Sir Paul Nurse, head of London’s new Francis Crick Institute, has warned against the consequences for British science should the country vote to leave the European Union on 23 June. The Nobel laureate said a British exit would make it more difficult for scientists in the UK to win research funding and would sell “future generations short”. His remarks follow a letter last week in the Financial Times signed by more than 50 biotech and pharmaceuticals chief executives and another in the Sunday Times, signed by 103 university leaders – both warning against leaving the Union. “We need a vision for our future that is ambitious and not to run away and bury our heads in the sand, and we can best do this by staying in the EU. We should not be side-tracked by short-term political opportunism,” Sir Paul said. He made the comments at a news briefing on the consequences of withdrawing from the EU, where he was flanked by other prominent scientists also advocating for continued membership of the Union. “Being in the EU gives us access to ideas, people and to investment in science,” he continued. “That, combined with mobility (of EU scientists), gives us increased collaboration, increased transfer of people, ideas and science – all of which, history has shown us, drives science.” Only by remaining in the EU can the UK have any influence in directing research on the global stage alongside the other “powerhouses” (e.g. the US and China) of science, Sir Paul added. According to the Office for National Statistics, the UK gave €78bn to the EU between 2007 and 2013, €5.4bn of which was allocated to the Seventh Framework Programme for Research and Development; in return, the UK received €8.8bn in research funding from the EU. The post Sir Paul Nurse warns against Brexit appeared first on Horizon 2020 Projects.

Fig.1 High temperature oscillating-cup viscometer for new car engine molten alloys Bridging the gap between scientific research and industrial utilisation. Thermophysics is the science and technology of thermophysical material properties. Thermophysical properties are all material properties affecting the transfer and storage of heat, which vary with the state variables temperature, pressure and composition (in mixtures), and of other relevant variables, without altering the material’s chemical identity. These properties will include thermal conductivity and diffusivity, heat capacity, density, thermal expansion and thermal radiative properties, as well as viscosity and mass and thermal diffusion coefficients, speed of sound, surface and interfacial tension in fluids. The Molecular Thermophysics and Fluid Technology Group of Centro de Química Estrutural (University of Lisbon) is an internationally recognised group in Thermophysics of Fluids and Materials, with a strong experience on experimental measurement, modelling and correlation of thermophysical properties, and designing equipment and sensors for fundamental and industrial applications. As part of one of the leading research centres in the area of chemistry and chemical engineering in Portugal, now 40 years old, the group has made contributions of high quality research in the past, including early researchers’ training and service procurement and supporting industrial research and development. The group’s leader, Carlos A Nieto de Castro, has more than 40 years’ experience in thermophysical properties, starting with simple gases and liquids such as Ar, N2, n-C1 to C4, linear and branched hydrocarbons, refrigerants (low or zero ozone depletion potential), alcohols, water (including humid air) and water mixtures, salt solutions, molten salts and metals in a wide range of temperatures and pressures. In recent years most of this research was directed at cutting-edge research, which include ionic liquids, nanomaterials and IoNanofluids, and new engineering fluids. Why nanomaterials, ionic liquids and new engineering fluids? These fields are the object of very strong research, all with several problems, as applications need good values of properties and the existing/state-of-the-art/commercial equipment needs to be adapted/redesigned for such complex nanosystems. One of the main advantages of our knowhow is the possibility of implementing the cross-fertilisation of these research fields to resolve delicate problems, not only at a molecular level but for possible industrial applications. Thermophysical properties play a significant role in the development of the Molecular Science of Fluids, both on the interpretation of the intermolecular forces and in the acquisition of the necessary experimental information to understand the dynamics of the gaseous and liquid states. They play an important role in several processes in the chemical, extraction and manufacturing industries, especially in those involving simultaneous heat and mass transfer. Most of the problems that affect our society need the values of these properties to control, design and characterise new products and processes, to replace unacceptable processes and compounds, and to optimise energy balances and efficiency. Our current research has the following objectives, with five main scientific streams, one technological, and one societal, complementary, and which overlap in some cases: Behaviour and structure of complex systems (including nanosystems): by measuring thermodynamic and transport properties, employing molecular models and developing molecular simulations and predictive methods. A wide range of temperatures will be covered in high temperature molten systems, normal temperatures and pressures as refrigerants, ionic liquids, aqueous mixtures and solutions of amphiphilic compounds, special gases (including corrosive mixtures), nanofluids, nanomaterials (carbon nanotubes, graphene, fullerenes, oxide ceramics), specially ‘target designed’ fluids (IoNanofluids, IoBiofluids), and fluid phase equilibria (water + alcohols); New sensors and instruments: developing new thin films sensors and ancillary equipment for the measurement of electrical and thermal conductivity and electrical permittivity, for several applications (including biological supports), with single/dual functionality, and new instrumentation for selected properties/systems, namely for ionic liquids, nanomaterials/nanofluids and high temperature melts; Metrology: the establishment of standard reference values for the thermal conductivity and viscosity of liquids/molten materials/ionic liquids; Solution chemistry: this stream will conduct research aiming to improve the advanced understanding of interactions in amphiphilic solutions, ionic liquids and nanoparticles; Molecular simulation: ionic systems – molecular dynamics and free energy calculations of properties, phase diagrams and nucleation processes in bulk systems and ionic nanoclusters; Technological applications and technology transfer: creating added value to our scientific research, using top-down and bottom-up approaches, with national and European companies. It is our intention to promote technology transfer to ensure that scientific and technological developments can be available to society, by maintaining its affordability and at making advantageous use of existing equipment. Some examples, such as new spectrally selective coatings for solar paints, will allow us to produce films at low cost. The development of new nano-based heat transfer fluids, and their performance enhancement, making a solar collector and heat exchangers more energy efficient without compromising the environmental goals set by the World Energy Council. Measuring the viscosity of new molten alloys for high-tech applications. Measuring thermal conductivity of humid air for high pressure turbines. Development of metal-film sensors for high temperature in situ measurements in incinerators; and History of chemistry and the chemical industry in Portugal: one of the main contributions of scientists to history is the understanding of the social/scientific/political environment of their discoveries and how they contributed to the development of the Portuguese society of their time. Deepen the co-operation of our former teachers to solve the problems of everyday life, research and development of new technologies, comparable to those of Europe at the time. In summary, our experience paves the way for a strong collaboration with other research groups and industrial companies in the frame of Horizon 2020. The strength of the European economy and the welfare of our society depend heavily on this approach. We are prepared to make thermophysics contribute to this effort. Finishing with one of my deepest thoughts: “To do or to do well is not enough! We must know how to do it well and how to use this knowledge to resolve new problems in society’s emerging needs (energy, environment, materials, health and safety), and to transfer it to young generations of researchers.” Carlos A Nieto de Castro Group Leader, Molecular Thermophysics and Fluid Technology Centro de Química Estrutural Departamento de Química e Bioquímica Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa +351 217 500 918 cacastro@ciencias.ulisboa.pt https://ciencias.ulisboa.pt/pt/página-de-ciências-carlos-castro http://groups.ist.utl.pt/~cqe.daemon/members-contacts/research-groups-2/205-2/ The post Thermophysics: At the heart of the advance appeared first on Horizon 2020 Projects.

