The iframe on this page is empty and contains no contentSkip to content

Department of Materials

Ceramics and Glasses

Micrograph of Spark Plasma Sintered Zirconium carbideResearch in this theme encompasses both structural and functional ceramics. Major topics include Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFCs), sensors, nuclear fuels, hosts for toxic and nuclear wastes, ultra high temperature composites, MAX phases, graphene, CNT-containing ceramics, bioglasses and bioceramics, and ceramics for body and vehicle armour. The Centre for Advanced Structural Ceramics is a major focus for ceramics research in the Department. The experimental facilities cover processing and characterisation and we have particular expertise in thermo-mechanical testing including nanoindentation and outstanding thermal analysis capability to > 2000oC. Much of this research is carried out in collaborative projects with industrial and academic partners from the UK, Europe, USA and Japan.

We have pioneered research on lowering the operating temperature and cost of SOFCs, on their mechanical reliability and on the mechanisms of electrode reactions. This has resulted in facilities (unique within Europe) for isotopic studies of surface exchange kinetics and diffusion in oxides. Surface chemistry of ceramic materials can now be accessed through state-of-the-art low energy ion scattering (LEIS) providing unparalled information on atomic structure of functional ceramics that is essential for device development.

We are also examining ceramic systems for aerospace applications (the thermal protection system for the next generation of space shuttle type vehicles) which involves testing and characterising non-oxide composites at temperature approaching 4000oC. Much of our work is underpinned by multiscale modelling enabling us to improve understanding of ceramic materials and predict new materials having improved properties for a wide variety of applications.

People

Academic staff involved in ceramics and glass research include: Professor Bill Lee, Professor John Kilner, Professor Alan Atkinson, Professor Eduardo Saiz Gutierrez, Dr Stephen Skinner, Dr Luc Vandeperre and Dr Finn Giuliani.

Projects

Research projects within Ceramics and Glasses include:

  • Research highlight: Determination of the composition and interfacial characteristics of multilayer heterostructured oxides as potential high performance solid oxide fuel cell electrolytes
  • Advanced SOFC technologies for low carbon, energy efficient and affordable power
  • Atomic scale modelling of phosphate mineral phases
  • Atomic scale simulation of fission product interactions with nuclear materials
  • Atomistic simulation of anisotropic ionic conductors
  • Carbon capture with desalination by-products
  • Cathode materials for low temperature protonic oxide fuel cells
  • Chromium poisoning of LSCF cathode in SOFCs
  • Constrained sintering of fuel cell electrolytes
  • Correlating microstructure and mechanical properties of hot pressed SiC
  • Corrosion of spent advance gas reactor (AGR) fuel cladding in trace aqueous electrolyte environments
  • Crystallisation studies of fluorapatite glassceramics
  • Demonstration of SOFC stack technology for operation at 600oC (SOFC600)
  • Deposition and characterisation of layered Ruddlesden-Popper Phases for solid oxide fuel cell cathodes
  • Design of new engineered oxide thin films with tailored properties ‘engineered oxides’
  • Development of novel low pH cement systems for encapsulation of wastes containing aluminium
  • Development of ultra-high temperature nonoxide ceramics for thermal protection systems in aerospace applications
  • Engineering nanocomposites for solid oxide fuel cells
  • Fabrication and characterisation of optically transparent oxide fibre reinforced glass matrix composites
  • Fundamental mechanisms for thermal conductivity complex oxide with high temperature applications
  • Glass and glass-ceramic matrix composites with carbon nanotube, ceramic fibres and nanoparticle inclusions
  • Glass ceramic matrix composites containing carbon nanotubes
  • Glass corrosion: parameter estimation in reaction diffusion problems involving ionic species with limited data
  • Growth of carbon nanotubes in oxide-carbon refractories
  • High temperature deformation of age hardening coatings
  • In situ dissolution measurements of CeO2, PuO2 and UO2 thin films using XAS spectroscopy and AFM
  • Investigation of the oxygen cathode of SOFC by nonlinear EIS
  • Investigation of perovskite related La2NiO4+δ electrodes and novel electrolytes for solid oxide electrolysis cells (SOECs)
  • Ionic mobility in superstructured oxides
  • Materials for integrated immobilisation and capture of aqueous radionuclides
  • Micro-solid oxide fuel cells
  • Mixed conductors for oxygen separation devices in carbon capture and storage systems
  • New materials from extruded plastic paper laminates
  • New research directions for solid oxide fuel cell science and engineering
  • Novel bioactive glass-ceramic composites for dental restorations
  • Novel metakaolin-derived geopolymer binders for radioactive wastes
  • Oxyfuel combustion – academic programme for the UK (OxyCAP)
  • Predicting in service thermo-mechanical performance of ultra-high temperature ceramics
  • Processing and high temperature properties of MAX phases
  • Radiation damage and gas accumulation in nuclear ceramics
  • Redox stable anode materials
  • Selection and optimisation of radiation detector materials
  • Simulation of atomic scale processes in ADOPT fuel
  • The atomic structure of glass–crystal interfaces
  • The effect of transition metal oxide doping on ceria based electrolyte materials
  • The interactions of coal-biomass ash with supercritical boiler materials
  • Ultra-high temperature ceramics (UHTCs) for aerospace applications

Further information on all these projects can be found in the latest Annual Report and Research in Progress.