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The overall aim of this research is to use a combination of thermodynamic surface free energy and adhesion fracture energy measurements to understand, predict and enhance the resistance to moisture-damage of asphalt mixture pavement materials. Moisture-damage of asphalt mixtures is directly associated with the adhesive and cohesive properties of the material and how the presence of water affects these mechanisms. Although mechanical test procedures exist to quantify the moisture-damage of asphalt mixtures, they do not measure the fundamental material properties related to adhesion and cohesion. This study will use a combination of adhesive fracture energy measurements on bitumen-aggregate and bitumen-filler mastic-aggregate systems using monotonically-loaded tests together with intrinsic adhesion calculations based on thermodynamic surface free energy concepts to produce a step change in the moisture-damage performance and material screening of asphalt mixtures. The introduction and development of these new methods and novel approaches will provide the tools needed for the better selection and moisture-damage prediction of appropriate pavement materials. The study will involve collaboration between researchers working in the areas of pavement engineering materials and the mechanical engineering aspects of adhesion, adhesives and composites. This combined approach will allow the exceptionally high expertise in asphalt technology, moisture-damage characterisation, surface energy and adhesive bond testing and modelling to contribute effectively to improving the understanding and prediction of moisture-damage in asphalt mixtures and thereby provide a tool to achieve the project goal of enhancing moisture-damage performance.

In the UK there are more than four billion square metres of roofs and facades forming the building envelope. Most of this could potentially be used for harvesting solar energy and yet it covers less than 1.8 % of the UK land area. The shared vision for SPECIFIC is develop affordable large area solar collectors which can replace standard roofs and generate over one third of the UK's total target renewable energy by 2020 (10.8 GW peak and 19 TWh) reducing CO2 output by 6 million tonnes per year. This will be achieved with an annual production of 20 million m2 by 2020 equating to less than 0.5% of the available roof and wall area. SPECIFIC will realise this by quickly developing practical functional coated materials on metals and glass that can be manufactured by industry in large volumes to produce, store and release energy at point of use. These products will be suitable for fitting on both new and existing buildings which is important since 50% of the UKs current CO2 emissions come from the built environment.The key focus for SPECIFIC will be to accelerate the commercialisation of IP, knowledge and expertise held between the University partners (Swansea, ICL, Bath, Glyndwr, and Bangor) and UK based industry in three key areas of electricity generation from solar energy (photovoltaics), heat generation (solar thermal) and storage/controlled release. The combination of functionality will be achieved through applying functional coatings to metal and glass surfaces. Critical to this success is the active involvement in the Centre of the steel giant Corus/Tata and the glass manufacturer Pilkington. These two materials dominate the facings of the building stock and are surfaces which can be engineered. In addition major chemical companies (BASF and Akzo Nobel as two examples) and specialist suppliers to the emerging PV industry (e.g. Dyesol) are involved in the project giving it both academic depth and industrial relevance. To maximise open innovation colleagues from industry will be based SPECIFIC some permanently and some part time. SPECIFIC Technologists will also have secondments to partner University and Industry research and development facilities.SPECIFIC will combine three thriving research groups at Swansea with an equipment armoury of some 3.9m into one shared facility. SPECIFIC has also been supported with an equipment grant of 1.2 million from the Welsh Assembly Government. This will be used to build a dedicated modular roll to roll coating facility with a variety of coating and curing functions which can be used to scale up and trial successful technology at the pre-industrial scale. This facility will be run and operated by three experienced line technicians on secondment from industry. The modular coating line compliments equipment at Glyndwr for scaling up conducting oxide deposition, at CPi for barrier film development and at Pilkington for continuous application of materials to float glass giving the grouping unrivalled capability in functional coating. SPECIFIC is a unique business opportunity bridging a technology gap, delivering affordable novel macro-scale micro-generation, making a major contribution to UK renewable energy targets and creating a new export opportunity for off grid power in the developing world. It will ultimately generate thousands high technology jobs within a green manufacturing sector, creating a sustainable international centre of excellence in functional coatings where multi-sector applications are developed for next generation manufacturing.

This application requests funds to continue and develop the EngD in Formulation Engineering which has been supported by EPSRC since 2001. The EngD was developed in response to the needs of the modern process industries. Classical process engineering is concerned with processing materials, such as petrochemicals, which can be described in thermodynamic terms. However, modern process engineering is increasingly concerned with production of materials whose structure (micro- to nano- scale) and chemistry is complex and a function of the processing it has received. For optimal performance the process must be designed concurrently with the product, as to extract commercial value requires reliable and rapid scale-up. Examples include: foods, pharmaceuticals, paints, catalysts and fuel cell electrodes, structured ceramics, thin films, cosmetics, detergents and agrochemicals. In all of these, material formulation and microstructure controls the physical and chemical properties that are essential to its function. The Centre exploits the fact that the science within these industry sectors is common and built around designing processes to generate microstructure:(i) To optimise molecular delivery: for example, there is commonality between food, personal care and pharmaceuticals; in all of these sectors molecular delivery of actives is critical (in foods, to the stomach and GI tract, to the skin in personal care, throughout the body for the pharmaceutical industry);(ii) To control structure in-process: for example, fuel cell elements and catalysts require a structure which allows efficient passage of critical molecules over wide ranges of temperature and pressure; identical issues are faced in the manufacture of structured ceramics for investment casting;(iii) Using processes with appropriate scale and defined scale-up rules: the need is to create processes which can efficiently manufacture these products with minimal waste and changeover losses.The research issues that affect widely different industry sectors are thus the same: the need is to understand the processing that results in optimal nano- to microstructure and thus optimal effect. Products are either structured solids, soft solids or structured liquids, with properties that are highly process-dependent. To make these products efficiently requires combined understanding of their chemistry, processing and materials science. Research in this area has direct industrial benefits because of the sensitivity of the products to their processes of manufacture, and is of significant value to the UK as demonstrated by our current industry base, which includes a significant number of FMCG (Fast Moving Consumer Goods) companies in which product innovation is especially rapid and consumer focused. The need for, and the added value of, the EngD Centre is thus to bring together different industries and industry sectors to form a coherent underpinning research programme in Formulation Engineering. We have letters of support from 19 companies including (i) large companies who have already shown their support through multiple REs (including Unilever, P+G, Rolls Royce, Imerys, Johnson Matthey, Cadbury and Boots), (ii) companies new to the Centre who have been attracted by our research skills and industry base (including Bayer, Akzo Nobel, BASF, Fonterra (NZ), Bristol Myers Squibb and Pepsico).