New PhD opportunity: Rheology and microstructure of catalytic inks under simple and complex shear

The EU Doctoral Network “CoCoGel" seeks a doctoral candidate for a project that will experimentally investigate how shear flows alter the rheology and microstructure of model electrocatalytic inks.

22 May 2024

Deadline for applications: 10 June 2024, Starting date: September 2024

The Ph.D. project is part of the EU Doctoral Network “CoCoGel”, which aims to provide integrated training for young researchers in the field of Soft Matter and related Industrial Applications. The network involves leading experts in six academic and six industrial nodes and pertains to state-of-the-art expertise in experimental techniques, computer simulations, and industrial systems. The project is focused on colloidal gels that are core components in many industrial products, including building materials (e.g., cement), energy materials (e.g., batteries and fuel cells), consumer care and food products, and medicine. Recent advances in colloidal-gel physics strongly imply that the rational design of colloidal-gel properties is within reach. This design is based on tuning gel microstructure via external stimuli, such as shear, ultrasound, and (magnetic/electric) fields, and the addition of non-Brownian inclusions. CoCoGel aims to enable the translation from the current academic state of the art to industrial practice.

This PhD project will experimentally investigate how shear flows alter the rheology and microstructure of model electrocatalytic inks

Ph.D. project

Within the MSCA doctoral network “CoCoGel,” a Ph.D. position is available at the University of Edinburgh in collaboration with Advent Technologies (Denmark) and FORTH (Greece) to experimentally investigate how shear flows alter the rheology and microstructure of model electrocatalytic inks. This project will identify and develop model electrocatalytic inks based on carbon black gels with simplified fillers to preserve key electrical properties. The rheology of these model inks will be characterized under both simple and complex shear flows to map out their state behavior, while cryo-FIB-SEM will be employed to connect rheological changes to the underlying microstructure (changes in the carbon black network structure and filler dispersion). An 18 month secondment at Advent Tecnologies (Denmark) will test these model ink formulations using industrial processing tools and protocols, enabling fundamental understanding gained from work at Edinburgh to be applied to practical processing problems. An additional academic secondment in FORTH (Greece) offers the opportunity to explore the behaviour of these model inks using advance rheology techniques and geometries.

Advisors: Wilson Poon and John Royer (University of Edinburgh)

Co-advisors: Søren Andreasen (Advent Technologies A/S) & Emmanouil Glynos (FORTH)

Main location: School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, UK

Candidate profile

The candidate should hold a Master’s degree in Physics, Materials Science or a related field. Experience in soft matter science, particularly with rheology and microscopy, will be a good asset. The candidate should not have resided in the UK for more than 12 months in the 36 months preceding recruitment

Application, dates & remuneration

Dates & remuneration – 3 years starting September 2024. Gross salary: £33,195 – £42,773 per annum (depending if opts in/out of USS), along with a £5,359 per annum Mobility Allowance and £5,984 per annum Family Allowance (if applicable)

How to apply – Applications must be submitted through
https://elxw.fa.em3.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/CandidateExperience/en/sites/CX_1001/job/10227 include a resume and a motivation letter. Please contact john.royer@ed.ac.uk if you need more information. Applicants should also send their application/CV to the Project manager (cocogel@iesl.forth.gr)

Deadline for applications: 10 June 2024, Starting date: September 2024

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