The design of superconducting materials in order to achieve higher transition temperatures (Tc) to the zero-resistance state has been recognised by recent international and national reviews as at the extreme forefront of current challenges in condensed matter science with potential for transforming existing and enabling new technologies of tremendous economic and societal benefits in energy and healthcare. Achieving the zero-resistance state requires close control of the interactions of electrons with each other (known as electron correlation) and with lattice vibrations (phonons). This project addresses these challenges by building on EPSRC-supported collaborative work by the project team, which has shown that high Tc superconductivity, defined both in terms of transition temperature and the key role played by electronic correlations, is accessible in molecular systems. In the fullerene-based molecular superconductors, superconductivity occurs in competition with electronic ground states resulting from a fine balance between electron correlations and electron-phonon coupling in an electronic phase diagram strikingly similar to that of the atom-based copper oxide high Tc superconductors, where correlation plays a key role. A second molecular superconductor family with transition temperatures over 30 K, based on metal intercalation into aromatic hydrocarbons, has also been reported. It is therefore timely to optimise and understand superconducting materials made from molecules arranged in regular solid structures. The scope of synthetic chemistry to tailor molecular electronic and geometric structure makes the development of molecular superconducting systems important, because this chemical control of the fundamental building units of a superconductor is not possible in atom-based systems. The molecular systems are the only current candidates for the important target of isotropic correlated electron superconductivity. We will exploit these opportunities by integration of new chemistry with new physical understanding, exemplified by revealing how changes in molecular-level orbital degeneracy driven by chemical control of molecular charge and overlap direct the electronic structure of an extended solid. We will develop the new chemistry of the molecular solid state that will be needed for this level of electronic structure control, in particular mastering the chemistry of metal intercalation into hydrocarbons. This new materials chemistry will include the use of new building blocks (such as endohedral metallofullerenes) and will harness the assimilation of defects to access new molecular packings, motivated by our discovery that different packings of the same molecular unit give different Tc and distinct electronic properties. Further structural control will be exercised by binding small molecules to the cations intercalated into the molecular lattices. The synthesis of metal-intercalated solids based on multiple molecular components will be undertaken to permit detailed optimisation of the electronic structure. We will thus specifically exploit the molecular system advantages of isotropy, packing and molecular-level electronic structure control by developing the new chemistry of the molecular solid state needed to establish the new electronic ground states. Physical understanding of the structural and chemical origins of the new electronic states is essential to identify the factors controlling the electron pairing in the superconductors. This understanding will emerge from an integrated investigation of the insulator-metal-superconductor competition, spanning thermodynamic, spectroscopic and electronic property measurements closely linked to comprehensive structural work in order to produce the structure-composition-property relationships required for the design of next generation systems. The project benefits from an international multidisciplinary collaborative team to ensure all relevant techniques are deployed.

Co-created and delivered with industry, REWIRE will accelerate the UK's ambition for net zero by transforming the next generation of high voltage electronic devices using wide/ultra-wide bandgap (WBG/UWBG) compound semiconductors. Our application-driven, collaborative research programme and training will advance the next generation of semiconductor power device technologies to commercialisation and enhance the security of the UK's semiconductor supply-chain. Power devices are at the centre of all power electronic systems. WBG/UWBG compound semiconductor devices pave the way for more efficient and compact power electronic systems, reducing energy loss at the power systems level. The UK National Semiconductor Strategy recognises advances in these technologies and the technical skills required for their development and manufacture as essential to supporting the growing net zero economy. REWIRE's philosophy is centred on cycles of use cases co-created with industry and stakeholders, meeting market needs for devices with increased voltage ranges, maturity and reliability. We will develop multiple technologies in parallel from a range of initial TRL to commercialisation. Initial work will focus on three use cases co-developed with industry, for transformative next generation WBG/UWBG semiconductor power electronic devices: (1) Wind energy, HVDC networks (>10 kV) - increased range high voltage devices as the basis for enabling more efficient power conversion and more compact power converters; (2) High temperature applications, device and packaging - greatly expanded application ranges for power electronics; (3) Tools for design, yield and reliability - improving the efficiency of semiconductor device manufacture. These use cases will: improve higher TRL Silicon Carbide (SiC) 1-2kV technology towards higher voltages; advance low TRL devices such as Gallium Oxide (Ga2O3) and Aluminium Gallium Nitride (AlGaN), diamond and cubic Boron Nitride (c-BN) towards demonstration and ultimately commercialisation; and develop novel heterogenous integration techniques, either within a semiconductor chip or within a package, for enhanced functionality. Use cases will have an academic and industry lead, fostering academia-industry co-development across different work packages. These initial, transformative REWIRE technologies will have wide-ranging applications. They will enhance the efficient conversion of electricity to and from High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) for long-distance transfer, enabling a sustainable national grid with benefits including more reliable and secure communication systems. New technologies will also bring competitive advantage to the UK's strategically important electric vehicle and battery sectors, through optimised efficiency in charging, performance, energy conversion and management. New use cases will be co-developed throughout REWIRE, with our >30 industrial and policy partners who span the full semiconductor device supply chain, to meet stakeholder priorities. Through engagement with suppliers, manufacturers, and policymakers, REWIRE will pioneer advances in semiconductor supply chain management, developing supply chain tools for stakeholders to improve understanding of the dynamics of international trade, potential supply disruptions, and pricing volatilities. These tools and our Supply Chain Resilience Guide will support the commercialisation of technologies from use cases, enabling users to make informed decisions to enhance resilience, sustainability, and inclusion. Equity, Diversity, and Inclusivity (EDI) are integral to REWIRE's ambitions. Through extensive collaboration across the academic and industrial partners, we will build the diverse, skilled workforce needed to accelerate innovation in academia and industry, creating resilient UK businesses and supply chains.

