Ilaria Beechey-Newman joined PoreLab and the department of Physics at NTNU as PhD candidate on September 19th, 2022.
Ilaria holds a Master of Chemistry from Oxford University, UK. Her master project focused on the structure and behaviour of highly concentrated aqueous electrolytes upon doping with ionic liquid, that she performed at the Physical and Theoretical Chemistry Laboratory.
Her supervisor is Professor Erika Eiser
Ilaria introduces her PhD project as follow:
My PhD project will be experimentally investigating the anomalous diffusion of heat in nanoporous media during heat-thaw cycles. The primary aim of this will be to verify theory on the topic developed by other members of PoreLab.
This will be achieved using carefully designed model colloid networks, of known pore size distribution, to create a porous medium that allows the study of flow of complex fluids and gases through them in the lab. These systems will be analysed using advance light scattering techniques, and simple thermo-couple measurements.
Understanding of such systems will be important in the development of novel membrane materials for use in a wide range of technologies, including but not limited to: bioartificial membranes and organs for application in medicine, and cathode materials for rechargeable lithium-ion batteries.