MXenes for toxic metal sampling, sensing, and removal from marine environments

Toxic metals and metalloids are major contaminants in marine environments, with the potential to severely damage ecosystems and threaten human health. Among the most harmful are mercury (Hg), cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb), which originate from activities such as mining, fossil fuel exploitation and industrial effluent discharge. Monitoring and removing these toxic metals when they exceed tolerable concentrations is essential, and current removal methods include adsorption using activated carbon, biochar, zeolites and metal oxides, or chemical precipitation and chelation. 

MXenes are a recently discovered family of two-dimensional transition metal carbides, carbonitrides and nitrides that exhibit a unique combination of tuneable surface chemistry, high conductivity, hydrophilicity, mechanical strength and excellent processability. These properties have enabled applications across energy, catalysis, electronics and sensing, and make MXenes highly promising materials for toxic metal sensing and removal, with recent studies demonstrating excellent performance for detecting and adsorbing Cd(II), Pb(II), Cu(II) and Hg(II).

This project will investigate MXenes for toxic metal sensing and remediation in marine environments, focusing initially on estuarine systems where metal concentrations are higher and deployment is more practical. The work will centre on Ti₃C₂Tz MXene and examine how surface functionalisation, interlayer spacing and intercalants can be engineered to optimise adsorption capacity, kinetics and selectivity in seawater. Fundamental studies of metal–MXene interactions will guide material optimisation and enable the development of prototype sampling, pre-concentration and sensing devices. These will be tested and refined in seawater tanks at the Waterfront campus, providing a pathway towards robust, real-world marine applications.

You'll gain skills in materials synthesis and characterisation and you'll be trained in a variety of techniques that include wet chemistry synthesis, powder X-ray diffraction, electron microscopy, elemental analysis, Raman spectroscopy, BET analysis and surface characterisation, Hg analysis using direct mercury analyser, ICP-MS, and others. You'll also be trained in marine sensor and adsorbent deployment, prototype engineering, and metal biogeochemistry.

The School of Chemistry and Chemical 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.