A PhD project is available regarding the production and characterization of new and sustainable ion-exchange membranes. Membranes play a critical role in the production of safe drinking water and the treatment of human waste streams, but they also take on an increasingly important role in industrial electrochemical processes. This projects will investigate a highly novel approach allowing the production of the highly stable anion exchange membranes through simple hot-pressing of polyelectrolyte complexes. In the project, these new membranes will be designed, fine-tuned and produced to combine high stability with excellent separation properties. There will be a focus on connecting material properties to membrane performance. Moreover, the performance in electrically driven processes will be studied in detail to be compared with commercially available membranes. Anion-exchange membranes with a high chemical stability are essential to allow electrochemical conversion of water into H­2O2 under the required alkaline conditions. This PhD project is part of the larger HYPER project where we will work closely together with the chemicals and materials company Solvay and experts in catalysis (Wageningen University) and process design (Wageningen Food & Biobased Research).

This project will take place in an international research group with a strong collaborative atmosphere. As part of the PhD program, you would have the opportunity to receive further education within the Twente Graduate School. Furthermore, you may actively contribute in the teaching program, e.g. by supervision of BSc and MSc assignments and teaching assistance.

You have a Master's degree, preferably with distinction (or international equivalent), in Physical Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Material Science or a closely related discipline. You are motivated and enthusiastic about working on the interface of fundamental and applied research.

Preferably you have experience with complexation driven processes, phase separation, membrane science and/or electrochemistry. You have the ability to work independently and as a member of a research team, while demonstrating a collaborative attitude.

You are able to review and engage with interdisciplinary studies and are driven by curiosity. You have excellent analytical skills and an analytical mind-set, excellent communication skills, written as well as spoken. English language proficiency is a must and a written test, as well as a scientific presentation, will be part of the interview procedure.

The University of Twente offers a stimulating work environment in an area of applied, forefront research. When fulfilling a PhD position at the UT, you will get the status of junior scientist. You will have an employment contract for the duration of 4 years and can participate in all employee benefits the UT offers. The gross monthly salary starts with € 2.434,- in the first year and increases to € 3.111,- in the fourth year of your employment. Additionally, the University of Twente provides excellent facilities for professional and personal development, a holiday allowance (amount to 8%), an end of year bonus of 8.3%. A high-quality training program is part of the agreement. The research has to result in a PhD thesis at the end of the employment period. The positions are available from the 1st of September 2021.

Within the Membrane Surface Science Group (MSuS), part of the Membrane Science & Technology (MST) cluster (www.membrane.nl), and the Molecular Nanofabrication group, part of the department of Molecules and Materials, of the University of Twente, The Netherlands we have a vacancy for a PhD student