This area of research concerns new compositions of matter with tailored properties, which are crucial in solving critical issues in our time, from hydrogen production or catalyst design to polymer recycling.

The Royce platforms hosted within the Materials Innovation Factory (MIF) at the University of Liverpool focus on high-throughput discovery via a combination of in-silico modelling, computational design, and machine learning techniques supported by autonomous make-and-measure platforms.

In Manchester, the focus is to discover and develop sustainable new materials by biomanufacturing, as well as sustainable polymers for a circular economy with minimal impact on the environment.

Electrochemical Systems research aims to deliver substantial advances in efficient energy storage, new energy vectors, and chemical synthesis through novel electrochemical devices and systems.

Decarbonisation of the energy system is a national and global imperative. Our research supports fundamental electrochemistry device development through a better understanding of the reaction and degradation mechanisms in current and novel systems, supported by advanced test, characterisation and modelling tools, from atoms to device length scales. Application examples include advanced lithium- and sodium-ion batteries, and developing components that decrease reliance on rare materials, improving regeneration and end-of-life reuse.

The Imaging and Characterisation research area aims to provide access to the cutting-edge techniques across the entire scope of Royce’s research areas. This includes the specific expertise needed to describe and quantify the structure and properties of such a broad range of advanced materials. These techniques provide vital information to accelerate and support materials optimisation to improve performance, production, functionality and sustainability.

The applications of the Imaging and Characterisation capability across the partner institutes spans and complements the entire scope of Royce’s research areas and are vital in accelerating the development of advanced materials.