PhD in A Related Discipline

This project will harness MXenes, cutting-edge two-dimensional materials, to create powerful new technologies for detecting and removing these pollutants, with the goal of developing MXene-based prototypes for use in real-life conditions./nToxic metals and metalloids are major contaminants in marine environments, with the potential to severely damage ecosystems and threaten human health. Among the most harmful are mercury (Hg), cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb)./nMXenes are a recently discovered family of two-dimensional transition metal carbides, carbonitrides and nitrides that exhibit a unique combination of tuneable surface chemistry, high conductivity, hydrophilicity, mechanical strength and excellent processability./nThis project will investigate MXenes for toxic metal sensing and remediation in marine environments, focusing initially on estuarine systems where metal concentrations are higher and deployment is more practical. The work will centre on Ti₃C₂Tz MXene and examine how surface functionalisation, interlayer spacing and intercalants can be engineered to optimise adsorption capacity, kinetics and selectivity in seawater./nFundamental studies of metal–MXene interactions will guide material optimisation and enable the development of prototype sampling, pre-concentration and sensing devices. These will be tested and refined in seawater tanks at the Waterfront campus./nYou'll gain skills in materials synthesis and characterisation and you'll be trained in a variety of techniques that include wet chemistry synthesis, powder X-ray diffraction, electron microscopy, elemental analysis, Raman spectroscopy, BET analysis and surface characterisation, Hg analysis using direct mercury analyser, ICP-MS, and others./nSchool of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering. University of Southampton. Waterfront campus. Southampton, United Kingdom.