GWPore: Porous Materials for Energy, Healthcare and the Environment

Background

Porous materials form an extremely broad field of research that encompasses inorganic crystalline materials, organic polymers, synthetic frameworks and biological tissues, among many others. As a consequence, applications are also extremely diverse (renewable energies, separation processes, mechanics, engineering, geosciences, biology and biochemistry, material science) and require expertise in chemistry, engineering, physics, computational modelling and simulation, as well as access to specialist facilities to study these materials. It is virtually impossible for a single institution to possess expertise covering each of these topics. However, we have identified core areas where each GW4 institution possesses world-leading expertise. This collaboration will bring that expertise together, add in our external industrial partners, and use this unique opportunity to achieve globally significant outcomes with academic, commercial and societal benefits.

Project Summary

The Generator Funding brought together researchers from across all four GW4 universities to form GWPore: Porous Materials Network. The community organised three online workshops which created and strengthened collaborative relationships between researchers at the GW4 universities, including many ECRs. As these workshops were online, the community could involve international attendees, creating new international collaborations. The research ideas from these workshops were refined at a writing retreat, with multiple proposals prepared for submission to major grants. The community continue to meet regularly to develop and exchange ideas for research and publications.