PhD Studentship: Ammonia Solid Oxide Fuel Cell for Carbon-Free Energy Production

A fully-funded PhD studentship is offered by EPSRC through Doctoral Landscape Award. The UK Government has plans to achieve Net-Zero by 2050 and hydrogen energy will play a significant role. Due to the low volumetric density of hydrogen, ammonia has emerged as a promising hydrogen carrier and zero-carbon fuel. The overall aim is to develop a novel direct ammonia fuel cell technology that can efficiently convert ammonia into carbon-free energy. 

In the concept of decarbonisation and renewable energy, hydrogen is considered as the ultimate carbon-free fuel and energy carrier for many applications. However, the fact that pure hydrogen does not exist naturally and has a low volumetric energy density means that hydrogen is faced with immense technical, economical and infrastructure challenges before it can play a major role in decarbonisation. Ammonia (NH3) is an excellent hydrogen carrier as it can be stored at room temperature and relatively low pressure and has a comparable energy density to other liquid fuels. NH3 is already a mass commodity product and enjoys a vast, well-established infrastructure, global trade and distribution network. Most importantly, NH3 can be synthesised by utilising renewable energy sources to lower carbon footprint for the entire life-cycle process of NH3 production and use. One of the key challenges is to convert NH3 into energy efficiently and cleanly, which is what this PhD will address.

This project will develop a direct ammonia solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) technology for efficient and carbon-free heat and/or power generation. By using a novel catalyst design strategy, the proposed research will transform the use of ammonia in SOFC by directly electro-oxidising ammonia with improved energy efficiency and near-zero NOx emission. The specific objectives are to investigate new electro-catalysts for the conversion of ammonia and evaluate the performance in terms of energy efficiency and NOx formation. 

Cranfield University is a world leading research institution in technology transformation research, particularly in hydrogen and ammonia energy such as sorption enhanced steam methane reforming with hydrogen production and CO2 capture, and direct combustion of hydrogen and ammonia as a fuel for heat, power and high temperature processing, electrochemical conversion of ammonia and CO2 for energy and sustainable fuels production. The student will also be a member of the newly built Hydrogen Integration Incubator, a £69 million hub, enabling hydrogen technology development and commercialisation.

At a glance

• Application deadline: 14 Oct 2026
• Award type(s) PhD
• Start date: 25 Jan 2027
• Duration 3 years
• Eligibility: UK, EU, Rest of world
• Reference number: CRAN-0107

Supervisor

1st supervisor: Dr Mingming Zhu
2nd supervisor: Dr Stefano Mori 

Entry requirements

First- or upper second-class UK honours degree or equivalent. Particularly suited to graduates in Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Catalysis, Materials Science, Energy Engineering or a related discipline. We strongly welcome applications from candidates with industrial experience. 

Funding

Sponsored by Sponsored by EPSRC, and Cranfield University, this studentship will provide a stipend of £24,500 (tax free) per annum plus fees and research costs for three years. 

Open to both UK and international applications. However, we are only permitted to offer a limited number of studentships to applicants from outside the UK.

How to apply

For further information:   

Name: Dr Mingming Zhu
Email: mingming.zhu.152@cranfield.ac.uk

If you are eligible to apply for this studentship, please complete the online application form. 

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