PhD Studentship: Manufacturing Routes for Highly Controlled Structured Metamaterial Nanoparticles

Funding Source: Lord Bhattacharyya Fund

Eligibly: Home fee status and UK domicile EU students.

Start Date: Ongoing or as soon as possible 

Project Overview

This is a challenging and unique PhD opportunity for a student with a good materials, physics and/or engineering background, interested in applying their knowledge to the rapidly growing and multidisciplinary field of metamaterials. The structured nature of metamaterials enables their physical properties to go beyond what their non-structured material equivalents can offer and they are sought after for a wide range of technologies, from microwave electromagnetic devices, such as those required for future 6G communications systems, solid-state battery components, photovoltaic systems, sensors, catalysts, and energy harvesting technologies.

One example of metamaterials are core-shell nanoparticles. Theoretical models have shown that the physical properties of these materials can be varied and controlled through tailoring the particle size, surface morphology, and structure of the particles. This means that manufacturing routes to produce nanoparticulate materials with finely controlled structural properties are extremely desired.

In this project you will determine how physical vapour deposition (PVD) can be used to produce customised metamaterial nanoparticles with highly controlled functional properties. This will be carried out in collaboration with Nikalyte, a manufacturer of equipment for producing nanoparticles through PVD sputtering. You will explore possible manufacturing approaches to making different types of nanoparticles using this technology and propose a clear design which will be implemented. The aim is to produce a range of particles varying in chemistry, structure and particle size. The properties of the particles produced will be compared and verified by a range of advanced characterisation techniques including electron microscopy, laser diffraction, and X-ray diffraction. Across the University of Warwick an exceptionally wide range of materials characterisation facilities are available, and these will be used to understand the newly produced materials.

You will be based at WMG but will also benefit from working periodically with Nikalyte (Bicester).

Essential and Desirable Criteria

We are actively seeking an enthusiastic individual to join the team at WMG, Warwick with the following entry requirements and expectations:

• A 1st or 2.1 undergraduate (BEng, BSc, MEng) and/or postgraduate masters’ qualification (MSc) in a science and technology field such as Materials Science and Engineering, Manufacturing, Physics, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering.

Funding and Eligibility

Funded for UK students for 4 years (17,668 pa) through the Lord Bhattacharyya Fund.