Materials Research Network

Materials Network Conference

Date: 15 May 2024

Location: Norwegian Church, Cardiff Bay

The conference provided a forum for introducing network members, followed by presentations on professional development and collaborative research funding opportunities. With membership-led development of the network's strategic aims, development plans for a range of impactful future activities were devised. In all, around 65 colleagues from across all three colleges of the university attended, highlighting the breadth of active Materials Research across the University. Finally, the conference concluded with a joint dinner with the Newport & Cardiff Materials Society.

DURALAB Showcase

Date: 12 December 2023

Location: School of Engineering, Queen’s Building.

The workshop will explore the capabilities of the DURALAB, a new testing facility at Cardiff University. The DURALAB is the first accelerated ageing facility in Wales, and one of the few in the UK. Whether you are interested in a new material, or testing an established one, DURALAB can help investigating its long-term properties in a matter of weeks. Materials can be subjected to a wide range of environmental actions such as extreme temperature, freezing, thawing, corrosion, UV, etc... and we have a range of microstructural characterisation equipment available (microscope, pore sizing, permeability, etc...).

Materials Network Conference

Date: 28 March 2023

Location: Norwegian Church, Cardiff Bay

The conference included input from industry and one of the funding councils with a view to developing ideas that could result in joint projects; there was be time for an ideas pitch as requested by members. Instead of showcasing facilities or capabilities, which is often done as part of our workshop series, we were looking at work that has arisen or has been supported by our workshops. Opportunities to network, interact with the sponsor stands and talk were valued by members.

Joint event with Plastics and Environment URN - “Polymers, Plastics and Environmental Legacy”

Date: 7 December 2022

Location: SCLT, Main Building

With short keynote talks, posters presenting more detailed studies, and plenty of opportunity for guided and informal discussion, this workshop was for those interested in using, creating, characterising and understanding polymers, plastics and plastic-containing materials of all types. Presentations covered the detection, characterisation, quantification and impacts of plastics in the natural environment, circular economy and the value placed on plastic as a material, how changing knowledge and understanding is driving the development of future plastics, and case studies of advanced materials which utilise the unique properties of polymers and plastics for composites, engineering and healthcare applications.

Understanding surfaces: new equipment for investigating novel and nano-materials

Date: 27 September 2022

Location: Translational Research Hub

Designed for those interested in physical and chemical characterisation of surfaces, this seminar gave an overview of spectroscopy and microscopy instrumentation now available through the University’s new Translational Research Hub. Methods include X-ray photon correlation spectroscopy (XPS), electron microscopy (including the new aberration-corrected STEM) and new capabilities in tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (TERS) and a nationally-unique photo-induced force microscope (PiFM). Tours of the facilities were also available.

Magnetic Nanomaterials and Applications

Date: 8 November 2021

Location: Online

The symposium included a number of presentations from the department of Chemistry, Physics, and Engineering followed by a discussion which enabled networking, connect with colleagues, and share ideas.

The plenary speaker was Prof Nguyen Tk Thanh (FRSC, FInstP, FIMMM, FRSB) from University College London who is Professor of Nanomaterials at Healthcare Biomagnetic and Nanomaterials Laboratory.

Porous Materials Mini Symposium

Date: 12 January 2021

Location: Online

The symposium focused on porous materials with guest speakers from Cambridge University and the University of Bath.

Materials Network Conference

Date: 23 – 24 January 2020
Location: St Pierre Hotel, Chepstow

The next Network conference will take place 23 – 24 January 2020 in the St Pierre Hotel, Chepstow. Further details including a call for posters and speakers to be announced.

Newport & District Materials Society President's Lecture

Date: 8 October 2019

Dr Salvador Eslava (University of Bath) will give first lecture of the year, The President’s Lecture of the NDMS “Engineering Photoelectrode Materials for Solar Fuels”

Free buffet and networking to follow.

RSVP: Nick.Webb@cogent-power.com

Newport & District Materials Society Lecture

Date: 12 November 2019
Time: 18:00
Location: School of Engineering S1.32, CF24 3AA

Dr Ana Neves will give the second lecture of the 2019 NDMS programme. “From Wearables to Concrete: Applications of Graphene and 2D Materials”

Free buffet and networking to follow.

RSVP:- Nick.Webb@cogent-power.com

Joint CITER-CMRN workshop - Biomaterials: from bench to bedside

Date: Wednesday 27th November 2019
Time: 12:00 – 17:00
Location: Lecture Theatre, Haydn Ellis Building

The aim of this half-day workshop is to help academics translate their biomaterial technologies into the clinic for patient benefit. The objectives are to:

1. Gain insight into the regulatory pathway of biomaterials
2. Learn about a range of GLP pre-clinical models to demonstrate safety and efficacy of biomaterials
3. Understand the process of developing and registering a clinical trial for a biomaterial
4. Become familiar with funding routes and support to translate biomaterials into the clinic
5. Hear first-hand experiences from academics who have commercialised/translated biomaterials

Registration is essential, please register through eventbrite using the password: CITERCMRN.

Materials Network Conference

Date: 23 – 24 January 2020
Location: St Pierre Hotel, Chepstow

The next Network conference will take place 23 – 24 January 2020 in the St Pierre Hotel, Chepstow. Further details including a call for posters and speakers to be announced.

