

design improved nanowire-based devices. 

First-principles quantum-mechanical computer 

simulation based on density-functional theory 

is a well-proven, accurate and efficient tool for 

determining structural and electronic properties 

and will be our primary computational instrument 

for this purpose. To access larger length-scales, 

novel methods that exploit the locality of 

electronic structure in real-space will also be 

developed and used. 



Atomic scale simulation of fission gas in nuclear 

fuels 

» Researcher: Dr David Parfitt 


» Sponsor: F-Bridge, Fairfuels (FP-7 projects) 

Fission gas release is one of the key limiting 

factors in the operation of current and future 

generations of nuclear fuels. This project aims to 

use atomic scale simulations to understand the 

important mechanisms that control this release. 

We use a combination of electronic structure 

calculations and empirical pair potentials to 

calculate both the energetics of a configuration 

of atoms and how it evolves as a function of time. 

Specifically we are examining the enhancement 

of xenon diffusion rates when interacting with 

micro-structural defects, such as dislocations, 

and the segregation and clustering that occurs as 

a result. We are also examining the fundamental 

diffusion mechanisms in more exotic minor 

actinide fuel types, which may become important 

in future inert matrix or accelerator driven nuclear 

fuels. We have performed the first atomic scale 

simulations of dislocations in uranium dioxide and 

calculated the energetic barriers to dislocation 

glide for several dislocation types. We have also 

shown that dislocations provide energetically 

favourable clustering sites for a variety of fission 

products, for example a single xenon atoms has 

an energy 3.5eV lower when associated with a 

dislocation core than in the bulk. We are in the 

process of linking these atomic scale simulations 

with mesoscale models of fission gas behaviour 

within a single grain. 

Atomistic simulation of uranium dioxide fuel 

» Researcher: Dr Clare L Bishop 


» Sponsor: F-Bridge (FP-7 project) 

Molecular dynamics simulations of displacement 

cascades within the nuclear fuel uranium dioxide 

have been performed. A comparison of the 

available pair potentials has been undertaken, 

for example the inclusion of polarisation effects 

can influence the threshold displacement energy 

significantly. In addition, the methodology for 

analysing the resulting defective region is being 

examined. It is suggested that many simulations 

should be considered in order to account for the 

large statistical variation resulting from different 

starting configurations. At low displacement 

energies, the direction of the primary knock-on 

atom causes variation in the number of resulting 

defects. However, at higher energies (e.g. 10 keV) 

this is masked by the large statistical variation 

and the damage becomes anisotropic with 

respect to direction. Intra-granular fission gas 

bubbles degrade the thermal conductivity of the 

nuclear fuel. Therefore gas nucleation is being 

examined and it is thought that this may occur 

in the wake of fission tracks. Various methods 

such as displacement cascade simulations, 

temperature accelerated dynamics, liquid/crystal 

interface simulations and, in future, fission spike 

simulations are being utilised to examine this 

phenomenon. 

Linear-scaling first-principles simulations of 

materials 

» Investigators: Dr Peter D Haynes, Dr Arash A 

Mostofi and Dr Nicholas Hine 

» Sponsors: The Royal Society, RCUK, EPSRC 

‘First-principles’ simulations aim to explain or 

predict the properties of materials at the atomic 

scale by solving from scratch the equations of 

quantum mechanics that underlie the behaviour 

of all materials. However the computational 

effort required to carry out such simulations 

restricts their scope to the study of a few hundred 

atoms – too few for realistic models of materials. 

Now new ‘linear-scaling’ methods promise to 

revolutionise the scope and scale of quantum 

simulations. These involve the use of local orbitals 

to describe the electronic structure and exploit the 

‘nearsightedness’ of quantum mechanics. 

In collaboration with colleagues at Cambridge 

(Professor Mike Payne FRS) and Southampton 

(Dr Chris-Kriton Skylaris), a new general purpose 

linear-scaling code called ONETEP (Order-N 

Electronic Total Energy Package) has been 

developed. In March 2008 ONETEP was released 

as a standalone commercial product interfaced 

to the Materials Studio graphical user interface 

developed by Accelrys, a global leader in materials 

simulation software. 

A particular feature of ONETEP is that the local 

orbitals for each atom are optimised individually 

for each atom’s chemical environment – in situ 

– guaranteeing accuracy and transferability of 

the method. The use of a specially developed 

basis set of ‘psinc’ functions allows direct 

comparison with traditional plane-wave methods. 

ONETEP is currently being used to study a wide 

variety of systems: from the design of synthetic 

inhibitors for enzymes to understanding the 

interactions responsible for the self-assembly of 

nanostructures. 



