Chemical Engineering Fully Funded EPSRC ICase and DSTL PhD Scholarship: Development of Protein-Based Adhesives for Defence- Focussed Materials Engineering Applications

Chemical Engineering: Fully Funded EPSRC ICase and DSTL PhD Scholarship: Development of Protein-Based Adhesives for Defence- Focussed Materials Engineering Applications

This project seeks to pioneer the development of innovative, environmentally friendly adhesives inspired by nature. Specifically, the focus is on crafting protein-based adhesives tailored for challenging materials in the defence and engineering sectors, to surpass the limitations of conventional adhesives in terms of durability and ecological impact. 

Background and objectives: Engineering biology exploits and manipulates biological systems to solve real-world problems in sectors such as energy, environment, food, healthcare, and manufacturing. In this project an engineering biology approach will be used to develop unique adhesives inspired by nature. The study will specifically concentrate on crafting protein-based adhesives for bonding materials such as silicon, glass, and ceramics. Traditional adhesives often require complex surface preparations and may degrade over time. The innovative bioadhesives aim to eliminate the need for intricate cleaning and priming processes, overcoming challenges related to durability and variations in wetting and thermal expansion rates among bonded materials. Additionally, the project explores the unique advantage of these adhesives to cure and remain adhered underwater. The emphasis will be on materials used in defence, but broadly applicable throughout engineering sectors. 

Technical approach: Adhesives will be based on microbes that naturally employ functional amyloid peptides for adhesion and biofilm formation. These proteins will be engineered to create a suite of novel and unique bioadhesives for effective bonding without the drawbacks associated with traditional adhesives. Microbes will be grown in the presence of solid substrates to screen for potential bioadhesives. Adhering microbes will then be analysed via protein enrichments and proteomics to determine the nature of their functional amyloid peptides. The engineering biology principles of design, build, test and learn will be employed for creating a tunable set of adhesives via genetic/chemical engineering of peptides and linkers to design biocomposites that are able to bridge interfaces between materials. State-of-the-art facilities at Swansea University and Dstl will be used to characterise material and mechanical/adhesion properties, with scalable deposition methods trialled for practical application. 

Project Team: This multi-disciplinary project spans engineering and microbial biochemistry concepts, welcoming applications from backgrounds in engineering, biology, and physical sciences, with a preference for those with multidisciplinary interests. The PhD student will have the opportunity to develop skills and expertise in a highly interdisciplinary research environment encompassing life sciences, chemical and materials engineering. A comprehensive training program will be provided by the interdisciplinary supervisory team with complementary interests and expertise in materials, deposition techniques and mechanical testing (Dr Phillips), biochemistry (Dr van Keulen), and analytical methods and imaging (Dr Powell and Professor Johnston). Training in all techniques will be provided along with mentorship and personal development.