PhD Studentship: Light-driven carbon dioxide valorisation

Duration: 3.5 years (Admission in October 2025, January 2026, or April 2026) Supervisor: Professor Emilie Ringe Closing date: 1 August 2025 Stipend: EPSRC equivalent, £20,780 per annum

The overall aims of this Leverhulme Trust-funded project are to valorise carbon dioxide and set the path towards viable technologies for defossilisation of the energy sector and chemical industry. To do so, the Optical Nanomaterials Group at the University of Cambridge has developed sunlight absorbers based on nanoparticles of earth-abundant magnesium,[1-2] and has demonstrated that they can be coupled with catalytically active metals to drive chemical reactions with light [3-4].

The specific goals of this PhD project are to 1) understand how plasmonic Mg nanoparticles and their surface oxide layer attract and activate carbon dioxide under solar light irradiation and 2) develop Mg-based catalytic platform for light-assisted valorisation of greenhouse gases. The PhD student will focus on colloidal synthesis of Mg-based catalytically active plasmonic nanoparticles, their characterisation, and investigation of photocatalytic properties in a range of industrially relevant gas phase reactions.

In their first year, the PhD student will be trained by a team consisting of a project-specific PDRA as well as Prof. Ringe and Dr Lomonosov (senior research associate in the group), towards gaining technical independence in their second year. They will then design catalytic and characterisation experiments that test the ability of catalytically active plasmonic nanoparticles towards low temperature, sunlight-assisted carbon dioxide valorisation reactions. Potential collaborations with other groups and industry will be encouraged as they allow for a broader training and enhance the impact of the research findings.

The student will have access to a wide array of facilities and will be supported by MSM and Cambridge University's PhD framework, including the allocation of a pastoral tutor in college, a non-supervisory advisor in MSM, and a set of practical short courses delivered in the first year.

Applicants should have (or expect to be awarded) an upper 2nd or 1st class honours degree at the level of MSci, MEng (or overseas equivalents) in a relevant subject (Physics, Chemistry, Materials Science, Chemical Engineering), experimental track record and willingness to learn.

Home rate fees are fully funded. Applicants from overseas will need to make up the difference in funding between home and overseas rate fees.

Applications should be submitted via the University of Cambridge Applicant Portal https://www.postgraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/courses/directory/pcmmpdmsm with Professor Emilie Ringe identified as the potential supervisor.

Applications will be considered on a rolling basis and a suitable candidate may be appointed before the closing date for this opportunity. Early application is therefore recommended.

We reserve the right to fill the position with a qualified candidate prior to the conclusion of the advertising period.

Documents in support of applications should include a CV and research statement.

Enquiries regarding the application process may be directed to Dr Rosie Ward (remw2@cam.ac.uk ).

Please quote reference LJ45446 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.

The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.

References:

[1] E Ringe, Shapes, Plasmonic Properties and Reactivity of Magnesium Nanoparticles, 2020, The Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 124, 15665-15679. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpcc.0c03871

[2] V Lomonosov, ER Hopper, E Ringe, Seed-Mediated Synthesis of Monodisperse Plasmonic Magnesium Nanoparticles, 2023, Chemical Communications, 59, 5603-5606 and International (PCT) Patent Application No. PCT/GB2024/050765. https://doi.org/10.1039/D3CC00958K

[3] V Lomonosov, TMR Wayman, ER Hopper, YP Ivanov, G Divitini, E Ringe. Plasmonic Magnesium Nanoparticles Decorated with Palladium Catalyze Thermal and Light-Driven Hydrogenation of Acetylene, 2023, Nanoscale, 15, 7420-7429.

https://doi.org/10.1039/D3NR00745F

[4] A Ten, V Lomonosov, C Boukouvala, E Ringe, Magnesium Nanoparticles for Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering and Plasmon-Driven Catalysis, 2024, ACS Nano, 18, 18785-18799.

https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.4c06858