Available research projects

This project is co-funded by Milvus Advanced.

Academic supervisor

Prof Pola Goldberg Oppenheimer at GoldberP@bham.ac.uk

Industrial supervisors

Dr Linh Tran - linh@milvusadvanced.co.uk 
Dr Assia Kasdi - assia@milvusadvanced.co.uk

Duration of the project

4 years

Start date of the project

Sep/Oct 23

Project summary

Electrolytic hydrogen plays a key-role in decarbonisation and sustainability. However, poor catalytic performance and the use of precious metals as electrocatalysts vastly hinder the industrial implementation. Topological materials having specific surface modification and interesting electronic properties can contribute a new class of superior catalysts for oxygen and hydrogen evolution reactions.[1,2]

This project will explore novel materials possessing high intrinsic activity and durability using virtual high-throughput screening. Material syntheses and characterisations will be carried out not only to verify credibility of the prior computational modelling but also to shed light in mechanistic studies of this type of materials. It will combine topologically intelligent (bi)metallic materials for water splitting with ultrathin topological insulators as shield and allow mass and charge transfer to eliminate metal leaching and increase durability.

Aims and objectives and methodology

(1) Establishing advanced computational modelling and analysis of topological materials for water electrolysis.
(2) Coherent empirical data sets as prior input for statistic calculations and follow-up data to validate the success of the models.
(3) Highly efficient HER/OER electrocatalysts achieved based on computational prediction.

Potential semimetals / Weyl metal/bimetallic compounds will be primarily selected using virtual high-throughput screening. Diverse synthesis methods such as chemical vapour transport, chemical vapour deposition and impregnation will be applied to fabricate materials with different crystalline nanostructures and various nanosizes. Electrochemical evaluation will be conducted to examine catalytic performance of the materials. Material characterizations of pristine samples and post-mortem analysis are the next essential steps to elucidate physical properties and to build the bridge between crystal/electronic structure and electrochemical activities. These experimental data will be used to establish statistical diagnostic models presenting the correlations between topological materials and targeted electrocatalytic properties. Subsequently, once the models are established, novel catalysts will be fabricated, physically analysed and electrochemically tested to satisfy the evaluation circle.

[1]. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 2022, 14, 19324.
[2]. ACS Catal. 2020, 10, 4, 2656.

General eligibility requirements

- An undergraduate degree in Physics, Material Science, Chemistry, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering or other related disciplines, with at least 2(i) honours or equivalent.
- An interest in interdisciplinary sciences and engineering, with an enthusiasm for communication.
- Evidenced mathematical ability.
- No prior knowledge of topology or topological physics is required.

How to apply

Informal enquires or for more information regarding the project can be addressed to the project supervisor, Prof Pola Goldberg Oppenheimer at GoldberP@bham.ac.uk

To be considered for this studentship,Please download of CDT application form (Word), complete and submit to us at cdt-topologicaldesign@contacts.bham.ac.uk.  Please read the instruction notes included in the form carefully and make sure that you include a copy of your university transcript and your up-to-date CV in your email.

PhD supervisory team

Dr Yu-Hung Lien (y.lien@bham.ac.uk), School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Birmingham

Industrial partner

Toyota Motor Europe

Application deadline

31st July2023 (23:59 hrs)

Start date of the studentship

September 2023

Duration of the PhD

4 years

Funding

Due to some funding and immigration restrictions, the studentship is open to UK students only. Home applicants are eligible for both the cost of tuition fee and a yearly stipend (at UKRI rate) over the course of the PhD programme.

Project description

The University of Birmingham, in partnership with Toyota Motor Europe, is offering a PhD position for developing a high-data-rate quantum gravimeter for gravity map-matching navigation and other applications.

Quantum gravity sensors have manifested their exceptional stability and precision for fundamental physics research and also different disciplines, including geoscience and civic engineering. More recently, people started exploring the potential of quantum gravity sensors in more dynamic settings such as marine and airborne environments. One particular application is gravity map-matching navigation.

Satellite navigation (Satnav) soon became very popular after it was open to civilian use in the late 1980s. Other technologies, including inertial and map-matching navigations, still receive substantial attention because of Satnav weaknesses, e.g. the satellite signal reception in difficult terrain, proneness to interference and spoofing. Nevertheless, drifts of inertial sensors severely hamper the accuracy of inertial navigation. The gravity map-matching technology assists inertial navigation systems to curb the drift issue by constantly tracking the gravity variation along the vehicle trajectory and comparing it with a gravity map.

The University of Birmingham, in partnership with Toyota Motor Europe, is offering a PhD position for developing a high-data-rate quantum gravimeter for gravity map-matching navigation and other applications.

