About the project
Reliable batteries, surpassing the energy storage capacity of the state of the art, are needed for critical applications such as communications systems for national security. This project aims to make them a reality by combining solid and liquid or gel materials to form quasi-solid materials with versatile chemistry and mechanical robustness.
State-of-the-art batteries employed in laptops and electric vehicles do not deliver all the energy that they can potentially store, since they are operated under a restricted voltage window to prevent their degradation. However, clever engineering of quasi-solid materials allows staggering different materials to enable a greater compatibility with the battery’s cathode and anode, thus bypassing degradation. Furthermore, the incorporation of quasi-solid materials also allows replacing the graphite anode, used in nearly all batteries, by a much more energy dense lithium metal anode, and it overcomes the safety issues involved in using instead a liquid counterpart.
This project will employ the most energy dense battery cathodes currently available in the market, and they will be combined with protective layers of quasi-solid materials and a thin lithium metal anode to produce a battery with unprecedented high energy.
These discoveries will have applications in various areas, including strategic communication and Internet of Things systems. The selection of materials will be guided by the expertise in Garcia-Araez’s group on designing seamless interfaces with negligible resistance, and by the critical knowledge of battery experts from Her Majesty’s Government Communications Centre (HMGCC) on the best-in-class battery options and application requirements. The project will culminate with a practical demonstration of the new battery by building a commercial prototype at the HMGCC manufacturing facilities.
This project will benefit from the long-standing tradition of the Energy and Electrochemistry Group in teaching electrochemistry and battery development, which materializes in a variety of taught and practical courses that span from the fundamentals to applications.
In addition, the School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering offers a variety of training courses on the fundamentals and applications of the state-of-the-art facilities available within the school, such as Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and mass spectrometry.
Through the collaboration with the Faraday Institution, this project will also benefit from excellent bespoke training on battery development, and the University of Southampton also offers a wide variety of professional development opportunities and resources for career development.
Entry requirements
You must have a UK 2:1 honours degree, or its international equivalent, in chemistry or related disciplines.
Fees and funding
We offer a range of funding opportunities for both UK and international students. Horizon Europe fee waivers automatically cover the difference between overseas and UK fees for qualifying students.
Competition-based Presidential Bursaries from the University cover the difference between overseas and UK fees for top-ranked applicants.
Competition-based studentships offered by our schools typically cover UK-level tuition fees and a stipend for living costs (minimum of £19,237 in 2024-25) for top-ranked applicants.
Funding will be awarded on a rolling basis, so apply early for the best opportunity to be considered.
How to apply
You need to:
- choose programme type (Research), 2025/26, Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences
- select Full time or Part time
- choose the relevant PhD in Chemistry
- add name of the supervisor in section 2
Applications should include:
- personal statement
- your CV (resumé)
- 2 academic references
- degree transcripts to date
Contact us
Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences
If you have a general question, email our doctoral college (feps-pgr-apply@soton.ac.uk).
Project leader
For an initial conversation, email Professor Nuria Garcia-Araez (N.Garcia-Araez@soton.ac.uk).
