PhD Studentship in Synthesis and Testing of Polymer Membranes for Electrodialysis-Based Plastic Recycling

Applications are invited for a 42-month PhD studentship available for immediate entry for a project investigating polymer membranes used in electrochemical separations for plastics recycling. The project will be supervised by Dr Qilei Song and Prof Magda Titirici in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Imperial College London.

Plastic waste is a severe environmental challenge. Over 9 billion tons of plastics have been produced to date; more than 79% of this waste ends up in landfills or is accumulated in the ocean. The recycling rate is far less satisfying: only PET (polyethylene terephthalate) and HDPE (High-density polyethylene) are widely recycled across the globe, yet less than 30% is recycled. Therefore, it is urgent to develop environmentally-benign strategies to replace and recycle plastics to achieve a circular economy and reduce its carbon footprint. One promising approach is depolymerization by hydrolysis of PET to produce terephthalic acid, which can be recycled for plastics re-manufacturing. Membrane separation processes, such as electrodialysis, are promising for energy-efficient and environmental friendly separation and purification of organic acids. Polymer membranes with improved separation selectivity are desired for the electrodialysis processes.  The goal of this PhD project is to synthesize ion-selective polymer membranes, and investigate their performance in electrodialysis process for separation and purification of organic acids. The project will involve synthesis and fabrication of polymer membranes, characterization of membranes with a variety of techniques, and testing of separation performance in an electrodialysis module. The best performing membranes will be thoroughly modelled and characterized to understand the molecular interactions and fundamental transport mechanism leading to improved performance and stability.

Applicants should have (or expect to obtain) the equivalent of a UK first class or upper second class honors degree (and preferably a Masters degree) in chemistry, chemical engineering, or other relevant field. They should be keen to perform interdisciplinary research, and learn polymer synthesis, membrane science, and electrochemical separations.

The project will last 42 months. This is open to international students, and it will cover full tuition fees plus the standard maintenance stipend of £17,285, per annuum. This amount will increase every year with inflation. This studentship is available to start immediately or from January 2023. Candidates will be considered until the position is filled. 

You will interact with a diverse and dynamic group of PhD students and postdoctoral researchers working on membrane technologies and sustainable processes. Further information on the area of research can be found at http://www.imperial.ac.uk/song-group and https://www.titiricigroup.com . Informal enquiries and requests for additional information for this post can be made to:  Dr Qilei Song by email at [email protected] .

Applicants should submit the electronic application form, submitting a CV, transcripts, a cover letter and the information of two referees through College application portal; https://www.imperial.ac.uk/study/pg/apply/how-to-apply/apply-for-a-research-programme-/ . The prospectus, entry requirements and application form (under ‘how to apply’) are available at: http://www.imperial.ac.uk/pgprospectus .

Any queries regarding the application process should be directed to Ms. Susi Underwood by email at [email protected]

Committed to equality and valuing diversity, we are also an Athena SWAN Silver Award winner, a Stonewall Diversity Champion, a Disability Confident Employer and are working in partnership with GIRES to promote respect for trans people. The College is a proud signatory to the San-Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA), which means that in hiring and promotion decisions, we evaluate applicants on the quality of their work, not the journal impact factor where it is published. For more information, see https://www.imperial.ac.uk/research-and-innovation/about-imperial-research/research-evaluation/