The successful candidate will work on the construction of a high-data-rate mobile quantum gravimeter based on an existing lab prototype. He/she will also involve in the design process of instrument miniaturisation. He/she will evaluate the performance and systematic errors of the gravity sensor and conclude the project with field trials.

General eligibility requirements

• An undergraduate degree in Physics, Material Science, Chemistry, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering or other related disciplines, with at least 2(i) honours or equivalent.
• An interest in interdisciplinary sciences and engineering, with an enthusiasm for communication.
• Evidenced mathematical ability.
• No prior knowledge of topology or topological physics is required.

Additional information

The prospective candidates are expected to enjoy hands-on experiences. Background/interest in cold atom physics and quantum optics will be an advantage. Experiences and skills in electronics and Python programming language are desirable but not essential.

How to apply

Informal enquires or for more information regarding the project can be addressed to Dr Yu-Hung Lien (y.lien@bham.ac.uk).

To be considered for this studentship, please download of CDT application form (Word), complete and submit to us at cdt-topologicaldesign@contacts.bham.ac.uk.  Please read the instruction notes included in the form carefully and make sure that you include a copy of your university transcript and your up-to-date CV in your email.

PhD supervisory team

Principal Supervisor: Dr Sophie Cox, s.c.cox@bham.ac.uk, Centre for Custom Medical Devices, School of Chemical Engineering.

Co-Supervisor/s: Dr Luke Carter, l.n.carter@bham.ac.uk, School of Chemical Engineering.

Industrial partner

Renishaw PLC

Application deadline

31st July 2023 (23:59 hrs)

Start date of the studentship

September 2023

Duration of the PhD

4 years

Funding

The studentship is open to both home and overseas applicants and will cover both the cost of tuition fee and a yearly stipend (at UKRI rate) over the course of the PhD programme.

Details

The EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Topological Design is pleased to offer an exciting PhD opportunity, co-funded by Renishaw PLC. The successful candidate will join the CDT and work with the Centre for Custom Medical Devices and the Healthcare Technologies Institute.

Project description

The aims of this project are to study and quantify the formation of surface roughness on selective laser melting components. From this point we may develop or refine post-processing treatments that specifically compliment these roughness features, and explore the interaction of these newly formed surfaces with cells and bacteria.

The objectives for this project are:

• To characterise surface adhered powder and by experimentation determine the key adhesion mechanisms
• To characterise and quantify the underlying surface topology with respect to process parameters and melt-pool behaviour  
• To develop or refine novel surface improvement techniques by processing or post-processing methods
• To biologically assess these new surfaces with respect to bacteria and cell behaviour

The design freedoms associated with the layer-by-layer processing of material in additive manufacturing (AM) have led to widespread use of these technologies in medicine. In particular, personalised metallic devices produced via laser-based AM processes have been adopted for replacement of skeletal tissues. Selective laser melting (SLM) is one such technique that employs a laser to selectively melt metal powder particles together. The surface of implants produced via SLM present topographies distinct from conventionally manufactured devices. Typically, they are characterised by a combination of the ‘stair-step’ effect and powder adhesion. The extent to which each of these factors governs the ultimate surface structure depends on processing parameters, local build angle, and feedstock amongst many other parameters. Traditional roughness characterisation techniques rely on a line of sight and therefore struggle to truly capture representative measurements of this complex surface (Figure 1(a)). Densely adhered powder particles may present a ‘false’ upper surface, and the often-tortuous profile of the underlying material is drastically oversimplified by traditional probe or normally viewed optical methods.

This PhD project will seek to explore the duality of SLM implant surfaces and gain new understanding of the mechanisms involved in surface powder adhesion and underlying topology. From this new knowledge the project will then focus on strategies to control surface formation during processing and developing post-processing methods that best remove roughness without sacrificing part accuracy or production time. Alongside these goals the student will be expected to develop novel techniques to characterise the topology of AM implants.

General eligibility requirements

• An undergraduate degree in an appropriate branch of Engineering (e.g., Materials, Chemical), or the Physical Sciences (e.g., Bioscience, Physics, Chemistry), or other related disciplines with at least 2(i) honours or equivalent. 
• An interest in interdisciplinary sciences and engineering, with an enthusiasm for communication. 
• Evidenced mathematical ability appropriate to undergraduate discipline.
• No prior knowledge of topology or topological physics is required. 
• Strong supportive references and additional academic achievements (e.g., placements, research work, papers or presentations).

How to apply

Informal enquires or for more information regarding the project can be addressed to Dr Sophie Cox at s.c.cox@bham.ac.uk.

