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Engineering: Fully-funded PhD Studentship: Polymer-Fullerene Nanocomposites for Solar Cell Applications : Swansea, United Kingdom

Swansea University's College of Engineering invites applications for a 3 year fully-funded PhD studentship.

Organic materials are candidates for the large-scale capture of solar radiation, due to the possibility of processing these materials in large areas at relatively low cost. However, considerable challenges exist in terms of device efficiency, device lifetime and robustness of performance with respect to materials and processing conditions.

This PhD studentship aims to contribute to the understanding of polymer nanocomposites in thin-films, with a particular emphasis on materials for solar cell applications, by looking at structure within polymer-fullerene thin-films. Our aim in this work is to gain a thorough understanding of some of the crucial design parameters that control the nano and microstructure of polymer-fullerene nanocomposite films.

The particular focus of the studentship is to understand the interplay between polymer-fullerene mixing and aggregation/crystallisation of the fullerene, within model thin-films. This experimental project will involve the techniques of neutron reflectivity (performed at central facilities in the UK and elsewhere), x-ray diffraction and optical microscopy.

The successful student will join an exciting research community in one of the UK's leading engineering departments. The latest Research Assessment Exercise (RAE), ranked Engineering at Swansea as 8th in the UK overall.

Academic requirements:

Candidates should have at least a 2:1 honours degree in physics, engineering, or a related discipline.

Residency criteria:

Due to funding restrictions, this studentship is open to UK/EU students only.

International students are welcome to enquire about self-funded projects, but please only contact the supervisor if you have the funds or external sponsorship to complete a PhD.

Funding:

The studentship covers the full cost of UK/EU tuition fees, plus a tax free stipend at RCUK levels (currently 13,863 p.a.) for 3 years subject to satisfactory progress.

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Job details

Employer:Swansea University

Website:http://www.swansea.ac.uk

Location:Singleton Park, Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom

Posted:about 18 hours ago

Expires:November 09, 2014

Job type:PhD Studentship

Salary:Unspecified

Qualifications:Undergraduate - Bachelor's degree

Employment type:Contract

Job hours:Full-time