High throughput mechanochemical synthesis for sustainable advanced materials

We are seeking highly motivated and talented students who have a background and interest in research across engineering, chemistry, and/or materials science. A 3.5-year PhD studentship (UK/Ireland candidate) is available to work within the School of Engineering at the University of Birmingham, UK. The successful applicant will contribute to the development of next generation materials manufacturing approaches for a sustainable future that simultaneously accelerates the development of advanced technologies.

Future technologies will rely on the ability to create designed materials with novel properties on-demand. Promising examples of such material families that have emerged over the past two decades include two-dimensional materials (2D materials), metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and covalent-organic frameworks (COFs). These have shown enormous performance benefits in key technologies including energy storage (novel electrodes, supercapacitors), wearables (flexible electronics), pollution remediation (adsorption, advanced oxidation, membranes), and green hydrogen (photo- and electro-catalysis). Nearly all these materials have yet to reach significant commercial scales, limiting their impact and slowing deployment into new technologies that can benefit society. Furthermore, many of these are produced using chemical processes that use large volumes of toxic solvents which are harmful to the environment.

Mechanochemical approaches are emerging as an exciting, sustainable, and green alternative that can produce new materials using mechanical force – reducing or completely removing toxic solvent waste. This approach works with liquid dispersions, slurries, or dry powders and is a stark contrast to traditional manufacturing which relies on large volumes of toxic and dangerous solvents and oxidising agents. For example, it can produce 2D nanomaterials via mechanical exfoliation of layered precursor crystals. While this approach has shown promise, the synthesis pathway from the instigation of mechanical force to the formation of products requires a better understanding to ensure promising laboratory processes can be translated to industrial scale operations. The aim of this research project is to utilise and develop new mechanochemical processes that vastly improve the throughput over existing technologies such as ball milling. High-throughput experimental and computational approaches will be used to obtain a critical understanding of mechanochemical synthesis routines and products. The methods used during the studentship will cross disciplinary boundaries, from applied mechanics (solids and fluids), materials science, engineering, and chemistry. These insights will support the translation of sustainable solutions and optimal product recipes into industry.

For informal inquiries, please contact Dr. Jason Stafford (j.stafford@bham.ac.uk).