PhD in Multifunctional Hybrid Glass–TMDC Composites for Environmental Sensing

This project is a part of a 4-year dual PhD programme between National Tsing Hua University (NTHU) in Taiwan and the University of Liverpool in England. It is planned that students will spend 2 years at NTHU, followed by 2 years at the University of Liverpool. Both the University of Liverpool and NTHU have agreed to waive the tuition fees for the duration of the project and provide a maintenance stipend to support living costs. During the 2 years based in Taiwan, students will receive TWD 15,233/month as a contribution to living costs. During the 2 years based in Liverpool, students will receive a stipend at the standard UKRI Studentship rate, for 2025-26 this is £20,780 pa and this rises with inflation each year. This Studentship also comes with access to additional funding in the form of a Research Training Support Grant to fund consumables, conference attendance, etc. These Studentships are available to any prospective student wishing to apply including both home and international students. A limited number of scholarships will be available to support outstanding international students. We want all of our Staff and Students to feel that Liverpool is an inclusive and welcoming environment that actively celebrates and encourages diversity. We are committed to working with students to make all reasonable project adaptations including supporting those with caring responsibilities, disabilities or other personal circumstances. For example, If you have a disability you may be entitled to a Disabled Students Allowance on top of your studentship to help cover the costs of any additional support that a person studying for a doctorate might need as a result. We believe everyone deserves an excellent education and encourage students from all backgrounds and personal circumstances to apply. Sensors that respond to environmental changes – such as gases, light, or humidity – are vital for applications ranging from air quality monitoring to smart infrastructure. Two-dimensional (2D) materials like transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) – MoS₂, MoSe₂, WS₂ – are promising candidates due to their high surface reactivity, tuneable electronic properties [Sensors and Actuators A, 2020, 303, 111875], and ease of integration into devices. However, their sensing performance can be limited by poor selectivity and environmental stability, which necessitates surface modifications such as coatings or hybridisation with other materials [Adv. Funct. Mater. 2022, 32, 2207265].   This project explores the integration of TMDCs with hybrid glasses formed from hybrid organic–inorganic perovskites (HOIPs) and metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) [Adv. Eng. Mater., 2025, 27, 2402554], to create multifunctional composite materials. These hybrid glasses retain the chemical tuneability of their crystalline counterparts while offering unique mechanical and optical properties. By combining them with TMDCs, we aim to engineer interfaces that enhance not only gas sensing but also humidity-sensitive and photo-responsive behaviour.   This project will focus on hybrid glass–TMDC composites for multifunctional sensing, investigating their electronic, optoelectronic, structural and adsorptive properties. Through sustainable synthesis, advanced characterisation, and performance testing, we aim to develop scalable materials responsive to gases, humidity, and light. By combining experimental and computational approaches, the project supports the development of adaptable, high-performance sensors suitable for integration into environmental monitoring systems, flexible electronics, and smart infrastructure.   This PhD is delivered through the dual NTHU–University of Liverpool programme. The first two years will be spent at The University of Liverpool (Dr Lauren McHugh) and the following two years at NTHU (Dr Yu-Lun Chueh). Together, Dr McHugh and Professor Chueh offer an ideal combination of expertise in hybrid materials chemistry and 2D nanomaterials. Dr McHugh is a leading researcher in hybrid glasses and amorphous materials, while Professor Chueh brings extensive experience in TMDC synthesis and device integration, making their collaboration ideally suited to this interdisciplinary project.   Project activities will take place at the Department of Materials Science and Engineering (DMSE) at NTHU. DMSE is well-equipped with world-class research equipment, including a high-resolution transmission electron microscope (HR-TEM), spherical-aberration corrected field emission TEM (ULTRA-HRTEM), electron probe microanalysis (FE-EPMA), an Auger electron nanoscope (Nano-Auger), electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis (ESCA), field emission scanning electron microscopes (FE-SEM), and various thin film fabrication instrumentations. The Department of Chemistry at the UoL is internationally recognised for its excellence in materials chemistry research. As part of this project, the student will have access to extensive research facilities – including X-ray diffraction, SEM, TGA, DSC, and gas sorption analysis – and the state-of-the-art Materials Innovation Factory (MIF), which features the largest capability in Europe for automated materials synthesis and characterisation