Highly conductive (3.0 - 5.0 x 10 \(^{-4}\) \( Ω\) cm) and transparent (80 – 85% ) ITO films were successfully fabricated on glass and polymer substrates (PET, PEN and PC) by pulsed laser deposition at low temperatures (24 – 150 °C). The influence of deposition conditions on the…
Manufacturers are under pressure to reformulate products to make healthier foods, without changing desirability or flavour. A better understanding of product breakdown under oral conditions is essential to structure novel products which are healthier without consumers noticing. …
With respect to microbiological food safety, beer is thought to be very safe. This is due to the inability of pathogenic organisms to survive in the harsh environment that beer presents, due to low pH, alcohol content and hop acids. However, there are some organisms which have a…
This project has investigated the degradation of freshly harvested Willow chips, thermally treated wood pellets and white wood pellets in both indoor and outdoor storage. Novel research has been carried out, by combining a range of fuels, storage scenarios, stockpile sizes and w…
This aim of this work is to determine carbon formation when methane is reformed directly inside the SOFC anodes, from thermodynamic equilibrium and kinetic approaches. Two carbon formation determination approaches - carbon-steam equilibrium and carbon activity approaches were th…
Development of mucoadhesive biopolymer has received great attention in the pharmaceutical application due to its ability to retain the drug dosage at the specific targeted area. This special property could be applied in food formulation for optimum delivery of the active ingredi…
This thesis aims to develop a better understanding of both the formation and properties of fluid gels using the microstructural engineering approach. In general terms, the two main outcomes of this research are: (1) advancing the knowledge on the structuring processes for fluid …
Chocolate is consumed in large quantities, but is high in fat and calories, and has limited nutritional benefits. Producing reduced-fat chocolate offers a way of reducing energy consumed, if the consumer will accept the product. The aims of the research presented in this thesis …
This thesis reports numerical analyses of powder flow, mixing and segregation behavior during die filling in a vacuum and in air using an Eulerian-Lagrangian model, which employs a Discrete Element Method (DEM) for the particles and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) for the air…
There is a growing interest to incorporate melamine formaldehyde (MF) microcapsules containing perfume oil in detergents, which can be delivered to consumers at end-use applications. The microcapsules should have desirable properties including optimum mechanical strength and cap…
As the focus of research on ‘adaptive/responsive’ surfaces has in recent years contributed strongly towards the design of surface materials with ‘intelligent’ or ‘smart’ behaviour, current superparamagnetic adsorbents being employed both in small and large scale operations can b…
Magnetic bioseparations based on non-porous adsorbents offer a low-fouling alternative to the porous materials required by conventional adsorbent separation techniques. Interest in magnetic bioseparations has been limited by the high cost of suitable magnetic absorbents. In this…
The flow pattern and distribution of energy dissipation rate in a batch rotor-stator mixer fitted with disintegrating head have been numerically investigated. Standard k-e turbulence model in conjunction with sliding mesh method was employed and the simulation results were verif…
It was proposed that a phase separated system might be utilised to deliver a concentrated polysaccharide mucosal protective coating in gastro oesophageal reflux disease (GORD). In this context the phase behaviour of xanthan gum in combination with sodium alginate and other polym…
The aim of this project is to explore the social and ethical dimensions of the agricultural production of perennial energy crop and crop residues for energy. Biomass – any living or recently living matter – is being promoted in industrialised countries as part of the transition …
Recent advancements in applied, medical materials engineering sciences and micro/nano technology have stimulated increasing demand for novel, high quality and precisely-shaped particles. As most of the materials that are used by these scientific fields are in crystalline forms, …
Introduction: Over the past decades, several labelling techniques have been used in an attempt to track stem cells using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). However, very few of these were able to definitely determine the precise location of stem cells within a living organism and…
Microporous materials play an important role in a variety of industrial and domestic applications. While a diverse range of microporous materials have been identified, this thesis focuses on porous organic cages (POCs) because they have received much attention as synthetically t…
The motivation for this research is the synthesis and characterisation of nanostructured oxide materials for potential applications in renewable energy generation or storage. In particular, the research in this thesis addresses the development of nanostructured oxide materials w…