Publications 

Adamopoulos G, Bashir A, Thomas S, Gillin WP, 

Georgakopoulos S, Shkunov M, Baklar MA, Stingelin 

N, Maher RC, Cohen LF, Bradley DD, Anthopoulos TD 

Spray-deposited Li-Doped ZnO transistors with electron 

mobility exceeding 50 cm(2)/vs 

Adv Mater,10, 01444, 2010 

Aili D, Mager M, Roche D, Stevens MM 

Hybrid nanoparticle-liposome detection of 

phospholipase activity 

Nano Lett, 10,1021-1024062, 2010 

Aili D, Stevens MM 

Bioresponsive peptide-inorganic hybrid nanomaterials 

Chem Soc Rev, 39, 3358-3370, 2010 

An Y, Skinner SJ, McComb DW 

Template-assisted fabrication of macroporous thin films 

for solid oxide fuel cells 

J Mater Chem, 20, 248-254, 2010 

Andresen H, Gupta S, Stevens MM 

Kinetic investigation of bioresponsive nanoparticle 

assembly as a function of ligand design 

Nanoscale, PMID 2073020, 2010 

Angioletti-Uberti S, Ceriotti M, Lee PD, Finnis MW 

Solid-liquid interface free energy through metadynamics 

simulations 

Phys Rev B, 81, 125416, 2010 

Armelao L, Bottaro G, Bovo L, Maccato C, Pascolini M, 

Sada C, Soini E, Tondello E 

Luminescent properties of Eu-doped lanthanum 

oxyfluoride sol-gel thin films 

J Phys Chem C, 113, 14429-14434, 2009 

Ashley NJ, Parfitt D, Chroneos A, Grimes RW 

Mechanisms of nonstoichiometry in HfN1-x 

J Appl Phys, 8, 106, 083502-083502-4, 2009 

Atienzar P, Ishwara T, Illy BN, Ryan MP, O’Regan BC, 

Durrant JR, Nelson J 

Control of photocurrent generation in polymer/ZnO 

nanorod solar cells by using a solution-processed TiO2 

Overlayer 

J Phys Chem Lett, 1, 708-713, 2010 

Atwood RC, Lee PD, Konerding MA, Rockett P, Mitchell CA 

Quantitation of microcomputed tomography-imaged 

ocular microvasculature 

Microcirculation, 17, 59-68, 2010 

Axelsson AK, Pan YY, Valant M, Alford NM 

Chemistry, processing, and microwave dielectric 

properties of Mn-substituted KTaO3 ceramics 

J Am Ceram Soc, 93, 800-805, 2010 

Axelsson AK, Valant M, Alford NM 

Influence of point defects in KTaO3 on low-temperature 

dielectric relaxation 

J Eur Ceram Soc, 30, 941-946, 2010 

Badinski A, Haynes PD, Trail JR, Needs RJ 

Methods for calculating forces within quantum monte 

carlo simulations 

J Phys Condens Matter, 22, 7, 074202, 2010 

Baklar M, Wobkenberg PH, Sparrowe D, Goncalves M, 

McCulloch I, Heeney M, Anthopoulos T, Stingelin N 

Ink-jet printed P-type polymer electronics based on 

liquid-crystalline polymer semiconductors 

J Mater Chem, 20, 1927-1931, 2010 

Baklar MA, Koch F, Kumar A, Domingo EB, Campoy- 

Quiles M, Feldman K, Yu L, Wobkenberg P, Ball J, Wilson 

RM, McCulloch I, Kreouzis T, Heeney M, Anthopoulos T, 

Smith P, Stingelin N 

Solid-state processing of organic semiconductors 

Adv Mater, 22, 3942-3947, 2010 

Ballantyne AM, Ferenczi TAM, Campoy-Quiles M, 

Clarke TM, Maurano A, Wong KH, Zhang WM, Stingelin- 

Stutzmann N, Kim JS, Bradley DDC, Durrant JR, 

McCulloch I, Heeney M, Nelson J, Tierney S, Duffy W, 

Mueller C, Smith P 

Understanding the influence of morphology on poly(3hexylselenothiophene): 

PCBM solar cells 

Macromolecules, 43, 1169-1174, 2010 

Bantounas I, Dye D, Lindley TC 

The role of microtexture on the faceted fracture 

morphology in Ti-6Al-4V subjected to high-cycle fatigue 

Acta Mater, 58, 3908-3918, 2010 

Barbagallo M, Hine NDM, Cooper JFK, Steinke NJ, 

Ionescu A, Barnes CHW, Kinane CJ, Dalgliesh RM, 

Charlton TR, Langridge S 

Experimental and theoretical analysis of magnetic 

moment enhancement in oxygen-deficient EuO 

Phys Rev B, 81,235216, 2010 

Bekermann D, Gasparotto A, Barreca D, Bovo L, Devi 

A, Fischer RA, Lebedev OI, Maccato C, Tondello E, Van 

Tendeloo G 

Highly oriented ZnO nanorod arrays by a novel plasma 

chemical vapor deposition process 

Cryst Growth Des, 10, 2011-2018, 2010 

Berenov AV, Atkinson A, Kilner JA, Bucher E, Sitte W, 

Oxygen tracer diffusion and surface exchange kinetics in 

La0.6Sr0.4CoO3- δ 

Solid State Ionics, 181, 819-826, 2010 

Berhanu S, Tariq F, Jones T, McComb DW 

Three-dimensionally interconnected organic 

nanocomposite thin films: implications for donoracceptor 

photovoltaic applications 

J Mater Chem, 20, 8005-8009, 2010 

Bertazzo S, Rezwan K 

Control of alpha-alumina surface charge with carboxylic 

acids 

Langmuir, 26, 3364-3371, 2010 


201

Bertazzo S, Zambuzzi WF, Campos DD, Ferreira CV, 

Bertran CA 

A simple method for enhancing cell adhesion to 

hydroxyapatite surface 

Clin Oral Implants Res, 10, 1600-0501, 2010 

Bertazzo S, Zambuzzi WF, Campos DD, Ogeda TL, Ferreira 

CV, Bertran CA 

Hydroxyapatite surface solubility and effect on cell 

adhesion 

Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces, 78, 177-184, 2010 

Bertazzo S, Zambuzzi WF, da Silva HA, Ferreira CV, 

Bertran CA 

Bioactivation of alumina by surface modification: a 

possibility for improving the applicability of alumina in 

bone and oral repair 

Clin Oral Implants Res, 20, 288-293, 2009 

Bhagat R, Dye D, Raghunathan SL, Talling RJ, Inman D, 

Jackson BK, Rao KK, Dashwood RJ 

In situ synchrotron diffraction of the electrochemical 

reduction pathway of TiO2 

Acta Mater, 58, 5057-5062, 2010 

Bhakhri V, Klassen RJ 

Strain-rate dependence of the nanoindentation stress of 

gold at 300k: a deformation kinetics-based approach 

Journal of Materials Research, 24, 1456-1465, 2010 

Bland PA, Jackson MD, Coker RF, Cohen BA, Webber JBW, 

Lee MR, Duffy CM, Chater RJ, Ardakani MG, McPhail DS, 

McComb DW, Benedix GK 

Why aqueous alteration in asteroids was isochemical: 

high porosity not equal high permeability 

Earth Planet Sc Lett, 287, 559-568, 2009 

Breeze J, Krupka J, Centeno A, Alford NM 

Temperature-stable and high Q-factor TiO2 bragg 

reflector resonator 

Appl Phys Lett, 94, 082906, 2009 

Brett DJ, Kucernak AR, Aguiar P, Atkins SC, Brandon NP, 

Clague R, Cohen LF, Hinds G, Kalyvas C, Offer GJ, Ladewig 

B, Maher R, Marquis A, Shearing P, Vasileiadis N, Vesovic V 

What happens inside a fuel cell? Developing an 

experimental functional map of fuel cell performance 

Chem Phys Chem, 11, 2714-2731, 2010 

Brookes JC, Horsfield AP, Stoneham AM 

Odour character differences for enantiomers correlate 

with molecular flexibility 

J R Soc Interface, 6, 75-86, 2009 

Calabria J, Vasconcelos WL, Daniel DJ, Chater R, McPhail 

D, Boccaccini AR 

Synthesis of sol-gel titania bactericide coatings on 

adobe brick 

Constr Build Mater, 24, 384-389, 2010 

Cavallaro A, Burriel M, Roqueta J, Apostolidis A, Bernardi 

A, Tarancon A, Srinivasan R, Cook SN, Fraser HL, Kilner 

JA, McComb DW, Santiso J 

Electronic nature of the enhanced conductivity in YSZ- 

STO multilayers deposited by PLD 


Centeno A, Breeze J, Ahmed B, Reehal H, Alford N 

Scattering of light into silicon by spherical and 

hemispherical silver nanoparticles 

Opt Lett, 35, 76-78, 2010 

Chae JY, Qin RS, Bhadeshia HKDH 

Topology of the deformation of a non-uniform grain 

structure 

ISIJ Int, 49, 115-118, 2009 

Chatzistavrou X, Esteve D, Hatzistavrou E, Kontonasaki 

E, Paraskevopoulos KM, Boccaccini AR 

Sol-gel based fabrication of novel glass-ceramics and 

composites for dental applications 

Mat Sci Eng C-Mater, 30, 730-739, 2010 

Cheong HS, Wild J, Alford N, Valkov I, Randell C, Paley M 

A high temperature superconducting imaging coil for 

low-field MRI 

Concept Magn Reson B, 37B, 56-64, 2010 

Chernatynskiy A, Grimes RW, Zurbuchen MA, Clarke DR, 

Phillpot SR 

Crossover in thermal transport properties of natural, 

perovskite-structured superlattices 

Appl Phys Lett, 95, 161906, 2009 

Chroneos A, Jiang C, Grimes RW, Schwingenschlogl U 

Special quasirandom structures for binary/ternary group 

IV random alloys 

Chem Phys Lett, 493, 97-102, 2010 

Chroneos A, Kube R, Bracht H, Grimes RW, 

Schwingenschlogl U 

Vacancy-indium clusters in implanted germanium 

Chem Phys Lett, 490, 38-40, 2010 

Chroneos A, Parfitt D, Kilner JA, Grimes RW 

Anisotropic oxygen diffusion in tetragonal La2NiO4+δ: 

