The nano-BEE consortia will develop and refine, using empirical data, a critical subset of models focused on exposure to nanomaterials (NMs) and their bioavailability in the environment. The objectives of this study are to (a) generate controlled and well-characterized NMs libraries for environmental assessment (b) prove that soft landed gold clusters provide suitable fiducial markers to enable angstrom resolution in aquatic tomography of NMs in environmental media (c) demonstrate that NM environmental modification processes can be classified by the extent of aggregation, dissolution and surface modification and to experimentally and computationally describe the partition of these modified NMs between environmental compartments (d) to develop modified biodynamic models for NM bioavailability that reflect both water and food exposures and (e) to validate biotic ligand models for NM effects on aquatic organisms. An integrated computational and experimental program will examine the environmental chemistry of manufactured NMs using electron microscopy, scattering techniques, and spectroscopy; use traceable NMs to quantify influx and efflux rates in model aquatic species, including in a trophic chain; and employ both conventional measures of toxicological endpoints as well as the latest molecular ('omics') methods to quantify biological effects as well as identify new mechanisms for toxicity. Such information will be input into biotic ligand models for NMs classes that output anticipated EC50 and other outcomes given information about NM exposure and local water chemistry. Through its engagement with end-users the consortia will link its predictions of NM body burdens and toxicological outcomes to risk management frameworks useful in regulatory decision-making.

To date, crystalline silicon-based solar cells dominate 90% of the solar market due to their technological maturity and high power conversion efficiency (PCE) of ~ 25%. However, these cells suffer from relatively high production costs, long energy payback times and are rigid, with heavy form factors. They are therefore unsuitable to power the rapidly growing portable electronics market, particularly wearables and Internet of Things (IoT) devices that are expected to reach trillions of units in the next few years. Current commercial solar technologies are also not compatible with the blooming mobile solar markets requiring high specific power (W/kg) or portable electronics requiring flexible form factors. It is therefore urgent to develop cheaper materials together with scalable manufacturing techniques to further accelerate the uptake of solar electricity. Here, metal halide perovskites have emerged as a new class of semiconductor having important applications in next generation solar cells. Indeed, an unprecedented advancement in the PCE of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) has resulted in the demonstration of devices having certified PCEs of 25.2% within just 8 years. Significantly, such materials are based on inexpensive starting compounds that can be processed at low-temperatures using solution-based techniques; properties that open up disruptive technology applications. In this proposal we will develop fully flexible perovskite solar cells, with our aim being the development of devices that can power wearable technologies and IoT wireless devices. Scale-up of such technologies are also likely to find longer-term applications in utility and rooftop power generation and mobile solar (e.g. electric vehicles), and will be facilitated by a combination of ultra-low cost, high-volume manufacture processes together with selection of materials having reduced embodied energy. Here, the use of perovskite semiconductors is critical, as they can be deposited on temperature sensitive flexible plastic substrates using low-temperature processes. We expect that success in our research will - in a shorter time frame - open the very large wearables and IoT power-source markets, and will power the increasing number of mobile (wireless) technologies that currently utilise conventional Li-ion power batteries. Indeed, there are already over 50 billion IoT devices in the market that currently map and gather information, and 127 new devices are connected to the internet each second, leading to a potential IoT market worth of US$1 trillion by 2023. However the 10 trillion wireless sensors delivering the data needed by the IoT will need one million tons of lithium if they are to be powered by batteries; this represents the combined worldwide lithium production in 10 years. Besides the environmental impact of battery production, disposal and recycling, there are further costs that should be considered as batteries need regular maintenance. Looking further ahead, we expect our project to de-risk the application of PSCs for larger scale deployment. Here, the exploitation of clean and renewable energy sources is a global challenge that we must solve in the next 30 years if we are to avoid non-reversible environmental changes. We therefore propose to exceed the state of the art in the development of current flexible perovskite solar cells (f-PSCs), where current single-junction perovskite devices demonstrate power conversion efficiencies of ~19% -- surpassing all competing flexible technologies. This will be developed together with key stability demonstrations. Our project team represents some of the leading international experts in halide perovskite photovoltaics, including the leading industry partners in this space, giving a very high likelihood of success - allowing us to power a smart and flexible electronics future.

