The Microscale Characterisation of Polymeric Materials using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance

The School of Chemistry at Birmingham University has a PhD studentship available to work on Microscale Characterisation of Polymeric Materials using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance. This project is funded by BASF SE. Applicants must have a Master’s degree in chemistry/physics/chemical engineering/materials science, or in a related discipline, at an upper second class, with the normal requirement being at least a 65% overall degree mark.

This project will focus on the development of improved fundamental understanding of the microscale properties of polymeric materials and development of novel characterisation techniques based on nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Interest in this project stems from the widespread application of polymeric materials in many consumer products and their long-term environmental impact. Current analytical techniques are unable to appropriately characterise the properties and behaviour of disperse formulations of polymeric materials and there is limited understanding of the microscale mobility and the nature of interfaces of these polymeric components in consumer product formulations. It is proposed that NMR methods will be able to provide new understanding of the structure-property relationships of these classes of polymeric formulations and provide a novel mechanism by which they can be characterised.

This project is highly interdisciplinary in nature and will focus on the following areas:

1. Development of novel NMR techniques to characterise the microstructure of polymeric materials in disperse formulations.

2. Identification of key NMR parameters to characterize polymeric microstructure.

3. Validation of these parameters on different neat disperse polymer systems and formulations

The candidate will be based in the School of Chemistry, working in consultation with BASF’s industrial research scientists, with regular visit’s to BASF SE, in Ludwigshafen am Rhein, Germany. Due to funding regulations, this studentship is only available to UK nationals. Please contact Dr Melanie Britton ([Email Address Removed]) for more details. 

If interested to apply, please send CV to [Email Address Removed]