PhD Studentship: Designing Microporous Polymer Membranes for Stable, Low-Cost Iron–Sulfur Flow Batteries

PhD Studentship: Designing Microporous Polymer Membranes for Stable, Low-Cost Iron–Sulfur Flow Batteries

Quick assessment

Strong research fit for an applicant who can document UK-fee eligibility; a funding hold for anyone whose fee status is not established. The project has a clear materials-to-device chain: design functional PIMs, process membranes, measure ion transport and test Fe–S battery performance, with an industrial placement focused on scale-up. The main unresolved application issue is not nationality but the official UK-fee eligibility restriction. The planned start is January 2027; the inherited report states that the £21,805 2026/27 rate applies from October 2026 onwards. The first payment date and full award duration need written clarification.

Research problem and doctoral work

Flow batteries can separate power and stored energy, which makes them relevant to long-duration stationary storage. Their membranes remain a performance bottleneck: crossover of active species can reduce capacity and efficiency. In this project, the scientific question is how PIM molecular structure, sub-nanometre pores and chemical functionality jointly determine ion transport and selectivity in Fe–S chemistry.

The advertised work is concrete: design and synthesise functional PIMs, form solution-processable membranes, characterise them and test them electrochemically. The intended result is a quantitative structure–transport–battery-performance relationship. The central challenge is balancing selectivity, conductivity, chemical stability and processability while testing whether membrane behaviour carries over to the target Fe–S electrolyte. The exact Fe–S formulation and any preliminary compatibility data are not specified.

The research route is consistent with recent field reviews, which identify micropore engineering, coupled transport mechanisms, defect control and composite functionalisation as important directions for flow-battery membranes. Those reviews support the rationale; they do not establish that a particular PIM design will work in this project’s chemistry. Small review record, battery membrane review.

A useful thesis would connect polymer design to measurable ion transport, crossover and battery cycling, then test whether the resulting membrane can be manufactured at a relevant scale. Questions for the supervisors include which Fe–S active species and electrolyte will be used, whether preliminary membrane data exist, how fouling and chemical stability will be assessed, and what equipment and operating protocols are already available.

School, programme and training

The project is hosted at Swansea University’s Bay Campus within its chemical engineering and materials environment. The aligned degree route is Chemical Engineering PhD/MPhil, and Swansea awards the degree. Faraday training and the Leaf-Tech placement do not establish a joint degree or an employment offer from the industrial partner.

Swansea’s saved rankings page reports QS Europe 2026 at 108, THE 2026 Engineering at 251–300, and ARWU Energy Science and Engineering in the 76–100 band. These rankings have different scopes; none is a direct ranking of this membrane project. More relevant subject context is the Department of Chemical Engineering’s work in sustainability, materials, manufacturing, water and energy, with research expertise spanning energy storage, battery recycling, membranes, polymers, coatings and applied materials. Swansea rankings, Chemical Engineering, Chemical Engineering research expertise.

Swansea’s membrane-design work also provides a broader research and industrial context, but does not guarantee access to any specific facility. The saved project page sets January 2027 as the planned start and says exceptional deferral is discretionary, typically no more than three calendar months. Individual progression reviews, the final funding duration and the placement timetable remain unspecified. Membrane-design impact, Swansea RS988 project page.

Supervisor, papers and research environment

Dr Rui Tan is the lead academic contact named in the saved project materials. Swansea’s staff profile identifies him as a Senior Lecturer in Chemical Engineering whose work includes PIM membranes, flow batteries, electrochemical storage, solid-state batteries and energy materials. This is a close match to the advertised polymer–membrane–battery chain. The project materials also name Dr Anji Munnangi and Dr Yuanxi Yang of Leaf-Tech as supervisors/contacts. The precise division of supervision should be confirmed. Rui Tan staff profile, Swansea RS988 project page.

The saved publication records show several relevant contributions:

• A foundational Nature Materials study developed hydrophilic microporous membranes for selective ion separation and flow-battery energy storage. It connects sub-nanometre pore control and hydrophilic functionality to selective ion transport. It is older than the recent-paper window but remains directly relevant to the project’s material concept. Nature Materials paper.
• A 2023 Advanced Science paper reports thin-film composite PIM membranes that regulate crossover and water migration in aqueous redox flow batteries. It informs the membrane-processing and crossover questions; whether the reported membrane approach applies to this project’s Fe–S system remains to be tested. Advanced Science repository record.
• A 2023 Advanced Materials paper reports ion-selective microporous polymer membranes using hydrogen-bond and salt-bridge networks for aqueous organic redox flow batteries. It offers a different functionalisation strategy; transfer to Fe–S electrolytes still needs testing. Advanced Materials repository record.
• A Swansea repository record on selective ion transport through hydrated micropores highlights the role of hydrated pore structure in real electrolytes. Hydrated micropores record.
• A 2026 review co-authored by Tan surveys micropore engineering, defect modulation and composite functionalisation. It is a synthesis of field directions, not a new membrane-performance experiment. Small review record.

