Universities of Bristol and Exeter
Who they are
Both the above universities are working
together to create a delocalised Centre of Excellence in Materials
Research.
What they do
It draws upon the expertise of the Interface
Analysis Centre (IAC) at Bristol and Exeter's Advanced
Technologies, together with Imerys, an international mining
extraction company.
There are plans to link this to a wider
European network to create an 'Atlantic Area' collaboration on
advanced materials taking in overseas strengths in
micro-restructuring (Portugal) and production (France). This will
complement Bristol's nanotechnology and Exeter's plastic
micromoulding and nano-composites capabilities.
The IAC is a fully equipped technical centre
with a multimillion euro range of analytical instruments,
maintained by highly skilled and dedicated technical staff. It
performs a wide range of research activities, both academic and
commercial.
Current research includes:
- Metals - oxidation, corrosion and fracture
studies
- Semiconductors
- Metallic corrosion in aqueous
environments
- Medical implants
- Surface science applications
- Environmental particulate
- Atmospheric corrosion of metals and building
materials
- Materials characterisation
- Sorption studies
It provides general support to aircraft,
semiconductor, electrical power and other industries in South West
England.