molecular dynamics calculations 

J Mater Chem, 20, 266-270, 2010 

Chua AL, Benedek NA, Chen L, Finnis MW, Sutton AP 

A genetic algorithm for predicting the structures of 

interfaces in multicomponent systems 

Nat Mater, 9, 418-422, 2010 

Clarke E, Howe P, Taylor M, Spencer P, Harbord E, Murray 

R, Kadkhodazadeh S, McComb DW, Stevens BJ, Hogg RA 

Persistent template effect in InAs/GaAs quantum dot 

bilayers 

J Appl Phys, 107, 11, 113502, 2010 

Coakley J, Basoalto H, Dye D 

Coarsening of a multimodal nickel-base superalloy 

Acta Mater, 58, 4019-4028, 2010 

Cook JP, Riley DJ 

The effect of perchlorate ions on a pyridine-based 

microgel 

Adv Colloid Interfac, 147-48, 67-73, 2009 

Cwik J, Palewski T, Nenkov K, Lyubina J, Warchulska J, 

Klamut J, Gutfleisch O 

Magnetic properties and specific heat of Dy1−xLaxNi2 

Compounds 

J Magn Magn Mater, 321, 2821-2826, 2009 

Dong YX, Yong T, Liao S, Chan CK, Stevens MM, 

Ramakrishna S 

Distinctive degradation behaviors of electrospun 

polyglycolide, poly(DL-lactide-co-glycolide, and poly(Llactide-co-epsilon-caprolactone) 

nanofibers cultured 

with/without porcine smooth muscle cells 

Tissue Eng Pt A, 16, 283-298, 2010 

Dudeck KJ, Benedek NA, Finnis MW, Cockayne DJH 

Atomic-scale characterisation of the SrTiO3 Σ3(112)[1¯10] 

grain boundary 

Phys Rev B, 81, 134109, 2010 

Dunlop IE, Briscoe WH, Titmuss S, Jacobs RM, Osborne 

VL, Edmondson S, Huck WT, Klein J 

Direct measurement of normal and shear forces between 

surface-grown polyelectrolyte layers 

J Phys Chem B, 113, 3947-3956, 2009 

Dunlop IE, Zorn S, Richter G, Srot V, Kelsch M, van Aken 

PA, Skoda M, Gerlach A, Spatz JP, Schreiber F 

Titanium-silicon oxide film structures for polarisationmodulated 

infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy 

Thin Solid Films, 517, 2048-2054, 2009 

Eustace DA, McComb DW, Craven AJ 

Probing magnetic order in EELS of chromite spinels 

using both multiple scattering (FEFF8.2) and DFT 

(WIEN2k) 

