Research Expertise
MaterialsThe following highlights our research expertise in this area:
Biomaterials:
Biomaterials development and evaluation; artificial organs/tissue materials;
material for hybrid/cellular engineering devices; organometallic materials;
metal compounds; polymers for drug delivery prosthetics and encapsulation;
adsorbants.
Ceramics:
Structural ceramics and composite materials with built-in functionality.
Chemical Vapour
Deposition (CVD) Techniques:
Deposition of organic films by CVD; deposition mechanisms and effect
on layer properties e.g. silicon; silicon carbide; tantalum dioxide; titanium
dioxide; silicon nitride; tin dioxide and high temperature superconductors;
optical materials CVD; in situ FTIR and mass spectrometry analysis.
Electrical Materials:
Insulators; piezoelectrics; pyroelectrics; conductive polymers.
Electrodeposited
Silicon/Photovoltaics:
Electrodeposition of silicon layers for photovoltaic solar cell applications.
Fuel Chemistry:
Coal analysis; studies of coke from cracking catalysts in petroleum
refining; solid state 13C NMR techniques; porous carbons and mass transfer
effects.
Advanced Structural
Materials:
Advanced materials; processing of structural materials with integral
sensors and other functions through control of the material properties
and processing routes.
Gallium Nitride
Materials and Devices:
Metal organic chemical vapour deposition reactor for wide band-gap
gallium nitride growth, optoelectronic quality material for UV/blue/green
emitters; in-situ growth monitoring, novel pre-cursors and lateral overgrowth;
vertical cavity surface emitting laser and micro-LED array device formats;
displays, optical storage and biomedicine.
Hydrogels:
Novel design, development and manufacture; drug delivery applications;
prosthetics; agriculture; horticulture; chemical transducers; optical
fibre coating for water and pH sensing devices.
Joining Technology:
Adhesives; bonding; welding failure analysis; analysis and testing of
joining technologies; non-destructive evaluation.
Manufacturing
Engineering:
Material-conversion technologies; bulk and sheet metal forming; concurrent
design and manufacture; economic and technical performance; CAE; simulation
of metal-forming processes, tools and presses using Finite Element method
and physical modelling techniques; integrated experimental and numerical
techniques; net-shape manufacturing; net-shape metal forming; tool/material
interaction; die-elasticity; influence of machine behaviour on component
accuracy; machine stiffness; temperature effects; novel metal-forming
processes; hydro-mechanical drawing and forming of tubular materials;
precision injection forging; rotary forging; metal forming with ultrasonic
tool excitation; obtaining ultra-fine grain structure by severe plastic
deformation; metal forming of microcomponents; micro-blanking; micro-forming;
micro-stamping; tools and presses for microforming; constitutive modelling
of metal flow and damage; impact behaviour of materials; neural networks.
Materials:
Strength, fatigue, fracture, welding residual stresses and distortion,
composites and glues.
MEMS (Microsystems):
Micorengineering-design and fabrication of optical and transducer MEMS
systems in silicon, metals and polymers; UV laser micomachining.
Metals:
Engineering metallurgy. Non- Destructive Testing: Sensor design; 3D
visualisation of NDT inspection data; ultrasonic inspection at elevated
temperatures; wireless telemetry; non-contact ultrasonic inspection techniques;
electronic instrumentation.
Operations Engineering:
Separations materials; process control; micro-reactor engineering
Optical Materials:
Design, growth, characterisation and fundamental spectroscopic studies
of crystals with applications in non-linear optics and solid state lasers;
bulk and thin film organic crystals; inorganic non-linear optics; thin
films; linear and non linear optical properties of materials; optical
sensor materials; development of flexible membrane mirrors for imaging.
Polymers:
Synthesis; characterisation; material property evaluation; degradation;
processing; novel design; composites; biomedical applications; linear
and crosslinked polymers; polymer rheology and fibre studies; acoustic
characterisation.
Polymer Chemistry:
Novel synthesis of monomers and polymers; surface active oligomers;
porous polymers; polymeric catalysts; polymers for the isolation of metal
ions; liquid crystal polymers; thermo-oxidatively stable polymers; polymer-supported
catalysts.
Polymer Physics:
Surface segregation in polymer blends and copolymers; characterisation
of cure processes occurring in thermoplastics; modified thermosetting
polymers for composite manufacture; anti-corrosive coatings; thin-film
polymer coatings; semiconductors.
III-V Semiconductor
Optoelectronic Devices:
Materials, device design and device processing for next generation telecoms
and other applications- focus on active devices; narrow band-gap 'dilute'
nitrides (GalnNAs); Vertical external cavity surface emitting lasers research
spanning UV/blue/GaN), visible and rear IR (GaAs), engineerable gain media-wavelength
flexibility and power scaling, high performance mode- locked and tuneable
single frequency operation.
Semiconductors:
Porous silicon, Il-VI and III-V compounds; optical spectroscopy and transport
studies performed on compound semiconductors e.g. InGaAs, high magnetic
fields and low temperatures; photoluminescence spectroscopy and fluorescence
microscopy; optical semiconductors.
Smart Materials:
Smart components (sensors/actuators); smart selective membranes; sensor
technologies (MEMS, fibre optic); array techniques; responsive materials.
Sports Engineering
and Materials:
Sports materials and biomechanics; low injury artificial sports surface;
sports surface testing; adhesives for training shoes.
Superconducting
Quantum Inference Devices (SQUIDS):
Modelling, design and fabrication; biomagnetic studies; digital signal
processing applications.
Superconducting
Technology:
High temperature and conventional superconductors; detection of magnetic
fields; measurement of electrical noise; sensitive thermal detectors;
high temperature thin film superconductors.
Tribology:
Tribology; surface engineering; erosion and corrosion; high temperature
corrosion; erosion-corrosion mapping.
Departments and Specialist centres:
These areas of research
represent the activities of a number of University Departments and Specialist
Centres including:
Bioengineering Unit
Centre for Ultrasonic
Engineering
Chemical and
Process Engineering
Design Manufacture
and Engineering Management
Electronic
and Electrical Engineering
Industrial Control Centre
Mechanical Engineering
Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering
Institute for Energy and Environment
Institute of Photonics
Physics
Pure
and Applied Chemistry
