Project: Nanofiber-based Triboelectric Nanogenerators
Department: Engineering
The EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) in Renewable Energy Northeast Universities (ReNU) is a collaborative doctoral training programme run by the Universities of Northumbria, Newcastle and Durham. In addition to undertaking an individual scientific research project at one of the three partner Universities, doctoral candidates will engage with added value training opportunities, for example in business and innovation through a 4-year training programme that has been designed to maximise the benefits of a cohort approach to doctoral training. The start date is 1st October 2023.
Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENG) are a new and promising energy harvesting technology that can convert ambient mechanical energy to electrical energy, which makes them an ideal candidate for powering wearable electronics or self-powered sensors for the IoTs application. Despite significant technological advances in developing TENG devices, the energy efficiency of these devices is usually low compared to some other forms of energy generation. Different materials and structural parameters can improve the power efficiency of the device.
The focus of this project is the development of nanofibers-based triboelectric nanogenerators with different triboelectric pair materials. Electrospun nanofibers improve the tribo-charge density by improving the contact area. Furthermore, the electrospinning that combines uniaxial stretching and electric field poling in a single step enables to produce nanofibers with improved permittivity and high mechanical durability, which improve their mechanical–electrical conversion efficiency compared to thin films. Our aim is to use recyclable, earth-abundant and sustainable triboelectric polymers (e.g., PLLA, cellulose, PET) as TENG layers. In addition, using the COMSOL simulation process the optimal parameter will be obtained to reduce the time and cost involved in the fabrication of multiple devices. The project is supervised by Prof Claudio Balocco and Dr Ensieh Hosseini at the Durham University.
For informal enquiries, please contact Dr Hosseini, [Email Address Removed]
The application closing date is 18th April 2023 and it is anticipated interviews will take place later in the month. Please note that interviews will be online.
Eligibility and How to Apply
Our eligibility requirements are:
• Academic excellence of the proposed student i.e. 2:1 (or equivalent GPA from non-UK universities [preference for 1st class honours]); or a Masters (preference for Merit or above); or APEL evidence of substantial practitioner achievement.
• If required, an IELTS score of 6.5 with no component under 6.0.
· Two satisfactory academic references.
• Applicants cannot apply for this funding if currently engaged in Doctoral study at Durham or elsewhere.
You must apply through the University’s online postgraduate application system.
- Create an account and click ‘Postgraduate Apply’ on the top ribbon.
- Search for ‘EPSRC CDT’ in Course and select Renewable Energy Northeast Universities (EPSRC CDT) starting in 2023/24.
- Complete the application form, ensuring the following:
- On the funding tab select ‘yes’ you are applying for a scholarship, select ‘Other’, write RENU/Hosseini in the name of the scholarship, and select 1st October 2023 as the start date. No scholarship documents are required.
- On the project course details tab write RENU/Hosseini in Field of Study.
- Please include an application letter summarising your motivation and suitability for the project.
- Please ensure you follow all of these steps to ensure your application is considered.
Funding notes
Home and International students (inc. EU) are welcome to apply. The studentship is available to Home and International students, and includes a full stipend at UKRI rates (for 2020/21 full time study, this was £15,609 pa) and full tuition fees. Also, significant additional funding is included to cover research costs and local, national and international travel such as conferences and exchanges. Note that these studentships will be awarded on a competitive basis between projects. We anticipate that up to 5 awards will be made for projects hosted at Durham.
Please note there are a limited number of full international scholarships available. Further information about how EPSRC classifies international fee status please see TGC 5.2.5 UKRI-021122-TrainingGrantTermsAndConditions.pdf
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