Academic year 2022-23

Targeting synthesis routes and novel materials from sustainable flow processing (TRANSFER)

The Industry 4.0 and Digital Chemistry movements are changing the way we make products and at the heart of these are additive manufacturing (AM, aka 3D-printing) and flow technologies. AM can enable us to make free-form shapes with tailored chemistry and surface types. This can be used as reactor parts in flow technologies to control synthesis and materials assembly in ways not previously possible. TRANSFER will exploit these advantages and, using inline analysis, immediately optimise a reaction process for the materials properties (e.g. making a catalyst and directly using it in the same stream to evaluate its efficiency). The technologies developed for these processes can then be directly used to scale-up from discovery to production.

 In this highly collaborative research theme based both at the University of Nottingham and University College Dublin, our students will:

• Gain an understanding of the whole process cycle: Reactor design, synthesis and assembly, online analysis, machine learning enhanced self-optimisation and production.
• Appreciate the importance of the life cycle of these processes and how to address energy and materials waste minimisation and using sustainable methods and resources throughout the whole research.
• Work in a collaborative interdisciplinary team of engineers, chemists, materials scientists and physicists.

The TRANSFER Theme welcomes applications from graduates from all STEM disciplines.

For more information and to apply, please visit: 
https://suschem-nottingham-cdt.ac.uk/index.php/apply