PhD Position Scalable Lipid Nanoparticle Purification Technologies

About the role

The project "Welding Made Easy" aims to develop self‑regulating magnetic nanoparticle systems for lightweight composite manufacturing. As a PhD candidate you will join the NCFun group at TU Delft and work closely with partners from academia and industry to create magnetic nanoparticles that act as both heaters and thermal switches during polymer welding.

Key responsibilities

• Design and execute colloidal synthesis routes for magnetic nanoparticles (e.g., Mn‑Fe ferrite alloys) with tunable Curie or compensation temperatures.
• Develop post‑synthetic and in‑situ surface functionalisation strategies to ensure stable dispersion in thermoplastic polymer matrices.
• Perform structural and compositional characterisation using techniques such as X‑ray diffraction (XRD), X‑ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR).
• Carry out magnetic characterisation, including magneto‑thermogravimetric analysis, SQUID magnetometry and vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM) to determine switch temperatures.
• Correlate nanoparticle composition and structure with magnetic heating performance (specific absorption rate, SAR) for polymer welding applications.

Required profile

• Master’s degree in physical chemistry, materials science, chemical engineering or a closely related discipline.
• Strong interest in nanomaterial synthesis, magnetism and solid‑state physics.
• Experience with at least one of the following: colloidal synthesis of inorganic nanoparticles, surface chemistry of nanoparticles, or advanced material characterisation techniques.

Required skills

• Colloidal synthesis of magnetic nanoparticles
• Surface functionalisation of inorganic particles
• X‑ray diffraction (XRD)
• X‑ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS)
• Transmission electron microscopy (TEM)
• Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)
• Magneto‑thermogravimetric analysis
• Superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) magnetometry
• Vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM)
• Specific absorption rate (SAR) measurement