Molecular Materials Centre
'Controlling Molecular and Micro-structure of materials over a range of length scales to give a defined function'
Many materials depend for their primary function on their obvious chemical or mechanical properties: water is a good example. It has well known chemical properties as a reactant or solvent, and its physical properties are the benchmark for our scales of measurement.
Other materials depend for their properties on their exact structure, the degree of order in the way the molecules are aligned and their crystalline nature. Many of these materials are commonplace, yet little understood from a scientific point of view. Their importance cannot be over-estimated: many foods, cosmetics and pharmaceutical products depend on the structure for the properties valued by the final end-user. Rates of solution, diffusion through barrier systems, the interface with biological systems all depend on the shape of the molecule. In structures, the performance of the materials depends critically on the crystal form and the interfaces between the phases: this is well known for steel, but equally important for plastics and coatings.
The Molecular Materials Centre sets out to bring together those scientists with interests in this field, to address the chemistry and processing of materials to generate the desired properties in the finished product, in a controlled, predictable and theoretically sound way.
The Molecular Materials Centre brings together four Schools and one Department in Two Universities: