Completed Physics & Astronomy Chemistry

EPSRC Core Equipment Award 2020 - University of Oxford

Funder EPSRC (part of UKRI)
Recipient organisation
Funding £1.7M
Period Nov 2020 — May 2023

In plain English

AI plain-English summary

Oxford is upgrading three ageing scientific instruments that researchers across engineering and physical sciences rely on for their work. The equipment—a mass spectrometer for analysing molecules, an electron spin resonance spectrometer for studying magnetic properties, and an ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy system for examining thin-film surfaces—has been in use for over a decade. As instruments age, they become slower, less precise, and unable to handle modern experimental demands. Without replacement, researchers would face bottlenecks: longer waits for data, lower resolution results, and an inability to perform newer types of analysis. This grant addresses that gap by installing state-of-the-art replacements that offer faster throughput, sharper sensitivity, and capabilities such as pulse shaping at W-band—a technique currently available at only one other UK facility. If successful, the upgrades will keep Oxford’s facilities competitive and open to all users, not just Oxford researchers. The mass spectrometer will support work on small and large molecules across multiple fields. The ESR spectrometer will strengthen the UK’s national electron paramagnetic resonance facility. The UPS system will serve the National Thin-Film Cluster Facility. The impact is indirect but real: better instruments mean faster, more reliable data for fundamental science, which in turn underpins advances in materials, energy, and manufacturing that rarely make headlines but quietly drive progress.

View original technical description
This is an enabling grant that will support a wide range of researchers and fields of research across the engineering and physical sciences (EPS) remit through the upgrade of existing multi-user equipment. Three investment packages have been prioritised that support core EPS research capabilities: 1. State-of-the-art open-access liquid chromatography-mass spectrometer This investment will replace an aging 12 year old system with up-to-date equipment designed to offer robust and precise analysis of small and large molecules. It will enable new analytical capabilities, increase throughput, and faster data management and processing. 2. Next generation electron spin resonance (ESR) spectrometer upgrade Based in the Centre for Advanced Electron Spin Resonance (CAESR), the spectrometer upgrade will support multi-disciplinary research focused around ESR. The upgrade will form part of Oxford's contribution to the EPSRC National Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Facility, and be the second spectrometer in the UK to have the routine capability to perform pulse shaping at W- band. 3. Ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS) system The UPS is a cutting edge technique that is indispensable for advanced materials research and will be used to study the surfaces of the thin film samples. It will be an integrated into the EPSRC National Thin-Film Cluster Facility for Advanced Functional Materials. Each piece of equipment is based in a multi-user facility that is open to all potential users. Enhanced capacity and capabilities of these facilities will support promoting a culture of collaboration and equipment sharing across multiple research areas.

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Researchers

Christiane Timmel (Co-Investigator)James McCullagh (Co-Investigator)Laura Herz (Co-Investigator)Moritz Riede (Co-Investigator)Patrick Grant (Principal Investigator)

Related Research

Grants with similar aims, by meaning.

EPSRC Core Equipment Award 2024 - University of Oxford
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EPSRC Core Equipment 2022
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Heriot-Watt University EPSRC Core Equipment Funding Award

Original classification

Research Grant

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