The assessment is based on the existing publication and repository records; no new full-paper or supplementary-material reading was performed. The lab appears suited to polymer synthesis, membrane processing, characterisation and electrochemical testing, while the Leaf-Tech placement adds exposure to manufacturing constraints. The saved project materials do not specify which facilities are guaranteed at Swansea or Leaf-Tech, placement length and location, data/IP rules, or publication permissions. Leaf-Tech’s own description covers membrane technologies for low-carbon industry and energy storage, but does not guarantee commercialisation of the student’s designs. Leaf-Tech.

Field and career context

The transferable skill set includes polymer synthesis, membrane fabrication, ion-transport measurement, electrochemical testing, flow-battery operation and scale-up. Faraday’s training combines lectures, workshops, industry visits, networking, internships and career development. Its reported 85% retention in the battery sector refers to its first three cohorts as of May 2026, not to this lab or an individual employment probability. The UK Battery Strategy cites a scenario of around 270,000 FTE jobs across the domestic EV battery value chain by 2040; this is not a count of Fe–S membrane positions. Faraday PhD Training Programme, UK battery strategy.

Career value will depend on whether the student can show transferable outputs such as membrane-design principles, robust transport and cycling measurements, and manufacturable processing methods. The saved evidence supports battery materials, membrane technology, electrochemical engineering and industrial R&D as relevant areas; it does not establish this project’s employment rate or salary outcomes.

Funding, application and living costs

The saved Swansea project page says the award covers eligible tuition and a UKRI-rate stipend of £21,805 for 2026/27, plus £2,000 per year for training and consumables. Faraday training worth approximately £5,000 per year is a training benefit, not additional cash. The current saved project record corrects an earlier discovery entry that said £1,000 in research costs and suggested international eligibility. The project-specific page limits the award to UK-fee-eligible applicants, which takes precedence over the earlier classification. UKRI’s general studentship guidance allows some international participation but does not override a project’s narrower eligibility rule. Fee status is assessed under the applicable UKCISA Wales categories; it is not determined by nationality alone. UKRI-funded studentships, Swansea fee-status assessment, UKCISA Wales fee-status categories.

The inherited English report states that the £21,805 2026/27 stipend rate applies from October 2026 onwards, and the project page gives January 2027 as the planned appointment start. These describe the rate period and planned start respectively. The saved materials do not give the first payment date or full award duration; later-year uprating is also not stated.

Swansea’s postgraduate cost page gives average halls rent of £185 per week over 52 weeks and private shared-house rent of £122 per week; utilities, transport, food and other costs are separate. These are housing references, not a complete personal budget or evidence of likely savings. The university’s international finance guidance says international Student Route applicants need fees and sufficient living funds in place before travel; this does not change the project’s UK-fee funding condition. Swansea postgraduate living costs, Swansea international living costs.

Applicant fit and preparation

Relevant preparation may come from chemical engineering, materials science, polymer chemistry, membrane science, electrochemistry or battery engineering. Strong evidence would include polymer or porous-polymer synthesis, membrane casting or solution processing, transport/selectivity measurements, electrochemical testing, flow-cell work or scale-up. These examples indicate fit; they are not listed as formal requirements.

The saved project description does not specify a degree-class threshold or English-test score. Before investing in an application, confirm the formal academic and language requirements, individual UK fee status and the exact application materials. Welsh-language applications are accepted on equal terms under the stated policy, without implying exemption from separate doctoral English requirements.

Next actions

Before applying: obtain a fee-status assessment; confirm the closing time and required documents; confirm the first stipend payment date and full award duration.

At interview: define the target Fe–S chemistry and available preliminary data; clarify the PIM, membrane and electrochemical facilities; agree how supervisors divide guidance; and establish the placement’s duration, location, resources, data/IP rules and publication permissions.

Before accepting: obtain the full funding duration and written stipend schedule; confirm tuition coverage for the individual fee status, progression conditions and any later-year stipend changes; and agree the placement plan.

Evidence and Sources

The reader-facing assessment reuses the saved project record and reports. It does not establish present vacancy availability or add new source or paper checks. The manuscript-reading limits stated above are inherited from the original report.

Project, institution and programme

• Swansea RS988 project page
• Swansea rankings
• Chemical Engineering
• Chemical Engineering research expertise
• Swansea membrane-design impact

Supervisor, research papers and industry

• Rui Tan staff profile
• Leaf-Tech
• Nature Materials paper
• Advanced Science repository record
• Advanced Materials repository record
• Hydrated micropores record
• Small review record
• Battery membrane review

Funding, fees, living costs and career context

• UKRI-funded studentships
• Swansea fee-status assessment
• UKCISA Wales fee-status categories
• Swansea postgraduate living costs
• Swansea international living costs
• Faraday recruiting page
• Faraday PhD Training Programme
• UK battery strategy