Micron, 41, 547-553, 2010 

Evans ND, Gentleman E, Chen X, Roberts CJ, Polak JM, 

Stevens MM 

Extracellular matrix-mediated osteogenic differentiation 

of murine embryonic stem cells 

Biomaterials, 31, 3244-3252, 2010 

Fajardo S, Bastidas DM, Ryan MP, Criado M, McPhail DS, 

Bastidas JM 

Low-nickel stainless steel passive film in simulated 

concrete pore solution: a SIMS Study 

Appl Surf Sci, 256, 6139-6143, 2010 

Francis L, Meng D, Knowles JC, Roy I, Boccaccini AR 

Multifunctional P(3HB) microsphere/45S5 Bioglass®based 

composite scaffolds for bone tissue engineering 

Acta Biomater, 6, 2773-2786, 2010 

Fuloria D, Lee PD 

An X-ray microtomographic and finite element modeling 

approach for the prediction of semi-solid deformation 

behaviour in Al-Cu alloys 

Acta Mater, 57, 5554-5562, 2009 

Garcia DA, Dye D, Jackson M, Grimes R, Dashwood RJ 

Development of microstructure and properties during 

the multiple extrusion and consolidation of Al-4Mg-1Zr 

Mat Sci Eng A-Sruct, 527, 3358-3364, 2010 

Gardener JA, Liaw I, Aeppli G, Boyd IW, Chater RJ, Jones 

TS, McPhail DS, Sankar G, Stoneham AM, Sikora M, 

Thornton G, Heutz S 

A novel route for the inclusion of metal dopants in silicon 

Nanotechnology, 21, 2, 2010 

Gentleman E, Fredholm YC, Jell G, Lotfibakhshaiesh N, 

O’Donnell MD, Hill RG, Stevens MM 

The effects of strontium-substituted bioactive glasses on 

osteoblasts and osteoclasts in vitro 

Biomaterials, 31, 3949-3956, 2010 

Ghadiali JE, Cohen BE, Stevens MM 

Protein kinase-actuated resonance energy transfer in 

quantum dot-peptide conjugates 

ACS Nano, 4, 4915-4919, 2010 

Giovanardi R, Montorsi M, Ori G, Cho J, Subhani T, 

Boccaccini AR, Siligardi C 

Microstructural characterisation and electrical properties 

of multiwalled carbon nanotubes/glass-ceramic 

nanocomposites 

J Mater Chem, 20, 308-313, 2010 

Goldoni S, Humphries A, Nystram A, Sattar S, Owens RT, 

McQuillan DJ, Ireton K, Iozzo RV 

Decorin is a novel antagonistic ligand of the met 

receptor 

J Cell Biol, 185, 743-754, 2009 

Gourlay CM, Nogita K, Read J, Dahle AK 

Intermetallic formation and fluidity in Sn-rich Sn-Cu-Ni 

alloys 

J Electron Mater, 39, 56-69, 2010 

Grimes RW, Nuttall WJ 

Generating the option of a two-stage nuclear 

renaissance 

Science, 329, 799-803, 2010 

Gupta S, Andresen H, Ghadiali JE, Stevens MM 

Kinase-actuated immunoaggregation of peptideconjugated 

gold nanoparticles 

Small, 6, 1509-1513, 2010 

Han XJ, Bergqvist L, Dederichs PH, Muller-Krumbhaar H, 

Christie JK, Scandolo S, Tangney P 

Polarizable interatomic force field for TiO2 parametrized 

using density functional theory 

Phys Rev B, 81, 134108, 2010 

Hatzistavrou E, Chatzistavrou X, Papadopoulou 

L, Kantiranis N, Kontonasaki E, Boccaccini AR, 

Paraskevopoulos KM 

Characterisation of the bioactive behaviour of sol-gel 

hydroxyapatite-CaO and hydroxyapatite-CaO-bioactive 

glass composites 

Mat Sci Eng C-Mater, 30, 497-502, 2010 


Hine ND, Haynes PD, Mostofi AA, Payne MC 

Linear-scaling density-functional simulations of charged 

point defects in Al2O3 using hierarchical sparse matrix 

algebra 

J Chem Phys, 133, 114111, 12, 2010 

Horsfield A 

Global density of states: an nth moment potential 

Philos Mag, 89, 3287-3297, 2009 

Horsfield AP, Tong LH, Soh YA, Warburton PA 

How to use a nanowire to measure vibrational 

frequencies: device simulator results 

J Appl Phys, 108, 014511, 2010 

Huang ZH, Conway PP, Qin RS 

Modelling of interfacial intermetallic compounds in the 

application of very fine lead-free solder interconnections 

Microsyst Technol, 15, 101-107, 2009 

Illy BN, Ingham B, Ryan MP 

Effect of supersaturation on the growth of zinc oxide 

nanostructured films by electrochemical deposition 

Cryst Growth Des, 10, 1189-1193, 2010 

Ingham B, Brady CDA, Burstein GT, Gaston N, Ryan MP 

EXAFS analysis of electrocatalytic WC materials 

J Phys Chen C, 113, 17407-17410, 2009 

Ingham B, Hendy SC, Fong DD, Fuoss PH, Eastman JA, 

Lassesson A, Tee KC, Convers PY, Brown SA, Ryan MP, 

Toney MF 

Synchrotron X-ray diffraction measurements of strain in 

metallic nanoparticles with oxide shells 

J Phys D Appl Phys, 43, 7, 2010 

Ionova-Martin SS, Do SH, Barth HD, Szadkowska M, 

Porter AE, Ager JW, Ager JW, Alliston T, Vaisse C, Ritchie RO 

Reduced size-independent mechanical properties of 

cortical bone in high-fat diet-induced obesity 

Bone, 46, 217-225, 2010 

Jackson BK, Dye D, Inman D, Bhagat R, Talling RJ, 

Raghunathan SL, Jackson M, Dashwood RJ 

Characterisation of the FFC Cambridge Process for NiTi 

production using in situ X-ray synchrotron diffraction 

J Electrochem Soc, 157, E57-E63, 2010 

Jackson BK, Inman D, Jackson M, Dye D, Dashwood RJ 

NiTi production via the FFC Cambridge Process: 

refinement of process parameters 

J Electrochem Soc, 157, E36-E43, 2010 

Jantou-Morris V, Horton MA, McComb DW 

The nano-morphological relationships between apatite 

crystals and collagen fibrils in ivory dentine 

Biomaterials, 31, 5275-5286, 2010 

Jayaseelan DD, Ueno S, Ohji T, Kanzaki S 

High strain-to-failure porous alumina ceramics with 

improved mechanical properties 

J Ceramic Processing Research, 5, 48-52, 2010 

Jones NG, Dashwood RJ, Dye D, Jackson M 

The flow behaviour and microstructural evolution of Ti- 

5Al-5Mo-5V-3Cr during subtransus isothermal forging 

Metal Mater Trans A, 40A, 1944-1954, 2009 

Jones NG, Ward-Close CM, Brown PM, Dye D 

An evaluation of the tensile properties of a 

supersaturated carbon layer via in situ synchrotron 

diffraction 

Scripta Mater, 63, 85-88, 2010 

Kenny SD, Horsfield AP 

PLATO: a localised orbital based density functional 

theory code 

Comput Phys Commun, 180, 2616-2621, 2009 

Kermode JR, Cereda S, Tangney P, De Vita A 

A first principles based polarizable O(N) interatomic 

force field for bulk silica 

J Chem Phys, 133, 94102-094102-9, 2010 

Kim DW, Qin RS, Bhadeshia HKDH 

Transformation texture of allotriomorphic ferrite in steel 

Mater Sci Tech-Lond, 25, 892-895, 2009 

Kim DW, Suh DW, Qin RS, Bhadeshia HKDH 

Dual orientation and variant selection during diffusional 

transformation of austenite to allotriomorphic ferrite 

Journal of Materials Science, 45, 4126-4132, 2010 

Kim YK, Qin RS 

Effect of two-liquid casting on the microstructure of 

Sn-Pb alloys 

Materials Science Forum, 649, 415-418, 2010 

Konig K, Novak S, Boccaccini AR, Kobe S 

The effect of the particle size and the morphology of 

alumina powders on the processing of green bodies by 

electrophoretic deposition 

J Mater Process Tech, 210, 96-103, 201 

Kozyrev A, Gaidukov M, Gagarin A, Altynnikov A, 

Osadchy V, Tumarkin A, Petrov PK, Alford NM 

Evaluation of the space charge trap energy levels in the 

ferroelectric films 

J Appl Phys, 106, 1, 014108- 14108-4, 2009 

Kreger K, Wolfer P, Audorff H, Kador L, Stingelin- 

Stutzmann N, Smith P, Schmidt HW 

Stable holographic gratings with small-molecular 

trisazobenzene derivatives 

J Am Chem Soc, 132, 509-516, 2010 

Kumar A, Baklar MA, Scott K, Kreouzis T, Stingelin- 

Stutzmann N 

Efficient, stable bulk charge transport in crystalline/ 

crystalline semiconductor-insulator blends 

Adv Mater, 21, 4447-4451, 2009 

Kumar P, Lyubina J, Gutfleisch O 

Magnetic and magnetocaloric effect in melt spun 

La1−xRxFe13−yAlyCz (R = Pr and Nd) compounds 


Laguna-Bercero MA, Campana R, Larrea A, Kilner JA, 

Orera VM 

Steam electrolysis using a microtubular solid oxide fuel 

cell 

J Electrochem Soc, 157, B852-B855, 2010 

Laguna-Bercero MA, Kilner JA, Skinner SJ 

Performance and characterisation of (La, Sr)MnO3/YSZ 

and La0.6Sr0.4Co0.2Fe0.8O3 and electrodes for solid oxide 

electrolysis cells 

Chem Mater, 22, 1134-1141, 2010 

Laromaine A, Akbulut O, Stellacci F, Stevens MM 

Supramolecular seplication of peptide and DNA 

patterned arrays 

J Mater Chem, 20, 68-70, 2010 

Lee WE 

Future challenges and opportunities in refractories 

Minerals and Materials Review, 38-39, 2010 

Lee WE, Sa R 

Challenges and opportunities for the refractories 

industry – an academic perspective 

IREFCON10, 7-17, 2010 

Li X, Finnis MW, He J, Behera RK, Phillpot SR, Sinnott SB, 

Dickey EC 

Energetics of charged point defects in rutile TiO2 by 

density functional theory 

Acta Mater, 57, 5882-5891, 2009 

Lin S, Ionescu C, Baker S, Smith ME, Jones JR 

Characterisation of the inhomogeneity of sol-gelderived 

SiO2-CaO bioactive glass and a strategy for its 

improvement 

J Sol-Gel Sci Techn, 53, 255-262, 2010 

Lin S, Ionescu C, Valliant EM, Hanna JV, Smith ME, Jones JR 

Tailoring the nanoporosity of sol-gel derived bioactive 

glass using trimethylethoxysilane 

J Mater Chem, 20, 1489-1496, 2010 

Liu J, Chater RJ, Hagenhoff B, Morris RJH, Skinner SJ 

Surface enhancement of oxygen exchange and diffusion 

in the ionic conductor La2Mo2O9 


Lovat F, Bitto A, Xu SQ, Fassan M, Goldoni S, Metalli D, 

Wubah V, McCue P, Serrero G, Gomella LG, Baffa R, Iozzo 

RV, Morrione A 

Proepithelin is an autocrine growth factor for bladder 

cancer 

Carcinogenesis, 30, 861-868, 2009 

Lyubina J, Gutfleisch O, Kuz’min MD, Richter M 

La(Fe,Si)13-based magnetic refrigerants obtained by 

novel processing routes (vol 320, pg 2252, 2008) 


