About the Project
BACKGROUND:
Industry is under increasing pressure to convert to bio-based, renewable and biodegradable raw materials. Polymers are no exception and alternative to oil-sourced polymers are urgently needed for use in home and personal care (HPC) products. Nature already offers a wide variety of biopolymers with polysaccharides being a particularly diverse group, which has substantial potential for broader exploitation and application. However, this diversity also brings significant challenges in understanding the relationship between polysaccharide architecture and tertiary structure and their interaction with other formulation ingredients, particularly surfactants. In this project focus will be on selection of polysaccharides and development of an understanding of chemical and physical interactions to contribute to the fundamental understanding of bio-based formulation science.
GOAL:
To develop fundamental understanding of polysaccharide-surfactant interactions to underpin the use of polysaccharides as next-generation polymers for sustainable home and personal care products.
OBJECTIVES:
1. The application of physical measurement techniques including rheology, small angle scattering, surface tension etc. to understand mixed polysaccharide-surfactant interactions,
2. Development of design rules for combinations of polysaccharides in model surfactant systems for rheological, suspension and cleaning benefits, and
3. Demonstration of rules and benefits in realistic HPC formulated systems.
SCIENTIFIC CHALLENGE:
Polysaccharides are a highly diverse class of polymers with complex architectures (in terms of specific monomers, linkages, branching patterns, molecular weight and functional groups) and suitable candidates will be selected from the plethora of known materials. Derivatisation of the polysaccharide may also be used to introduce further functionality into the polymer. In this project focus will be on studying anionic and non-ionic polysaccharides.
In solution, these polysaccharides form various tertiary structures, e.g., random coil or highly ordered structures, and these structures can be dependent on the specific polysaccharide architecture and the solution environment. The interactions of polysaccharides with each other and with surfactants are poorly understood, and HPC relevant materials have been subject to only limited study. In this project the complexity of interactions which determine the physical properties of mixtures of polysaccharides and surfactants will be probed, contributing to the mechanistic understanding of bio-based formulation assembly. Processing conditions such as heat, shear and order of addition in the formulation of structured liquids will also be considered.
The mechanistic understanding generated will move the state-of-the-art in bio-based formulation science from a trial and error approach to intelligent rule-based formulation using combinations of bio-sourced materials, which behave synergistically and introduce additional functionality. This understanding will speed the adoption of these materials potentially leading to the production of more sustainable HPC products.
INDUSTRIAL PARTNERSHIP AND PLACEMENT:
The project is conducted in partnership with Unilever (industrial supervisors: Dr Craig Fairgrieve and Dr Sue Rogers), who will be directly engaged in supervision throughout the project. The successful student will have an opportunity to work in Unilever’s shared facility at the Materials Innovation Factory (MIF), University of Liverpool, where they will use state-of-the-art capabilities to demonstrate the mechanistic understanding of polysaccharide-surfactant interactions developed earlier in the project.
CANDIDATE:
Applicants should hold, or expect to receive, a First Class or high Upper Second Class UK Honours degree (or the equivalent qualification gained outside the UK) in a relevant subject. A master’s level qualification would also be advantageous.
APPLICATIONS:
Informal enquiries are welcomed and should be directed to Prof Janet Scott, [Email Address Removed]
Formal applications should be made via the University of Bath’s online application form:
https://samis.bath.ac.uk/urd/sits.urd/run/siw_ipp_lgn.login?process=siw_ipp_app&code1=RDUCH-FP01&code2=0013
Please ensure that you quote the supervisor’s name and project title in the ‘Your research interests’ section.
More information about applying for a PhD at Bath may be found here:
http://www.bath.ac.uk/guides/how-to-apply-for-doctoral-study/
Anticipated start date: 30 September 2019.
Funding Notes
Candidates may be considered for a studentship funded jointly by the University of Bath and Unilever. Funding will provide UK/EU tuition fees, a tax-free maintenance allowance at the UKRI Doctoral Stipend rate (£14,777 in 2018-19) and a training support grant for a period of up to 3.5 years.
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