Soft porous media have the ability to retain and release fluids, depending on the affinity between the fluid and the porous matrix, the geometry and elasticity of the matrix, as well as external stimuli. Intensive research has been dedicated in recent years to controlling wettability, adhesion, friction and other (static) macroscopic properties of these materials in the context of liquid-infused surfaces and functional coatings. In a new interdisciplinary project between chemists, physicists and mechanical engineers and in collaboration with industrial partners, we study with a team of three PhD students the principles governing fluid transport and release within soft porous media, such as lubrication greases for bearings. We will explore novel strategies of lubrication using responsive polymer brushes with the ultimate practical goal to provide pathways for better lubricants, e.g. for wind turbines and electric vehicles.

2 PhD positions are available in the Physics of Complex Fluids group at the University of Twente. In collaboration with a third PhD student who focuses on surface and materials' synthesis, your focus will be on the characterization modelling of fluid transport in wetting oil films that are stabilized by functionalized surfaces. Experiments will involve various optical imaging (interferometry, ellipsometry, fluorescence) and advanced Atomic Force Microscopy-based methods.

• You have a Master's degree in Physics, Chemistry, or a related discipline.
• Excellent communication in English and the willingness to collaborate in a team (including external industrial partners) will be essential.

• Fulltime position for four years
• The university offers a dynamic ecosystem with enthusiastic colleagues in a stimulating scientific environment.
• The PhD salary is € 2.541,- in the first year and increases to € 3.247,- in the fourth year.
• A holiday allowance of 8% of the gross annual salary and a year-end bonus of 8.3%.
• The number of holiday hours for full-time employment is 232 hours per calendar year.
• A personal development program within the Twente Graduate School

TNW Faculty (Faculty of Science & Technology)

Our faculty focuses on three domains, namely Chemistry, Health, and Physics. We are the home base for the research institutes TechMed, MESA+, the Techno Centre for Education and Research (TCO), and the Twente Graduate School (TGS). TNW offers six Bachelor's and seven Master's programs in Health Sciences, Nanotechnology, (Applied) Physics, Chemistry, and Technical Medicine. Over 850 colleagues and 2,700 students are active within the faculty of Science & Technology.

About the PCF group:

In the Physics of Complex Fluids (PCF) group at the University of Twente (Enschede, The Netherlands, http://www.utwente.nl/en/tnw/pcf/), research is aimed at understanding behaviors of multicomponent fluids near interfaces.