The European Research Council (ERC) has today announced the awarding of 59 starting grants following on from the 291 already awarded to early career researchers in December. The funding has been provided by Horizon 2020. In the entire call, the ERC supported 350 researchers with almost €515m. They received grants, worth up to €1.5m each, to build their own teams and carry out research in all scientific domains at the frontiers of knowledge. The grants will enable them to employ an estimated 1,200 postdocs, PhD students and other expert staff. Altogether, the highest number of grants in this 2015 competition was awarded to researchers in the UK (61), Germany (53), the Netherlands (38) and France (35). The grantees represent 38 nationalities with Germans in the lead (56) followed by the Italians (37). The overall success rate in the competition was around 12%. See here for the new grantees. The post ERC awards 59 additional starting grants appeared first on Horizon 2020 Projects.

A 3D printing technique for the fabrication of graphene aerogels with complex microstructures will create novel uses for the ‘wonder material’. Aerogels are sponge-like, low density materials with numerous applications including thermal and optical insulators. Graphene aerogels continue to interest innovators and researchers due to their high compressibility and conductivity properties. 3D printing is just one of the promising methods for the creation of graphene aerogels with intricate architectures. Not being a simple procedure, however, researchers have to mix graphene with polymers or silica before inkjet printers can shape it using high temperatures. The polymer or silica is then extracted, using either burning or chemical processes, which can damage the aerogel’s structure. Another technique used by researchers at Kansas State University, USA, allowed them to overcome these problems. Graphene oxide was mixed with water and printed on a surface at low temperatures (-25°C) where each layer froze as it was printed, enabling a graphene oxide structure reinforced by ice. When depositing the graphene oxide suspension onto the frozen structure, however, they found that the unfrozen material melted it. When these layers were mixed freely, they refroze, forming hydrogen bonds and improving the structural integrity. By using a second printer nozzle filled with pure water, they could also create complex structures, as the ice continued to reinforce them. Andrea Ferrari, director of the graphene centre at the University of Cambridge, UK, said: ‘It’s certainly an interesting technique. Additive manufacturing is quite widespread for prototyping and it is good to have graphene available to do this type of work.’ The researchers now hope to improve their technique with multi-nozzle methods creating aerogels and structures with multiple materials. The post Graphene as 3D printed aerogels appeared first on Horizon 2020 Projects.