PhD Studentship: Development of New Inks for Recyclable 3D-printed Materials

The Photochemistry for Materials team is looking for an enthusiastic PhD candidate to join our research team at the University of Warwick (UK) to carry out a 4-year PhD project under the supervision of Dr Hannes Houck. The PhD project is funded under the ‘DeCoDER’ programme by the European Research Council (ERC-StG, 101222417 – press release).

The position is available for a start date from February 2026 onwards, and will remain open until filled.

Project:

As global dependence on synthetic materials is intensifying, waste-accumulation of end-of-life products has become a major concern. Specifically fast-growing 3D photo-printing technologies to make bespoke products such as dental aligners, shoes and car parts present a major challenge as a liquid ink is transformed into a permanently hardened crosslinked photo-polymer that can no longer be recycled. Current photochemical processes that underpin light-based 3D printing processes, however, are single-use and fail to address the urgently needed closed loop recycling of the resulting 3D printed materials. The overall ambition of the ERC DeCoDER project is to make fundamental step-changes in 3D printing ink technology so that 3D printed waste can be effectively and completely re-used as functional photo-ink to allow for 3D-print-to-re-printing. You will join our team efforts to develop new 3D printing inks for light-based printing of the next generation of materials, while introducing intrinsically recyclable bonding mechanisms.

Please note that project specifics can be tuned in view of personal research motivation and interests expressed before/during the application process.

Further reading:

J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2024, 146, 28, 19177–19182. https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.4c04193

Adv. Funct. Mater. 2024, 2414713. https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202414713 

Photochemistry for Materials Lab:

Our research in the Photochemistry for Materials team is situated at the interface of organic synthesis, photochemistry and polymer science with the overarching ambition to meticulously design novel chemical building blocks and finetune their reactivity to design materials with advanced functionality and improved sustainability. Specifically, we develop small molecule photo(cyclo)addition reactions that allow for the efficient formation of covalently bound reaction products under (visible) light irradiation. Importantly, the thus formed adducts display subsequent reactivity that can be activated on-demand to introduce smart and responsive behaviour, including (bio)degradation and closed-loop recyclability. For example, we have (i) developed a poly(ethylene glycol) photo-modification strategy to access 3D printed materials and mRNA lipid nanoparticles that can degrade in water, (ii) introduced a new type of photo-responsive materials (e.g. microparticles) that can be programmed to de-crosslink through a spontaneous cycloreversion at room temperature, and (iii) invented a novel thermoset material based on the [2+2] photodimerisation of monothiomaleimide that can be intrinsically recycled.

Eligibility:

Applicants must have, or be predicted to obtain, a good degree (2.1 or 1^st class) in Chemistry, or other relevant scientific discipline (e.g. Materials Science). Candidates with a particular interest in photochemistry, photophysics, polymer chemistry, materials science, or a combination thereof are particularly encouraged.

PhD candidates from all nationalities are encouraged to apply, however positions may be subject to funding restrictions [More information here].

How to apply:

Contact Dr Hannes Houck [Hannes.Houck@warwick.ac.uk] directly to express your interest in this PhD position. In doing so, please include (1) CV (max. 2 pages), and (2) cover letter stating your motivation, qualifications and expectations related to this PhD opportunity (max. 1 page). You may be requested to provide additional documents (e.g. reference letter) later on in the process.

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