Fundamental studies into single atom catalysts

Closing Date

Thursday 1 May 2025

Location: Diamond Light Source, UK / University of Nottingham, UK       

Contact: Dr David Duncan

Starting date: October 2025               

About the projectWe are recruiting applicants for a fully funded PhD studentship in the School of Chemistry at the University of Nottingham to work under the supervision of Dr David Duncan. The project will be strongly based at Diamond Light Source (Oxfordshire), the UK’s national synchrotron facility, where the student will be based for at least the first two years of the project. At Diamond, the student will be able to utilise cutting edge equipment to study single atom catalysts anchored on defective graphene substrates. Catalysis is a key industrial process that underpins not only the supply of consumer goods, but is also the scale of food production required to feed the billions of people on this planet. However, catalysis is challenging to study on atomic scale, requiring the development and study of ever more realistic model systems. Single atom catalysts, where the catalytic site contains only a single metal atom supported on a heterogenous substrate, offers a tantalising prospect as a model system: it is an inherently defective system (like almost all real catalysts) that can be anchored to supports amenable to fundamental atomistic studies. This research will build upon an ongoing collaboration between the Universities of Warwick, Nottingham and QMUL and Diamond Light Source, to develop model defective graphene supports, onto which single metal atoms can be anchored.

The successful candidate will take these model defective graphene supports and deposit single metal atoms onto them to study their catalytic properties. These catalytic properties would then be correlated, using the synchrotron light, to structural, chemical and electronic changes in the single metal atom at different steps in the catalytic reaction. Using the synchrotron light we can measure minute differences in these properties, notably differences in structure with the precision of a few picometers, to yield a fundamental insight into how our catalytic system is changing through our reaction.

The candidate will gain direct experience with the use of synchrotron light, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy techniques, structural determination techniques (like X-ray standing waves) and X-ray absorption techniques. The student will also gain experience in using ultra-high vacuum apparatus, data processing and scientific programming, as well as training in more general skills such as scientific communication, project management, collaborative working, mentoring and leadership. All these skills are widely transferrable and highly sought after in a range of industrial, as well as academic career pathways. Due to the increased cost of living in Oxfordshire, the stipend for this studentship will be enhanced by £2000 per year above the UKRI minimum stipend.

About you

We are looking for someone with a background in chemistry, physics or a related subject who likes to know the ‘how’ and ‘why’ of the world around them. Any practical experience with high or ultra-high vacuum systems, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, or scientific programming would be a bonus, but is not essential. Within this role you will have the opportunity to interact with, and maybe even work with, a wide variety of different research groups that come into Diamond Light Source from around the world.

If this sounds appealing to you, then please email david.duncan@nottingham.ac.uk and introduce yourself. From there, we’d be happy to discuss the finer details, potential fit, or answer whatever other queries you might have.