About the project
Nanomaterials are employed in several fields of science ranging from biomedicine and the development of new diagnostic methods, to physics and engineering and the fabrication of novel devices for energy conversion and storage. The major reason for the vast range of applications of nanomaterials is the ability to easily tune their magnetic, optical, electrical, catalytic and mechanical properties, characteristic for different materials, by varying nanoparticles’ shape, size and chemical composition.
Currently, chemical processes to synthesize such nanoparticles are mostly carried out in batch reactor systems, which suffer from significant drawbacks to achieve desired geometry-dependent properties mainly due to the lack of controllability over the reaction microenvironment.
In our engineering laboratories, we have developed advanced flow reactor systems for the synthesis of a range of nanoparticles with controllable geometries produced in a continuous-flow format. Compared to traditional batch methods, flow reactors have shown advantages, such as precise control over the transport of fluids, chemical species and heat, leading to controllable product properties.
The aim of this PhD project will be to develop flow synthesis methods for the continuous manufacturing of various types of halide perovskite nanoparticles, with enhanced optoelectronic properties that could be meaningful for industrial applications such as optical displays and biosensing.
The project will be jointly supervised by Prof. Xunli Zhang, a Professor of Bioengineering and Microsystems and Director of Chemical Engineering, and Prof. Antonios Kanaras, a Professor of Nanotechnology and the Head of Functional Nanomaterials and Applications Lab.
The successful candidate will gain expertise in the chemical synthesis and surface functionalization of perovskite nanoparticles, and their physicochemical characterization, using a vast range of techniques including electron and confocal microscopy. They will also gain expertise in the development of flow synthesis reactors for large scale production and automated optoelectronic characterization. Desired qualifications include previous experience in nanomaterial chemical synthesis and construction of flow reactors.
