PhD Studentship: Passive Phase Change Thermal Control for Perovskite Solar Cells in Space

Primary Supervisor: Dr Mohammad Arqam 

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are an emerging photovoltaic technology with exceptional power‑to‑weight ratios, making them ideal for small satellites and deep‑space missions where size, weight and power (SWaP) are critical. However, their extreme sensitivity to thermal cycling in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), where temperatures range from -150 °C to +150 °C, causes rapid degradation and limits lifespan. Existing spacecraft employ conventional thermal strategies, including passive measures such as multi‑layer insulation (MLI), coatings and radiators, as well as active systems like pumped fluid loops and thermoelectric coolers. While effective for large satellites, these are too rigid, heavy or power‑intensive for CubeSats, and none are tailored to PSC vulnerabilities. 

This project asks whether a passive phase‑change material (PCM) can close that gap. By absorbing and releasing latent heat across its melt transition, a PCM could hold cell temperature within a safe operating window (below ~60 °C) without power, pumps or moving parts. PCMs already buffer spacecraft electronics, but have never been co‑designed with a photovoltaic cell, and their transient behaviour in vacuum, where buoyancy‑driven melt convection is absent and heat transfer becomes conduction‑limited, remains uncharacterised. 

You will develop the underpinning heat‑transfer science. In UEA’s Thermofluids and Solar Energy laboratories you will build and validate transient models of PSC‑PCM stacks, formulate high‑conductivity PCM composites with PCM Products Ltd, and apply machine‑learning surrogate optimisation to trade thermal buffering against mass. Prototypes, using perovskite cells from the University of Surrey, will be characterised in UEA’s vacuum and climatic chambers under simulated solar load, with flight‑representative thermal‑vacuum qualification accessed through Space East’s industry network (SSTL, SuperSharp Space). 

You will graduate with rare expertise spanning thermofluids, energy materials and space systems, and a strong record of journal publications.

Entry Requirements: The standard minimum entry requirement is 2:1 in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Energy Engineering, Applied Physics, or Materials Science.

Mode of Study: Full-time

Start Date: 1 October 2027

Additional Funding Information

This PhD project is in a competition for a Faculty of Science funded studentship. Funding is available to UK applicants and comprises ‘home’ tuition fees and an annual stipend for 3 years. The current UEA / institutional PhD stipend rate is £21,805 and will be subject to any agreed inflationary uplift for 2027/28.