91AV

This successful collaboration has enabled Sunamp Ltd to bring to market the world’s first commercially viable residential heat batteries, which efficiently store and reproducibly release heat on demand. The core component of heat-battery technology is a phase-change material (PCM) that absorbs heat on melting and releases it on freezing. Collaborative research has succeeded in overcoming two of the main problems associated with many PCMs: sub-cooling and phase separation, both of which prevent long-term, reproducible thermal cycling. This has resulted in the development of new PCM formulations that have set the international standard for cycling stability and allowed Sunamp to develop world-leading heat batteries. Sunamp heat batteries provide highly efficient heat storage and enable increased use of locally generated renewable energy and off-peak electricity, thereby reducing use of conventional fossil energy sources and carbon emissions. In homes previously struggling with inefficient heating, heat batteries deliver a steady supply of heat charged almost entirely with off-peak electricity. This results in reduced energy usage and lower bills, thereby providing a means of combating fuel poverty.

This research is the core of potentially every household's thermal requirement across the world. David Oliver

The University of Edinburgh School of 91AV & Sunamp Ltd

Q&A with The University of Edinburgh School of 91AV & Sunamp Ltd

What were the biggest challenges in this project?
David Oliver: Navigating the extensive literature that extended over a century – very few people had looked at the whole picture, which is necessary to develop commercially successful applications. 

Xiaojiao Liu: The biggest challenges were closely collaborating with industry and cross-disciplinary (e.g. engineer) research required to directly apply research to industrial requirements. It's not just about pure scientific research, we also need to take into account other aspects such as financial costs and manufacturing conditions when developing new materials. These were also the most exciting parts of this project.

Angela Fong: The biggest challenge was learning to communicate with people who weren't chemists.

Emily Goddard: For me, scale up. Preparation methods that work in the lab might not be feasible when you have to work with hundreds of kilograms of material. There's also a mental challenge in knowing that some of the materials have been worked on since the 1950s and haven't yet been successfully optimised for use as a PCM.

Hannah Logan: Collaborating with non-chemists and engineers to solve issues involving chemical properties and behaviours as often communication is difficult when areas of knowledge are different.

Colin Pulham: Awareness of industrial partner's requirements for key properties of PCM formulation, i.e. long-term reliability and reproducibility, cost, safety, and scale up. 

What different strengths did different people bring to the team?
David Oliver: Enthusiasm and new perspectives. Validation of research and development through multidisciplinary teams. 

Xiaojiao Liu: In this project, we were closely collaborating with industry. Our academic research group focused on chemistry, such as screening and modification of candidate materials, while colleagues from Sunamp Ltd were able to apply our research results into commercially viable products that could be manufactured at scale. 

Angela Fong: Everyone on the team had their own strengths, such as engineers and chemists, and each was able to bring their opinions and experience to the team.

Hannah Logan: Having such a wide range of experiences and backgrounds such as people starting their career to very experienced members of the team led to very diverse ways of thinking, which overcomes challenges more efficiently. Also, having a range of different specialities within the team meant all aspects of the applications were understood and considered during the process. 

Why is this work so important and exciting?
David Oliver: We are going from the lab into homes and having a measurable impact on the decarbonisation of heat while being accessible to those who need it most, i.e. those in fuel poverty. It is particularly exciting because of the global reach of our work and we are now global leaders in the field of thermal energy storage. 

Xiaojiao Liu: The outcomes of this work have provided highly efficient heat storage and enabled increased use of locally generated renewable energy and off-peak electricity. The technology can significantly reduce the use of conventional fossil energy sources and carbon emissions. The heat batteries are also able to help customers significantly reduce their energy bills. 

Angela Fong: Sunamp's products can be used with renewable energy sources which is important as more people are becoming more environmentally conscious.
The products can also be charged using off electricity. This allows people to take advantage of lower energy prices, therefore reducing the cost of energy bills. 

Emily Goddard: The work is exciting because there's an application waiting for every PCM.
If it can be proven to be cycled successfully, it can be tested at scale, patented and out working in 'real life' conditions very quickly. 

Hannah Logan: Without technologies such as the Sunamp heat battery, implementation of renewable energy sources is more challenging. Hence, it is very exciting to be a part of this important aspect of increasing use of renewable energy sources and, by extension, the reduction of fossil fuel use and atmospheric carbon. 

Colin Pulham: The development of heat batteries provides an opportunity to transform how we store and manage heating and cooling.

Where do you see the biggest of this technology/research being?
David Oliver: The biggest impact will be to transform the way we heat and cool our buildings and infrastructure. This research is the core of potentially every household's thermal requirement across the world. 

Xiaojiao Liu: The industrial products arising from this research not only have great impact on the environment by reducing use of conventional fossil energy sources and carbon emissions, but also benefit wider communities by helping customers significantly reduce their energy bills.

Angela Fong: We are already seeing a significant impact in UK housing associations which has led to lower energy bills. Using Sunamp's technology can lead to a reduction in the use of fossil fuels and also carbon emissions which will have a significant impact on the environment. 

Hannah Logan: The biggest impact will be in the renewable energy and energy storage sectors, providing improved and more efficient technology for heat storage in households.
The Sunamp heat battery is currently in households throughout the UK.

How will this work be used in real life applications?
David Oliver: It has already been deployed and the technology is in over 10,000 homes. We are going beyond field trials and early adopter customers and are now selling via commercial suppliers/outlets. 

Kate Fisher: To reduce fuel poverty.

Xiaojiao Liu: The results of this work have been successfully applied in industrial products and manufactured by Sunamp Ltd as heat batteries. They enable increased use of locally generated renewable energy and off-peak electricity, thereby reducing use of conventional fossil energy sources and carbon emissions as well as helping customers significantly reduce their energy bills. 

