About the Project
Hydrogen fuel cells are a leading clean energy technology for a sustainable, low-carbon future, but nanocatalysts need to be high-performing while using minimal amounts of scarce, expensive Pt. Controlling how Pt atoms are arranged on the surface of a metal nanoparticle is a promising route to highly active fuel cell catalysts. By directing the growth and spreading of Pt on Ru nanoparticles, we controlled the decoration into Pt islands, small clusters, or strings of just a few atoms — a key…
fundamental of catalyst design (See our Advanced Materials and Nature Catalysis papers). Strings of Pt on Ru gave the best combination of Pt–Ru and Pt–Pt neighbouring sites, driving both the water dissociation and hydrogen formation steps of the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and more than doubling the turnover frequency compared to Pt islands on Ru — among the most active PtRu HER electrocatalysts reported to date.
In this project, you will decorate nanoparticles with small clusters or strings of Pt atoms for use as high-performance electrocatalysts. By controlling both the position and the local arrangement of Pt atoms on different metal nanoparticle structures, you will optimise electrocatalytic activity and stability to create the most advanced and effective catalysts for hydrogen production and fuel cell energy solutions. During your PhD you will learn state of the art nanoparticle synthesis techniques and use the most advanced aberration corrected transmission electron microscopes. You will investigate and optimise their catalytic properties and make more effective and efficient fuel cell catalysts- core skills for a career in clean energy, materials chemistry, or nanotechnology research.
You will join a large group of over 35 researchers within the School of Chemistry at UNSW, and be part of a collaborative team environment, with direct mentorship from supervisors who are leading experts in the field. The PhD will also be undertaken in the electron microscope unit that has 17 staff and 20 state-of-the-art electron microscopes. As part of this PhD you will be trained and learn how to use the most sophisticated electron microscopes independently. The PhD will be undertaken in our state-of-the-art laboratories, making use of our advanced synthesis and characterisation facilities. The project will offer an excellent training environment which will equip you to pursue a career in synthetic chemistry, materials science and electron microscopy in industry or academia.
Applying
Prospective students graduated or expecting to graduate with degrees in Chemistry, Materials Science or Physics, Applied Science or related disciplines, with at least a GPA above 8 out of 10, or 3.5 out of 4.0, or high distinction (HD), or equivalent are invited to apply. However, to be competitive, international students will need to have outstanding GPA rankings within their departments (usually the top 5%). First author research publications are also needed for a competitive application.
If you meet the HDR admission requirements, please send an email directly to Prof Richard Tilley (r.tilley@unsw.edu.au) with the following information:
- Email subject: Prospective PhD for energy materials
- Email body: please provide:
- Your background, experience, and research interests.
- GPA / result of each degree.
- Transcripts
- Details of any publications, along with DOI links.
- List of any other relevant research achievements.
- When you expect to be able to start your PhD if successful.
- Attachments: CV, academic transcripts, and an additional PDF file which includes certificates of prizes, awards, recognitions or any other supporting evidence.
We apologise that due to the large number of applications typically received, it is not possible to respond to all applicants.
Funding Notes
We are offering a fully-funded PhD scholarship in the energy materials at the University of New South Wales (UNSW). This scholarship will be funded from either internally funded university projects or one of our recently commenced, externally-funded research projects. For the successful applicant, the scholarship fully covers the university fees and research expenses, and provides an additional allowance to cover living costs for 3.5 years:
- Living allowance: AUD$39,206 (2026 rate) per year (tax-free)
- Conference travel allowance: AUD $3,000 during PhD
References
Li, Q.; Cheong, S.; Poerwoprajitno, A. R.; et al. How the Arrangement of Platinum Atoms on Ruthenium Nanoparticles Improves Hydrogen Evolution Activity. Adv. Mater. 2025, 37, 2509610. A.R. Poerwoprajitno, L. Gloag, J. Watt, S. Cheong, A. Henson, B. Subhash, N.M. Bedford, B.K.Miller, P.B. O’Mara, T.M. Benedetti, D.L. Huber, J.J. Gooding*, W. Schuhmann*, R.D. Tilley*,Single Ptatoms on Ru nanoparticles for CO-resistant methanol oxidation reaction electrocatalysis, NatureCatalysis 5231-237 (2022).
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