To be considered for this studentship, please download of CDT application form (Word), complete and submit to us at cdt-topologicaldesign@contacts.bham.ac.uk.  Please read the instruction notes included in the form carefully and make sure that you include a copy of your university transcript and your up-to-date CV in your email.

PhD supervisory team

Principal Supervisors: Prof Zoe Pikramenou, z.pikramenou@bham.ac.uk, Photophysics Research Group, School of Chemistry

Co-Supervisor: Dr Miguel Navarro-Cia, m.navarro-cia@bham.ac.uk, Metamaterials Research Group, School of Physics and Astronomy

Associated Academics: Dr Angela Demetriadou, School of Physics and Astronomy, Dr Rohit Chikkaraddy, School of Physics and Astronomy

Industrial partner

QinetiQ

Application deadline

31st July 2023 (23:59 hrs)

Start date of the studentship

September 2023

Duration of the PhD

4 years

Funding

The studentship is open to both home and overseas applicants and will cover both the cost of tuition fee and a yearly stipend (at UKRI rate) over the course of the PhD programme.

Project description

This interdisciplinary project will explore novel designs of plasmonic surfaces based on defined topologies to optimise the plasmonic effect on lanthanide luminescence. Lanthanides have attractive luminescent properties, with a characteristic fingerprint luminescence signal which has long lifetimes and narrow bandwidth. The near infra redemitting lanthanides, Yb, Nd, Er have characteristic profiles which range from 900 nm to 1500 nm. In the project we will design plasmonic surfaces to enhance lanthanide luminescence. Surface modelling will assist for defined topologies using designed lanthanide emitters. These photonic systems will bring a paradigm shift in integrated photonic systems for optical communications and healthcare.

Research background

Interaction of light with interfaces is very important in optics. At an interface, light experiences reflection, refraction at a smooth surface, or scattering and diffraction if the surface is structured. In addition, light can be guided at the interface between two media of certain properties, such as metal and dielectrics. These are some of the most ffundamental optical processes in optics that form the basis for most of the practical optical devices. Most metasurfaces developed are passive devices that operate on light coming from external light sources. However, it is anticipated that active metasurfaces with integrated light emitters will enable broader applications. Appropriately designed plasmonic metasurfaces provide an attractive platform to attach active emitters and modulate light properties. They can not only enhance the photoluminescience of integrated emitters through the Purcell effect (i.e. increased spontaneous emission due to enhanced optical density of states), but also provide powerful control over the direction and polarization state of the emitted light. Computational designs are employed to optimise surface structural features to enhance the plasmonic effect. Topological Optimisation (or Inverse Design) is a computational design approach for discovering optical structures based on specified functional characteristics. The technique is currently revolutionising the field of nanophotonics by allowing for the algorithmic design of photonic devices such as filters, couplers, splitters and diplexers. 

Lanthanides have attractive luminescent properties, with a characteristic fingerprint luminescence signal which has long lifetimes and narrow bandwidth. The near infra redemitting lanthanides, Yb, Nd, Er have characteristic profiles which range from 900 nm to 1500 nm. Their applications in photonic devices is limited from the low quantum yield of emission due to their poor absorption characteristics.

Outcomes

The studies will develop novel plasmonic surfaces with lanthanide luminescent signals enhanced by the structural designs. A modelling methodology for topological design of tthe surfaces will be developed for both visible and near-infra red emitting lanthanides.

Methodology

Lanthanide emitter complexes will be designed based on previous expertise, using surface active groups to covalently attach the lanthanide complexes on surfaces. The computational modelling will be based on commercial full-wave electromagnetic software like Ansys Lumerical and Comsol Multiphysics, and plasmonic surfaces will be accordingly be prepared using nano and photolithography techniques.

Photophysical studies on surfaces will be evaluated using time-resolved and luminescence spectroscopy based on a state of the art spectroscopy setup coupled to microscope for imaging.

An ideal/acceptable undergraduate background

The project is ideal for a student who holds an undergraduate degree in Chemistry with strong background and interest in Physical chemistry (experimental or computational). The student should have strong interdisciplinary interests and communication skills to liaise within the chemistry and physics groups.

Skills to be developed

During the course of the PhD programme the student will develop valuable skills and knowledge in preparation of lanthanide emitters, photophysical studies, writing code and performing numerical computations using high performance computing, device design, fabrication and test measurement.

Links with research in the research groups of the supervising team

The teams have collaborated in a DSTL funded project of near IR emitting complexes on commercially procurred gold surfaces. A manuscript is in preparation. The team is also drafting research proposal for further PDRA funding.

This project will benefit from close synergy with the EU funded H2020 Rise “Non-Conventional Wave Propagation for Future Sensing & Actuating Technologies” project and the EPSRC UK Metamaterials network led by the University of Exeter - the proposed PhD project falls within the remit of both of them.

