New Polymers for Sustainable Composites - EPSRC Industrial CASE award

Details

The purpose of this PhD project is to design new polymers for application in sustainable composites. Fibre reinforced polymer composites are highly attractive for enabling low-carbon, light-weight transport, and transitioning to Net Zero via the growth in wind power as the lowest cost form of electricity generation. However, composites are not currently sustainable as they cannot be re-used or recycled at their end of life.

We are seeking a talented, highly motivated scientist with a passion for organic synthesis/polymer chemistry and drive for impact in future sustainable products. The PhD project will involve the synthesis and characterisation of new monomers, prepolymers, and resulting thermoplastics or reversible crosslinked networks. While investigating a range of chemical approaches, systematic changes in material design will be correlated with key properties including morphology, rheology, thermal and mechanical performance. The new materials will be applied as composite matrix resins, coatings or structural adhesives used in composite manufacture, with the goal of enabling re-use, repair in service or recovery at end-of-life - thereby extending the service life of materials in a circular economy.

You will join the research group of Professor Andrew Slark (EPSRC Manufacturing Fellow) who has over 25 years’ industrial experience designing polymers for different applications, based in the Department of Chemistry designing advanced concepts in smart polymers. You will also work in Mechanical Engineering and be co-supervised by Professor Patrick Fairclough, whose group develops new composite systems. The Departments and the University have a variety of facilities available, allowing the successful candidate to gain experience in a wide range of experimental and analytical techniques. The project will be supported and steered by Scott Bader who are an established global manufacturer of composite resins, structural adhesives, and functional polymers. The successful candidate will also gain valuable industrial experience by spending 6 months on placement at the company.

This exciting opportunity is truly interdisciplinary involving access to a range of world leading facilities, diverse experimental approaches and complementary expertise including polymer chemistry, material science and industrial application. The project gives the successful candidate the chance to work on fundamental science with industrial relevance where they will learn skills appropriate for a future career in academia or industry.

For more information, please contact Professor Andrew Slark (https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/chemistry/people/academic/andrew-slark).

To apply for this, you will need to complete an online application form. Please follow this link to find more information on the application process.