PhD Studentship: Understanding Catalysts for Sustainable Chemistry Using Advanced X-ray Characterisation

Utilizing captured carbon dioxide and clear hydrogen will play a essential half in making a sustainable future for the power and chemical trade. But a scarcity of entry to environment friendly, plentiful, and reasonably priced catalysts is inhibiting this transition. Your undertaking will use the facility of superior X-ray spectroscopic methods to grasp how the plentiful alkali parts can be utilized to make efficient heterogeneous catalysts in sustainable carbon dioxide and hydrogen applied sciences. With this understanding, we are going to design catalysts that absolutely harness the potential alkali species to make an actual contribution to making a extra sustainable world.

As a part of our group, with knowledgeable supervisors in catalyst design (Dr Simon Kondrat at Loughborough College) and X-ray absorption spectroscopy (Dr Giannantonio Cibin at Diamond Gentle Supply), you’ll make, check, and characterise alkali catalysts. In the course of the undertaking, you’ll spend 50% of your time on the world main Diamond Gentle Supply services, designing, manufacturing, and commissioning a bespoke X-ray spectroscopy reactor cell, which shall be used to characterise alkali catalysts below response situations. You’ll have the chance to share your outcomes inside the profitable and vibrant UK catalysis and central services communities, while constructing abilities in inorganic and bodily chemistry, utilized and sustainable catalysis and superior X-ray characterisation methods.

Diamond Gentle Supply is the UK’s nationwide synchrotron and one of the superior scientific services on the planet. Loughborough College has an utilized analysis tradition. In Ref 2021, 94% of the work submitted was judged to be top-rated as “world main” or “internationally glorious”. We’re a group based mostly on mutual assist and collaboration. By our Doctoral School there are continuous alternatives for constructing vital analysis abilities and networking amongst your friends and analysis lecturers.