The Student: The successful PhD candidate will have a first degree in physics, materials science or a related area, they will explore new methods for the scalable fabrication of ultrathin organic films with tailored quantum interference properties and tuneable electrode interactions.
The Challenge: The global demand and utilisation of cooling is growing exponentially, releasing gigatonnes per annum of carbon into the atmosphere and accelerating climate change. This project will take an interdisciplinary approach to address the challenge of decarbonising cooling by investigating the potential of a new class of versatile, high-efficiency nanoscale thickness thermoelectric materials, for thermal energy management and recovery. By realising this function at the microscale, the mass deployment of this technology could have a major impact by displacing inefficient fossil-fuel-derived cooling.
The aim of the project: To understand how to improve the efficiency of nanostructured thermoelectric coolers (nano-TECs) based organic thin-films for thermal energy management and recovery and to make these devices a cost effective and attractive solution as a green and commercially viable technology.
Project Structure: The PhD student will be based in physics. They will be experimentally focused on Materials Development specifically assembly, optimisation and characterisation of organic and 2D material based nano-TEC thin films. To achieve this the PhD student will have access to dedicated state of the art laboratories for materials preparation and transfer and Lancaster’s world-class suite of scanning probe microscopy laboratories. Furthermore, the PhD student will work with colleagues from MSF under the guidance of Prof. Richard Harper to understand, from a societal role, how nano-TECs may revolutionise small devices – such as local medicine or food cooling, and data farms, and to prepare a roadmap to understand the implications for these contexts and what it implies for the development and manufacture of nano-TECs
The Leverhulme centre for Materials Social Futures: Lancaster University’s Leverhulme Doctoral Training Centre in Material Social Futures is a major strategic collaborative partnership between two of the university’s recently formed research Institutes – the Institute for Social Futures and the Material Science Institute. Based in the Physics Department you will be part of a growing team of PhDs who will examine how to create more sustainable and socially beneficial futures, and who will be trained to engage in diverse aspects of materials discovery and the analysis of social and economic structures to achieve these ends. In short, the goal of PhDs in Material Social Futures will be to help produce futures that people want and the world needs.
The Physics Department is holder of Athena SWAN Silver award and JUNO Championship status and is strongly committed to fostering diversity within its community as a source of excellence, cultural enrichment, and social strength. We welcome those who would contribute to the further diversification of our department.
Please contact Dr. Ben Robinson ([Email Address Removed] ) for further information. Students interested in this PhD studentship should apply via the Lancaster University admission system http://www.lancaster.ac.uk/physics/study/phd/
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