Activity Report 2014

Transcription

The Birchall Centre
Keele University
UK
The Birchall Centre
Keele University
CONTACT INFORMATION
Birchall Centre
Lennard-Jones Laboratories
Keele University
Keele ST5 5BG
Staffordshire
UK
Centre Director
Dr Vladimir Zholobenko Tel: +44 (0)1782 734352
email: [email protected]
Secretary
Dr Chrystelle Egger
Tel: +44 (0)1782 733337
The Birchall Centre
Keele University
UK
The Birchall Centre, Keele University, UK, 2013
Table of Contents
1- Introduction
p. 2
2- Members List
p. 3
3- News Update
p. 6
4- Research Highlights
p. 7
5- Projects and Grants
p. 11
6- Conferences, Workshops and Presentations
p. 12
7- Seminars, Visits and Collaborations
p. 14
8- Funding and Acknowledgements
p. 16
9- Publications
p. 17
10- Key Research Equipment
p. 20
- 1-
1- The Birchall Centre for Inorganic Chemistry and Materials Science: 1992-2014
The Birchall Centre started its life in 1992 as the Unit for Inorganic Chemistry and Materials
Science. It was the idea of the late Professor JD Birchall FRS OBE who along with Dr C Exley and
Professor K Kendall FRS came to Keele University following the re-organisation of what was then,
the United Kingdom’s largest chemical company, Imperial Chemical Industries, ICI. The Unit was
established with the support of Sir Brian Fender (at this time the Vice-Chancellor at Keele) and Sir
Ronald Mason (the Chairman of CERAM Research in Stoke-on-Trent).
The philosophy behind setting up the Birchall Centre was simple and has not really changed to this
day. It was to provide an academic environment in which fundamental and applied sciences across a
breadth of fields would both prosper and inform one another. To understand a problem at the
fundamental level and to look to apply the knowledge gained within everyday life.
The Unit started off with three general themes; Aluminium and Silicon in Biology; Cement
Chemistry; and Fuel Cells; and these simply reflected the research interests of its founders, Chris
Exley, Kevin Kendall and Derek Birchall. The Unit soon became a ‘Centre’ (being officially
opened in 1994 by Sir Geoffrey Wilkinson FRS) before the untimely death of Derek Birchall in late
1995. The Centre was re-named in his honour (by Professor RJP (Bob) Williams FRS) and
continues to this day to foster his philosophy of fundamental science informing everyday life.
The Birchall Centre today embraces a wide diversity of research interests and though the general
themes of inorganic chemistry and materials science still prevail to some extent, all areas of science
which fit well with the aforementioned philosophy are always welcome.
Link to the Birchall Centre web page, where further information can be found:
http://www.keele.ac.uk/birchallcentre/
Link to the RSC Materials for Industry - Dereck Birchall Award Launched in 2008:
http://www.rsc.org/ScienceAndTechnology/Awards/MaterialsforIndustryAward/
- 2-
2- Members List
“Porous Materials”
Dr Chrystelle Egger
Lecturer in Chemistry & Forensic (0.7 FTE)
“Bioinorganic Chemistry of Aluminium and Silicon”
Prof. Exley
Dr. Beardmore
Dr. Mold
Prof Christopher Exley
Professor of Bioinorganic Chemistry
Dr James Beardmore
Post-doctoral Researcher
Dr Matthew Mold
Post-doctoral Researcher
Krista Jones
PhD Student
Ambreen Mirza
PhD Student
Emma Shardlow
PhD Student
Ian Stokes
PhD Student
Gulnar Vasta
PhD Student
Iulia Neagu
PhD Student
“Computer Modelling of Inorganic Materials”
Dr Rob Jackson
Reader in Chemistry
Scott Walker
PhD Student
- 3-
“Sensors And Materials for Bio/environmental Applications (SAMBA)”
Dr Aleksandar Radu
Lecturer in Chemistry & Environmental Sci.
Dr Sami Ullah
Lecturer in Environmental Sc. (Keele)
Lukasz Mendecki
PhD Student
Tolulope Fayose
PhD Student
Suzi Pugh
Zainab Waqar Ali
Summer Research Student (Funded by Royal Society of Chemistry)
Summer research student (Dublin Institute of Technology;
ERASMUS Exchange)
“Chemical Characterisation of Surfaces”
Dr Frank Rutten
Lecturer in Physical Chemistry