References

[1] S. Molesky et al, Nature Photonics, 12, 2018, https://www.nature.com/articles/s41566-018-0246-9
[2] D. Davis, Z. Pikramenou et al Inorganic Chemistry, 2019, 58, 13268−13275.
[3] A. P. Bassett, Z. Pikramenou et al. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2004,126, 9413-9424.
[4] A. Davies, Z. Pikramenou et al. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 2012, 109, 1862-1867.

General eligibility requirements

• An undergraduate degree in Physics, Material Science, Chemistry, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering or other related disciplines, with at least 2(i) honours or equivalent. 
• An interest in interdisciplinary sciences and engineering, with an enthusiasm for communication. 
• Evidenced mathematical ability. 
• No prior knowledge of topology or topological physics is required. 

Additional information

The project is ideal for a student who holds an undergraduate degree in Chemistry with strong background and interest in Physical chemistry (experimental or computational). The student should have strong interdisciplinary interests and communication skills to liaise within the chemistry and physics groups.

How to apply

Informal enquires or for more information regarding the project can be addressed to Prof Zoe Pikramenou, z.pikramenou@bham.ac.uk

To be considered for this studentship, please download of CDT application form (Word), complete and submit to us at cdt-topologicaldesign@contacts.bham.ac.uk.  Please read the instruction notes included in the form carefully and make sure that you include a copy of your university transcript and your up-to-date CV in your email.

PhD supervisory team

Principle supervisor: Biao Cai; b.cai@bham.ac.uk 

Industrial partner:

UKAEA

Industrial supervisor

John R. Echols

Application deadline

31st July 2023 (23:59 hrs)

Duration/funding of the project

4 years (starting October 2023)

Funding notes

The studentship is open to both home and overseas applicants and will cover both the cost of tuition fee and a yearly stipend (at UKRI rate) over the course of the PhD programme.

Project description

EUROFER97 (E97) is the leading candidate structural material for EU-DEMO; however, its susceptibility to thermal creep limits its upper operating temperature. Oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) E97 promises to increase the thermal creep resistance relative to traditional E97, but early studies also reveal this ODS variant has a higher ductile-brittle transition temperature (DBTT), thus making it more susceptible to irradiation embrittlement. This PhD project aims to use in situ tensile testing with both synchrotron X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy facilities, to understand the mechanism(s) driving the increase in DBTT for ODS E97. This work will inform the design of new ODS steels with lower DBTT temperatures.

Objective 1:

Understand the dislocation evolution in ODS E97 at temperatures around the DBTT. We will perform tensile testing of ODS E97 and non-ODS E97 steels in situ at a synchrotron X-ray diffraction facility, to examine dislocation evolution near the DBTT. We hypothesize that analysis of dislocation character (i.e., edge vs screw) and density at temperatures near the DBTT of ODS and non-ODS samples will reveal mechanisms governing the DBTT and how ODS particles affect the DBTT. We will examine ODS feature optimization based on this data.

Objective 2:

Understand the influence of microstructure in ODS E97 near the crack tip at temperatures around the DBTT. We will perform tensile testing of ODS E97 and non-ODS E97 steels in situ under a scanning electron microscope (SEM), to examine microstructure-driven differences in fracture behavior. We will use electron backscatter detection (EBSD) to acquire micro-scale evolution during fracture, which will complement meso-scale synchrotron studies. We will extend ODS feature optimization to consider this micro-scale data.

Both sets of experiments (synchrotron and SEM) will use a common Deben testing rig established at the University of Birmingham. Doctor Biao Cai has developed a testing suite that allows us to carry out tensile tests at both synchrotron X-ray and microscopy facilities under a wide range of temperatures (-150 to 600 °C).

Eligibility requirements

• An undergraduate degree in an appropriate branch of Engineering (e.g., Materials, Chemical), or the Physical Sciences (e.g., Bioscience, Physics, Chemistry), or other related disciplines with at least 2(i) honours or equivalent.
• An interest in interdisciplinary sciences and engineering, with an enthusiasm for communication.
• Evidenced mathematical ability appropriate to undergraduate discipline.
• No prior knowledge of topology or topological physics is required.
• Strong supportive references and additional academic achievements (e.g., placements, research work, papers or presentations).

How to apply

Informal enquires or for more information regarding the project can be addressed to Dr. Biao Cai; b.cai@bham.ac.uk

To be considered for this studentship, please download of CDT application form (Word), complete and submit to us at cdt-topologicaldesign@contacts.bham.ac.uk.  Please read the instruction notes included in the form carefully and make sure that you include a copy of your university transcript and your up-to-date CV in your email