About the Project
Solid–liquid interfaces are central to an enormous range of technologies, from batteries, electrochemical devices and heterogeneous catalysis to nanofluidics, lubrication and thermal management. In many of these systems, heat and energy must cross an interface between a solid and a liquid, and the efficiency of this transfer can ultimately limit device performance. Yet our understanding of heat transfer at solid–liquid interfaces remains largely macroscopic. At the molecular scale, the first few…
layers of liquid next to a surface can behave very differently from the bulk, and precisely how their structure and dynamics control interfacial thermal transport remains an important open question.
This PhD project will investigate experimentally how individual molecular layers of liquid respond to temperature at solid surfaces. Molecules adjacent to a solid can form discrete interfacial layers, exhibit strongly reduced mobility, and develop mechanical properties governed by interactions with the underlying surface. Such effects could be intimately connected to thermal boundary resistance—the so-called Kapitza resistance—which describes the resistance to heat flow across an interface but whose molecular origins at solid–liquid interfaces remain poorly understood.
The central aim will be to establish the interplay between thermal behaviour, molecular behaviour and the chemistry and structure of the solid surface. Comparing interfaces with systematically varied interaction strengths will allow us to explore how molecular adhesion, solvation and confinement determine the ability of an interfacial liquid to reorganise in response to temperature. Particular attention will be given to identifying non-linear behaviour, dynamical crossovers, or transitions within the first few molecular layers that are absent from the bulk liquid.
The project will use high-resolution atomic force microscopy (AFM) and dynamic force spectroscopy to directly probe the temperature-dependent behaviour of these interfacial liquid layers. By measuring conservative and dissipative tip–sample interactions with sub-nanometre resolution, we will map how the local elasticity, viscosity, relaxation dynamics and molecular organisation of interfacial liquids evolve with temperature.
The project builds on our development of AFM methods capable of resolving the structure and viscoelastic response of liquids at solid interfaces down to individual molecular layers. By connecting molecular-scale structure and dynamics with interfacial thermal behaviour, the project aims to develop a microscopic understanding of heat transfer across solid–liquid boundaries and ultimately identify molecular and surface-design principles for controlling energy transport at interfaces.
For more information about the condensed matter physics section at Durham University please see here.
Sponsor: EPSRC
Name of supervisor(s): Prof. Kislon Voitchovsky
Eligibility Criteria: You must have or expect a First-Class honour bachelor's degree, or at least a 2:1 Integrated master’s degree or a master’s degree in an appropriate subject, from a recognised university (or equivalent).
Applications are open to Home, international and EU candidates.
If English is not your first language, you must have IELTS 6.5 overall (with a minimum of 6 in all sub-skills) or equivalent evidence of English language proficiency.
How to apply : You must apply through the University’s admission system: How to Apply - Durham University. One application can be used for multiple projects.
You will need to:
- Provide the project title and supervisor’s name under the ‘Programme Related Information’ section.
- Provide details of any funding you have secured or intend to apply for under ‘Additional Information – Funding Information’. This may include CSC, DDS, STFC or EPSRC funding. Please select ‘Other Funding’ and enter the details in the text box provided. You can also include this information under ‘Programme Related Information’.
- Upload your CV under the ‘Experience’ section by selecting ‘Yes’ and uploading the document.
- Upload a personal statement/cover letter under the ‘Personal Statement’ section.
- Provide a short research proposal of a few paragraphs, no longer than one page, outlining your research interests under the ‘Research Proposal’ section.
- Upload your degree transcripts and certificates and, if English is not your first language, evidence of your English language qualifications.
- Provide details for two academic referees, including their email addresses, so that we can contact them directly. Please ensure you consent to the University contacting your referees when completing your application.
Contact: For informal enquiries please contact nicholas.bristowe@durham.ac.uk (general) or kislon.voitchovsky@durham.ac.uk (project specific).
Funding Notes
This EPSRC studentship will be awarded on a competitive basis between projects. Besides these EPSRC studentships, interested candidates may also consider external sources of funding which they may be eligible for.
Start date and duration October 2027 (3.5 Years)