Jasim Jamur
PhD Student
“Zeolite Research”
Dr Vladimir Zholobenko
Senior Lecturer in Chemistry & Forensic
Science
- 4-
Associate Members of the Birchall Centre
The following have kindly agreed to be Associate Members of the Birchall Centre in recognition of
their contributions to the Centre and also as recipients of the RSC Materials for Industry, Derek
Birchall Award Medal.
RJP (Bob) Williams FRS
Professor Emeritus, Chemistry, Oxford
Sir Brian Fender CMG
Chairman of the Institute of Knowledge Transfer
Neil M Alford MBE
Professor of Engineering, Imperial College, London
WJ (Bill) Clegg
Professor of Materials Science and Metallurgy,
Cambridge
Kevin Kendall FRS
Professor of Chemical Engineering, Birmingham
Medal Winners (Biennial RSC Award)
Terry McGrail
Director, Irish Centre for Composites Research,
Limerick
Medal 2009
John Goodby FRS
Professor of Materials Chemistry, York
Medal 2013
- 5-
3- News Update
The Birchall Centre Committee, 2014
Director
Dr Chrystelle Egger
Secretary / Web Page Administrator
Dr Aleks Radu
BC Colloquium Organiser
RSC Materials for Industry - Dereck Birchall Award :
Biannual event, none in 2014.
- 6-
4- Research Highlights
Ian Stokes and Professor Chris Exley
NERC/Keele Acorn – Funded PhD Studentship
Silicification in Plants Including Rice
We are trying to understand why silica is deposited in plants. To ascertain whether this is a general
phenomenon where simply some plants accumulate more silica than others or if there are
physiological characteristics which instigate and/or enhance silica deposition.
A number of complementary methods have been developed and applied and specifically
fluorescence and electron microscopy. An unappreciated observation is that the degree of
silicification in plants known as silica accumulators is much greater with silica deposition occurring
in a wide breadth of tissues/plant structures (Figure 1). There also appears to be some species
specificity, for example while both rice and horsetail accumulate significant amounts of silica the
silicification of xylem tissue has only been observed for the former.
Figure 1 Scanning electron microscopy
image of silica collected following acid
and microwave digestion of rice leaf blade
and demonstrating myriad silicified
structures. The silica tube at the centre of
the image is approximately 100 µm in
length and 4 µm in diameter.
Figure 2. The image shows silica
trichome structures from wild-type
Arabidopsis. While the bases are intact,
the fragile trichomes have snapped off.
References:
1. Law C and Exley C (2011) New insight into silica deposition in horsetail (Equisetum arvense). BMC Plant
Biology 11, 112.
- 7-
B- Ambreen Mirza, Prof. Chris Exley
Keele Acorn-funded PhD Studentship
Measurement and localisation of Aluminium (Al) in human brain tissue.
While the data demonstrating the presence of aluminium in human brain tissue are unequivocal,
for example, House et al. (2012), less is understood as to the amount of aluminium which is
associated with different neurodegenerative conditions and where exactly aluminium is located. In
this research project the aluminium content of brain tissue taken from a range of neurodegenerative
conditions is being measured (see Figure 1 below) and a suite of microscopy techniques are being
optimised and applied to confirm its locality. Particular emphasis is being placed upon the use of
fluorescence microscopy to identify aluminium and the optimisation of this technique to provide
unequivocal evidence of its location within brain tissue. The latter, using primarily the fluor
lumogallion, involves taking account of false positives and the influence of competitive cations on
the aluminium-induced fluorescence of lumogallion. An example of the application of lumogallion
to the identification of aluminium in human brain tissue is given in Figure 2.
Figure 1: Transversely heated graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry is used to measure aluminium in human
