PhD Studentships in Electrochemistry, Materials Chemistry, Electrocatalysis and Batteries

PhD Studentships in Electrochemistry, Materials Chemistry, Electrocatalysis and Batteries

Hartnoll Centre for Experimental Fuel Technologies at the University of Warwick

WE ARE RECRUITING 15 PhD students (UK and International) to start in September/October 2026.  Each 4-year studentship is generously funded with an enhanced stipend, all tuition fees covered, and research support funding, including for participation in conferences.

Students will join the Hartnoll Centre for Experimental Fuel Technologies, which aims to develop innovative fuel cell and battery technologies, underpinned by fundamental understanding. The Centre is an exciting venture bringing together leading research groups in the Department of Chemistry, Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG) and the School of Engineering at the University of Warwick. With world-leading expertise and facilities in electrochemistry, materials chemistry, spectroscopy, microscopy, modelling and battery and fuel cell construction and testing, we aim to develop next generation electrochemical energy technologies through holistic views of fuel cells (especially ammonia fuel cells) and different kinds of batteries, including metal and metal ion (Li, Na, Ca etc.), rechargeable aqueous batteries,  and redox flow batteries. Our Centre is able to study processes from the nanoscale to device level, and we complement cutting edge measurement science and materials synthesis with advanced modelling. 

In addition to the range of exciting projects offered, the cohort of HCEFT PhD students will benefit from bespoke training courses and opportunities for collaboration across the departments (within Warwick, nationally and internationally).

Candidates with first degrees (Bachelors and/or Masters) in all branches of Chemistry, Physics,  Mathematical Sciences, Materials Science and Engineering, and Chemical Engineering are welcome to apply.

If you are seeking an exciting opportunity to become part of a multidisciplinary team of esteemed researchers converging around the shared technologies and innovative research methods essential for battery and fuel cell development please read through the opportunities below and click here for information on how to apply to the Centre.

Department of Chemistry

There are 5 PhD studentships available in the Warwick Electrochemistry and Interfaces Group led by Profs Patrick Unwin and Julie Macpherson

Profs Unwin and Macpherson are internationally-leading electrochemists with vast experience across electrochemistry. The Warwick Electrochemistry and Interfaces Group offers ground-breaking instrumental electrochemical techniques, especially in the fields of nanoelectrochemistry, electrochemical imaging, kinetics and mechanisms, hydrodynamic techniques, spectroscopy, microscopy (AFM and STEM), programming, data analysis, and multiphysics modelling. 

We shall explore the fundamental electrochemistry of electrocatalysts and battery electrode materials, using a range of techniques available at Warwick. PhD projects will be tailored to the interests of students and can include, technique development, microscopy-spectroscopy, analysis/programming (including AI and machine learning) and materials-focused studies. We use innovative high-resolution identical-location multi-microscopy strategies that enable electrochemical processes to be studied on electrode materials at the single entity level - single atoms, nanoparticles,  grain boundaries, step edges, terraces and crystallographic facets. Our general strategy produces large electrochemical datasets that are correlated with data from complementary co-located microscopy to reveal structure-activity relationships in unprecedented detail. This information then informs rational catalyst design and formulation that are investigated with a wide array of larger scale techniques. Example project areas include:

1. Impact of metal or metal alloy crystallographic orientation on ammonia electrocatalysis to enable design of the most efficient catalysts.
2. Understanding what controls electrocatalytic stability, long term catalyst deactivation routes and how to mitigate against them to improve catalyst operational lifetimes.
3. Use of operando spectroscopic techniques (including optical techniques and online mass spectrometry) to identify catalyst reaction pathways during ammonia oxidation.
4. Development of next-generation high-throughput screening techniques, through AI-enabled instrumentation. 
5. Understanding the evolution of battery electrode performance (charging/discharging) from the single particle to whole cell level.
6. Development of new membranes and electrode structures for fuel cells and batteries using 1D and 2D materials.
7. Multiphysics modelling of electrochemistry: connecting nanoscale electrochemical phenomena to whole device behaviour. 

Publications from Prof Unwin and Prof Macpherson (google scholar):

https://scholar.google.co.uk/citations?hl=en&user=z15CRRcAAAAJ&pagesize=80&view_op=list_works

https://scholar.google.co.uk/citations?hl=en&user=pjVrn7IAAAAJ&view_op=list_works

There are 2 PhD studentships available in the research group of Prof Richard Walton

The focus is the targeted chemical synthesis of materials as electrocatalysts and as battery electrode materials, using a wide range of analytical methods for atomic-scale structural characterisation. The projects will build on the expertise of the Walton group in materials for electrolysis and for the oxidation of organics.  Guided by the applications and the device requirements we will focus primarily on mixed-metal transition-metal materials, with precise control of atomic content and metal oxidation states to prepare novel compositions, with the possibility of crystallisation of new crystal structure types for complex oxides and hybrid materials such as MOFs. This will make use of solution chemistry under hydrothermal conditions that will provide unique chemistry to provide the necessary control over crystallisation, also offering tuneable crystal morphology from the nanoscale to the microscale, so providing the chance to prepare materials with highly active surface for electrocatalysis or lithium insertion. Structural investigation will allow us to determine average crystal structure with use of X-ray diffraction (powder or single crystal), small-angle scattering to determine nanostructure, and X-ray spectroscopy to examine oxidation state and local atomic environment. This will allow us to rationalise the properties of the new materials, as determined by the collaborating groups, to then fine-tune materials synthesis to optimise their performance. Extending this work beyond polycrystalline powders, we will also investigate solution crystallisation to modify electrode surfaces, with growth of oxide coating from hydrothermal chemistry, or with metal-organic frameworks that will provide a high concentration of unique active sites to enhance electrochemical activity.