Newport & District Materials Society President's Lecture

Date: 8 October 2019
18:00
Location: School of Engineering S1.32, CF24 3AA

Dr Salvador Eslava (University of Bath) will give first lecture of the year, The President’s Lecture of the NDMS “Engineering Photoelectrode Materials for Solar Fuels”

Free buffet and networking to follow.

RSVP: Nick.Webb@cogent-power.com

Keyence digital microscope demonstration

Date: 2 October 2019
Time: 11:30
Location: Queen’s Building S/0.14

We will be visited in our lab by Benjamin Bryant from Keyence UK Ltd, who will give a demonstration on a digital microscope equipment produced by the company. All interested are welcome. You can bring your own samples to test the system capabilities.

Recent Appointees in Materials Science Conference 2019

Date: 9-10 September 2019
Location: University of Liverpool

The Recent Appointees in Materials Science Conference was held at Cardiff University last year. This year's conference will be held in Liverpool and we highly recommended it for anyone at postdoc or lecturer level working in materials science in Liverpool.

International Workshop on Chemistry and Applications of Organic Chromophores

Date: 3-4 July 2019
Location: School of Chemistry, Small Chemistry Lecture Theatre, Main Building, Park Place

The workshop aims to provide an insight into the latest investigations, exchange of knowledge and industrial applications of molecular chromophores and organic materials. The two-day program will showcase invited lectures from leaders in the field of synthesis, characterisation and applications of organic chromophores both from academic and industry sectors.

Research seminar

Date: 2 July 2019
Location: School of Engineering S1.25, CF24 3AA

Dr Iuliia S Elizarova will speak on 'Additive Manufacturing of Ceramics – The Challenge of Multiscale Control'.

Prof Eduardo Saiz, Director of the Centre of Advanced Structural Ceramics, will also attend, so please come along for an interesting talk and discussion and the opportunity to engage with the wider future materials cross-cutting theme at Cardiff University.

Workshop in Multiphysics Mechanics

Date: 26 June 2019
Location: School of Engineering S/1.22, Queen's Buildings, The Parade

This will be the first workshop of the School of Engineering's cross cutting theme - multiphysics mechanics. It will include two keynote speakers, talks from colleagues researching various aspect of multiphysics mechanics, and an opportunity to network.

Materials modelling workshop

Date: 11 June 2019
Location: Main Building, Park Place
Cardiff University members event

This event brought together modellers from different disciplines who use different tools in order to stimulate exchange of ideas about techniques and to promote collaboration.

Modelling topics and techniques covered in the workshop included Finite Element as well as discrete element modelling (DEM), micromechanics, macrocrack propagation, molecular dynamics, quantum dynamics, rheology, and crustal and mantle deformation in the Earth.

The plenary speaker was Catherine O'Sullivan, Professor in the geotechnics section of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Imperial College. Her research uses DEM as well as experimental techniques including micro-computed tomography.

A prize for the best poster was generously donated by sponsors Rockfield, awarded to Adam Beall from the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences.

Bridging the gap: Materials and materialities

Date: 8 May 2019
Location: National History Museum St Fagans
Cardiff University members event

The event focused on bringing materials science, humanities and social sciences together, with the aim to trigger conversations that could broaden research opportunities and lead to new collaborations.

The interdisciplinary session was organised into the themes of Time, Change and Values, offering participants the opportunity to look at their work from a new viewpoint and bring together contrasting approaches, paradigms and techniques.

The workshop ended with an exclusive private viewing of Gweithdy, a special space celebrating the skills of makers across millennia, looking at how things have been made from wood, clay, stone, metal, plants and textiles.

Cardiff Materials Network inaugural conference

Date: 17-18 January 2019
Location: St Pierre Marriot Hotel and Country Club
Cardiff University members event

This was an opportunity to gather together those of us with an interest in materials from right across Cardiff University. It included researchers with a focus on the use of materials, design and development of materials, and the characterisation, modelling or understanding of materials. It was an opportunity for colleagues to showcase their research, share areas of interest, and find out who has the knowledge, expertise, or equipment to help.

The plenary speaker was Professor David Taylor, Professor of Materials Engineering at Trinity College Dublin, whose research expertise includes bioengineering, forensic engineering and fatigue and fracture of materials and components.

Materials characterisation workshop

Date: 5 December 2018
Location: Main Building, Park Place
Cardiff University members event

Materials characterisation is the broad, general processes we use to probe, interrogate and measure the structure and properties of materials. It is fundamental to our scientific understanding of engineering materials.

The workshop demonstrated how this vast materials characterisation potential is allowing Cardiff University to generate internationally recognised impact in materials research from bulk structural materials to single atom catalysis.

The lectures delivered during the workshop comprised of experimental methods spanning from state-of-the-art X-ray diffraction/spectroscopy to novel microwave engineering and advanced nuclear/electron magnetic spin resonance protocols.

Network launch event

Date: June 2018
Location: FORUM, School of Engineering

This one day event brought together researchers from across the University for a combination of posters, rapid-fire talks, one-to-one networking and informal discussion. Sessions included:

• materialities and characterisation
• processing and manufacturing and nanomaterials
• devices and soft materials
• structural materials and modelling.

It was a great start to the network events programme which highlighted the breadth of materials research activity across the University and generated lots of discussion for future collaborations as well as suggestions for network events.