brain tissue 2.
Figure 2: The image shows a 5!m section of an inferior parietal lobe at x200 magnification. a: Light image showing
no autofluorescence. b: Orange fluorescence is observed after 24h of incubation in lumogallion, under a NIB filter.
References:
1.
Exley, C., & House, E. R. (2012). Aluminium in the human brain (pp. 95-101). Springer Vienna.
2.
House, E., Esiri, M., Forster, G., Ince, P. G., & Exley, C. (2012). Aluminium, iron and copper in human brain tissues donated to the
medical research council's cognitive function and ageing study. Metallomics, 4(1), 56-65.
- 8-
C- Dr Chrystelle Egger (co-ordinator)
MSCA-ITN-ETN: Proposal Submitted January 2015: “Tailor-Made ElectRodes and
Materials for AssaYs used in Detection and Sensing, MERMAYDS”. Assessment expected
June 2015.
The 21st century is a world of sensors and assays, where rapid but efficient methods of detection
are required in applications ranging from the consumption of illegal substances in sports to food
contamination for instance, as recent scandals have brought to the public’s attention. Such societal
challenges (food security, secure societies) are of critical concern to the EU and are becoming more
and more the focus of major analytical and chemical industries. The outputs of the MERMAYDS
project will help to address: (i) Novel assays design; (ii) Rationalisation of reaction mechanisms;
(iii) Industrial applications for the successful and selective detection of ions and small molecules.
Indeed, materials chemistry is more and more at the forefront of sensors and assays design, through
the creation of nanoporous sensors or fluorescent nanoparticles with applications in the detection of
trace-level nitroaromatic explosives for instance1. What is often lacking though is a rational design
of a particular electrode or sensor with a given function, based on a clear understanding of the
necessary attributes for: (i) the materials, (ii) the recognition process itself, and also for (iii) the real
case scenarios in which to apply such assays/sensors. This proposal offers a unique strategy tackling
the innovative design of novel tests and sensing devices based on different materials and
methodologies but also on a very detailed understanding of the structure and function of the assays
through original in-situ characterisation experiments. Indeed, complex MAS NMR experiments in
partnership with Bruker Biospin (the largest
-./"01.2#'
NMR manufacturer in Europe) as well as
3"4"2567"%/'
()*8,'
=/0>;/>0"'?'
@>%;$5%'?'
numerous advanced X-ray scattering
@>%;$5%'
*056"0/A'
techniques will be employed to access both
the structure and the function of the sensors
and assays. The proposed consortium will
9:.0.;/"01#.$5%'
!"#$%&'
bring together complementary and very
B%?#1/>'
()*<,'
()*+,'
-";:.%1#7#'
strong expertise from across Europe to offer
(7./"01.2#'C507.$5%'
D'.%.2A/"'0";5&%1$5%,'
new technologies for the selective detection
of given ions and small molecules at trace and ultra-trace levels. Moreover, the consortium
understands the importance of testing such sensors in manufacturing processes, so our industrial
beneficiaries will be leading the work in areas such as scale formation and water decontamination.
Also, the experimental approaches will be supported by statistical work on the resolution
improvement of ion selective electrodes (ISEs) through Bayesian modelling.
The main Scientific Objectives of MERMAYDS are:
SO1 To exploit the thermal-resistance of unusual polymer matrices in the preparation of
ISEs with a working range > 40ºC.
SO2 To exploit novel synthetic methods in the preparation of highly porous polymeric
networks with high specific surface areas and tailored functionality.
SO3 To develop new sensors and assays based on the materials prepared in SO1 and SO2
for the selective and powerful detection of ions and small molecules.
SO4 To understand in-situ the mechanisms of formation of such materials in an iterative
