Advanced Materials and Manufacturing for Reliable Hydrogen Storage

About the Project

These projects are open to students worldwide, but have no funding attached. Therefore, the successful applicant will be expected to fund tuition fees at the relevant level (home or international) and any applicable additional research costs. Please consider this before applying.

Owing to its abundance and its potential for zero emissions, hydrogen has gained significant attention in recent years as an alternative fuel source. The global demand for hydrogen is expected to increase progressively, necessitating innovation in its production, storage, and distribution systems.

As the smallest atom, hydrogen can easily diffuse into materials, leading to adverse effects on mechanical performance. This degradation process, known as hydrogen embrittlement (HE), poses a serious challenge for materials used in hydrogen storage. Typically, hydrogen storage systems are manufactured from metallic materials that are prone to HE, which can result in hydrogen leakage and catastrophic failures. Moreover, hydrogen storage systems fabricated using traditional manufacturing methods often include welded regions, which are critical to structural integrity due to the presence of residual stresses and manufacturing-induced defects.

The primary goal of this project is to develop the next generation of high-performance hydrogen storage materials using advanced manufacturing techniques. The mechanical performance of new hydrogen storage materials after controlled hydrogen charging/exposure will be evaluated using mechanical testing and materials characterization. Computational modelling will be used to support the interpretation of experimental results and to predict hydrogen-assisted failure mechanisms

The PhD candidate will have the opportunity to collaborate with researchers from universities, laboratories, and industry in this project.

Decisions will be based on academic merit. The successful applicant should have, or expect to obtain, a UK Honours Degree at 2.1 (or equivalent) in Mechanical/Materials/Aerospace/Marine Engineering or Materials Science.

Application Procedure:

Formal applications can be completed online: https://www.abdn.ac.uk/pgap/login.php.

You should apply for PhD in Engineering to ensure your application is passed to the correct team for processing.

Please clearly note the name of the lead supervisor and project titleon the application form. If you do not include these details, it may not be considered for the studentship.

Your application must include: A personal statement, an up-to-date copy of your academic CV, and clear copies of your educational certificates and transcripts.

Please note: you do not need to provide a research proposal with this application.

Informal enquiries can be made by contacting Dr M Kartal at m.kartal@abdn.ac.uk. If you require any additional assistance in submitting your application or have any queries about the application process, please don't hesitate to contact us at researchadmissions@abdn.ac.uk

Funding Notes

This is a self-funding project open to students worldwide. Our typical start dates for this programme are February or October.

Fees for this programme can be found here Finance and Funding | Study Here | The University of Aberdeen

Additional research costs / bench fees amounting to a total of £5,200 will be required in addition to tuition fees and living expenses.