Funding

Funded (UK/EU and international students)

Project code

SMDE8560124

Department

School of Mechanical and Design Engineering

Start dates

April 2024

Application deadline

19 January 2024

Applications are invited for a fully-funded three year PhD to commence in April 2024. 

The PhD will be based in the Faculty of Technology, and will be supervised by Dr Abu Saifullah, Prof. Hom Dhakal and Prof. Andrew Pickford.


Successful applicants will receive a bursary to cover tuition fees for three years and a stipend in line with the UKRI rate (£18,622 for 2023/24). Bursary recipients will also receive a £1,500 p.a. for project costs/consumables. 

The work on this project will:

  • Optimise the manufacturing process parameters of textile waste/jute fibre hybrid composites and their mechanical, thermal, morphological and other multi-scale characterisations. 
  • Investigate the performance of plastic-eating enzyme recycled textile wastes in jute fibre hybrid composites and compare their various properties with non-enzyme recycled textile wastes/jute hybrid composites. 
  • Modify textile wastes and jute fibre surfaces with 2D materials (Graphene, MXene) for achieving a better interface between textile wastes - jute fibres - polymer matrix to improve mechanical properties of composites with additional functionalities (flame retardancy, conductivity, electromagnetic interference shielding, hydrophobicity). 
  • End-of-Life and recycling analysis through Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of the developed textile wastes/jute fibre hybrid composites.

 

Natural plant fibre-based composites (NFCs) have gained significant interest recently for automotive, marine, electronics and packaging applications due to lower environmental impacts and moderate mechanical properties.

They are considered as a sustainable alternative to their synthetic counterparts. Jute is the second most produced natural fibre in the world and significantly cheaper than flax or other similar plant fibres with reasonable mechanical properties. Hence, jute is getting increasingly more attention to composite manufacturers across the world. In the above-mentioned applications, an excellent mechanical property and a better fibre/matrix interface are essential.

These properties are needed to improve and are considered as a limitation of current jute fibre-based NFCs. To solve this, the hybridisation technique has been proposed, wherein, two or more fibre types are combinedly used to improve the mechanical properties of hybrid composites significantly.

This project will hybridise textile wastes with jute fibres to develop high-performance jute hybrid composites. Textile sector is the second largest global pollution-contributing sector. The application of textile wastes in hybrid composites will valorise them in advanced applications and thus, manage wastes in this sector. Therefore, this project will

optimise manufacturing conditions to develop hybrid composites. Textile waste and jute fibre surfaces will be modified with 2D materials (graphene, nano-particles) and enzymes to improve mechanical properties further with enhanced multi-functionalities of hybrid composites.

This project will be based in the School of Mechanical and Design Engineering and a collaborative undertaking between Advanced Polymers and Composites (APC) research group and Centre for Enzyme Innovation (CEI), UoP.

 

Entry requirements

You'll need a good first degree from an internationally recognised university (minimum upper second class or equivalent, depending on your chosen course) or a Master’s degree in an appropriate subject. In exceptional cases, we may consider equivalent professional experience and/or qualifications. English language proficiency at a minimum of IELTS band 6.5 with no component score below 6.0.

Applicants for this PhD position should be from mechanical engineering, material science or any relevant engineering discipline and should have a solid understanding and experience on natural fibre reinforced composites, manufacturing and characterisations, polymer materials and characterisations, 2D materials, enzyme-based recycling, life cycle assessment (LCA) etc. Applicants are also expected to have an effective written, verbal communication, project and time management skills.

 

 

 

How to apply

We’d encourage you to contact Dr Abu Saifullah (abu.saifullah@port.ac.uk) to discuss your interest before you apply, quoting the project code.

When you are ready to apply, you can use our online application form. Make sure you submit a personal statement, proof of your degrees and grades, details of two referees, proof of your English language proficiency and an up-to-date CV.  Our ‘How to Apply’ page offers further guidance on the PhD application process.

If you want to be considered for this funded PhD opportunity you must quote project code SMDE8560124 when applying.