approach towards the rational design of such assays and sensors.
SO5 To understand in-situ the interaction process between the ion or the molecule and the
sensors and assays.
SO6 To test and optimise our newly designed “detectors” in real environments.
1
Zhang W., J. Hazardous Mat., 2012, 221-222, 147-154.
- 9-
D- Dr Benjamin Schazmann, Dr Aleksandar Radu
New Ionic Liquid and PVC-Ionic Liquid hybrid materials for general uses including drug
delivery and applications in chemical sensing
A close link established with Dr Schazmann from Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) resulted in
efforts on development of new ionic-liquid based materials aimed to be used as matrixes for novel
ion-selective sensors. Based on previous work, it was thought that ionic liquids as materials have
excellent potential for improving existing technologies and for developing novel ion-selective
sensors.
The characteristics of the material as sensor matrix have been studied by Zainab Waqar Ali,
ERASMUS student from DIT. Initial results showed that the stability and robustness of the sensors
is significantly improved relative to the existing ones. Moreover, the sensor has been shown to
demonstrate excellent selectivity for iodide ions hence opening the possibility for its utilisation in
clinical analysis of urinary iodine.
Initial results on materials recently synthesised and characterised were very exciting and a patent
has been filed on 09/09/2014.
- 10-
5- Projects and Grants
Dr Chrystelle Egger
Submitted Grant, CCE as Co-ordinator.
Action: MSCA-ITN-ETN, Proposal Number 675828, Submitted 13/01/2015, "2 091 920.76.
Tailor-Made ElectRodes and Materials for AssaYs used in Detection and Sensing, “MERMAYDS”
Prof Christopher Exley
1. A mechanism of formation and aggregation of hydroxyaluminosilicates. Funded by EPSRC
(Project ended 30/11/2014) and Santander.
2. The bioinorganic chemistry of aluminium adjuvants. Funded by MRC, Dwoskin Foundation and
Keele ACORN fund.
3. Silica deposition in plants and especially rice. Funded by NERC.
4. Silicon-rich mineral waters as non-invasive therapies for multiple sclerosis and other aluminiumrelated disorders. Funded by Spritzer Mineral Water Co. and Keele ACORN Fund.
5. Infant feeding and the body burden of aluminium. Funded by Children’s Medical Research
Institute (CMRI) and Keele ACORN fund.
6. Measurement and identification of aluminium in human tissue. Funded by Children’s Medical
Research Institute (CMRI) and Keele ACORN fund.
7. Aluminium adjuvants and immunotherapy. Funded by Allergy Therapeutics and Keele ACORN
fund.
Dr Rob Jackson
Computer modelling of actinide oxides for energy applications (funded by the Atomic Weapons
Establishment)
This project is involved with modelling nuclear fuel materials including UO2 and PuO2, and is
aimed at predicting the properties of the mixed oxide (MOX) fuel PuxU1-xO2.
Dr Aleksandar Radu
1- Tuneable, ionic liquid-based sensors for monitoring iodide in urine (Royal Society; December
2012-December 2013; £8990)
2- Development of methodology for measuring dielectric constant of ionic liquid-based ionselective electrodes (Royal Society of Chemistry; summer 2014; £1440)
3- Externally-modulated chemical sensors (EPSAM; 2013-2016; £30 000)
4- IBS Network (Marie Curie IRSES funded project; "279 000; 01/01/2014 – 31/12/2017).
Dr Frank Rutten
PADI-MS ambient mass spectrometry for rapid in-situ reaction monitoring, MOHESR scheme, i.e.
funded by the Iraqi ministry of culture
- 11-
Dr. Vladimir Zholobenko
Catalysis and characterisation of zeolites and nanostructured materials, application of spectroscopic
techniques in analytical sciences.
1. Structural studies of the organic-inorganic self-assembly during the synthesis of mesoporous
materials. Aim: to investigate the formation kinetics of silica and titania based nanostructured
materials.
2. Microwave synthesis of nanoporous materials, utilizing research microwave systems, MARS-6