Lyubina J, Muller KH, Wolf M, Hannemann U 

A two-particle exchange interaction model 


Lyubina J, Schäfer, R, Martin N, Schultz L, Gutfleisch O 

Novel design of La(Fe,Si)13 alloys towards high magnetic 

refrigeration performance 

Adv Mater, 22, 3735-3739, 2010 

Maher RC, Maier SA, Cohen LF, Koh L, Laromaine A, Dick 

JAG, Stevens MM 

Exploiting SERS hot spots for disease-specific enzyme 

detection 

J Phys Chem C, 114, 7231-7235, 2010 

Mandal K, Pal D, Scheerbaum N, Lyubina J, Gutfleisch O 

Effect of pressure on the magnetocaloric properties of 

nickel-rich Ni-Mn-Ga heusler alloys 

J Appl Phys, 105, 7, 073509-073509-6, 2009 

Marsh DH, Riley DJ, York D, Graydon A 

Sorption of inorganic nanoparticles in woven cellulose 

fabrics 

Particuology, 7, 121-128, 2009 

Minelli C, Lowe SB, Stevens MM 

Engineering nanocomposite materials for cancer therapy 

Small, 6, 21, 2336-2357-, 2010 

Misra SK, Ansari T, Mohn D, Valappil SP, Brunner TJ, Stark 

WJ, Roy I, Knowles JC, Sibbons PD, Jones EV, Boccaccini 

AR, Salih V 

Effect of nanoparticulate bioactive glass particles 

on bioactivity and cytocompatibility of poly(3hydroxybutyrate) 

composites 

J R Soc Interface, 7, 453-465, 2010 

Misra SK, Ansari TI, Valappil SP, Mohn D, Philip SE, Stark 

WJ, Roy I, Knowles JC, Salih V, Boccaccini AR 

Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) multifunctional composite 

scaffolds for tissue engineering applications 

Biomaterials, 31, 2806-2815, 2010 

Misra SK, Ohashi F, Valappil SP, Knowles JC, Roy I, Silva 

SR, Salih V, Boccaccini AR 

Characterisation of carbon nanotube (MWCNT) 

containing P(3HB)/bioactive glass composites for tissue 

engineering applications 

Acta Biomater, 6, 735-742, 2010 

Monami G, Emiliozzi V, Bitto A, Lovat F, Xu SQ, Goldoni 

S, Fassan M, Serrero G, Gomella LG, Baffa R, Iozzo RV, 

Morrione A 

Proepithelin regulates prostate cancer cell biology 

by promoting cell growth, migration, and anchorageindependent 

growth 

Am J Pathol, 174, 1037-1047, 2009 

Moore JD, Cohen LF, Yeshurun Y, Caplin AD, Morrison 

K, Yates KA, McGilvery CM, Perkins JM, McComb DW, 

Trautmann C, Ren ZA, Yang J, Lu W, Dong XL, Zhao ZX 

The effect of columnar defects on the pinning properties 

of NdFeAsO0.85 conglomerate particles 

Supercond Sci Tech, 22,12, 2 


Morrison K, Lyubina J, Moore JD, Caplin AD, Sandeman 

KG, Gutfleisch O, Cohen LF 

Contributions to the entropy change in melt-spun 

LaFe11.6Si1.4 


Mottura A, Warnken N, Miller MK, Finnis MW, Reed RC 

Atom probe tomography analysis of the distribution of 

rhenium in nickel alloys 

Acta Mater, 58, 931-942, 2010 

Murakawa H, Beres M, Davies CM, Rashed S, Vega A, 

Tsunori M, Nikbin KM, Dye D 

Effect of low transformation temperature weld filler 

metal on welding residual stress 

Sci Technol Weld Joi, 15, 393-399, 2010 

Murphy ST, Chroneos A, Jiang C, Schwingenschlogl U, 

Grimes RW 

Deviations from vegard’s law in ternary III-V alloys 

Phys Rev B, 82, 7, 2010 

Murphy ST, Gilbert CA, Smith R, Mitchell TE, Grimes RW 

Non-stoichiometry in MgAl2O4 spinel 

Philos Mag, 90, 1297-1305, 2010 

Murphy ST, Lu H, Grimes RW 

General relationships for isovalent cation substitution 

into oxides with the rocksalt structure 

J Phys Chem Solids, 71, 735-738, 2010 

Obbard EG, Hao YL, Akahori T, Talling RJ, Niinomi M 

Dye D, Yang R 

Mechanics of superelasticity in Ti-30Nb-(8-10)Ta-5Zr 

alloy 

Acta Mater, 58, 3557-3567, 2010 

Offer G, Howey D, Contestabile M, Clague R, Brandon N 

Comparative analysis of battery electric, hydrogen fuel 

cell and hybrid vehicles in a future sustainable road 

transport system 

Energy Policy, 38, 24-29, 2010 

O’Regan DD, Hine NDM, Payne MC, Mostofi AA 

Projector self-consistent DFT+U using nonorthogonal 

generalised wannier functions 

Phys Rev B, 82, 1098-0121, 2010 

Otarawanna S, Gourlay CM, Laukli HI, Dahle AK 

Agglomeration and bending of equiaxed crystals during 

solidification of hypoeutectic Al and Mg alloys 

Acta Mater, 58, 261-271, 2010 

Otarawanna S, Gourlay CM, Laukli HI, Dahle AK 

The thickness of defect bands in high-pressure die 

castings 

Mater Charact, 60, 1432-1441, 2009 

Otarawanna S, Laukli HI, Gourlay CM, Dahle AK 

Feeding mechanisms in high-pressure die castings 

Metall Mater Trans A, 41A, 1836-1846, 2010 

Otte AF, Ternes M, Loth S, Lutz CP, Hirjibehedin CF, 

Heinrich AJ 

Spin excitations of a kondo-screened atom coupled to a 

second magnetic atom 

Phys Rev Lett, 10, 103, 107203, 2009 

Packer RJ, Skinner SJ 

Remarkable oxide ion conductivity observed at low 

temperatures in a complex superstructured oxide 

Adv Mater, 14, 22, 1613-1616, 2010 

Parfitt DC, Chroneos A, Kilner JA, Grimes RW 

Molecular dynamics study of oxygen diffusion in Pr(2) 

NiO(4+δ) 

