About the project
The transition to carbon-neutral transport has accelerated interest in alternative fuels that cut greenhouse-gas emissions while remaining compatible with current engines. Although combustion and emissions performance have progressed, ammonia’s effects on tribological contacts in internal combustion engines are poorly understood. This PhD will investigate those effects under realistic operating conditions.
Ammonia is transforming marine propulsion, heavy-duty transport and distributed power by providing a carbon-free alternative to conventional fuels. However, a major challenge remains: ammonia, hydrogen, water and nitrogen-containing combustion products in ammonia-fulled engines may degrade lubricants, disrupt protective tribofilms and accelerate corrosion, wear and scuffing in highly loaded engine components. Without a clear understanding of these interactions, unexpected component failure could delay the adoption of ammonia-powered machinery.
This project offers the opportunity to tackle that challenge at the forefront of sustainable engineering. You will investigate ammonia–lubricant–surface interactions under representative engine conditions, exploring how lubricant formulations, engineering materials, coatings and operating parameters influence friction, wear and durability.
The research will deliver a validated ammonia-compatible tribology platform, including unique linked datasets, mechanistic reaction–wear models, and/or physics-informed predictive tools, to help develop practical guidance for selecting robust lubricant–surface combinations.
The project combines hands-on experimentation, advanced materials characterisation and data-driven modelling. You will gain interdisciplinary expertise in tribology, lubricant chemistry, surface engineering and physics-informed machine learning, with access to techniques including FTIR, SEM/EDS, Raman, XPS, ToF-SIMS, profilometry and/or FIB cross-sectioning.
You will also engage with engine, lubricant and coating specialists through an industrial advisory group, stakeholder workshops and specialist facility visits, with opportunities to present at international conferences. This is an opportunity to develop sought-after technical and transferable skills while contributing directly to reliable net-zero propulsion and the next generation of sustainable machinery.
The School of Engineering is committed to promoting equality, diversity inclusivity as demonstrated by our Athena SWAN award. We welcome all applicants regardless of their gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation or age, and will give full consideration to applicants seeking flexible working patterns and those who have taken a career break. The University has a generous maternity policy, onsite childcare facilities, and offers a range of benefits to help ensure employees’ well-being and work-life balance. The University of Southampton is committed to sustainability and has been awarded the Platinum EcoAward.