multimode and Biotage single-mode Microwave Systems (£30,000 industrial funding)
3. Characterisation of asbestos containing material (jointly with Dr. F. Rutten). This extensive
work programme, which aims to demonstrate spectroscopic approaches to the identification of
asbestos containing materials, has been supported by the EPSRC and industry. There is a potential
for further industrial collaboration and commercial exploitation of the data obtained.
4. Characterisation of materials. This is a confidential project - details are not available at present.
5. Catalytic materials for bio-diesel production. This is a collaborative project with Mugla
University, Turkey.
6. Evaluation of novel composite materials for the Fisher-Tropsch synthesis. This is a collaboration
with Lille University, France.
7. Food security: spectroscopic characterisation of meat products (jointly with Dr. D. Thompson,
Keele, and Thermo Scientific).
- 12-
6- Conferences, Workshops and Presentations
Dr Rob Jackson
RAJ and Scott Walker attended the European Conference on Defects in Insulating Materials
(Canterbury, Kent, 13-19 July 2014).
Dr Aleksandar Radu attended the session on Ionophore-Based Sensor at PittCon 2014 in Chicago,
USA (March 2nd – 6th 2014). The visit was used also as the kick-off meeting for the IBS Network
project.
Dr Frank Rutten
FJMR chaired a session at the inaugural British Mass Spectrometry special interest group meeting
on Ambient Mass Spectrometry at the National Physical Laboratory (Teddington, UK, Nov 27th
2014).
Dr. V. Zholobenko attended Meeting of the French Zeolite Group, May 2014, Caen, France.
Dr. V. Zholobenko participated in the 6th European Zeolite Conference FEZA, September 2014,
Leipzig, Germany.
- 13-
7- Seminars, Visits and Collaborations
Prof C. Exley: Visits and Lectures
1- CE gave an invited lecture and participated in a research meeting in Lille, France.
2- CE gave evidence in the Coroners Court in Taunton on the brain aluminium content of a man
dying following an epileptic fit.
3- CE and ES gave invited lectures at Autoimmunity in Nice, France.
4- CE gave evidence to the French Government in Paris on the role of aluminium as adjuvants in
vaccines.
5- CE gave invited lectures in Copenhagen and Munich on aluminium adjuvants in immunotherapy.
6- CE gave an invited talk in Berlin at the Bundesinstitut für Risikobertung.
Prof C. Exley: Current External Research Collaborations
1. Computational chemistry of aluminium (Professors Jesus Ugalde and Xabier Lopez, University
of San Sebastian, Spain).
2. Immunobiology of aluminium adjuvants (Professors Håkan Eriksson, University of Malmo,
Sweden, and Peter Siesjö, University of Lund, Sweden).
3. Macrophagic myofasciitis, MMF (Professors Romain Gherardi and Francois-Jérome Authier,
University of Paris Est, Créteil, France).
4. IBD and Crohn’s disease (Professors Cécile Vignal and Mathilde Body-Malapel, University of
Lille 2, Lille, France).
5. Breast cancer (Professor Nicole Concin and Ms Caroline Linhart, Innsbruck Medical University,
Austria).
6. Diabetes (Professor Paul Fraser, University of Toronto, Canada).
7. Bees and aluminium (Professor David Goulson, University of Sussex, UK).
8. Animal models of aluminium toxicity (Professors Vera Morsch and Maria Rosa Chitolina,
Federal University of Santa Maria, Brazil, CE’s group hosted four researchers from Brazil as part of
an on-going collaboration).
Dr Rob Jackson
Giordano Da Cunha Bispo from the Federal University of Sergipe, Brazil is visiting RAJ for 9
months for collaborative research on mixed metal oxides for luminescence applications.
Dr Aleksandar Radu
Under the IBS Network project, Lukasz spent 6 months in the group of Dr Granados-Focil at Clark
University, USA on a research visit. The aim of the secondment was to develop a sensor for direct
determination of carbonate in sea water.
During the secondment Lukasz has also worked very closely with Dr Christina McGraw from
