About the Project
Electrochemical CO₂ conversion offers a promising route to produce fuels and chemicals using renewable electricity and captured carbon. Acidic CO₂ electrolysis could improve carbon utilisation compared with conventional alkaline systems, but achieving high selectivity and stability remains challenging.
This PhD will develop advanced Cu-based and tandem catalysts for selective acidic CO₂ electrolysis, with a particular focus on multicarbon products such as ethylene. The project will explore how catalyst composition, structure, support properties and spatial organisation can be tuned to improve electrolysis performance under practically relevant conditions.
The student will undertake catalyst synthesis, materials characterisation and electrochemical testing. Possible research directions include nanostructured Cu catalysts, catalyst confinement within porous supports and tandem architectures that combine different catalytic functions to promote multicarbon formation.
Materials will be characterised using a range of structural and surface analysis techniques. Their electrochemical performance will then be evaluated using gas-diffusion electrode and flow-cell systems. The work will consider not only product selectivity, but also reaction rate, carbon utilisation and stability over extended operation.
A key aim of the project is to connect catalyst design with practical electrolysis performance. Promising materials will therefore be progressively evaluated under increasingly demanding operating conditions, helping to identify catalyst design principles that can support efficient and durable CO₂ conversion.
The project is closely aligned with the Royal Academy of Engineering Research Fellowship led by Dr Mengnan Wang, which is developing scalable acidic CO₂ electrolysers for sustainable chemical manufacturing. The wider research programme combines catalyst design, electrode engineering, advanced characterisation and device-scale validation. Within this broader programme, this PhD will focus specifically on catalyst development and electrochemical performance.
The student will join an interdisciplinary research environment spanning electrocatalysis, electrochemical engineering and advanced materials. There will be opportunities to interact with academic and industrial collaborators and to present research at national and international conferences.
This project would particularly suit applicants with a background in Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Materials Science, Electrochemistry or a related discipline who are interested in experimental research. Previous experience in catalyst synthesis, electrochemistry or materials characterisation would be advantageous, but is not essential.
This is a fully funded 3-year PhD studentship at the University of Exeter. The studentship is open to both UK and international applicants and will cover tuition fees plus an annual tax-free stipend of at least £21,805 per year.
For further information regarding this studentship and to apply for it, please visit the following website: https://www.exeter.ac.uk/study/funding/award/?id=6024
Funding Notes
International tuition fees and an annual tax-free stipend of at least £21,805 per year