This is a directly and fully-funded studentship covering three years' stipend and full payment of tuition fees.
The pollution from the heavy metal ions has caused serious threats to the ecobiology and human beings. Meanwhile, the corrosion has shortened the lifetime of infrastructures such as bridge and the storing tanks. Among the reported methods to prevent the corrosion, multifunctional coating has been regarded the most effective way. However, the challenge is to obtain a conductive coating to transport the charges against the static charges. Meanwhile, the adhesion between the metal substrate and the coating is another challenge.
With the surface doped metal method, the corrosion can be prevented with the formed inert coating layers. Polymer coating with some functional fillers can give strong adhesion and prevent the entrance of the protons and other ions attach the metal substrates. The addition of fillers will influence the thermal properties of the polymers. All these will influence the anticorrosion and their applicable temperature ranges.
To enlarge the life-time of the metal pipes with a minimized corrosion from corrosive media, we propose to use a multifunctional coating to protect the pipes from the attack of protons and other corrosive media. The types of the coating, and the existing medium will play a role in the protection of pipes. The electrochemical methods will be used to evaluate the anticorrosion from various coatings.
The requirement for this position is to have a master degree from Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Electrochemistry, Materials Science and Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, etc. The preference will be given to the candidate who has published papers related to the proposed area. The candidate should be able to use the softwares of Endnote, Excel, Origin, etc. The usage of TGA, DMA, DSC, tensile testing, electrochemical station and others should be a plus.
Eligibility and How to Apply:
Please note eligibility requirements:
- Academic excellence of the proposed student i.e. 2:1 (or equivalent GPA from non-UK universities [preference for 1st class honours]); and a Master’s degree (preference for Merit or above); or APEL evidence of substantial practitioner achievement.
- Appropriate IELTS score, if required.
- Applicants cannot apply for this funding if currently engaged in Doctoral study at Northumbria or elsewhere or if they have previously been awarded a PhD.
For further details of how to apply, entry requirements and the application form, see
https://www.northumbria.ac.uk/research/postgraduate-research-degrees/how-to-apply/
Informal queries about the project can be sent to the Principal Supervisor for this project, Prof. Zhanhu Guo (zhanhu.guo@northumbria.ac.uk).
