Research Profile - Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy ...
Research Profile - Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy ...
Research Profile - Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy ...
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Derek Fray FREng FRS<br />
Pr<strong>of</strong>essor <strong>of</strong> <strong>Materials</strong> Chemistry<br />
BSc Imperial College<br />
PhD Imperial College<br />
+44 (0) 1223 334306<br />
djf25@hermes.cam.ac.uk<br />
www.msm.cam.ac.uk/djf/<br />
Sustainability, Sensors <strong>and</strong> Nanostructures<br />
Our motivation is to apply materials chemistry to problems that<br />
are scientifically interesting <strong>and</strong> technologically challenging.<br />
Reduction <strong>of</strong> metal oxides<br />
A novel electrochemical method is being investigated for the<br />
reduction <strong>of</strong> metal oxides where the metal oxide or mixture <strong>of</strong><br />
metal oxides is the cathode in a bath <strong>of</strong> molten calcium chloride.<br />
The oxygen ionizes, dissolves in the electrolyte, <strong>and</strong> is discharged<br />
at the anode. This process has also being considered by NASA<br />
for the production <strong>of</strong> oxygen on the moon from the moon regolith.<br />
Two companies have been set up to exploit this technology.<br />
Nanostructures<br />
Carbon <strong>and</strong> sulfide nanotubes are being synthesized by novel<br />
routes. These interesting materials are being investigated as<br />
electrodes in supercapacitors <strong>and</strong> batteries.<br />
Recycling<br />
The world has finite resources <strong>and</strong> it is important to be able to<br />
recycle waste products. Processes for treating galvanized scrap,<br />
batteries <strong>and</strong> electronic scrap have been devised <strong>and</strong> are now<br />
being developed industrially.<br />
Development <strong>of</strong> sensors<br />
It is important to be able to instantaneously measure species in<br />
gases, liquids <strong>and</strong> solids. Sensors, based upon solid electrolytes<br />
have been developed to measure hydrogen in molten aluminium,<br />
hydrogen in steel <strong>and</strong> SO x<br />
from power stations. Ion <strong>Science</strong> Ltd<br />
<strong>and</strong> Environmental Monitoring <strong>and</strong> Control Ltd have been set up<br />
to market these devices.<br />
XY Yan & DJ Fray, “Electrosynthesis <strong>of</strong> NbTi <strong>and</strong> Nb 3<br />
Sn superconductors<br />
from oxide precursors in CaCl 2<br />
-based melts” Adv. Funct. Mater. 15,<br />
1757–1761 (2005).<br />
C Schw<strong>and</strong>t & DJ Fray, “The titanium/hydrogen system as the solid-state<br />
reference in high-temperature proton conductor-based hydrogen sensors”<br />
J. Appl. Electrochem. 36, 557–565 (2006).<br />
JKS Tee & DJ Fray, “Separation <strong>of</strong> copper from steel” Ironmaking &<br />
Steelmaking 33, 19–23 (2006).<br />
Y Li, VP Kotzeva & DJ Fray, “Electrochemical performance <strong>of</strong> CdS<br />
nanomaterials synthesized by microemulsion techniques” Mater. Lett. 60,<br />
2743–2746 (2006).<br />
Surface <strong>of</strong> the moon<br />
20 <strong>Research</strong> <strong>Pr<strong>of</strong>ile</strong>