Porous materials are central to the transition towards a net-zero economy, underpinning technologies for carbon capture, low-energy separations, atmospheric water harvesting, sustainable construction, air purification, and the storage of hydrogen and natural gas. To optimise these materials for such applications, advanced methods are needed to characterise their complex, hierarchical pore structures under realistic operating conditions. Recent advances in compact low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF-NMR) instrumentation have created new opportunities for both laboratory and in-situ studies of porous materials. Operating at frequencies below 60 MHz, these benchtop systems use time-domain spectroscopy to probe material behaviour and have already demonstrated value in monitoring hydration phenomena and adsorption processes. Their portability, lower cost, and ease of operation make them attractive alternatives to traditional high-field NMR systems. A particularly promising application is NMR cryoporometry, which determines pore size distributions by measuring the melting-point depression of liquids confined within pores. This non-destructive technique can characterise pores ranging from approximately 2 nm to 1–2 μm, providing direct measurements of pore volume as a function of pore size. Recent improvements in temperature control and resolution significantly expand its capabilities. Combining cryoporometry with in-situ NMR relaxation measurements offers a powerful framework for understanding both pore structure and adsorption behaviour. Together, these approaches can reveal pore connectivity, diffusion, molecular mobility, pore filling, and sorption kinetics, enabling comprehensive characterisation of advanced porous materials.
This scholarship is open to all applicants regardless of their fee status. It covers both tuition fees and a tax-free contribution to maintenance costs of £25,000 per annum for 42 months.
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:
- 01 November 2026 for the first selection round
- 11 January 2027 for the second selection round
- 01 March 2027 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 Daryl Williams (d.r.williams@imperial.ac.uk) before making an application.
