Chemistry creates next-generation materials

Research revolutionises the ability to create and characterise new materials, with applications in batteries, fuel cells and green safety technologies.

What was the problem?

The UK Government is committed to lowering greenhouse gas emissions, and with 27% of UK energy consumption used for road transport, alternative vehicle technology is high on the radar. At present, electric vehicles are improving, but uptake is hindered by high initial costs and concerns about the performance constraints of current battery technologies.

The feasibility of other future energy sources, such as hydrogen, depends on development of new materials for storage; current solutions consume large amounts of energy and raise safety concerns. Materials chemistry enables the creation of new solid-state materials that address these current limitations, with additional applications across a range of technologies.

What was the solution?

Researchers at the University of Southampton, led by Professor Mark Bradley, Professor Brian Hayden and Dr Samuel Guerin, established a Combinatorial Centre of Excellence in 2001 with £6 million funding from the UK Joint Infrastructure Fund. Combinatorial chemistry is the rapid and automatic production of large numbers of compounds in a single process. The technique was typically used by pharmaceutical companies; however, the team recognised it could be used to develop new approaches to solid-state materials discovery.

By depositing a thin film of a new material on silicon it could be rapidly characterised and its properties considered for various applications. Work was undertaken with several industrial partners, including Johnson Matthey and General Motors, with support from the EPSRC.

What was the impact?

A much wider range of materials could now be produced, and a spin-out company – Ilika Technologies plc – was rapidly created in 2004 to aid development; by 2010 it had achieved a market capitalisation value of £18.7 million. At the time of publication in 2015, the market value had increased to almost £50 million.

Ilika has increased the energy capacity of solidstate lithium-ion batteries, a market set to be worth $32 billion annually by 2018. Toyota has contributed £4 million to this research, with the technology used in the development of batteries for next generation Toyota electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles.

A range of materials has also been developed for other applications. Platinum-free fuel cell catalysts have been developed with the Carbon Trust to significantly reduce the cost of fuel cells. Recyclable hydrogen storage materials have been developed and commercialised in collaboration with Shell and Sigma Aldrich. Environmentallyfriendly, lead-free materials are being developed with CeramTec for use in vehicle fuel injection systems and when triggering airbags.