Illuminating... Materials Science
Synchrotron based techniques have made a major impact in the field of materials and environmental science in the last fifteen years. High resolution allows the study of ultra-dilute substances, the identification of metallic species, and the ability to track pollutants as they move through the environment. Diamond is playing an important role in understanding materials on and inside our planet in a range of environmental conditions. In addition, scientists are using the synchrotron to help in monitoring and predicting the effects of human activities on local and global environments. This knowledge will enable the development of cost-effective strategies to reduce our overall environmental impact and understand the world around us.
Colin Pulham from the Centre for Science in Extreme Conditions at the University of Edinburgh has been using Diamond to study the behaviour of materials at the kind of pressures experienced in the centre of planets. For example high-pressure ice-VII growing under a pressure of 22,000 will form snowflake-like crystals. Unlike snowflakes at normal conditions, this is a four-pointed snowflake because of the different structures of high-pressure ices. High-pressure ices also have different properties, e.g. some melt above 100 ºC or sink in water. >> Read more...
Materials Case Study 2: High-performance hydrogen storage
An environmental challenge facing us all is the need to minimise the production of CO2 both locally and globally. Sandy Blake from the University of Nottingham has been using Diamond to look at materials known as metal-organic frameworks. He is trying to find a way to store hydrogen as a gas, so that hydrogen can potentially be used as an alternative fuel source, without the need for cars carrying highly pressurised cylinders with explosive potential. >> Read more...