PhD Research Studentships
Sustainable and smart polymer composites with integrated sensing, repairing and recyclability
| Supervisors: | Han ZHANG, James BUSFIELD and Dimitrios PAPAGEORGIOU |
| Apply by: | 31 January 2024 |
| Start in: | September (Semester 1) |
Description
To achieve the Net Zero target by 2050, a more than significant change to make rapid, deep and immediate cuts in CO2 across sectors and supply chain is required, which will greatly rely on innovative materials and engineering solutions. This provides a huge opportunity for smart polymer composites where lightweighting and fuel efficiency is “low-hanging fruit” for many industries.
However, with the ever-increasing demand for sustainable development, the environmental impact of each stage should be considered to take the advantage of this high growth rate in the composite sector. Three important questions remain for the clean growth of the sector: (1) how to truly reveal the lightweight feature of composites and reduce the overdesign in composites while avoiding unexpected catastrophic structural failures; (2) how to effectively repair and extend the service life of the components; and (3) how to recycle and reclaim valuable materials from end-of-life composite waste.
This project will address these questions by materials innovation, creating a sustainable and smart polymer composite with integrated sensing, repairing and recyclability. A direct contribution will be made to addressing the UK Grand Challenges of “Clean Growth” and “Future of Mobility”.
Funding
Funded by: China Scholarship CouncilCandidate will need to secure a CSC scholarship.
Under the scheme, Queen Mary will provide scholarships to cover all tuition fees, whilst the CSC will provide living expenses and one return flight ticket to successful applicants.
Eligibility
- The minimum requirement for this studentship opportunity is a good honours degree (minimum 2(i) honours or equivalent) or MSc/MRes in a relevant discipline.
- If English is not your first language, you will require a valid English certificate equivalent to IELTS 6.5+ overall with a minimum score of minimum score of 6.0 in each of Writing, Listening, Reading and Speaking).
- Candidates are expected to start in September (Semester 1).
Contact
For informal enquiries about this opportunity, please contact Han ZHANG, James BUSFIELD or Dimitrios PAPAGEORGIOU.
Apply
Start an application for this studentship and for entry onto the PhD Materials Science full-time programme (Semester 1 / September start):
Please be sure to quote the reference "SEMS-PHD-541" to associate your application with this studentship opportunity.
| Related website: | https://www.sems.qmul.ac.uk/staff/han.zhang/research/ | |
| SEMS Research Centres: | ||
| Keywords: | Polymer Chemistry, Electrical Engineering, Manufacturing, Nanotechnology, Polymers |