Dr Rebecca Boston

MRSC, FHEA, PhD Nanomaterials Chemistry, MSci (Hons) Physics

School of Chemical, Materials and Biological Engineering

Senior Lecturer in Functional Ceramics

Student Admissions Tutor

Dr Rebecca Boston
Profile picture of Dr Rebecca Boston
r.boston@sheffield.ac.uk
+44 114 222 5484

Full contact details

Dr Rebecca Boston
School of Chemical, Materials and Biological Engineering
Sir Robert Hadfield Building
Mappin Street
Sheffield
S1 3JD
Profile

I did an MPhys in Physics, followed by a PhD in Chemistry both at the University of Bristol. I moved to Sheffield in 2014 as a PDRA, working in the Functional Materials and Devices group, and in 2016 was awarded a Royal Academy of Engineering and Lloyd's Register Foundation Research Fellowship in the synthesis of functional oxides. Following this, I was made Senior Lecturer, and continue to work in the synthesis and sintering of functional ceramics.

Qualifications
  • Jan 2022- present: Senior Research Fellow
  • 2016-present: Lloyd’s Register Foundation and Royal Academy of Engineering Research Fellow in nanostructured oxides for sustainable energy storage and recovery
  • 2014 - 2016: Postdoctoral Research Associate in Sustainable Functional Materials, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Sheffield 
  • 2010 - 2014: PhD Researcher, School of Chemistry, University of Bristol
  • 2006 - 2010: MSci Physics, University of Bristol
Research interests
  • Low temperature synthesis
  • Cold sintering
  • High temperature superconductors
  • Thermoelectrics
  • Li and Na ion battery cathodes and anodes
  • Understanding crystallisation

Every electronic device on the planet, from mobile phones to complex scientific equipment, relies on functional oxide materials (crystalline matter composed of a mixture of metallic elements and oxygen) to control operation or performance. This might be directly as part of a circuit, for example in capacitors, which are predicted to have a global market of $50 billion by 2020, or as a stand-alone device, e.g. a thermoelectric generator which recovers waste heat energy. Many of these materials contain rare or toxic elements, making the devices which use them expensive or difficult to recycle.

We can improve the function of these materials (and potentially remove the need for the toxic/scarce elements) by controlling the nano- and micro-structure of the devices. This requires the development of new synthetic methods which control the morphology from the bottom up. Biotemplates and solvent-based combustion syntheses are a rapid and sustainable way of doing this and so my research is concerned with improving functionality through controlling crystal morphology.

Sintering technology is also a key area of development, as at present there are very few ways to preserve nanostructures within a sintered ceramic. Cold sintering is a means to preserve this type of structure, and we have an active research interest in this for emergent morphology-function relationships

Current research projects include:

  • Nanostructuring in Na-ion battery anodes and cathodes
  • Materials discovery in Na-ion battery materials
  • Low temperature sintering in dielectric materials
  • Nanostructured La-SrTiO3 thermoelectrics
  • Synthesis and sintering of next generation fusion materials

Applications from self-funded students are welcome and a range of projects are currently available. Please contact Dr Rebecca Boston directly to discuss further.

Publications

Journal articles

Research group

PDRAs:

  • Dr Pooja Kumari
  • Dr Jess Andrews
  • Dr Laura Wheatcroft

PhD students:

  • Silvija Zilinskaite
  • George Wilson
  • Steph Mudd
  • Enrique Casanas
  • Ryan Emmett
  • Yu-han Huang
  • Yining Li

MSc students (2021-22):

  • Fangxing Ai
  • Connagh Launchbury

Undergraduate students (2021-22):

  • Matt Turton
Grants
  • Lloyd's Register Foundation and Royal Academy of Engineering Research Fellowship (Principal Investigator)
  • International Consortium of Nanotechnologies PhD studentships (Principal Investigator)
  • FutureCat (Faraday Institution) (Co-Investigator)
  • NEXGENNa (Faraday Institution) (Co-Investigator)
Teaching activities

Current courses include:

MAT1220- Introduction to materials properties (optics)

GEE206- Mechanical and functional behaviour of materials (optics)

MAT2220- Functional materials (quantum mechanics)

MAT2930/MAT214- Perspectives in materials research

MAT360 Research techniques and projects

MAT6514 Solid state chemistry (synthesis and sintering)

Tutor

Professional activities and memberships
  • Associate editor for Materials Today Communications
  • MRSC
  • FHEA
  • Member of the Ceramics Academics Forum