Phys Chem Chem Phys, 12, 6834-6836, 2010 

Parfitt DC, Bishop CL, Wenman MR, Grimes RW 

Strain fields and line energies of dislocations in uranium 

dioxide 

J Phys-Condens Mat, 22, 17, 2010 

Perkins JM, Fearn S, Cook SN, Srinivasan R, Rouleau CM, 

Christen HM, West GD, Morris RJH, Fraser HL, Skinner SJ, 

Kilner JA, McComb DW 

Anomalous oxidation states in multilayers for fuel cell 

applications 

Adv Funct Mater, 20, 2664-2674, 2010 

Petrov PK, Alford NM, Kozyrev A, Gaidukov M, Altynnikov 

A, Vasilevskiy A, Konoplev G, Tumarkin A, Gagarin A 

Effect of ultraviolet radiation on slow-relaxation 

processes in ferroelectric capacitance structures 

J Appl Phys, 107, 8, 2010 

Pullar RC, Penn SJ, Wang X, Reaney IM, Alford NM 

Dielectric loss caused by oxygen vacancies in titania 

ceramics 

J Eur Ceram Soc, 29, 419-424, 2009 

Qin RS, Bhadeshia HKDH 

Phase field method 

Materials Science and Technology, 26, 803-811, 2010 


Phase-field model study of the crystal morphological 

evolution of HCP metals 

Acta Mater, 57, 3382-3390, 2009 


Phase-field model study of the effect of interface 

anisotropy on the crystal morphological evolution of 

cubic metals 

Acta Mater, 57, 2210-2216, 2009 

Quintero F, Pou J, Comesana R, Lusquinos F, Riveiro A, 

Mann AB, Hill RG, Wu ZY, Jones JR 

Laser spinning of bioactive glass nanofibers 


Raghunathan SL, Talling RJ, Dye D 

Micromechanics, microstrains and modelling of alpha, 

alpha-beta, and metastable beta Ti alloys 

J Strain Anal Eng, 45, 337-349, 2010 

Raj A, Rudkin RA, Atkinson A 

Cogeneration of HCN in a solid oxide fuel cell 


Ramirez-Lopez PE, Lee PD, Mills KC 

Explicit modelling of slag infiltration and shell formation 

during mould oscillation in continuous casting 

ISIJ INT, 50, 425-434, 2010 

Rawal R, McQueen AJ, Gillie LJ, Hyatt NC, McCabe EE, 

Samara K, Alford NM, Feteira A, Reaney IM, Sinclair DC 

Influence of octahedral tilting on the microwave 

dielectric properties of A3LaNb3O12 hexagonal 

perovskites (A=Ba, Sr) 

Appl Phys Lett, 94, 19, 2009 

Rieu M, Sayers R, Laguna-Bercero MA, Skinner SJ, 

Lenormand P, Ansart F 

Investigation of graded La 2 NiO4 + δ cathodes to improve 

SOFC electrochemical performance 


Robinson M, Haynes PD 

Dynamical effects in ab initio NMR Calculations: classical 

force fields fitted to quantum forces 

J Chem Phys, 133, 84109, 2010 

Roether JA, Daniel DJ, Rani DA, Deegan DE, Cheeseman 

CR, Boccaccini AR 

Properties of sintered glass-ceramics prepared from 

plasma vitrified air pollution control residues 

J Hazard Mater, 173, 563-569, 2010 

Russo M, Rigby SEJ, Caseri W, Stingelin N 

Pronounced photochromism of titanium oxide hydrates 

(hydrous TiO2) 

