PhD Studentship: Developing surface solutions to prevent material embrittlement in hydrogen applications

Number of Positions: 1

School/Faculty: Mechanical Engineering

Closing Date: 17 January 2025

Eligibility: UK Only

Funding: School of Mechanical Engineering Studentship consisting of the award of fees, together with a tax-free maintenance grant of £19,237 per year for 3.5 years. 

Lead Supervisor’s full name & email address

Professor Ardian Morina: a.morina@leeds.ac.uk  

Co-supervisors names & email addresses

Dr Junfeng Yang: j.yang@leeds.ac.uk

Dr Liuquan Yang: l.q.yang@leeds.ac.uk

Project summary

PhD project, in collaboration with the AC2T in Austria, on the efficiency and reliability of lubricated materials in a hydrogen environment. Hydrogen release from the lubricant into bearings and gears is shown to lead to premature failures due to material embrittlement and excessive wear, significantly affecting the reliability of technologies such as electric vehicles and wind turbines. Insufficient reliability of machine elements in these low-carbon technologies can be detrimental to their energy efficiency and, as a result, hinder their advancement in achieving the 2050 net-zero carbon target. Hydrogen release from lubricated contacts and its diffusion into steel is proven to lead to premature material failure, limiting the reliability of bearings and gears. This project aims to develop bespoke experimental methods to study the mechanisms of how hydrogen atoms, generated in tribological interfaces, diffuse into steel and the effectiveness of lubricants/surface coatings in preventing this hydrogen diffusion. The experimental work will focus on friction experiments in a hydrogen environment, accompanied by lubricant and surface characterisation. The project is supported by the Austrian Excellence Center for Tribology AC2T Research GmbH in Austria and the University of Leeds and will involve a secondment in AC2T.

The project's goal is to develop lubricant/surface coating systems with enhanced performance in mitigating material embrittlement, as well as reducing friction and wear in hydrogen-rich environments. The project provides unique research training for the PhD student, including secondment periods at AC2T in Austria, in a research area relevant to the growing industry of low-carbon technologies of electric vehicles and hydrogen-fuelled engines. The project results will lead to several research publications and presentations at international conferences. The PhD student will join the AC2T In Tribology network with more than 120 members from industry and academia, providing further networking and career development opportunities.

Entry Requirements

A first class or an upper second class British Bachelors Honours degree (or equivalent) in an appropriate discipline.

Subject Area: Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science

Keywords

Hydrogen embrittlement, lubrication, surfaces and interfaces, tribofilm, tribology

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