Nuclear fusion - the joining together of atomic nuclei of light elements such as hydrogen to form larger nuclei - is the process by which vast amounts of energy is produced in stars like our sun. If it can be harnessed on Earth it has the potential deliver a nearly unlimited and safe source of energy which does not produce the environmentally damaging CO2 emissions that are released by burning traditional fossil fuels. However, for nuclear fusion to occur, extremely high temperatures and pressures are required because positively charged atomic nuclei within a plasma have to collide with each other with sufficient energy to overcome the immensely strong electrostatic repulsion forces. To achieve nuclear fusion in a machine on Earth, extraordinarily high temperatures of around 150 million degrees Celsius are needed, about 10 times higher than the temperature of the sun's core. This precludes the use of traditional materials to confine the plasma, and in the most common type of fusion reactor called a tokamak, strong magnetic fields are used instead. Since the power density of a particular geometry of tokamak scales with the strength of the magnetic field to the power of four, there is a huge benefit to using higher field magnets for plasma confinement. High temperature superconductors - materials that can conduct electricity without any resistance - are an enabling technology for a new generation of compact nuclear fusion reactors that are widely believed will open the door to commercialisation of fusion for energy generation. This is because state-of-the-art high temperature superconducting tapes can carry extremely high electrical currents, even when subjected to enormous magnetic fields that completely destroy superconductivity in the best low temperature superconductors. However, although high temperature superconducting materials with fantastic properties are now available in lengths up to about 1 km in the form of flexible tapes known as coated conductors, the materials are incredibly complex and sensitive to damage, making their practical deployment in magnets for fusion devices a major challenge. This programme of research involves using a unique combination of advanced materials characterisation and modelling techniques to determine how high temperature superconductors will degrade in the harsh environment of a fusion reactor where they will be continually bombarded by high energy neutrons. The focus will be on understanding the underlying damage and recovery mechanisms in these complex functional ceramics under the most realistic conditions possible. Since in operation the superconductors will be irradiated by neutrons whilst in their superconducting state at cryogenic temperatures, innovative in situ experiments will be performed to understand the differences between room temperature and low temperature radiation damage. The experimental programme will be supported by first principles modelling of pristine and defect structures in the superconducting compounds, and the outcomes will be used to validate larger scale simulations of radiation damage as well as providing key data on degradation to feed into materials selection and magnet design decisions for the next generation of fusion magnets. The advanced characterisation methodologies developed in this fellowship will also be applied to understanding radiation damage in a wider range of fusion relevant materials.

Malaria mosquitoes mate in swarms. They use their antennal ears to detect the mating partners through their flight tones. Because the swarm is noisy, and the mosquito flight tones faint, mosquito auditory organs are highly sensitive and complex. We discovered a few years ago that the mosquito ear is innervated by a complex neuromodulatory network of neurotransmitters that are released from the brain, what is called an efferent system. This system is unique as mosquitoes are the only insect where auditory efferent activity has been described. Because mosquito hearing is necessary for mosquito reproduction, we hypothesize that disrupting the efferent system could be an innovative target for mosquito control. In the initial fellowship period, we focused on studying two of there neurotransmitters, octopamine and serotonin, to analyse their auditory roles in the swarm context and the implications for mosquito mating. For the second fellowship period, we would like to build on these results and provide a better understanding of the underlying fundamental biology mechanisms and explore implications for malaria control. We will also study the auditory role of the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA, which extensively innervates the auditory nerve. We aim at providing a comprehensive understanding of the role of individual neurotransmitters modulating mosquito audition and swarming behaviour and of the emergent properties of the system. We will also explore specific tools to disrupt mosquito audition and swarming behaviour and model the effects on malaria transmission.