Aura Centre for Doctoral Training

Dr Hannah Marsden graduated from the Aura CDT in January 2024. She joined Reckitt as a Research and Development Associate in August 2023.

While with the Aura CDT Hannah undertook the role of Treasurer for the Aura CDT Student Committee “As the treasurer for the committee, I am responsible for handling the finances, finding and organising funding and collating the committee calendar. I am detailed orientated and am comfortable approaching companies for funding and sponsorship opportunities. Over the year, I would like to arrange funding so we can support the students, such as with trips, in the future, to other CDTs, as well as other opportunities.”

Background: I have an integrated masters in chemistry with forensic and analytical sciences carried out at the University of Hull. I carried out a year in industry with RE:group, an oil recycling company that is based in Hull.

Research Interests: I am interested in new materials to reduce costs and damage for offshore wind turbines. Self-healing coatings or the use of textile waste into new carbon materials.

Why you applied for the Aura CDT: I liked the idea of a training year before carrying out a PhD and to develop a network of students in the same position as me to help support each other. Also the offshore wind industry is growing rapidly and the areas of research were really interesting to me.

PhD Research: My PhD will involve taking waste clothes and recycling them to produce carbon nanomaterials, such as fullerenes and carbon nanotubes. Thermal chemical vapour deposition will be used to produce these, and research into the most efficient parameters will be carried out. Once the Carbon materials are collected they will either be electrospun with polymers to produce a reinforced polymer, or impregnated with a polymer matrix. This will be explored to determine the most efficient approach, as well as which will be the best approach for load transfer. Following producing carbon reinforced polymers they can be used in manufacturing for the production of wind turbine blades. The project will also cover managing the purity of the carbon nanomaterials produced, using various analytical methods such as scanning electron microscopy and x-ray diffraction. More information on this PhD Research Project.  

Contact: h.marsden@2015.hull.ac.uk

Twitter: @HannahMarsden8