BACKGROUND:

Atomic structure and dynamics at the solid-liquid interface fundamentally govern the properties and performance of many key processes, including catalysis and energy storage applications. Understanding these systems provides the key to improving their function and efficiency.
You will be working on a project within the University of Manchester, between the electron microscopy centre and the National Graphene Institute (NGI). This work will involve the development graphene liquid cells fabrication methods (within the cleanroom facilities in the NGI), as well as advanced image processing and atom tracking methods to gain a qualitative and quantitative understanding of the systems being studied. This project will form part of Prof. Haigh’s 5 year ERC research grant (SoluTEM).
The scanning transmission electron miscopy will be carried out using the University of Manchester’s electron microscopy centre and the Electron Physical Sciences Imaging Centre in Harwell. This work would be building upon the work of group’s previous developments including: Clark, N. et al. Nature 609, 942947 (2022) & Kelly, D. J. et al. Nano Letters 18, 11681174 (2018).

(Scanning) transmission electron microscopy is one of the few techniques able to directly visualise nanoscale compositional changes and single atoms within a liquid environment.
This post-doctoral research associate position will investigate nanomaterial structures and behaviours through the development of nanoscale devices, imaged using advanced TEM/STEM microscopes. This project will build upon the currently existing fabrication techniques to develop graphene liquid cell fabrication and the production of novel devices. You will work closely with physicists and material scientists to enable the characterisation and understanding of the phenomena observed within the developed devices.
Prior hands-on experience of high-level nanofabrication of graphene liquid cells using micromechanical exfoliation and recombination of 2D materials into atomically clean van der Waals heterostructures is essential. Experience in image processing using Python for atomic scale TEM/STEM is highly desired. A willingness to occasionally travel (nationally and internationally) to other labs in order to perform TEM/STEM experiments for a period of days- weeks would also be an advantage.