Biography/Career Progression
1997–2001 PhD, Carbon nanotubes: production and dispersion, Department of
Materials Science and Metallurgy, University of Cambridge
2001–2004 Research Associate, University of Cambridge
2004–2009 Royal Academy of Engineering/EPSRC Research Fellow
2009–2010 Lecturer, School of Materials, University of Manchester
2010–2012 Senior Lecturer, School of Materials, University of Manchester
2011 to Present Challenging Engineering EPSRC Fellowship, University of Manchester
2012 to Present Professor of Materials Science, University of Manchester
production technology that Swan sells
under the Elicarb name. Further
research led to the invention of a
production method for ‘nanotube ropes’
that is being commercialised through a
Cambridge University spin-out
company called Q-Flo. In parallel,
Professor Kinloch worked on the
rheology and dispersion of nanotubes,
refining their behaviour and developing
processes that will enable them to be
incorporated into polymers in ways
similar to those already used with
other kinds of fibres in composite
materials.
The carbon nanotube work is now at
the point where it is ready for
exploitation by engineers in real-world
applications, and Professor Kinloch’s
emphasis has shifted to expanding the
methodologies developed for carbon
nanotubes into graphene, a material
for which colleagues at Manchester
University won the 2010 Nobel Prize in
Physics.
Applications for such materials will be
in areas such as aerospace, where a
graphene-based composite should
significantly outperform current carbon
fibre-based composites for use in, for
example, wing structures and
biomedical engineering applications as
scaffolds for reconstructive surgery. A
lot of current work, however, is focused
on energy storage, where the large
surface area, low density and chemical
stability of graphene offer huge
potential for electrodes in batteries,
solar cells and fuel cells. The research
in this area is also developing
fundamental knowledge of
electrochemistry that feeds through to
work in other areas such as lithium-ion
batteries and supercapacitors.
Future challenges
New materials inevitably take a
long time to find applications,
but the basic challenge is to
produce them on a
commercial scale and to
incorporate them into
formulations such as
composites that make
their adoption in
products practical.
Professor Kinloch’s work
has helped to bring
carbon nanotubes to the
point where exploitation
is now possible, but with
graphene development
there is greater urgency
and a national desire to
ensure that the UK is
well-placed to benefit from
the commercial exploitation.
The challenge is to transfer
technology and at the same
time to engage businesses that
will take the next steps to develop
viable products. Through the National
Graphene Institute, Professor Kinloch
and his colleagues are talking directly
to companies, using Knowledge
Transfer Networks and other means to
drive UK, European and worldwide
take-up.
“The Royal Academy of
Engineering support for
research is fundamental to
enable younger engineers to
develop their ideas and to
broaden their independent
careers. I became a professor
at the age of 36: without the
Academy I could never have
achieved that.”
Professor Ian Kinloch
Issue 15 PECM
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