Personal information
Biography
Professor Bob Slade was appointed Head of Chemistry at the University of Surrey in 1998, serving in that role for 5 years, and has continuously led research at Surrey in the sustainable chemistry and electrochemical engineering of energy devices (up to 20+ researchers and including 3 other academics), with a particular emphasis on envisaged applications, including supercapacitors, flow batteries and fuel cells (both chemical and biological). He is currently a research mentor for junior academics, focusing particularly on the promotion of the research careers (including Early Career Researcher’s, ECRs).
Tailored Energy Materials, Devices and Future Energy Solutions:
1. Synthetic, physicochemical and electrochemical engineering techniques are employed in design and development of new materials and electrochemical energy devices on a rational basis, and in the study and determination of the origins of properties, transformations and targeting of materials of academic and industrial interest. This approach has drawn extensive funding form EPSRC, industry and the European Commission, not least in the area of energy materials and devices.
2. The program is known internationally for in-depth fundamental and applied investigations of solid electrolytes (especially protonic conductors, both acidic and alkaline), of intercalates (of oxides and mineral-related systems) and of the transformations (calcination, hydration) of raw materials. These studies are directly related to the in-house development of new fuel cells, novel energy storage systems and other electrochemical devices, to porosity and heterogeneous catalysis and to the deeper understanding of changes occurring during processing to produce bulk materials with desirable properties (e.g. in paper coating, ceramics production, cement chemistry).
3. Recent activities have included participation in 2 multi-university EPSRC-funded Supergen Consortia aimed at renewable and sustainable energy production, storage and recovery: the Energy Storage Consortium and the Biological Fuel Cells Consortium (Director of the Consortium). Additional participation in multi-centre programs has included an EPSRC-funded (responsive mode, DSTL co-funded) 4-university consortium in Alkaline Membrane Fuel Cells and separate Technology Strategy Board (now Innovate UK) programs with industry and other universities. Current funding includes being CI in a 3 university programme in alkaline membranes for electricity generation with reformed ammonia as fuel.
Published work
In excess of 160 refereed articles in leading journals, ca. 20 articles in conference proceedings.
Current h-index: 36 (Web of Knowledge)