Hybrid Glass-Coated 2D Nanomaterials: Advancing Sensing Technologies

Aims and Background 

This project aims to develop hybrid glass-transition metal dichalcogenide (HG-TMDC) composites to create cost-effective, high-performance gas sensors suitable for detecting toxic gases and monitoring air quality. The approach involves optimising gas interactions through hybrid glass coatings, contributing to public health and environmental sustainability. 

Gas sensors are essential for applications in environmental monitoring, industrial safety, and air quality control. Two-dimensional (2D) nanostructures, particularly TMDCs like MoS₂, MoSe₂, and WS₂, exhibit high surface reactivity and tuneable electronic properties, making them promising candidates for gas sensing [Sensors and Actuators A, 2020, 303, 111875]. However, TMDCs suffer from poor gas selectivity, necessitating modifications such as coatings or hybridisation with other materials [Adv. Funct. Mater., 2022, 32, 2207265]. 

Hybrid glasses, derived from metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) [Nat. Commun., 2016, 6, 8079] and hybrid organic-inorganic perovskites (HOIPs) [Nat. Chem., 2021, 13, 778-785], display promising mechanical, adsorptive and optical properties while retaining the chemical tunability of their crystalline counterparts. Integrating TMDCs with hybrid glass materials to create layered HG-TMDC composites could significantly enhance gas sensing capabilities, improving selectivity and efficiency. 

Training and Collaboration 

Throughout the project, the student will receive extensive training in advanced materials synthesis, characterisation techniques, and sensor fabrication. The student will participate in research group activities at both the University of Liverpool (UoL) and National Tsing Hua University (NTHU), benefiting from regular progress meetings with both supervisors. The student will attend multidisciplinary conferences (e.g., the annual RSC Solid-State Chemistry Group Meeting and the Annual Meeting of the Physical Society of Taiwan) to enhance scientific development. The collaboration between UoL and NTHU will ensure interdisciplinary training, equipping the student with expertise in both experimental and computational aspects of gas sensor development. 

Project Structure 

• Phase 1 (18 months, UoL): The student will focus on synthesising and characterising novel hybrid glass-based materials. This phase will cover materials preparation, characterisation methods (i.e., thermal and structural analysis), and porosity assessments of glasses. 
• Phase 2 (24 months, NTHU): The focus will shift to optimising plasma-assisted selenisation/sulfurisation of porous metal/metal oxide films and integrating glass layers onto 2D TMDCs. The HG-TMDC morphologies will be characterised (i.e., structural analysis and density functional theory (DFT) simulations), and gas sensing devices will be fabricated and tested. The student will also complete core postgraduate courses at NTHU. 
• Phase 3 (6 months, UoL): The student will conduct the final evaluation of gas sensing performance, refine device optimisation, and complete thesis writing. 

We want all of our staff and Students to feel that Liverpool is an inclusive and welcoming environment that actively celebrates and encourages diversity. We are committed to working with students to make all reasonable project adaptations including supporting those with caring responsibilities, disabilities or other personal circumstances. For example, if you have a disability you may be entitled to a Disabled Students Allowance on top of your studentship to help cover the costs of any additional support that a person studying for a doctorate might need as a result. 

We believe everyone deserves an excellent education and encourage students from all backgrounds and personal circumstances to apply. 

Supervisors:

Dr Lauren McHugh - L.N.Mchugh@liverpool.ac.uk 

Prof. Yu-Lun Chueh - ylchueh@mx.nthu.edu.tw 

Informal enquiries may be sent to Dr Lauren McHugh ( L.N.Mchugh@liverpool.ac.uk) and/or Prof. Yu-Lun Chueh (ylchueh@mx.nthu.edu.tw) prior to formal application. 

Candidates wishing to apply should complete the University of Liverpool application form [How to apply for a PhD - University of Liverpool] applying for a PhD in Chemistry.