About the role
This PhD project, based in the Energy Materials Group within the School of Metallurgy and Materials at the University of Birmingham, investigates advanced direct recycling approaches for lithium-ion and sodium-ion battery materials, with a focus on lithium iron phosphate (LFP), lithium manganese iron phosphate (LMFP), and sodium-ion chemistries. The work aligns with the EU-funded DRAGONS project (Direct Recycling with AI for Gigafactory Operations and Next-generation Sustainability), developing scalable recycling solutions for gigafactory production scrap.
Research activities include characterising battery production scrap and recovered materials, developing electrode delamination/separation and binder-removal processes, relithiation and realkaliation to restore electrochemical performance, and fabricating and electrochemically testing electrodes made from recycled material. The student will have access to battery manufacturing dry rooms, reel-to-reel coating equipment, electrochemical testing labs, and materials characterisation facilities, collaborating with academic and industrial partners across Europe and North America.
Fully funded for UK students: home tuition fees plus a tax-free stipend at the prevailing UKRI rate for 3.5 years.
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