University of New England, Australia with whom Dr Radu already has a very well-established
collaboration. The visit was very productive and a methodology was developed that enables
development of carbonate sensor with ~10-10M detection limit. This sensor was later used in the
direct measurement of carbonate in artificial water.
- 14-
Dr Vladimir Zholobenko:
VZ gave a presentation at Johnson Matthey research centre, Feb. 2014, UK
VZ gave a presentation at Total research centre, June 2014, Belgium.
VZ gave a presentation at Caen University, June 2014, France.
VZ visited Lille University, June 2014, France.
VZ visited Thermo Scientific research laboratories, April 2014, UK.
VZ hosted Prof. Hamdi Karaoglu from Mugla University, Turkey, June-Sept. 2014.
- 15-
8- Funding and Acknowledgements
Allergy Therapeutics
Analytical Chemistry Research Trust
AWE
CMRI
CNRS
Donations from private individuals
EPSAM / ISTM
EPSRC
ESRC
Keele ACORN fund
HEFCE
Johnson Matthey
Royal Society
Santander
Staffordshire County Council
Thermo Scientific
Veolia
- 16-
9- Publications
1)
Minshall C, Nadal J and Exley C.
Aluminium in human sweat
Journal of Trace Elements in Medicine and Biology, 2014, 28, 87-88.
2)
Exley C
Aluminium adjuvants and adverse events in sub-cutaneous allergy immunotherapy
Allergy, Asthma and Clinical Immunology, 2014, 10, 4.
3)
Exley C and Vickers T.
Elevated brain aluminium and early onset Alzheimer’s disease in an individual
occupationally exposed to aluminium: a case report.
Journal of Medical Case Reports, 2014, 8, 41.
4)
Everett J, Cespedes E, Shelford LR, Exley C, Collingwood JF, Dobson J, van der Laan G,
Jenkins CA, Arenholz E and Telling ND.
Evidence of redox-active iron formation following aggregation of ferrihydrite and the
Alzheimer’s disease peptide b-amyloid.
Inorganic Chemistry, 2014, 53, 2803-2809.
5)
Everett J, Cespedes E, Shelford LR, Exley C, Collingwood JF, Dobson J, van der Laan G,
Jenkins CA, Arenholz E and Telling ND,
Ferrous iron formation following the co-aggregation of ferric iron and the Alzheimer’s
disease peptide b-amyloid.
Journal of the Royal Society Interface, 2014, 11, 20140165.
6)
Exley C.
What is the risk of aluminium as a neurotoxin?
Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics, 2014, 14, 589-591.
7)
Exley C and Sjöberg S.
Silicon species in seawater.
Spectrochimica Acta Part A, 2014, 117, 820-821.
8)
Exley C.
Aluminium. In Binding, Transport and Storage of Metal Ions in Biological Cells.
Ed. W Maret and AG Wedd, Royal Society of Chemistry, Cambridge, 2014, 833-842.
9)
Mold M, Eriksson H, Siesjö P, Darabi A, Shardlow E and Exley C.
Unequivocal identification of intracellular aluminium adjuvant in a monocytic THP-1 cell
line.
Scientific Reports, 2014, 4, 6287.
10)
Klein JP, Mold M, Mery L, Cottier M and Exley C.
Aluminium content of human semen: Implications for semen quality.
Reproductive Toxicology, 2014, 50, 43-48.
11)
Exley C.
Why industry propaganda and political interference cannot disguise the inevitable role
played by human exposure to aluminium in neurodegenerative diseases, including
- 17-
Alzheimer’s disease.
Frontiers in Neurology, 2014, 5:212. doi: 10.3389/fneur.2014.00212.
12)
P Dessovic, P Mohn, R A Jackson, G Winkler, M Schreitl, G Kazakov, T Schumm
Thorium-doped calcium fluoride for nuclear laser spectroscopy.
Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter, 2014, 26, 105402
DOI 10.1088/0953-8984/26/10/105402
229
13)
M S D Read, S R Walker, R A Jackson
Derivation of enhanced potentials for plutonium dioxide and the calculation of lattice and
intrinsic defect properties.
Journal of Nuclear Materials, 2014, 448 (1-3), 20-25
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jnucmat.2014.01.020
14)
P Fielitz, G Borchardt, S Ganschow, R Bertram, R A Jackson, H Fritze, K D Becker
Tantalum and niobium diffusion in single crystalline lithium niobate
Solid State Ionics, 2014, 259, 14-20
