EPSRC Hub for 3D Nanoscale Metamaterials to deliver a sustainable future ("MetaHub")

Many modern-day technologies largely work within a paradigm that relies upon the micro- and nano-structuring of materials in a plane. However, recent advances now enable fabrication on the nanoscale in three-dimensions. Alongside seminal progress in modelling, imaging and characterisation, this has led to the realisation of 3D metamaterial prototypes offering exciting new discoveries in fundamental science, and valuable generation-after-next functionalities and performance - arising from meta-atom interactions in all three dimensions. Nonetheless, 3D nanoscale metamaterials science and technology is much underdeveloped globally due to the significant design, simulation and fabrication challenges it poses. It is just such challenges that our MetaHub will address. By bringing together a world-leading team of academics, and leveraging strong support form national investments and industry, we will bring about truly game-changing control of energy, information and light, with applications in highly efficient computing and communication, energy generation, heat recovery and environmental sensing. We will explore and exploit 3D metamaterial approaches for sustainable energy solutions, including high-efficiency photocatalysis through to toxic-material-free thermoelectric devices. We will pioneer the development of novel 3D meta-optics for solar-energy generation and solar-driven photocatalytic reactors. We will deliver reconfigurable magnonics systems for dissipation-free telecommunications, switching and logic processing. We will exploit MetaHub’s leading expertise in nanophotonics to demonstrate novel, fast, low-energy, 3D meta-photonic devices for optical neural-networks and in-materia computing. We will develop 3D nano-structured metamaterials to deliver faster, lower-energy, more compact and ‘intelligent’ capabilities in sensing. We will explore adaptive interactions between metamolecules to deliver life-inspired technology. We will develop 3D core-shell nanoparticle metamaterial assemblies for environmental and medical sensing applications, including the sensing of PFAS-type ‘forever chemicals’ and the early diagnosis of cancer and neurodegeneration. We will pioneer novel routes to fabrication and scale-up of 3D nanoscale metamaterials and accelerate technology transfer. To achieve this, we have support from the High Value Manufacturing Catapult, Henry Royce Institute and over 30 project partners with specialist expertise, from ICT, sustainability, manufacturing and fabrication, defence and instrumentation. We will leverage connections with the UK Metamaterials Network (UKMN) to deliver a pipeline of skilled people and advocate responsible research and innovation (RRI), and will also work with the EDI Hub+ to set best practice. Our £1M Flexible Fund will support new exciting projects, linked to our Energy, ICT, Sensing and Scale Up research themes, from the wider community, and particularly support areas related to technology translation. MetaHub is led by internationally renowned metamaterial researchers - Hibbins, di Falco, Zheludev, Zayats, Baumberg, Wright and Ladak - supported by a dedicated team (predominantly institutionally funded, i.e. at no cost to EPSRC) of specialist academics including rising-star early-career future leaders. We bring together unique expertise, skill set and track record, across physics, engineering and materials, in order to realise disruptive 3D metamaterial technology. We also ally with experts in sustainability and circularity, and RRI, alongside technical experts and a cohort of post-docs and PhDs. MetaHub will provide leadership so that the UK competes globally, delivering a positive impact by translating the science into application, benefitting national prosperity and society, and underpinning an environmentally sustainable future.