Porous materials play a major part in the transition to a net-zero economy. The applications of these complex materials range from their use as solid sorbents for efficient carbon capture, low-energy separations, atmospheric water harvesting, sustainable building materials, air remediation and energy storage of hydrogen and natural gas, just to name a few.
However, the hierarchical complexity of porosity in advanced materials requires equally advanced methods for bench-top and in operando characterisation. Recently, there has been a revolution in compact low field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF-NMR) instrumentation. Operating at lower magnetic field strengths and frequencies (<60 MHz), these devices are adapted to perform time-domain spectroscopy. The technique found success in analytical and process control scenarios, was successfully applied to hydration phenomena in porous materials and has emerged as a unique option for in-situ study of porous materials behaviour. Deveopment and application of these new techniques will be the key focus of this PhD project.
In these two contexts, NMR relaxation data may allow comprehensive characterization with in-situ sorption studies provide insight into the local pore environment as explored by adsorbate molecules at varying uptake levels. Key properties could become measurable including diffusion, order and extent of pore filling, molecular mobility, pore connectivity, and all associated kinetics. This project will be undertaken in conjunction with a number of industrial partners.
The Department of Chemical Engineering at Imperial College London offers an advanced 3-4-year research degree that provides in-depth specialist training and knowledge in a topical area pertaining to Chemical Engineering and related Engineering and Science disciplines. The Department has state-of-the-art experimental and computational facilities and is the home of the Automated high-throughput platform suite, the Sargent Centre for Process Systems Engineering and the Sustainable Futures Lab.
The Department holds a Silver Athena Swan award for good practice in supporting academic women and gender equality renewed in 2024. This award recognises the good practices already in place for supporting women at all stages as well as our commitment to removing barriers to equal progress and achievement.
Deadline:
- 31 October 2025 for the first selection round
- 31 December 2025 for the second selection round
- 28 February 2026 for the third selection round (subject to availability of scholarships)
In order to be considered for the Chemical Engineering PhD Scholarships, you will need to submit your PhD application for admission through the online admissions system. Full details on the application and selection process can be found on our webpages.
We encourage all interested applicants to contact Prof Williams (d.r.williams@imperial.ac.uk) before making an application.
