The globally unique Liquid Phase Photoelectron Spectroscopy (LiPPS) machine will be based within the facility of the University of Nottingham. This high-performance tool will make UK more competitive in a variety of major industrial sectors such as pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, automotives, and aerospace.
Upon receiving a £675,000 grant from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), LiPPS is the world’s first X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) machine. For the first time, researchers were able to achieve atomistic measurements of the liquids’ surface using this machine. XPS existing instrumentation enables analysis of solid substances alone. Being compatible with a large number of sample types, LiPPS will ensure simple operation with efficient autonomous collection of data.
The facility will add a new sector for accommodating the research community. It will create new avenues for research and also aid in training budding career researchers.
With simplified industrial access, LiPPS will extend a major service that will lead to expedite production in just two or three years. This technique has a wide range of potential applications. Interfacial structure and solute composition are used in a variety of processes such as electrode-related systems and catalysts. Perceiving interfacial regions in these systems is a major criterion while designing energy-efficient energy storage or conversion devices. It helps understand the technology behind solution-based processes such as polishing and electroplating that are significant in high tolerance engineering processes for automotive and aeronautics industries.
LiPPS will be located within the Nottingham Nanotechnology and Nanoscience Centre (NNNC) at University Park. The centre will partner with the Newcastle University’s national facility (NEXUS) and various other major centers of Photoelectron Spectroscopy.
Source: http://www.epsrc.ac.uk/