Research studentship in Sodium-ion battery electrolytes: Modelling and Characterisation

3.5-year DPhil studentship in Sodium-ion battery electrolytes: Modelling and Characterisation

Project: Battery Electrolytes

Supervisors: Professor Charles Monroe and Professor David Howey

Electrolytes in lithium-ion batteries are complex multicomponent materials, whose properties are tailored to improve device performance. The standard electrolyte comprises a lithium salt dissolved in a blend of at least two carbonate solvents: a cyclic molecule, ethylene carbonate, facilitates salt dissolution, thereby raising ionic conductivity; a linear carbonate like ethyl-methyl carbonate improves processability by lowering solution viscosity. Electrolytes may also contain small amounts of additives to mitigate degradation. Chemical reactivity of a lithium-ion battery electrolyte must also be carefully controlled. Cosolvent molecules and additives react to form protective interfacial layers during the cell formation process, and side reactions involving electrolyte constituents control performance fade.

Coupled chemo-mechanical and thermochemical processes are also known to be important to battery formation and degradation, but mechanistic details remain unclear. One important example of such a process is bulk electrolyte flow driven by applied currents (electrolyte pumping), which induces spatial variations in electrolyte composition during long-term cycling. Another is thermal expansion driven by joule heating, which drives salt redistribution in porous electrodes.

This DPhil project aims to provide detailed mechanistic understanding of ion and cosolvent transport in multicomponent battery electrolytes. The primary focus will be on the detailed experimental characterisation of coupled multicomponent transport processes in industrially significant battery electrolyte systems. The work will focus on quantitative, composition-dependent parameter measurement with electrochemical and spectroscopic techniques, as well as developing new analytical tools and models.

This DPhil is part of the Multiscale Modelling (MSM) project of the Faraday Institution, which aims to produce physically complete and predictive battery models for industrial applications. Experimental data will feed into broader simulation work within the MSM project, including parameter sets for incorporation within the PyBaMM software package. The project is suited for a candidate with an appetite for work in the areas of battery science, transport modelling, and electrochemical methods.

Eligibility

This studentship is funded through the Department of Engineering Science and is open to home students (full award – fees plus stipend).

Award Value

Course fees are covered at the level set for UK students. The stipend (tax-free maintenance grant) is set at the UKRI minimum, and at least this amount for a further 2.5 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, Chemistry, or Materials Science • Excellent English written and spoken communication skills • Laboratory experience • Strong foundations in continuum mechanics or transport phenomena

Application Procedure

Informal enquiries are encouraged and should be addressed to Prof Charles Monroe (charles.monroe@eng.ox.ac.uk).

Candidates must submit a graduate application form and are expected to meet the graduate admissions criteria. Further guidance on the application process will be released shortly.

Please quote 26ENGCH_CM in all correspondence and in your graduate application.

Application deadline: noon 3rd July 2026

Start date: October 2026