Energy Oxide Device

Superconductors for power applications (transmission & fusion magnets)

We work closely with an industry partner on high superconductor coated conductor development for power transmission and for fusion applications.

Superconducting film

 

X-ray detectors

We are working on BiOI X-ray detectors based on our paper: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-38008-4. These materials are stable, green and are capable of detecting X-ray dose rates over 250 times lower than the current best performing detectors used commercially. They are also excellent materials for indoor PV for IoT electronics (linking back to theme 1).

 

XrayDetection Graphic

 

We work on a range of functional oxides for energy devices, for applications in power transmission and energy generation (superconductors) to energy harvesting (for IoT) and energy storage (mainly for IoT and high temperature electronics).

Recent examples include:

  • Development of novel oxide thin film materials and structures for solid state batteries.
  • New materials for relaxor ferroelectrics used in energy storage.
  • Novel thin film micro-solid oxide cells for reversible electrolysis/micro fuel cell (see figure and text below).

Reversible solid oxide cells (rSOCs) present a promising solution to future energy challenges through the efficient conversion of electrical and chemical energy. To date, the benefits of rSOC technology have been off-limits to portable power and electrolysis applications due to the excessive polarisation resistance of the oxygen electrode at low temperatures, characterized by high area specific resistance (ASR) values below 500 °C. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nanoen.2023.109049

  • New materials for light energy harvesting and radiation detection (see figures and text below).

Stable, green BiOI single crystals for X-ray detectors capable of detecting X-ray dose rates over 250 times lower than the current best performing detectors used commercially. The very high linear attenuation coefficients are shown in right hand image. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-38008-4. A press release on the work, so far, is here.

We are excited to have been awarded in 2023 a joint EPSRC-NSF grant (together with Robert Hoye, Oxford and Quanxi Jia, SUNY, Buffalo) to develop large area detectors of BiOI.  Prof. Jia also has a visiting fellowship to Trinity College to spend time in Cambridge to visit and work on this project.

Example Recent Papers

MacManus-Driscoll JL, High Temperature Superconductor Coated Conductors: A Highly Complex System Where the Only Way is ‘ups’, Superconductivity, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.supcon.2025.100189, Sep 2025, 15, 100189.

Lai MH, Kim I, Feighan JP, Bedford T,  Shen J, Moceri MT, Huang J, Nguyen XT,  Di Martino G, Wang H, Moon SH, Kursumovic A, MacManus-Driscoll JL, Influence of Rare Earth (RE) Mixing in REBa2Cu3O7-x Thin Films, Including RE2O3 Nanoparticle Formation, on In-Field  Critical Current Density at 20K, Superconductivity, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.supcon.2025.100171, Sept. 2025, 15, 100171.

Wells MP, Lovett AJ, Zhang Y, Shang Z, Wang H, MacManus-Driscoll, Judith L, Wells MP, Lovett AJ, Zhang Y, Shang Z, Wang H, MacManus-Driscoll, Judith L, Pathway to high performance, low temperature thin-film solid oxide cells grown on porous anodised aluminium oxide, Nano Energy, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nanoen.2023.109049; Jan. 2024, 119, 109049.

Lovett A, Daramalla V, Nayak D, Sayeed F, Mahadevegowda A, Ducati C, Spencer BF, Dutton S, Grey CP, MacManus-Driscoll JL, Three-Dimensional Nanocomposite Thin Film Cathodes for Micro-Batteries with Enhanced High-Rate Electrochemical Performance over Planar Films, Advanced Energy Materials, https://doi.org/10.1002/aenm.202302053; Sept. 2023, 13, 2302053.

Kim D, Sun X-G, Gao X, MacManus-Driscoll JL, Lee HN, Lee SB, Stable super-capacity all-solid-state nanobattery using binder-free single-crystalline TiO2(B) electrodes, Nano Letters, https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.nanolett.3c00596. Jul. 2023, 23, 6815.

Lovett A, Daramalla V, Sayed F.N. h-Óra M, Grey CP, Dutton S E, MacManus-Driscoll, JL Low Temperature Epitaxial Growth of LiMn2O4 Utilizing A Novel NiCo2O4 Current Collector, ASC Energy Letters,  https://doi.org/10.1021/acsenergylett.3c01094, Jul. 2023,  8, 3437.

Pan H, Zhang Y, MacManus-Driscoll JL, Interplay of polarization, strength, and loss in dielectric films for capacitive energy storage: current status and future directions, Journal of Materiomics, 10.1016/j.jmat.2022.11.010; May 2023, 9, 516.

Kim D, Jeon Y, MacManus-Driscoll JL and Lee S, Solid-state catalytic hydrogen sponge effects in grain-boundary-free BaInO2.5 films, Advanced Functional Materials, https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202300819; May 2023, 2300819.

Jagt RA, Bravić I,  Eyre L, Gałkowski K, Borowiec J, Baranowski M, Dyksik M, van de Goor TWJ, Kreouzis T, Bevan A, Płochocka P, Stranks SD, Deschler F, Monserrat B, MacManus-Driscoll JL, Hoye RL, Layered BiOI single crystals capable of detecting low dose rates of X-rays, Nature Communications,https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-38008-4; Apr. 2023, 14, 2452.