Supervisory Team: Dr Jeng Yi Chong
Project description
World-pressing issues such as climate change and clean water shortage have urged for greener and more sustainable technologies. Membrane technology is an attractive alternative due to its low carbon footprint and versatility. Membranes have been extensively applied in water treatment, seawater desalination and product purifications, and they can potentially offer more efficient solutions in separation processes across various industries. The advancement of membrane materials is critical to opening up significant roles of membrane technology in serving the industry and future sustainability.
This PhD project aims to develop highly selective thin-film composite (TFC) membranes for molecular-level separations, using porous organic frameworks (POFs) for the thin-film layer. POFs, constructed from organic monomers with strong covalent bonds, offer high stability and tunable properties, making them ideal candidates for designing membranes with tailored separation performance. TFC membranes with a POF selective layer will be synthesized using interfacial reaction, an effect and scalable approach for thin-film synthesis. This method involves reactions at liquid-liquid or vapor-solid interfaces, and POF membranes with different structure and properties will be designed and synthesized. The developed membranes will be studied for small molecule (
This is a fully funded 3.5-year PhD studentship ideal for someone with a background in Chemical Engineering, Chemistry or Materials Science, and an interest in materials and separations. The project will have access to state-of-the-art facilities, including both experimental and characterization tools available at the University of Southampton.
If you wish to discuss any details of the project informally, please contact Dr Jeng Yi Chong, Email: [email protected]
Entry Requirements
A very good undergraduate degree in Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Material Science or related area (at least a UK 2:1 honours degree, or its international equivalent).
Closing date : applications should be received no later than 29 February 2024 for standard admissions, but later applications may be considered depending on the funds remaining in place.
Funding: Funding for tuition fees and a living stipend are available on a competitive basis. Funding will be awarded on a rolling basis, so apply early for the best opportunity to be considered.
How To Apply
Apply online, above. Select programme type (Research), 2024/25, Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences, next page select “PhD Chemistry (Full time)”. In Section 2 of the application form you should insert the name of the supervisor Jeng Yi Chong
Applications should include:
Research Proposal
Curriculum Vitae
Two reference letters
Degree Transcripts/Certificates to date
For further information please contact: [email protected]