Nicola Mingotti 
The effect of pressure on gas-phase adsorption on a solid surface has been well-known since the time of Irving Langmuir, but the situation is less clear for the adsorption of a solute from a liquid solution at high pressure. This could be important in solutions of surface-active molecules for applications under high pressure, such as
Developing systems to capture, store and reuse the vast amounts of waste heat generated through industry could be a huge opportunity for the UK to strengthen its industrial competitiveness and reduce operational costs for businesses, as well as accelerate progress towards net zero. Industrial heating accounts for around 14% of UK emissions, yet approximately half
Turbulent flows are known to broaden with downstream distance, owing to the entrainment and mixing of ambient fluid into the flow. In the special case where the background is non-turbulent, the entrainment across the interface between the turbulent flow and the non-turbulent ambient is driven by viscous diffusion of the turbulent fluid into the ambient.
Decarbonisation of buildings is one of the main challenges for the energy transition. In particular, the provision of heating, cooling, and ventilation to maintain a comfortable and healthy interior environment can be very energy intensive. Three approaches to help with the decarbonisation of buildings are: (a) upgrading the building envelope, especially the insulation, to reduce
This week’s scheduled speaker, Angus Fotherby, was unwell and could not give the first seminar of the new year. We wish him a quick recovery and hope he will be able to return before the end of term to tell us about Chromium contamination and remediation in India. Today, professor Andy Woods discussed a number
Two new PhD opportunities are being advertised to work on data centres cooling and particle dispersal in the atmosphere. Please see the details below.
One of the challenges with modelling subsurface flows is the uncertainty in measurements of geological properties, mostly due to limited resolution in observation methods. Typically, the observations of subsurface systems have a resolution of order 1 m, and this leaves a large amount of uncertainty in the small-scale variation in properties such as permeability. Many
In small rocky planets, the interplay between pressure and temperature profiles may cause the iron-rich liquid core to solidify from the outer boundary inward. As pure iron crystals form, they are denser than the surrounding liquid mixture. Consequently, they sink into the core before remelting at greater depth due to the increasing temperature. This process
The Cambridge Energy Masterclass was a two-day intensive meeting of lectures and discussions, with talks from leading experts in various aspects of energy demand and supply. It focussed on the energy transition and the technologies needed to optimise new energy systems. We discussed the current energy system, and the different contributions provided by a number
Investigating exsolution of metal nanoparticles is an area of evolving interest. Metal nanoparticles have been found to exsolve from metal oxides in the perovskite family under reducing conditions and investigated as fuel cell anodes. Professor Stephen Skinner works at the Department of Materials at Imperial College, and today spoke about the research his group has been carrying