About the Project
Supervisor: Dr Harry Sansom
Start Date: From September 2026
Are you excited by discovery, motivated by real‑world impact, and keen to work at the forefront of functional materials research? This PhD offers the chance to help shape an emerging class of high‑performance, lead‑free piezoelectrics - materials with the potential to transform sensing, actuation, energy harvesting, and next‑generation device technologies.
Introduction
For decades, the global piezoelectric industry has depended on lead zirconate titanate (PZT) for its exceptional performance and high Curie temperature. But tightening environmental regulations - especially the EU’s Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive - mean manufacturers urgently need sustainable alternatives. Existing lead‑free systems (BaTiO3, KNN, PVDF) have never matched PZT’s unique combination of high piezoelectric coefficient and thermal stability.
Hybrid metal halides, however, are changing the landscape. Their vast chemical diversity -spanning tuneable organic cations, flexible inorganic frameworks, and highly adaptable halide compositions - enables property combinations that conventional oxide and polymer systems simply cannot access. This structural and chemical versatility has already produced materials with exceptional piezoelectric and ferroelectric behaviour, and the design space remains largely unexplored. With thoughtful molecular and solid‑state engineering, hybrid metal halides have the potential to outperform traditional piezoelectrics and open an entirely new frontier for next‑generation functional materials.
About the Project
You will join a multidisciplinary team investigating the rich chemical landscape surrounding our recently discovered, and patented, hybrid metal halide piezoelectric material, (iodomethyl)trimethylammonium bismuth iodide (TIBI). Working closely with our industry sponsors, you will help ensure that promising materials are aligned with real technological needs. Your research will span the full discovery pipeline:
- Designing and synthesising organic cations
- Crystallising novel hybrid halide materials
- Probing their structural, piezoelectric, and ferroelectric behaviour
Training & Skill Development
You will gain hands on experience across chemistry, crystallography, and functional materials characterisation, including:
- Accessible synthetic organic chemistry
- Crystal growth
- Mechanosynthesis
- Thin film fabrication (spin coating)
- Powder and single crystal X-ray diffraction
- Piezoelectric and ferroelectric measurements
- Atomic and piezoresponse force microscopy (AFM and PFM)
These skills are highly sought‑after and transferable across materials chemistry, solid‑state chemistry/physics, and emerging technologies where hybrid metal halides are gaining traction - including photovoltaics and LEDs. This makes the PhD an exceptional springboard for both academic and industrial careers.
Beyond your core PhD development, you will work directly with industry partners, contribute to new intellectual property, and access national facilities such as Diamond Light Source.
Supervisory Team
This approachable supervisory team offers a unique blend of expertise spanning molecular design, materials discovery, and nanoscale characterisation.
- Dr Harry Sansom - Experimental discovery of novel hybrid halide materials, crystallography, energy materials
- Dr Alastair Lennox - Organic synthesis, electrochemistry, sustainable reactivity, fluorination
- Dr Robert Harniman - Scanning probe microscopy specialist and recipient of the Royal Microscopical Society Vice Presidents’ Award
Candidate Profile
We welcome applications from candidates with:
- A First or Upper Second-Class degree in chemistry, materials science, physics, or a related discipline
- A strong interest in materials chemistry and hands‑on experimental research
- Undergraduate experience in materials‑adjacent projects or modules
This project is particularly well suited to chemistry graduates who undertook a materials research project including X-ray diffraction.
How to Apply
Applications should be submitted through the University of Bristol postgraduate application portal.
For information - the applicant portal won't allow applicants to bypass uploading a document in the 'Research Statement' section, we advise student to upload a blank document to bypass this.
Informal Enquiries
Prospective applicants are encouraged to contact Dr Harry Sansom (harry.sansom@bristol.ac.uk) for informal discussion or further information about the project.
Funding Notes
A fully funded 4‑year studentship is available for UK‑home applicants, covering:
- UK tuition fees
- A training support fee
- A stipend (£21,805 per year in 2026/27, rising annually)
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