4-Year PhD Studentship in Nanoribbons Solar Cells

This project is with the EPSRC Landscape Award scheme. The funding is for Home students (including Irish nationals, and EU citizens with settled/pre-settled status), although a small number of international students are awarded additional tuition funding by UCL each year across the scheme.
Nanoribbons of group 15 elements (P, As) are a new class of nanomaterials, consisting of atomically thin ribbons, tens of nanometers wide and microns in length. These nanoribbons have unique and interesting properties, such as ferromagnetic atoms along their edges. Beyond fundamental physics, we have recently shown they can be directly used to dramatically improve solar cell efficiencies, by accelerating the transport of positive charges. The bulk synthesis of phosphorene nanoribbons (PNRs) was first developed at UCL in 2019, and we have more recently shown their properties can be adapted by doping the PNRs with arsenic to give AsPNRs, increasing their conductivity. In this project, we will further tune the electronic behaviour and processibility of PNRs to improve solar cell performance. The approach will involve both controlling the PNR synthesis, and adapting organic reactions to dictate the chemistry at the edges of the ribbons. The work will involve laboratory work in a chemical wet lab, as well using/analysing an array of chemical and materials characterisation tools (AFM, TEM, Raman, IR, UV-vis, XPS). The project will be led by Dr Adam Clancy, an expert in nanomaterials synthesis and modification, and supported by Dr Tom Macdoald, a pioneer in integrating nanomaterials into advanced photovoltaic devices. The research is a good fit for a student with a background in experimental chemistry (synthetic or analytical), materials science, solid state physics, or chemical engineering (physical science focused).

Self-Funded PhD Positions

We currently have scope to take one self-funded PhD positions to start in Oct 2026. Please contact Adam at a.clancy[at]ucl.ac.uk to discuss projects

Unfortunatelty no PDRA positions are avaialble at this time.

If you are interested in an indepenndant fellowship embedded in the group (Leverhulme, 1851, Royal Acadamy of Engineering, etc) please get in contact with a.clancy[at]ucl.ac.uk, but you will berightfully treated as a PI and not a Postdoc - just one who can steal equipment/materials when needed.