Postgraduate research opportunities Merging rod-shaped colloids with colloidal lyotropic liquid crystal hydrogels for multifunctionality in small-scale robotics
ApplyKey facts
- Opens: Thursday 24 April 2025
- Number of places: 1
- Duration: 3 years, depending on the required time to finish thesis
- Funding: Home fee, Stipend
Overview
The overall goal is to develop and investigate a new class of advanced materials with multifunctional properties to be used in microrobotics. Start date: 1 October 2025Eligibility
Candidates must have:
- a degree in chemistry or chemical engineering
- an interest in interdisciplinary collaborations
- prior experience in optics or microscopy is advantageous
- inclination for creative thinking and problem solving is required
Project Details
The overall goal is to develop and investigate a new class of advanced materials with multifunctional properties to be used in microrobotics.
The specific objectives include:
- synthesis and characterization of microrods
- finding suitable surface properties for incorporation into lyotropic liquid crystal hydrogel formulations
- obtain and characterise mechanical, rheological, and optical properties
- additionally, investigate phase behavior, microstructure, and anisotropy of the resulting materials
- design functional micromaterials and microrobots by including magnetic, electroactive, or temperature-sensitive colloids
- test actuation and control
The thesis will include
- colloidal synthesis
- surface modifications
- material characterization (spectroscopy, electron microscopy, chemical analysis)
- optical microscopy and microfluidic techniques to observe microscale motion
- microfluidics
- data collection and data treatment
- writing scientific papers and reports and present results (in form of posters and conference talks)
Funding details
The successful candidate must be a UK home student.
While there is no funding in place for opportunities marked "unfunded", there are lots of different options to help you fund postgraduate research. Visit funding your postgraduate research for links to government grants, research councils funding and more, that could be available.
Apply
Please apply via email with a short description of your expertise, a statement on why you are interested and contacts of two possible references.
Number of places: 1
To read how we process personal data, applicants can review our 'Privacy Notice for Student Applicants and Potential Applicants' on our Privacy notices' web page.