HarwellXPS

HarwellXPS – UK National Research Facility for Surface and Interface Characterisation

HarwellXPS is the UK's EPSRC National Research Facility for X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), providing advanced surface and interface characterisation to academia, industry and international research consortia.

Delivered through a partnership between University College London (UCL), Cardiff University, the University of Manchester and Aberystwyth University, HarwellXPS combines specialist analytical infrastructure with scientific expertise to support materials research, industrial innovation and technology development.

We work with universities, SMEs, technology developers and established industrial organisations, providing experimental design, advanced measurements, data interpretation and collaborative research support.

Scientific and Technical Capabilities

Our capabilities include:

• X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS): Surface composition, chemical states, oxidation states, contamination and interface chemistry.

• Hard X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (HAXPES): Buried interfaces, thin films and multilayer materials.

• Cryogenic XPS (cryoXPS): Temperature-sensitive materials, reactive interfaces and degradation processes.

• Near-Ambient Pressure XPS (NAP-XPS): Surface chemistry under controlled gas environments.

• Ion Scattering Spectroscopy (ISS): Outermost surface composition and elemental depth profiling.

• Reflection Electron Energy Loss Spectroscopy (REELS) and Ultraviolet Photoelectron Spectroscopy (UPS): Electronic structure and materials properties.

• X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy (XAS): XANES and EXAFS for oxidation-state and local atomic structure analysis.

Our scientists provide specialist support in experimental design, quantitative analysis, spectral interpretation and technical reporting.

Industrial Applications and Research Interests

Our expertise is particularly relevant to Horizon Europe Cluster 4 (Digital, Industry and Space) and Cluster 5 (Climate, Energy and Mobility).

Advanced Materials and Sustainable Manufacturing: Functional coatings, polymers, composites, thin films, additive manufacturing, surface modification, contamination and failure analysis.

Batteries and Energy Storage: Electrode materials, solid-state batteries, solid-electrolyte interphases, chemical degradation, recycling and lifetime assessment.

Hydrogen, Catalysis and Clean Energy: Catalyst surfaces, oxidation states, hydrogen technologies, electrochemical materials, fuel cells and industrial decarbonisation.

Circular Economy and Environmental Technologies: Materials ageing, corrosion, recycling, resource recovery, environmental degradation and sustainable materials development.

Semiconductors and Functional Materials: Thin-film interfaces, surface treatments, electronic materials, semiconductor processing and chemical-state analysis.

Horizon Europe Collaboration Opportunities

HarwellXPS is actively seeking opportunities to participate in Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Actions (RIA) and Innovation Actions (IA), particularly projects addressing advanced materials, sustainable manufacturing, clean energy technologies and circular economy challenges.

We are interested in joining established or developing international consortia as a specialist materials characterisation partner, contributing defined analytical tasks or dedicated work packages.

Our potential contributions include:

• Designing and delivering characterisation programmes across multiple consortium partners.

• Investigating surface chemistry, interfaces, oxidation states and degradation mechanisms.

• Supporting materials development, optimisation and technology validation.

• Establishing consistent analytical methodologies for comparative studies.

• Providing specialist measurements, scientific interpretation and technical reports.

• Supporting industrial partners with failure analysis and materials performance investigations.

Why Partner with HarwellXPS?

Our distributed national facility provides access to specialist instrumentation and expertise across four leading UK universities, enabling coordinated, multidisciplinary analytical investigations.

We combine advanced measurement capabilities with experienced scientists who understand the challenges of complex materials systems and industrial R&D.

HarwellXPS welcomes enquiries from industrial organisations, SMEs, research institutes, universities, Catapults and Horizon Europe consortium coordinators seeking specialist surface and interface characterisation.

We are particularly interested in joining consortia preparing proposals for Horizon Europe Cluster 4 and Cluster 5 calls in 2027.