Prof S Haigh, Prof Christopher Hardacre
No more applications being accepted
Funded PhD Project (European/UK Students Only)
About the Project
Supported metal nanoparticles play a vital catalytic role in improving energy efficiency and reducing unwanted pollutants for a wide range of industrially important chemical reactions. Bimetallic catalysts frequently offer improvements in activity, selectivity, and stability compared to their monometallic equivalents. The addition of the secondary element improves functionality but the mechanism by which it does this is generally poorly understood. The problem is made more complicated as not all particle morphologies present show equal activity for a given reaction. Additionally, nanoparticle catalysts are usually required to operate in aggressive chemical environments which often cause changes to the starting material.
Conventional transmission electron microscopy (TEM) approaches are limited by the need for ultra-high vacuum environment. In this project you will develop approaches for cutting edge characterization of nanoparticle catalysts under more realistic environmental conditions (elevated temperatures and pressures; liquid environments). You will be one of only a few PhD students to use Manchester’s £3M Titan ChemiSTEM instrument to perform in situ high resolution scanning TEM with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) under gas atmospheres up to 1 atm and temperatures up to 990 °C. You will characterize a range of industrial nanoparticle materials where alloying with a secondary metal has been found to dramatically improve the reaction conversion efficiency – although the reasons for this change are unknown.
Building on our initial proof of principle results you will image nanoparticle reactions in real time and at atomic resolution with the aim of developing improved catalysts. You will also benefit from correlative data from other cutting edge instrumentation (in situ FTIR spectroscopy’X-ray computation tomography, X-ray absorption spectroscopy etc.).
Working closely with BP Ltd on publishable samples you will apply the new knowledge to develop new catalytic materials with improved efficiency. You will have opportunities for industrial and academic placements (nationally and internationally) and to present your work at international conferences. This EPSRC Case studentship is available for 3.5 years starting from September 2017. Ideally you should be a UK national with a 1st or 2.1 class degree (or equivalent) in Physics, Chemistry, Engineering or Material Science.
Contact: [Email Address Removed] for more information (+441613063618).
Funding Notes
Funding covers tuition fees and annual maintenance payments of at least the Research Council minimum (currently £14,296) for eligible UK and EU applicants. EU nationals must have lived in the UK for 3 years prior to the start of the programme to be eligible for a full award (fees and stipend).
Funding may be available for other highly qualified EU students – please enquire with a CV.
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