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ssi.2014.02.005
15)
M Mujaji, J Burrows, R A Jackson
Optical spectroscopy of the Nd3+ and Nd3+ - Gd3+/Yb3+ centres in BaF2 single crystals and
calculations on lanthanide-doped BaF2
Journal of Luminescence, 2014, 151, 106-110
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jlumin.2014.02.011
16)
M P Hehlen, W L Boncher, S D Melgaard, M W Blair, R A Jackson, T E Littleford, S P
Love
Preparation of high-purity LiF, YF3, and YbF3 for laser refrigeration
Proc. SPIE 9000, Laser Refrigeration of Solids VII, 900004 (February 19, 2014)
DOI:10.1117/12.2039547
17)
R M Araujo, M E G Valerio, R A Jackson
Computer simulation of metal co-doping in lithium niobate
Proc. R. Soc. A, 2014, 470, 20140406
DOI: 10.1098/rspa.2014.0406
18)
M V S Rezende, M E G Valerio, R A Jackson
Study of Eu3+! Eu2+ reduction in BaAl2O4:Eu prepared in different gas atmospheres
Materials Research Bulletin, 2014, 61, 348-351.
19)
Hoole D., Khalil M., Furness D., Zholobenko V.
Effect of tapeworm parasitisation on cadmium toxicity in the bioindicator copepod, Cyclops
strenuous,
Ecological Indicators, 2014, v.37, p.21-26.
- 18-
Patents
20)
Dr Benjamin Schazmann and Dr Aleksandar Radu
European Patent Application No: 14184047.0
Filing Date: 9 September 2014
Media and Press-releases
Two German TV companies visited Prof. Chris Exley in making separate documentaries on
aluminium. Both documentaries were screened in 2014 and the details are available on CE’s
website:
http://www.keele.ac.uk/aluminium/
- 19-
10- Key Research Equipment within the Birchall Centre
Protege 460 FTIR spectrometer equipped with
transmittance vacuum in situ cell, diffuse
reflectance in situ accessory, attenuated total
reflection attachments and a high sensitivity MCT
detector, (spectral range ~ 600 to 7000 cm-1,
resolution from 1 to 32 cm-1). This instrument is
specifically set up for the characterisation of solid
materials, including “soft” solids, under in situ
conditions, e.g. under vacuum or high pressure and
elevated temperatures up to ~700oC.
MARS-6 multimode and Biotage single-mode
microwave systems equipped with a range of teflon
and glass vessels for accelerated synthesis or
digestion of a range of organic and inorganic
materials. The process conditions are monitored by
temperature probes and pressure sensors.
Antaris II near infrared spectrometer is a versatile
instrument
for
the
identification
and
characterisation of inorganic materials, polymers,
pharmaceuticals, etc., and for process monitoring.
The instrument is equipped with a diffuse
reflectance attachment, transmission cells and an
external fibre optic probe for remote analyses.
(Spectral range 4000 - 10000 cm-1. Resolution 2 32 cm-1).
- 20-
Autosorb C1, Quantachrome is a highly
sophisticated gas sorption analyzer for surface area
analysis and pore size measurements (Pore size
range: 0.5 to 20 nm).
AutoPore IV 9500 Series, Micromeritics,
characterises a material’s porosity by applying
various levels of pressure to a sample immersed in
mercury. The pressure required to intrude mercury
into the sample’s pores can go up to 30 000 psi
(Pore size range: 0.003 to 360 micrometers).
Perkin Elmer AAnalyst 600 Graphite Furnace
Atomic Absorption Spectrometer with AS 800
autosampler is able to measure the concentration
of several elements in samples. The spectrometer
and furnace are controlled automatically by
computer software, which is able to automatically
select and align any of the eight installed lamps.
The furnace features a transversely heated graphite
atomiser with protective inert gas stream. A
modulated magnetic field oriented longitudinally
to the optical path is used for Zeeman-effect
background correction. The device also features
fume extraction and circulatory cooling systems. It
is used extensively for the detection of Al and Si,
where it is capable of detecting concentrations as
low as 1µg/L.
- 21-
