Search is on for safe sustainable manufacturing materials: £10.3m project 13 February 2014

A £10.3 million grant, awarded to researchers today (13 February 2014) by the EPSRC (Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council) is aimed at finding safer, more sustainable alternative materials for manufacturers.

"This investment in research will help keep the UK ahead in the global race for exciting manufacturing innovations," states Minister for Universities and Science David Willetts.

"As one of the eight great technologies of the future, advanced materials will ensure safer and more sustainable development of resources to boost the capability of UK manufacturing."

Four research projects are to be led by UCL (University College London), University of Bristol, University of Surrey, and University of York, with industry partners adding a further £2.8 million of investment.

Willetts says that the research teams will assess the viability of using different, replacement materials in the manufacturing supply chain, considering their properties, cost, performance and scalability.

They will also investigate how production processes and technologies will need to adapt to using these newer materials. By the end of the study the research is expected to enable manufacturers to adopt alternatives.

UCL is to examine alternatives to tin and indium for transparent conducting oxide materials, used in window coatings, solar power panels, phones and computers, from nanoparticle dispersions, inks and thin films.

The University of Bristol will focus on active materials for photovoltaic solar cells based on abundant and low cost elements to replace gallium, indium, cadmium and tellurium.

The University of Surrey is to synthesise alternative thermoelectric and piezoelectric materials used in sensors, actuators and energy harvesters.

And the University of York will investigate waste biomass and CO2 as replacement petrochemical feedstocks in the manufacture of polymers.

Brian Tinham

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