Job offer PhD position on barocaloric organic ionic plastic crystals and prototype development

This PhD project corresponds to the Doctoral Candidate no. UK1 (DCUK1) vacancy notice of the MSCA "Molecule-based magneto-/electro-/mechano-calorics" (MolCal) Doctoral Network composed of 8 beneficiaries and 6 associated partners from France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, United Kingdom and United States. MolCal overarching scientific goal is the preparation of new molecular assemblies with outstanding potential as caloric materials for refrigeration and heat pump applications at near-ambient and very-low temperature, and their exploitation in prototype devices.

Solid-state materials have the potential to increase refrigeration efficiency, as well as replacing outdated greenhouse gas vapour-compression technology. Globally, refrigeration accounts for 17 % of electricity usage, so there is an exciting materials chemistry challenge to replace inefficient and harmful gases with solid-state refrigerants. Refrigerant effects can be induced in solids through the application of an external field which causes a change in entropy and temperature to the system, named caloric solids. This innovative field is still in its infancy, with recent research work focused on magneto- or electro- caloric effects. The application of hydrostatic pressure to induce barocaloric effects (BCE) is much less studied but offers the most promising advancement as a safer and less energy intensive alternative.

This doctoral project targets the determination of the structural and thermal origins of the BCE. A combination of experimental and computational approaches will be used to get a holistic view of the BCE. High-pressure diffraction and calorimetry will be used to help establish how order-disorder transitions drive refrigeration effects. The project will make use of central facilities such as Diamond Light Source and The European Synchrotron Radiation Facility for in-situ diffraction studies. The structural and thermal data will be used to help model the system via molecular dynamics simulations and machine learning models to help improve the caloric materials synthesised within the MolCal partners.

The successful candidate will enrol in the PhD degree programme in Chemistry at the University of Edinburgh and be employed for 36 months within MolCal. This multidisciplinary and multisectoral network with strong research and training excellence, will ensure optimal knowledge transfer via shared hosting and joint supervision. A personalised career development plan will be established to support the needs of the candidate., Master Degree or equivalent

Research Field
Physics

Education Level
Master Degree or equivalent, The candidate should have a strong background in materials characterisation (xrd, dsc) or molecular simulation, with a Master's degree in Chemistry or related fields. Further information for PhD enrolment at The University of Edinburgh, including English language requirements, can be found here., Doctoral Candidate status: At the time of recruitment, applicants must not hold a doctoral degree or equivalent.

The gross salary (not including social security deductions) will be £ 33,195-42,773 per annum plus mobility (£ 5,359 per annum) and family allowances (£ 5,984) as applicable and in-line with the EC rules for MSCA Doctoral Networks 2022.The studentship is fully funded for 36 months b covers tuition fees and an annual stipend (starting at £17,668 per annum) for a candidate satisfying EPSRC residency criteria. https://www.ukri.org/councils/esrc/career-and-skills-development/funding-for-postgraduate-training/eligibility-for-studentship-funding/#contents-list
Eligibility criteria