Malvern ZetaSizer Nano ZS is a computercontrolled particle-sizer that uses dynamic light
scattering and electrophoresis to estimate the sizes
and zeta potentials of particles undergoing
Brownian motion in solution. It is able to measure
samples from 12.0µL to 1.5mL and its detection
range is from 0.3nm - 10.0µm particle diameter for
size measurements, and from 3.8nm - 100µm for
zeta potential measurements. The minimum
particle-concentration required varies based on the
optical properties of the sample. It has been used to
observe the growth of aluminium hydroxide and
hydroxyaluminosilicates, the aggregation of
peptides, the properties of adjuvant preparations,
and to check for consistency of size of
commercially-available
nanoparticles
when
introduced into biological media.
Olympus BX50 upright microscope allows for
both light and fluorescence images to be taken in
both modes at magnifications up to X1000, via use
of an oil immersion objective. The microscope is
equipped with a BX-FLA reflected light
fluorescence attachment equipped with a mercury
burner and a vertical illuminator. This allows for
fluorescence imaging at specified spectral ranges
spanning from the UV to longer visible light
wavelengths. Specialist filter cubes allow for
fluorescent imaging of both biological and plant
tissues amongst other samples that have been
either labelled or stained with certain fluorophores.
The microscope is also fitted with a ColorView III
digital camera from Olympus Soft Imaging
Solutions allowing for image acquisition and
analysis on the Cell D software suite.
Lawson labs, EMF 16, Electrochemistry EMF
interphase. It is a high-resolution, high input
impedance, data acquisition system for
electrochemistry applications. It connects to a PC
serial port for presentation and storage of EMF
data. It allows up to 16 channels of data to be
scanned and displayed. Linearity is 0.002% of full
scale, input impedance is 1013 ohms,
reproducibility is better than one part per million.
BNC connectors are provided for the 16 buffered
inputs and for the buffered reference electrode.
- 22-
Ivium CompactStat.e: Portable Electrochemical
Interface
&
Impedance
Analyser.
The
CompactStat.e offers a complete package, all the
standard Electrochemical techniques are included.
The CompactStat also has an integrated highperformance Frequency Response Analyser for EIS
measurements from 10!Hz to 3MHz. The
CompactStat.e is equipped with the Multiplexer
that has 8 channels.
!
Kratos Amicus X-ray photo electron spectrometer
(XPS) equipped with full catalyst sample
preparation cell and Mg anode (1253.6 eV).
Instrument capable of quantifying elements in the
top 10 nm of a solid sample as well as electronic
interactions (such as oxidation states of metals, CO or C=O moieties). This instrument can be used
to analyse solid samples from powders to films up
to a thickness of ca. 1 cm and with similar lateral
dimensions. Samples can be conducting or
insulators and need to be vacuum-compatible. This
instrument is non-monochromated, but still capable
of an energy resolution of ca. 0.15 eV.
The XPS has now been equipped with a new chiller and detector. A campus license of the CasaXPS
data analysis package is now also available. Please contact FJMR for further information.
- 23-
CONTACT INFORMATION
Birchall Centre
Lennard-Jones Laboratories
Keele University
Keele ST5 5BG
Staffordshire
UK
Centre Director
Dr Vladimir Zholobenko Tel: +44 (0)1782 734352
Secretary
Dr Chrystelle Egger
Tel: +44 (0)1782 733337

Activity Report 2014

Transcription

Similar documents

www.alubond.com Aluminium composite panels for facade cladding

SecureSMART

Matt Haigh – Planet-X Stealth Pro-Carbon

a world of possibilities

impressions - Polychromal

77 st regis crescent, toronto industrial for lease

Map and Directions to Downsview Park.cdr

`Why I came here? It`s the Pounds...` `Dark, gloomy cold, brrr...... this

novox lf acid etch cleaner for aluminium

SFH6590 - Solray - Radiant Heating Panels