PhD Scholarship in Multi-phase Photochemical reactions in Reactors based upon "Swirl-Pipes" (2020 Entry)

• Tuition fee
• Monthly stipend (RMB4,500)
• Medical insurance with designated providers
• All above items are covered for up to 36 months based on satisfactory progression
• All regulations set out in the UNNC PGR Scholarship Policy apply

In addition to the above scholarship, successful candidates also have the opportunity to carry out paid teaching (after the completion of Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) training) or research assistant duties at UNNC since second year of their PhD programmes.

The above scholarship is to support research projects outlined under the following theme:

Multi-phase Photochemical reactions in Reactors based upon “Swirl-Pipes”

Background: The manufacture of chemicals underpins the smooth operation of modern society and contributes to our quality of life.  Currently, there is an increasing demand for chemicals which is not matched by a corresponding increase in the availability of feedstocks from which to make those chemicals.  Therefore, there is a real need for cleaner, more efficient methods for manufacturing chemicals which can generate greater amounts of chemical from the same or smaller amounts of starting material.  These “Green Chemical” approaches will not only supply the chemicals that people need but will do so at reduced economic cost and reduced environmental cost, thereby providing cheaper materials for people to use while ensuring that the environment in which they live will be cleaner and more agreeable. Photochemistry is a so called ‘reagentless’ synthetic approach which is particularly valuable in the drive towards greener processes.

 
Project description: UNNC has developed a new type of reactor which exploits the properties of a so-called “Swirl Pipe” to achieve a high degree of mixing. The Swirl Pipe was initially designed for Clean in Place (CIP) applications but can be used in different embodiments as a reactor to promote photochemical and/or thermal reactions. This PhD project builds upon UNUK recent advances in designing reactors for photochemical applications. This PhD aims to exploit the Swirl Pipe approach for a project that involves a combination of modelling and experiment to develop applications of the Swirl Pipe reactor for multi-phase reaction mixtures, particularly those involving two immiscible liquids or a liquid and finely divided solid (e.g. a heterogeneous catalyst). This work is important because the unrivalled mixing provided by the Swirl Pipe should enable chemists to carry out reactions and develop processes, which would not be possible or extremely difficult in other designs of reactions.  

We propose to deliver a step-change by

1. providing routes to novel molecular architectures, hard to reach or even inaccessible by conventional methodologies,
2. eliminating many toxic reagents by rendering them unnecessary,
3. minimizing solvent usage,
4. promoting new methodologies for synthetic route planning by using photochemistry for chemical processing where the scale-up will be facilitated using new technology from UNNC. 

We propose to use a series of exemplar projects based on the following chemical transformations:

1. gas/liquid biphasic reactions with singlet oxygen, ¹O₂, where efficient two-phase mixing and good mass transport are key to high productivity;
2. liquid/liquid biphasic reactions in aqueous media where rapid mixing can aid dispersion of the otherwise insoluble compounds with surfactants and
3. gas/liquid/solid multi-phasic reactions, for example hydrogenation using hydrogen gas and solid catalysts where again mass transport is currently a serious limitation.  

Informal inquiries may be addressed to Mike.George@nottingham.ac.uk but formal applications should follow the instructions in ‘How to apply’ section. Please specify 2003GCT_MG as scholarship reference code when submitting application.

PhD programmes at the UNNC are composed of 3 years research and a 1 year thesis pending period for full time PhDs. Full time PhDs are expected to submit their theses within a maximum of four years from initial registration. PhD supervision is undertaken jointly by academics from the University of Nottingham Ningbo China (UNNC) and the University of Nottingham UK (UNUK). On successful completion, students will be awarded the University of Nottingham PhD degree, and no reference will be made on the degree certificate as to where the degree has been completed. The University of Nottingham PhD degree will be accredited by the Chinese Ministry of Education.

Applicants must have a first class honours undergraduate degree or 65% and above for a Masters’ degree from a British university, or the equivalent from other institutions.

Applicants must meet the required English language proficiency for the relevant subject area. IELTS 6.5 (minimum 6.0 in all elements) or its equivalent is required for Faculty of Science and Engineering (FoSE) scholarship applicants.

More details can be found on the ‘entry requirements’ page of the website.

No separate application is required for applying for a scholarship but please make sure you quote the scholarship reference number in your PhD application form. It normally takes 7-8 weeks for a final decision to be made after the closing date. List of required documents can be found on the ‘how to apply’ page.