Development of next generation electrosurgery electrode design via surface microtexturing

Self funded project October 2022/3 / April 2023 / July 2023 start, 3 years duration.

Electrosurgery is a medical procedure that utilises an alternating and high frequency current (200kHz-3.3MHz) to either cut and/or coagulate tissues and achieve haemostasis. The technology faces a fundamental problem: tissue building up and sticking on the electrodes of the instrument. While separating the tissues from the electrode, they may tear, leading to bleeding, and impairing the coagulation performance. Although the tissue sticking can be overcome using electrically conductive coatings such as gold, and titanium nitride (TiN), these coatings possess a limited durability and may wear out during use. To circumvent these limitations, this project aims at developing next generation electrosurgery tools via surface microtexturing. In particular, the research will investigate the interaction between the micro-textures on the tissue-contacting surface of the electrodes and the biological tissues, under in-vitro electrosurgery conditions, to design optimum textures on the electrodes to increase the efficiency and durability of electrosurgical instruments. The ultimate goal of the project is to develop a low-cost manufacturing method of electrosurgery tools in a mass production environment.

The project will initially centre on designing appropriate microtextures and tailored surface properties that would lead to an optimum reduction of tissue build-up. The study will exhaustively investigate the surface properties on a wider range of microtextures designed through an in-depth theoretical study and modelling of electrode/biological tissue interaction.

The project will subsequently focus on fabricating the optimal microtextures accurately and repeatedly. Various surface textures will be designed, produced and tested, initially to gain insight on the manufacturing capabilities, and subsequently to guide the theoretical study and ultimately to achieve an optimum texture design.

Academic Criteria

Candidates should hold a good bachelor’s degree (first or upper second-class honours degree) or an MEng/MSc degree in a relevant engineering/science subject.

Applicants whose first language is not English will be required to demonstrate proficiency in the English language (IELTS 6.5 or equivalent).

How to Apply

Applicants should submit an application for postgraduate study via the Cardiff University webpages (http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/research/programmes/programme/engineering ) including;

·      an upload of your CV

·      a personal statement/covering letter

·      two references (applicants are recommended to have a third academic referee, if the two academic referees are within the same department/school)

·      Current academic transcripts

Applicants should select Doctor of Philosophy (Engineering), with a start date of 1^st April 2023, 1^st July 2023 or 1^st October 2022/2023.

In the research proposal section of your application, please specify the project title, reference (DB1-SF-2022) and supervisors of this project and copy the project description in the text box provided.

Contact for further information

Please contact Dr Debajyoti Bhaduri ([Email Address Removed]) to informally discuss this opportunity and [Email Address Removed] for any questions regarding eligibility and recruitment.

Deadline for applications

1st December 2023 - we may however close this opportunity earlier if a suitable candidate is identified.