Publications from Prof Walton (google scholar):

https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=fO6uP4oAAAAJ&view_op=list_works&sortby=pubdate

Warwick Manufacturing Group

There are 5 PhD studentships available in the Warwick Manufacturing Group, under the supervision of Prof Louis Piper and Dr Mel Loveridge

Prof Piper and Dr Loveridge have vast experience in functional materials for energy storage/harvesting applications (e.g. Li-ion batteries & photocatalysts for hydrogen generation), along with the development of various advanced characterization methods.  WMG has a suite of laboratories for synthesis, electrochemistry and battery scale-up, which boast cutting-edge facilities for accelerating material developments at laboratory scale into pilot line validation. 

Key areas for PhD research include:

1. Tuning electrode-electrolyte interfaces in batteries for improved performance and lifetime. This area includes the synthetic cathode-engineering of morphology and composition; precise (and scaleable) atomic decoration of electrode interfaces for improving transport and suppressing degradation; and studying reactions at buried interfaces (e.g. operando gas evolution). 
2. Electrolyte additive discovery to generate more stable and effective SEI layers to extend operational lifetimes.
3. Scale-up of industry-grade electrodes for real cell studies. This includes formulation and electrode fabrication technologies (both slurry and dry processing), 3D spectro-microscopy imaging for electrode optimization, and full cell assembly with operando X-ray/Neutron studies for interpreting electrochemistry.
4. Advancing the next generation of electrode technologies that will take anode science beyond graphite with smart design and generation of stabilised interfaces to allow metal anode / anode-free development. All projects will involve the use of advanced characterisation approaches to probing interfaces using state-of-the-art measurement techniques.
5. Collaborating with Chemistry to design and incorporate metal-organic frameworks into electrodes and solid electrolytes. This will advance microstructures and enhance Li storage and transport properties.
6. A holistic view of electrochemical optimization: From single-particle electrochemistry to operando full pouch cell battery studies (in collaboration with Profs. Unwin & Macpherson).
7. Holy grail Li-metal batteries: how to suppress dendritic formation with lithium metal anodes with interface engineering.
8. Pioneering an in-operando technique using emerging table-top terahertz spectroscopy to detect and monitor the onset of lithium plating during fast charging in a customised coin cell. This will be combined with electrochemical and other characterisation studies on fast-charge technologies with WMG and is a collaboration between WMG and the School of Engineering.

Publications from Prof Piper and Dr Loveridge (google scholar):

https://scholar.google.co.uk/citations?hl=en&user=abWHR4MAAAAJ&view_op=list_works&sortby=pubdate

https://scholar.google.ca/citations?hl=en&user=B6M-U40AAAAJ&view_op=list_works&sortby=pubdate

Department of Engineering

There are 3 PhD studentships in the research group of Prof Shanwen Tao

Prof Tao’s research activities involve the areas of fuel cells, electrolysers, batteries, redox flow batteries, electrochemical synthesis of ammonia and hydrocarbons such as methanol, catalysts for ammonia synthesis and ammonia cracking, wastewater treatment, CO₂ and O₂ separation. The focus of research activities for HCEFT is Direct Ammonia/Urea/Methanol Fuel Cells (DAFCs), electrolysers and electrochemical synthesis of ammonia and methanol. Tao’s group invented low temperature DAFCs based on either polymeric or ceramic OH^- ionic conducting electrolytes. DAFCs have the potential for transport applications, such as vessels, trains, lorries, coaches even cars. The main barrier is lack of low-cost electro-catalysts for the ammonia oxidation reaction (AOR), which is the key anode material for direct DAFCs. Currently the state-of-the-art AOR catalyst is PtIr alloy, which is expensive. To reduce cost, two strategies will be applied: (1) To reduce the usage/loading of PtIr by applying the single atomic, dual atomic electro-catalysts or introduction of low-cost elements such as Ni in the PtIr alloy; (2) Investigation of alternative AOR catalysts. Small pilot DAFC stacks will also be fabricated as part of the project with the first target being a 100 W stack.

The three PhD studentships are focused in the following areas:

1. Develop electrocatalysts for ammonia/urea/methanol oxidation reaction to be used as the anode for direct ammonia/urea/methanol fuel cells.
2. Develop electrocatalysts for the synthesis of ammonia or methanol at mild conditions.
3. Develop materials for robust and low-cost electrolysers for green hydrogen production.
4. Develop robust membranes for low-cost redox flow batteries for renewable energy storage

Publications from Prof Tao (google scholar):

https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=bjeLEs4AAAAJ&view_op=list_works&sortby=pubdate