The reduction of atmospheric greenhouse gases, in particular carbon dioxide, is a very important contemporary challenge for our societies. The Sprick group (Twitter: @SebSprick) aims to solve these challenges by designing conjugated polymers that use the Sun’s energy for the conversion of carbon dioxide into useful chemical intermediates.

Conjugated polymers have emerged as an exciting new photocatalyst class in the last 5 years allowing for their properties to be much better fine-tuned by using a wide range of building blocks compared to inorganic photocatalysts. This project will be focused on the development of new materials through new synthetic strategies and post-synthetic modification.

The student will gain experience in modern synthetic methods, characterisation techniques, as well as in photochemical measurements and cell culturing. Additional opportunities are available through the University’s PG Researcher Professional Development Programme to develop transferable skills. Research findings will be published in high impact journals with the opportunity to present at an international conference.