Materials chemistry knowledge centre opened
The Science and Technology Facilities Council's (STFC) Daresbury Laboratory is playing a key part in driving growth and innovation in the UK chemicals industry as part of a new centre launched by John Denham, Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills.
The Science and Technology Facilities Council's (STFC) Daresbury Laboratory is playing a key part in driving growth and innovation in the UK chemicals industry as part of a new centre launched by John Denham, Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills.
The Knowledge Centre for Materials Chemistry (KCMC) brings together leading edge knowledge and capabilities in applied materials chemistry from Daresbury Laboratory and the universities of Bolton, Liverpool and Manchester. It will aim to provide a national centre of expertise to drive innovative, multi-disciplinary research and knowledge transfer for companies of all sizes by providing a one stop shop for companies to access a substantial range of world class facilities and expertise in materials chemistry.
With an initial investment of £15 million from the North West Regional Development Agency and academic partner institutions, the centre will drive industrial growth for the UK chemistry-using industries through the coordination, development and exploitation of leading edge materials chemistry research.
John Bancroft, Head of business development in STFC's technology exploitation company CLIK, added, "The chemical industry is one of the UK's largest manufacturing sectors, with an annual turnover of £55 billion, but like all industries it has to keep developing in order to grow. This new centre provides a way for UK chemical companies of all sizes to get access to the skills and facilities they need to help them take advantage of opportunities in areas such as sustainable energy, smart packaging and regenerative medicine."
Computational scientists from Daresbury Laboratory will bring their expertise in computational chemistry to the centre, contributing state-of-the-art modelling and simulation facilities and skills. Industrial projects will also be able to take advantage of the world-class experimental and materials characterization facilities at the Daresbury Laboratory, including photoelectron spectroscopy, surface characterization and advanced electron microscopy.
More information about the KCMC is available at www.materialschemistry.org
Best of the Week: Food Analysis, Chemical Migration in Plastic Bottles, STEM Researcher of the Year
December 20th 2024Top articles published this week include the launch of our “From Lab to Table” content series, a Q&A interview about using liquid chromatography–high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC–HRMS) to assess chemical hazards in plastic bottles, and a piece recognizing Brett Paull for being named Tasmanian STEM Researcher of the Year.
Using LC-MS/MS to Measure Testosterone in Dried Blood Spots
December 19th 2024Testosterone measurements are typically performed using serum or plasma, but this presents several logistical challenges, especially for sample collection, storage, and transport. In a recently published article, Yehudah Gruenstein of the University of Miami explored key insights gained from dried blood spot assay validation for testosterone measurement.
Determination of Pharmaceuticals by Capillary HPLC-MS/MS (Dec 2024)
December 19th 2024This application note demonstrates the use of a compact portable capillary liquid chromatograph, the Axcend Focus LC, coupled to an Agilent Ultivo triple quadrupole mass spectrometer for quantitative analysis of pharmaceutical drugs in model aqueous samples.
