Research Studentship in Materials Engineering
Research Studentship in Materials Engineering
3.5-year D.Phil. studentship
Project: Electrospinning of luminescent fibres for triboelectric nanogenerators and sensors
Supervisor: Prof Jin-Chong Tan
Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENG) are compact devices comprising a pair of tribo-positive and tribo-negative material, which convert mechanical energy into electrical power in contact or noncontact modes. Because of their simple architecture and lightweight design, TENG devices are attractive as low-cost energy harvesters for scavenging energy from surrounding mechanical vibrations, human footsteps, and renewable sources (e.g. wind and ocean waves). Likewise, TENG can function as self-powered sensors for chemical sensing and detection of physical stimuli.
The rich chemical and physical tuneability of metal-organic frameworks (MOF) will be leveraged to engineer TENG sensors and energy harvesters, which could exhibit an exceptionally high response to coupled mechano-opto-chemical stimuli. The proposed mechanism is based on the principle that upon uptake of chemicals in MOF pores, a pronounced mechanical strain and/or modification of electronic structure will alter its triboelectrification at the atomistic/nanoscale. Nanoscale confinement of aggregation induced emission (AIE) molecules within MOFs, and subsequent formation of fibres via electrospinning will pave the way to novel applications.
Objectives:
- To design, fabricate, and test MOF-based triboelectric materials and novel composite fibres augmented with tuneable photoluminescent properties.
- To study the photophysical and photochemical properties, and multi-stimuli response of luminescent MOF fibres and resultant TENG sensors.
- To establish the structure, function, and performance of luminescent MOF-TENG employing multimodal and multiscale characterisation techniques, such as nearfield nanospectroscopy, confocal Raman imaging and nanoindentation.
The project will appeal to candidates with a background in materials science & engineering, chemical sciences, applied physics and spectroscopy.
See for further details:
Multifunctional Materials and Composites Laboratory
https://doi.org/10.1039/D4TC05325G
https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0273138
https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202204848
Eligibility
This studentship is funded through the EPSRC Frontier Research Grant / ERC Advanced Grant and is open to Home or/and overseas students (full award – home fees plus stipend).
Award Value
Course fees are covered at the level set for Home students. The stipend (tax-free maintenance grant) is the UKRI minimum stipend for the first year, and at least this amount for a further two years.
Candidate Requirements
Prospective candidates will be judged according to how well they meet the following criteria:
- A first class or strong upper second-class undergraduate degree with honours (or equivalent) in Engineering, Materials Chemistry, Physics or Materials Science
- Excellent English written and spoken communication skills
The following skills are desirable but not essential:
- Laboratory experience in energy materials
- Design, fabrication and testing of sensing devices
Application Procedure
Informal enquiries are encouraged and should be addressed to Prof Jin-Chong Tan (jin-chong.tan@eng.ox.ac.uk).
Candidates must submit a graduate application form and are expected to meet the graduate admissions criteria. Details are available on the course page of the University website.
Please quote 26ENGMM_JT in all correspondence and in your graduate application.
Application deadline: 10 April 2026
Start date: 1st October 2026