PhD position on polymer brush coatings for electro-chemical processes.
Are you passionate about polymers and electrochemistry? Do you care about a sustainable society, with clean water for everyone? We offer a challenging PhD position in the Functional Polymer Surfaces team within the Department of Molecules and Materials, where you will work on exactly these topics.
Water is indispensable to modern society. It is used in our homes, in food production, and throughout the chemical and processing industries. However, many industrial water-based processes rely on chemical additives such as cleaning agents, acids, bases, antiscalants, rinse aids, and other processing chemicals. While effective, these substances ultimately should not enter wastewater streams, making treatment more complex, energy intensive, and costly.
Therefore, we propose a different solution. Rather than removing these chemicals after use, a more sustainable strategy is to redesign industrial processes so that fewer, or ideally no, chemical processing aids are required in the first place.
To tackle this challenge, researchers from five universities, University of Twente (coordinator), TU Delft, Wageningen University & Research, the University of Groningen, and the University of Copenhagen, will join forces with industrial partners including Nobian and Avebe. Together, we aim to develop innovative technologies that enable cleaner and more sustainable industrial water use.
As a PhD candidate, you will develop novel nanometer-thin polymer coatings, known as polymer brushes, that can control surface interactions and prevent fouling in electrochemical systems. You will design, synthesize, and characterize sustainable and durable polymer brush coatings with tailored functionalities, such as antifouling behavior and selective molecular interactions.
You will then integrate these coatings into table-top test setups for electrochemical separation and cleaning-in-place processes and investigate how they improve process efficiency while reducing or eliminating the need for chemical additives. Through this work, you will contribute to the development of next-generation water treatment technologies that support a more sustainable and circular industry.
Information and application
Are you interested in this position? Please send your application via the 'Apply now' button before August 31, and should include:
- A cover letter (maximum 2 pages A4), emphasizing your specific interest, qualifications, motivations to apply for this position.
- A Curriculum Vitae, including a list of all courses attended and grades obtained, and, if applicable, a list of publications and references.
- An IELTS-test, Internet TOEFL test (TOEFL-iBT), or a Cambridge CAE-C (CPE). Applicants with a non-Dutch qualification and who have not had secondary and tertiary education in English can only be admitted with an IELTS-test showing a total band score of at least 6.5, internet. TOEFL test (TOEFL-iBT) showing a score of at least 90, or a Cambridge CAE-C (CPE).
For more information regarding this position, you are welcome to contact (Sissi de Beer, s.j.a.debeer@utwente.nl)
About the department
You will be embedded in the Functional Polymer Surfaces lab within the Department of Molecules and Materials, of the Faculty of Science & Technology and the MESA+ Institute. Our lab has a strong history in translating fundamental polymer science to technological applications. We study the properties of functional polymer surfaces, with a particular focus on polymer brushes. These coatings can be employed in advanced sensor platforms and in separation technologies that enable the transition to a circular economy.
About the organisation
The Faculty of Science & Technology (Technische Natuurwetenschappen, TNW) engages some 700 staff members and 2000 students in education and research on the cutting edge of chemical technology, applied physics and biomedical technology. Our fields of application include sustainable energy, process technology and materials science, nanotechnology and technical medicine. As part of a people-first tech university that aims to shape society, individuals and connections, our faculty works together intensively with industrial partners and researchers in the Netherlands and abroad, and conducts extensive research for external commissioning parties and funders. Our research has a high profile both in the Netherlands and internationally and is strengthened by the many young researchers working on innovative projects with as doctoral candidates and post-docs. It has been accommodated in three multidisciplinary UT research institutes: Mesa+ Institute, TechMed Centre and Digital Society Institute.
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