J Mater Chem, 20, 1348-1356, 2010 

Samuel EI, Bhowmik A, Qin RS 

Accelerated spheroidization induced by high intensity 

electric pulse in a severely deformed eutectoid steel 

Journal of Materials Research, 25, 1020-1024, 2010 

Sato K, Suzuki K, Yashiro K, Kawada T, Yugami H, 

Hashida T, Atkinson A, Mizusaki J 

Effect of Y2O3 addition on the conductivity and elastic 

modulus of (CeO2)1 − x(YO1.5)x 


Sayers R, De Souza RA, Kilner JA, Skinner SJ 

Low temperature diffusion and oxygen stoichiometry in 

lanthanum nickelate 


Schausten MC, Meng DC, Telle R, Boccaccini AR 

Electrophoretic deposition of carbon nanotubes and 

bioactive glass particles for bioactive composite 

coatings 

Ceram Int, 36, 307-312, 2010 

Schmidgall E, Walters RA, Centeno A, Petrov PK, Alford NM 

Temperature stable BaxSr1−xTiO3 thin film structures for 

microwave devices 

Electron Lett, 46, 277-U27, 2010 

Schwingenschlogl U, Chroneos A, Schuster C, Grimes RW 

Extrinsic doping in silicon revisited 


Schwingenschlogl U, Di Paola C, Nogita K, Gourlay CM 

The influence of Ni additions on the relative stability of 

eta and eta(‘) Cu6Sn5 


Shearing PR, Golbert J, Chater RJ, Brandon NP 

3D reconstruction of SOFC anodes using a focused ion 

beam lift-out technique 

Chem Eng Sci, 64, 3928-3933, 2009 

Shimada T, Ichikawa K, Minemura T, Yamauchi H, Utsumi 

W, Ishii Y, Breeze J, Alford NM 

Intrinsic microwave dielectric loss of lanthanum 

aluminate 

IEEE Trans Ultrason Ferroelectr Freq Control, 57, 2243- 

2249, 2010 

Shukla S, Nair R, Rolle MW, Braun KR, Chan CK, Johnson 

PY, Wight TN, McDevitt TC 

Synthesis and organisation of hyaluronan and versican 

by embryonic stem cells undergoing embryoid body 

differentiation 

J Histochem Cytochem, 58, 345-358 

Singh R, Lee PD, Dashwood RJ, Lindley TC 

Titanium foams for biomedical applications: a review 

Mater Technol, 25, 127-136, 2010 

Singh R, Lee PD, Jones JR, Poologasundarampillai G, Post 

T, Lindley TC, Dashwood RJ 

Hierarchically structured titanium foams for tissue 

scaffold applications 

Acta Biomater, 12, 4596-604, 2010 

Singh R, Lee PD, Lindley TC, Dashwood RJ, Ferrie E, 

Imwinkelried T 

Characterisation of the structure and permeability of 

titanium foams for spinal fusion devices 

Acta Biomater, 5, 477-487, 2009 

Singh R, Lee PD, Lindley TC, Kohlhauser C, Hellmich C, 

Bram M, Imwinkelried T, Dashwood RJ 

Characterisation of the deformation behavior of 

intermediate porosity interconnected ti foams using 

micro-computed tomography and direct finite element 

modelling 

Acta Biomater, 6, 2342-2351, 2010 

Smith J, Hamilton R, McCulloch I, Stingelin-Stutzmann N, 

Heeney M, Bradley DDC, Anthopoulos TD 

Solution-processed organic transistors based on 

semiconducting blends 

J Mater Chem, 20, 2562-2574, 2010 

Song JY, Stingelin N, Drew AJ, Kreouzis T, Gillin WP 

Effect of excited states and applied magnetic fields on 

the measured hole mobility in an organic semiconductor 

Phys Rev B, 82, 085205, 2010 


Sparrowe D, Baklar M, Stingelin N 

Low-temperature printing of crystalline: crystalline 

polymer blend transistors 

Org Electron, 11, 1296-1300, 2010 

Stanek CR, Jiang C, Uberuaga BP, Sickafus KE, Cleave AR, 

Grimes RW 

Predicted Structure and Stability of A4B3O12 δ-Phase 

Compositions 

Phys Rev B, 80,174101, 2009 

Steele B, Burns AD, Chernatynskiy A, Grimes RW, 

Phillpot SR 

Anisotropic thermal properties in orthorhombic 

perovskites 

J Mater Sci, 45, 168-176, 2010 

Stingelin N 

Organic electronics electrical contacts 

Nat Mater, 8, 858-860, 2009 

Sun B, Rudkin RA, Atkinson A 

Effect of thermal cycling on residual stress and curvature 

of anode-supported SOFCs 

Fuel Cells, 9, 805-813, 2009 

Swain RJ, Kemp SJ, Goldstraw P, Tetley TD, Stevens MM 

Assessment of cell line models of primary human cells by 

raman spectral phenotyping 

Biophys J, 98, 1703-1711, 2010 

Tang M, Dong YX, Stevens MM, Williams CK 

Tailoring polylactide degradation: copolymerization of a 

carbohydrate lactone and S,S-lactide 

Macromolecules, 43, 7556-7564, 2010 

Tangney P, Scandolo S 

Melting slope of MgO from Molecular Dynamics and 

Density Functional Theory 

J Chem Phys, 131, 124510, 2009 

Tarancon A, Burriel M, Santiso J, Skinner SJ, Kilner JA 

Advances in layered oxide cathodes for intermediate 

temperature solid oxide fuel cells 

J Mater Chem, 20, 3799-3813, 2010 

Valant M, Axelsson AK, Aguesse F, Alford NM 

Molecular auxetic behavior of epitaxial co-ferrite spinel 

thin film 


Valant M, Dunne LJ, Axelsson AK, Alford NM, Manos G, 

Perantie J, Hagberg J, Jantunen H, Dabkowski A 

Electrocaloric effect in a ferroelectric 0.92Pb(Zn1/3Nb2/3) 

O3-0.08PbTiO3 single crystal 

Phys Rev B, 81, 21, 2010 

Valant M, Kolodiazhnyi T, Axelsson AK, Babu GS, Alford 

NM 

Spin ordering in Mn-doped KTaO3? 

Chem Mater, 22, 1952-1954, 2010 

Vecchione A, Fassan M, Anesti V, Morrione A, Goldoni 

S, Baldassarre G, Byrne D, D’Arca D, Palazzo JP, Lloyd J, 

Scorrano L, Gomella LG, Iozzo RV, Baffa R 

MITOSTATIN, A putative tumor suppressor on 

chromosome 12q24.1, is downregulated in human 

bladder and breast cancer 

Oncogene, 28, 257-269, 2009 

Vorontsov VA, Shen C, Wang Y, Dye D, Rae CMF 

Shearing of gamma ‘ precipitates by a < 1 1 2 > 

dislocation ribbons in ni-base superalloys: a phase field 

approach 

Acta Mater, 58, 4110-4119, 2010 

Wang H, Mauthoor S, Din S, Gardener JA, Chang R, 

Warner M, Aeppli G, McComb DW, Ryan MP, Wu W, Fisher 

AJ, Stoneham M, Heutz S 

Ultralong copper phthalocyanine nanowires with new 

crystal structure and broad optical absorption 

ACS Nano, 4, 3921-3926, 2010 

Wang X, Atkinson A, Chirivi L, Nicholls JR 

Evolution of stress and morphology in thermal barrier 

coatings 

Surf Coat Tech, 204, 3851-3857, 2010 

Wang X, Wu RT, Atkinson A 

Characterisation of residual stress and interface 

degradation in TBCs by photo-luminescence piezospectroscopy 

Surf Coat Tech, 204, 2472-2482, 2010 

Weaver JVM, Adams DJ 

Synthesis and application of pH-responsive branched 

copolymer nanoparticles (PRBNs): a comparison with 

pH-responsive shell cross-linked micelles 

Soft Matter, 6, 2575-2582, 2010 

Weaver JVM, Rannard SP, Cooper AI 

Polymer-mediated hierarchical and reversible emulsion 

droplet assembly 

Angew Chem Int Edit, 48, 2131-2134, 2009 

Wenman MR, Chard-Tuckey PR 

Modelling and experimental characterisation of the 

luders strain in complex loaded ferritic steel compact 

tension specimens 

Int J Plasticity, 26, 1013-1028, 2010 

Wenman MR, Price AJ, Steuwer A, Chard-Tuckey PR, 

Crocombe A 

Modelling and experimental characterisation of a 

residual stress field in a ferritic compact tension 

specimen 

Int J Pres Ves Pip, 86, 830-837, 2009 

Woodward RT, Chen L, Adams DJ, Weaver JVM 

Fabrication of large volume, macroscopically defined and 

responsive engineered emulsions using a homogeneous 

pH-trigger 

J Mater Chem, 20, 5228-5234, 2010 

Woodward RT, Slater RA, Higgins S, Rannard SP, Cooper 

AI, Royles BJL, Findlay PH, Weaver JVM 

Controlling responsive emulsion properties via polymer 

design 

Chem Commun, 24, 3554-3556, 2009 

Yuan L, Lee PD 

Dendritic solidification under natural and forced 

convection in binary alloys: 2D versus 3D simulation 

Model Simul Mater Sc, 18, 5, 2010 

Yue S, Lee PD, Poologasundarampillai G, Yao Z, Rockett 

P, Devlin AH, Mitchell CA, Konerding MA, Jones JR 

Synchrotron X-ray microtomography for assessment of 

bone tissue sscaffolds 

J Mater Sci Mater Med, 21, 847-853, 2010 

Yunos DM, Ahmad Z, Boccaccini AR 

Fabrication and characterisation of electrospun poly- 

DL-lactide (PDLLA) fibrous coatings on 45S5 Bioglass® 

substrates for bone tissue engineering applications 

J Chem Technol Biot, 85, 768-774, 2010 

Zhang G, Chen S, Goldoni S, Calder BW, Simpson HC, 

Owens RT, McQuillan DJ, Young MF, Iozzo RV, Birk DE 

Genetic evidence for the coordinated regulation of 

collagen fibrillogenesis in the cornea by decorin and 

biglycan 

J Biol Chem, 284, 8888-8897, 2009 

Zhu R, McLachlan M, Reyntjens S, Tariq F, Ryan MP, 

McComb DW 

Controlling the electrodeposition of mesoporous metals 

for nanoplasmonics 

Nanoscale, 1, 355-359, 2009 

Zoeller JJ, Pimtong W, Corby H, Goldoni S, Iozzo AE, 

Owens RT, Ho SY, Iozzo RV 

A central role for decorin during vertebrate convergent 

extension 

J Biol Chem, 284, 11728-11737, 2009 


Grants and contracts awarded 

A number of key grants/contracts were awarded during the 2009-10 session, 

involving Materials staff members.They are listed below: 

Materials investigators Awarding body Project title and start date Value 

Professor Neil McN Alford (PI) EPSRC Ferroelectrics for nanoelectronics (FERN) (linked 

with Newcastle University) 


Professor Neil McN Alford (PI) QinetiQ Limited Metamaterials work for Imperial College London 

under MAST theme 1 


Professor Neil McN Alford (PI) EPSRC Nano-scale SQUID magnetometry of oxide 

heterointerfaces (linked with UCL) 