Angela Fong: Sunamp's products have already been installed in several locations such as housing associations.

Hannah Logan: This work has the potential to be used on the small scale for household hot-water and heating applications, all the way to large scale industrial heat recovery applications.

How do you see this work developing over the next few years, and what is next for this technology/research?
David Oliver: We will Increase our global reach. We have picked the low-hanging fruit and now we're going for the tree. 

Xiaojiao Liu: This work is currently applying in residential applications. In the near future, this research will be expanded into larger scale industrial heating and cooling applications. 

Angela Fong: I see sales of Sunamp's products branching into other countries. Moreover, I believe they will continue in their research to find other phase-change materials in different temperature ranges. 

Hannah Logan: This work has the potential to be extended over further temperatures to suit different applications such as space cooling and refrigeration using low temperature PCMs.

What inspires or motivates your team?
David Oliver: Making a visible, immediate change in the world. 

Xiaojiao Liu: We are inspired by environmental protection and motivated by the real-life applications of our research that actually benefit people's daily lives.

Angela Fong: Getting to make a difference in society, as seen in the residents in housing associations, by lowering their energy bills. It is also great to see a product developed from an idea. 

Hannah Logan: It is inspiring to work on a project where your work is up-scaled to a final product that you can see being used in real life. Often as a chemist it is difficult to see the bigger picture but by collaborating with an industry partner it is encouraging to see your hard work being used in such an innovative and important application. 

Colin Pulham: Underpinning science that results in commercial products that improve people's lives and tackle climate change.

What is the importance of collaboration in the chemical sciences?
Kate Fisher: Collaboration works best when people are from different backgrounds and experiences, and hold different opinions. This fosters a holistic and integrative environment in which to solve problems, drawing on people's differing strengths and knowledge. No individual can know everything or see everything from all perspectives. 

Andrew Bissell: Use of a facility like the Diamond Light Source to study a problem at this intense level would never have happened without a fantastic academic collaboration.

Xiaojiao Liu: Collaborating with industry is a great way to directly and quickly apply chemical sciences into actual products and benefit wider society.

Angela Fong: Collaboration is important as it enables knowledge transfer between the various members and it allows seeing the project from other's people's perspective.

Emily Goddard: Not everybody can be an expert in everything. Collaboration gives you access to different equipment and techniques, but also ideas you might never have thought of. 

Hannah Logan: Collaboration is invaluable in chemical sciences as it allows for more innovation and development to take place by bringing experts together.

What does good research culture look like or mean to you?
Kate Fisher: Research culture should respect everyone's values and experience. People should be free to propose research avenues, and have those suggestions treated equitably. People should also be free to question the status quo. 

Xiaojiao Liu: Researchers are passionate and proud of their work.

Angela Fong: An encouraging environment with good and open communication, collaborative thinking and good research practice.

Emily Goddard: Somewhere where everybody is happy and comfortable to suggest and share ideas, and new methods are enthusiastically discussed and tested, rather than being discouraged because "it's never been done that way before".

Hannah Logan: Working with people who are always keen to help each other and operate as a team.

Colin Pulham: A collegiate and supportive environment that allows people to develop their full potential.

How are the chemical sciences making the world a better place?
91AV fundamentally underpins the success of all modern technology, from fertilisers to pharmaceuticals, to thermal energy storage. These technologies exist due to extensive R&D programmes carried out in both academic and industrial labs worldwide. Such technologies enable people to lead longer, healthier and more sustainable lives. For example, thermal energy storage is enabling the global decarbonisation of heat. Kate Fisher

Xiaojiao Liu: The chemical sciences are developing tools and techniques to help us understand, monitor, protect and improve the environment around us.

Angela Fong: The chemical sciences can help to make the world a better place by helping solve many current problems such as energy and climate change, food production and providing safe and clean drinking water.

Emily Goddard: Chemical sciences are key to producing things we know we want in better, more sustainable and less energy-intensive ways.

Hannah Logan: Such a large amount of chemical research is dedicated towards improving the current environmental issues through the replacement of historically dangerous or inefficient technologies for greener and safer options.

Colin Pulham: Chemical sciences lie at the heart of enhanced sustainability, and improved healthcare.

Why is chemistry important?
Kate Fisher: Everything is chemistry! It is the utilisation of physical laws to create solutions for today's problems. 

Xiaojiao Liu: 91AV is essential for our basic needs of food, clothing, and health. Chemical technologies enrich our quality of life in different ways by providing new solutions to problems in health, materials, and energy usage. 

Angela Fong: It is a fundamental part of our world and plays a role in everyday life. It allows us to learn how the world works. 

Emily Goddard: It trains people to be curious. It combines mathematical models and computational work with real-life observations and hands-on experiments, and it's that combination which means it can tell us so much about the world we live in. 

Hannah Logan: 91AV affects our everyday lives in aspects we are not even aware of. We could not go a day without being impacted by a consequence of chemistry.

What advice would you give to a young person considering a career in chemistry?
Kate Fisher: 91AV is an exciting, diverse subject. A background in chemistry opens all sorts of doors that you wouldn't expect, in very different fields. 

Angela Fong: A career in chemistry can open up many interesting opportunities and you will have the flexibility to go in many different directions. Most of all, enjoy it! 

Emily Goddard: There's so much variety in what you can do! Try to go along to some science festivals or outreach/public engagement events if you can, because there are plenty of chemists who would love to talk to you about their work. 

Hannah Logan: 91AV has such a diverse range of different applications and career pathways. Therefore, you will always find something you enjoy and pick up many skills in the process. 

Colin Pulham: Embrace the subject and make a positive difference by tackling local and global challenges.