Metals such as platinum, palladium, iridium, osmium, rhodium and ruthenium (collectively known as the platinum group metals, or PGMs) have a number of unusual and attractive properties, including resistance to chemical attack and high temperature environments. They are however also relatively scarce and high cost (platinum is actually among the least expensive of these elements). Johnson Matthey supplies specialised PGM alloys to the automotive and aerospace sectors for ignition, forming key parts of common components such as spark plugs, as well as in more advanced applications.

The alloys work extremely well for this purpose; however, customers are continually seeking more cost effective solutions. Johnson Matthey are therefore supporting an Industrial CASE award PhD project in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering (www.sheffield.ac.uk/materials) at the University of Sheffield (www.sheffield.ac.uk) to look at the physical metallurgy of PGMs and use this understanding to develop alternative alloys with equivalent or better performance, but lower PGM content. To achieve this the work will focus on a novel alloying strategy of multi principal component alloys (also called High Entropy Alloys), which are known to show unexpected behaviours in other systems.

Such alloys have yet to be explored in the PGMs, although research on refractory alloys more generally indicates that complex systems may exhibit interesting properties. The project will involve work on both predictive methods and experimental validation.  For prediction, modelling techniques recently developed for other alloy systems will be adapted, and new methods will be explored. Selected compositions will be produced experimentally in test quantities and their structure and properties (including mechanical, thermal and oxidation resistance) assessed to determine suitability for applications.

During the whole project there will be frequent interaction with Johnson Matthey staff, and the work will involve spending time at their processing and research facilities in Royston, Hertfordshire. Dr Russell Goodall (www.sheffield.ac.uk/materials/staff/rgoodall) is inviting applications for this studentship, which will cover fees and provide a tax free stipend of at least £16,363 per year for 4 years.

Applicants should meet the EPSRC’s rules on student eligibility (www.epsrc.ac.uk/skills/students/help/eligibility), and should have or be expecting a First Class or Upper Second Class Honours degree in Materials Science or a related subject, or have an appropriate MSc qualification. The preferred start date for the studentship will be around October 2015, although should this not be possible alternative start dates will be considered. Apply online at:www.sheffield.ac.uk/postgraduate/research/apply For more information, and informal enquiries, please contact Dr Russell Goodall, r.goodall<στο>sheffield.ac.uk