OPPORTUNITIES

PhD Studentship - Characterisation of Green Hydrogen Materials Through Fast-field Cycling NMR and Electron Paramagnetic Resonance

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Applications are invited for 3.5-year full funded PhD studentship based in the Department of Chemical Engineering & Biotechnology, University of Cambridge and Johnson Matthey (JM) PLC. Previous projects on NMR relaxometry in collaboration between JM and the Magnetic Resonance Research Centre at the University of Cambridge have demonstrated successful application of NMR relaxation measurements to porous materials of industrial relevance to JM. This proposed project will investigate how the range of low-field magnetic resonance techniques can be expanded, using Fast Field Cycling (FFC) and Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR), to understand mass transport in catalyst coated membrane (CCM) materials for electrolytic hydrogen. Effective and reliable characterisation of CCMs is a key challenge in green Hydrogen Technologies.

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Project Description

Key questions and priorities that this project will address are:

· How can NMR relaxometry inform our understanding of water environments and dynamics in ionomer membranes?

· How sensitive is the technique to differences in the membrane structure: both in different materials and as a membrane ages/degrades?

· How does the addition of a catalyst layer affect the behaviour of water in the system and the ability of NMR relaxometry to characterise the material?

· What information can EPR provide on the iridium oxide-based catalyst, as a powder, ink formulation and CCM?

· Do these measurements correlate with physical and electrochemical performance or with data from other characterisation techniques?

· Does low-field NMR/EPR offer a practical method for rapid, routine characterisation suitable for at-line quality control in a production environment?

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To address these questions, you will work across the range of techniques available in the Magnetic Resonance laboratories in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology. The successful candidate will also have the opportunity to spend a proportion of their time (around three months over the duration of the project) at JM sites including both in R&D and manufacturing facilities to gain an understanding of the business and to aid in the transfer of technology and understanding to JM. Strong organisational and communication skills are therefore essential to successful completion of the project.

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Application deadline - 30th April, 2024

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For more details regarding the application process and funding, please see the full job advert.

PhD Studentships (× 2) - Towards Sustainable Catalysis and Sustainable Aviation Fuels

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Two fully funded 3.5 year Ph.D studentships are available to UK nationals and outstanding international students, with Professors Lynn Gladden, Mick Mantle and Andy Sederman, to start 1st October 2024.

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The projects will be based around the development of advanced magnetic resonance techniques to optimise heterogenous catalysts and the operation of the reactor in which the catalysis occurs. Two projects are being funded, one focussing more on the development of magnetic resonance methods to study the fundamentals of molecular transport and reaction processes in catalysts, while the other project focusses more on understanding the Fischer-Tropsch catalytic process and associated reactions for the production of Sustainable Aviation Fuels and other sustainable chemicals which will play an important role in delivering the energy transition to net zero.

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Over the past 5 years the group has designed and commissioned fixed-bed reactors that operate at industrial conditions inside a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system. During this period, we have developed a number of advanced magnetic resonance imaging protocols that yield spatially-resolved chemical mapping and transport measurements to learn how catalysts behave when they are working inside a reactor at realistic industrial operating conditions. The two projects are inter-related but one is designed more on development of new magnetic resonance methods, while the other focusses on applying new and existing magnetic resonance methods to immediate research challenges in heterogeneous catalysis. In particular, the two projects will include:

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New magnetic resonance methods to study the fundamentals of catalysis - central to the design of producing new catalytic processes is to understand how reactants are converted to products with the pore space of catalyst pellets. To do this we need to develop magnetic resonance imaging methods that spatially resolve chemical species present with the catalyst pellet while the conversion is occurring. This, in turn, will be controlled by the way the reactant and product molecules move (diffuse) with the pellet and the influence of non-isothermal behaviour occurring during the reaction processes.

 

The project aims will be to develop advanced magnetic resonance imaging tools that: (i) map chemical composition and molecular transport at 100 micron resolution in all 3 spatial dimensions? (ii) spatially map variations in temperature within a catalyst pellet as reaction proceeds Operando studies of Fischer-Tropsch catalysis The group has developed a number of magnetic resonance methods to study the evolution of product distribution within a working reactor environment. We now want to extend these studies to explore how catalyst behaviour changes as the structure and chemistry of the catalyst is changed. The aim is to explore how the formulation and physical structure of the catalyst, alongside the reactor operating conditions can control the products of the reaction. By imaging what is actually happening inside the catalyst and reactor we aim to develop a more science-based approach to the design of catalyst pellets and reactor operation.

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Application deadline - 16th May, 2024

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For more details regarding the application process and funding, please see the full job advert.

PhD Studentship - Safe Storage of Hydrogen and Carbon Dioxide in Porous Rocks

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A fully funded 3.5 year Ph.D studentship is available to UK nationals and outstanding international students, with Professors Lynn Gladden, Mick Mantle and Andy Sederman, to start 1st October 2024.

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The potential for porous rocks to play an important role in gas storage is now widely recognised. This project applies our existing expertise in mapping chemical species and fluid flows in rocks to explore the mechanism of entrapment of two different gases carbon dioxide and hydrogen.

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The development of carbon dioxide entrapment methods in rocks (more often referred to as a carbon sequestration technology) is more widely recognised. Carbon dioxide can be recovered from the atmosphere and pumped underground and stored for long timescales. However, understanding the storage mechanism is important. What rock core types are most effective? Carbon dioxide can react with the porous rock structure under certain conditions and cause re-emission of carbon dioxide. By mapping the physical and chemical degradation of the rocks during carbon dioxide storage we can begin to understand and hence optimise selection of rocks for carbon dioxide storage. The motivation for hydrogen storage is quite different. Hydrogen storage in porous rocks has been proposed as a safe and efficient medium for large-scale energy storage. The need arises because there will be days when weather conditions are such that large-scale renewable energy production is achieved which outstrips demand. On other days there will be too little renewables production. The solution is to store the excess energy as molecular hydrogen underground, to be recovered during periods of low renewables generation. Hydrogen storage is a relatively new area of research and is of increasing importance. For both carbon dioxide and hydrogen storage understanding and maximizing their storage is essential. In the case of carbon dioxide subsequent release is highly undesirable, whereas in the case of hydrogen, ready access to the hydrogen is required.

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The aim of this project is to apply a broad spectrum of magnetic resonance imaging methods to compare the levels of carbon dioxide and hydrogen entrapment in different rock core types and explain the difference in entrapment levels and gas mobility with the rocks as a function of rock type and process conditions.

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Application deadline - 16th May, 2024

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For more details regarding the application process and funding, please see the full job advert.