7 April 2010 

Professor Neil McN Alford (PI) EPSRC Nanostructured functional materials for energy 

efficient refrigeration, energy harvesting and 

production of hydrogen from water 



(PI) 


The Leverhulme 

Trust 

Large area electronics with solution processed 

chemically derived graphene 

1 May 2010 

Dr David Dye (PI) EPSRC Reducing emissions by exploiting stress-induced 

martensitic transformations – EPSRC leadership 

fellowship 2009 

1 April 2010 

Dr Christopher M Gourlay (PI) EPSRC Video microscopy of granular deformation and 

strain localisation in partially-solid alloys 

1 April 2010 

Professor Robin W Grimes (PI) Institut de 

Radioprotection 

et de Surete 

Nucleaire 

Professor Norbert Klein (CI) The Leverhulme 

Trust 

Professor Peter D Lee (PI) Corus UK Limited Corus Chair 


Professor Peter D Lee (PI) Royal Academy Of 

Engineering 


(PI) 


(CI) and Dr Andrew P 

Horsfield (CI) 


(CI) 


(PI) 

Fission product accommodation and 

microstructure evolution in irradiated nuclear fuel 


The embedding of emerging disciplines 4 

1 April 2010 

Corus Chair 


AWE Plc Fundamental studies of SERS ¿ high resolution 

analysis of SERS active metallic nanoparticles 



Trust 


Trust 


1 April 2010 


1 April 2010 

EPSRC Modelling and quantitative interpretation of 

electron energy-loss spectra using novel density 

functional theory methods 


£411,024 

£30,000 

£652,430 

£2,692,900 

£131,066 

£1,410,863 

£126,968 

£35,804 

£74,040 

£410,772 

£200,853 

£125,000 

£62,040 

£71,040 

£25,475

Dr Jason Riley (PI) Hewlett-Packard 

Ltd 

Dr Arash A Mostofi (PI) 

Dr Peter D Haynes (CI) 

Fabrication striped nanorods for display devices 


EPSRC Development of wide-ranging functionality in the 

ONETEP code 


Dr Mary P Ryan (PI) EU Commission Marie Curie IEF for Dr Julia Lyubina: NanoMagma 

– nanocomposite magnetocaloric materials 

1 May 2010 


Gutierrez (PI) 


Gutierrez (PI) 


(CI) 


(PI) 


(CI) 


(PI) 

Dr Luc JM Vandeperre (PI) and 

Dr Finn Giuliani (CI) 

National Institutes 

of Health (NIH) 

US Army Engineer 

Research And 

Development 

Center 

Novel nanocomposites for bone regeneration 

1 July 2010 

Bio-inspired ceramic-CNT composites 


Wellcome Trust Wellcome Trust and EPSRC Medical Engineering 

Centre 100 


EPSRC Wellcome Trust and EPSRC Medical Engineering 

Centre 5 


EPSRC EPSRC follow on fund: biomaterials from sugars 2 


Technology 

Strategy Board 

US Office of Naval 

Research – Global 

Dr Mark R Wenman (PI) Ministry Of 

Defence 

StronBone and StronBone-P: formulation 

optimisation, scale-up, pre-clinical testing, 

clinical trial design and planning 

1 July 2010 

High toughness mullite development 

1 July 2010 

Modelling of hydrogen in zircaloy: interactions 

between zirconium hydride and zirconium metal 


Mr Fraser Wigley (CI) University Of Leeds Oxyfuel combustion – academic programme for UK 


Department of Materials KAUST Imperial-KAUST Academic Excellence Alliance 

donation ($2M) 

£83,651 

£258,991 

£139,994 

£67,605 

£31,212 

£849,697 

£488,477 

£12,687 

£109,500 

£34,070 

£137,294 

£64,584 

£1,102,687 

Total £9,840,724 

(PI) = Principal Investigator (CI) = Co-Investigator 

South Kensington Campus 

Buildings where wheelchair access is not possible at this time 

1 Beit Quadrangle 

2 Imperial College Union 

3 Ethos Sports Centre 

4 Prince’s Gdns, North Side 

Garden Hall 

5 Weeks Hall 

6 Blackett Laboratory 

7 Roderic Hill Building 

8 Bone Building 

9 Royal School of Mines 

10 Aston Webb 

11 Bessemer Building 

12 Goldsmiths Building 

13 Huxley Building 

14 ACE Extension 

15 William Penney 

Laboratory 

16 Electrical Engineering 

17 Business School 

18 53 Prince’s Gate 

19 Eastside 

212 Department of Materials Research in Progress 2009–10 www.imperial.ac.uk/materials www.imperial.ac.uk/materials Department of Materials Annual Report and Research in Progress 2009–10 213 

Queen’s G ate 

Blackett 

24 

6 

13 

Huxley 

30 

25 

31 

2 

7 

1 

Beit Quad 

Roderic Hill 

Library 

14 

32 

Kensington Gore 

8 

Bone 

20 

Queen’s 

Lawn 

ACEX 

15 

Sherfield 

Chemistry 

Royal 

Albert 

Hall 

26 

Prince Consort Road 

Electrical 

Engineering 

Frankland Road 

9 10 12 

Imperial College Road 

33 

21 

Sir 

Alexander 

Fleming 

16 

34 

11 

Bessemer 

27 

Skempton 

Chemistry 

RCS1 

Vehicle entrance 

Faculty 

22 

Royal School 

of Mines 

Business 

School 

28 

17 

Mechanical 

Engineering 

Exhibition RoadPrince’s Gate 

Thurloe Place 

Thurloe Street 

South 

Kensington 

Cromwell Road 

20 Sherfield Building 

Student Hub 

Conference Office 

21 Grantham Institute for 

Climate Change 

22 Faculty Building 

23 58 Prince’s Gate 

24 170 Queen’s Gate 

25 Imperial College and 

Science Museum Libraries 

26 Queen’s Tower 

Prince’s Gardens (North Side) 

35 

18 

23 

Hyde Park 

Ethos 

3 Sports 4 5 

Centre 

Prince’s 

Gardens 

Prince’s Gardens (Watts Way) 

29 

50 metres 

Prince’s Gate 

Gardens 

Southside 

19 

27 Skempton Building 

28 Mechanical Engineering 

Building 

29 Southside 

30 Wolfson Building 

31 Flowers Building 

32 Chemistry Building 

33 Sir Alexander Fleming 

Building 

34 Chemistry RCS1 

35 52 Prince’s Gate

Credits 

5 Photo of Neil courtesy of University of 

Nova Gorica 

37 Photo of Professor Molly M Stevens 

courtesy of InSpine magazine 

38 Photo of Dr Julian R Jones courtesy of The 

American Ceramic Society 

51 Image courtesy of Shutterstock 

54 Group photo taken by Neville Miles 

62 Image courtesy of Shutterstock 

117 KAUST logo courtesy of KAUST 

IDEA League logo courtesy of IDEA League 

All other images were kindly supplied by staff and 

students in the Department of Materials and the 

Imperial digital image library 

214 Department of Materials Annual Report and Research in Progress 2009–10 www.imperial.ac.uk/materials www.imperial.ac.uk/materials Department of Materials Annual Report and Research in Progress 2009–10 215

Materials Annual Report - Friends of Imperial College

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?