The Centres for Doctoral Training in Soft Matter and Functional Interfaces and Critical Resource Catalysis are both exceptional learning environments and a hotbed of research activity. In this current intake we’ve been lucky enough to have four different projects on offer:
SOFI PROJECT 1: Monomers for Biodegradable Plastics: Green Production by Heterogeneous Catalysts – A project joint with Dr Russell Taylor at Durham University developing zeolites for cyclic ester synthesis.
SOFI PROJECT 2: Soft Matter inside Hard Matter – A project joint with Fabio Nudelman here in Edinburgh using soft matter self assembly to nucleate hard materials.
CRITICAT PROJECT 1: A New Route to Sustainable Polyesters – A project capitalising on our recent discovery of a new synthetic strategy to prepare functional polyesters with exceptional thermal properties, involving catalysis, ligand design, polymerisations and property characterisation.
CRITICAT PROJECT 2: Catalytic Conversion of Carbon Dioxide to Oxygenated Polymers – A project led by Dr Jenni Garden here in Edinburgh developing catalytic coupling of new partners to waste CO2 to make novel plastics.
Applications are made directly to the CDTs, but I am happy to help out as much as I can. Get in touch if interested!
Green Materials Laboratory 