The Cranfield IMRC vision is to grow the existing world class research activity through the development and interaction between:Manufacturing Technologies and Product/Service Systems that move UK manufacturing up the value chain to provide high added value manufacturing business opportunities.This research vision builds on the existing strengths and expertise at Cranfield and is complementary to the activities at other IMRCs. It represents a unique combination of manufacturing research skills and resource that will address key aspects of the UK's future manufacturing needs. The research is multi-disciplinary and cross-sectoral and is designed to promote knowledge transfer between sectors. To realise this vision the Cranfield IMRC has two interdependent strategic aims which will be pursued simultaneously:1.To produce world/beating process and product technologies in the areas of precision engineering and materials processing.2.To enable the creation and exploitation of these technologies within the context of service/based competitive strategies.

This application has three distinct but interrelated research areas. The first is a method of designing microwave circuits using inter-coupled resonators. The method is extremely general, and can be used over a wide frequency range with many different technologies used in microwave circuits. The second area is using micromachined terahertz devices to exemplify the new deign techniques at a particular frequency and for a particular application. Micromachining has to be used to make accurate dimensioned waveguides with accuracies down to microns. The third area is the improvement in the micromachining process for the terahertz application.Inter-coupled resonators have been used for many years to make microwave filters. For more complex passpand responses with transmission zeros or dual bands, the inter-coupling becomes much more complex. This proposal takes this concept a stage further and proposes that whole passive systems can be made using coupled resonators or resonator superstructures. To exemplify this the authors have already demonstrated power splitters and a diplexers based on these concepts, and the proposed work is to look at antenna feed networks, Butler matrices and filter banks. The techniques can provide the design of microwave circuits at any centre frequency and will be useful in many areas. Technology is now allowing systems to be constructed at much higher frequencies; mobile communications at around 2 GHz is now commonplace, but car radar systems at 77 GHz have only just developed in the last few years, and now applications are beginning to emerge at above 100 GHz in the submillimetre wave region. Applications to 1 terahertz and above are seen as extremely important for future systems. One of the lowest loss waveguide structures is the rectangular waveguide, and this work will look at micromachined waveguide. The circuits are made by stacking layers of metalised silicon or thick resists. Two of the layers act as the top and bottom of the guide and the interleaving layer (or layers) forms the walls of the hollow rectangular tube. For 300GHz these waveguide are about 800 by 400 microns and micromachining is therefore required to make them accurately at this size. At Birmingham a reliable, accurate techniques for bonding the layers has been developed. Structures such as filters, power splitters, diplexers and triplexers will be demonstrated. The resonator superstructures will be also configured in waveguide resonators to produce submillimetre wave antenna feed networks, Butler matrices and filter banks.Finally work will be done to improve the micromachining process. This includes being able to selectively pattern the top and vertical edges of the gold coating. This will enable transitions to other transmissions structures such as coplanar waveguides as well as the ability to improve the bonding between layers. In addition work will proceed on the development of a new dielectric waveguide structure, initially looking at the embedding of quartz nano particles in the resist SU8. Providing a low loss waveguide structure will give the microwave designer another tool for circuit construction.

The nano-BEE consortia will develop and refine, using empirical data, a critical subset of models focused on exposure to nanomaterials (NMs) and their bioavailability in the environment. The objectives of this study are to (a) generate controlled and wellcharacterized NMs libraries for environmental assessment (b) prove that soft landed gold clusters provide suitable fiducial markers to enable angstrom resolution in aquatic tomography of NMs in environmental media (c) demonstrate that NM environmental modification processes can be classified by the extent of aggregation, dissolution and surface modification and to experimentally and computationally describe the partition of these modified NMs between environmental compartments (d) to develop modified biodynamic models for NM bioavailability that reflect both water and food exposures and (e) to validate biotic ligand models for NM effects on aquatic organisms. An integrated computational and experimental program will examine the environmental chemistry of manufactured NMs using electron microscopy, scattering techniques, and spectroscopy; use traceable NMs to quantify influx and efflux rates in model aquatic species, including in a trophic chain; and employ both conventional measures of toxicological endpoints as well as the latest molecular ('omics') methods to quantify biological effects as well as identify new mechanisms for toxicity. Such information will be input into biotic ligand models for NMs classes that output anticipated EC50 and other outcomes given information about NM exposure and local water chemistry. Through its engagement with endusers the consortia will link its predictions of NM body burdens and toxicological outcomes to risk management frameworks useful in regulatory decision-making.