If you would like more information or have any questions about this scholarship, please contact the project supervisors.
Deakin-Bayreuth Cotutelle – exploring sodium-ion battery electrode architectures
Applications will remain open until a candidate has been appointed
Supporting a PhD candidate to research sodium-ion battery electrode architectures incorporating novel functional binder formulations in Australia (Deakin University) and Germany (University of Bayreuth).
Key details
Project supervisor
Associate Professor Robert Kerr (Deakin)
Additional supervisors
Professor Matteo Bianchini
Deakin institute
Institute for Frontier Materials
Location
Deakin Burwood Campus (Australia) and University of Bayreuth (Germany)
Value and duration
This scholarship is available over three years and offers:
- a stipend of $35,550 per annum tax exempt (2025 rate)
- at least 12 months of the total period of the program at University of Bayreuth.
For international students, the awardee will also receive:
- single Overseas Student Health Cover policy for the duration of the student visa
- full tuition fee waiver for up to four years
- travel allowance (approximately $3,000) to support travel between universities.
Research aim
This project aims to develop the most advantageous combinations of electrolyte and binder through engineering the electrode structures for compatibility with advanced liquid or solid-state electrolytes. Targeted polymer binders will include those based on the non-fluorinated poly(dimethyldiallylammonium) ionomer and naturally occurring polymers such as carrageenan, alginate and carboxymethyl cellulose. These can then be imbibed with electrolytes containing ionic liquids or organic ionic plastic crystals with the goal of imparting ionic conductivity functionality for higher rate charge/discharge performance or developing the electrodes into a solid-state structure for pairing with a solid electrolyte.
Sodium-ion batteries are becoming an increasingly popularised lower-cost alternative to lithium-ion batteries, however electrolytes for sodium-ion batteries are less developed than the lithium-based counterparts. Ionic liquid electrolytes developed at Deakin are a new electrolyte class that offers superior safety than conventional flammable and volatile electrolytes. Solid-state ceramic electrolytes developed at Bayreuth have enormous potential in overcoming some of the limitations faced with lithium-based ceramics.
Electrode composite structures will also be investigated, focusing mostly on using well-studied active materials such as hard carbon anodes and sodium vanadium phosphate (or fluorophosphate) cathodes available in Bayreuth.
You will be awarded with a doctoral degree from each university. The program runs for three years, and you will spend at least 12 months at the University of Bayreuth and the remainder at Deakin University.
Am I eligible?
To be eligible you must:
- be either a domestic or international candidate. Domestic includes candidates with Australian Citizenship, Australian Permanent Residency or New Zealand Citizenship
- meet the PhD entry requirements of both Deakin University and University of Bayreuth, including H1 or H1 equivalence and English language proficiency criteria
- enrol full time
- be able to physically locate to both University of Bayreuth (Germany) and Deakin University (Australia).
Please refer to the research degree entry requirements page and University of Bayreuth's research entry criteria page for further information.
Ready to apply?
Applicants should contact Associate Professor Robert Kerr to discuss the project and provide evidence of academic transcripts before being invited by Deakin University to lodge a formal application.
If successful you will then lodge a separate PhD application to University of Bayreuth via the University of Bayreuth application page.
Research degree entry requirements
Set yourself up for success. Each type of Deakin research degree has specific entry requirements designed to ensure that graduate researchers are well prepared for the challenges of advanced study.
