Engineering

Photo of Dr Mi Tian

Dr Mi Tian

Senior Lecturer in Low Carbon Engineering, Director of PGRs in Engineering.

 M.Tian@exeter.ac.uk

Overview

Dr. Mi Tian is a Senior Lecturer in Low Carbon Engineering and an esteemed member of the Global Sustainability Initiative (GSI) community. As a passionate advocate for sustainable energy, her research primarily focuses on hydrogen energy technologies. Currently, she is exploring innovative hydrogen storage media for low carbon combustion systems and sustainable transportation solutions.

  • Environmentally friendly synthesis of nanoporous materials, such as porous polymers, porous carbons, and metal-organic frameworks (MOFs)
  • Neutron scattering techniques for characterizing hydrogen-based materials
  • Hydrogen storage and transportation solutions
  • Hydrogen and deuterium separation processes
  • Optimization of hydrogen supply chain management

In recognition of her outstanding achievements, Dr. Tian was as recently recognized as an EPSRC-WES Ambassador for Women IN Engineering in 2023. She was named one of the Top 50 Women in Engineering in 2020 and was awarded the Ede & Ravenscroft Prize in 2019. Her recent award-winning presentation at the 4th International Women in Engineering Day (INWED) celebration organized by CEMPS can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/pbVRhc4wDrE

For further information on Dr. Mi Tian's research and publications, please visit the following links:

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Publications

Copyright Notice: Any articles made available for download are for personal use only. Any other use requires prior permission of the author and the copyright holder.

| To Appear | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2013 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 |

To Appear

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2013

2011

2010

  • Wang XK, Tian M. (2010) Synthesis of benzimidazole derivatives in water under imidazolium salt grafted iodobenzene diacetate assisted, Gaodeng Xuexiao Huaxue Xuebao/Chemical Journal of Chinese Universities, volume 31, no. 2, pages 296-302.

2009

  • Tian M, Wang X. (2009) Synthesis of α-furylacrylic acid catalyzed by basic ionic liquids, Speciality Petrochemicals, volume 26, no. 5, pages 39-42.
  • Wang XK, Tian M. (2009) Separating benzene-cyclohexane by extractive distillation with salt, Huaxue Gongcheng/Chemical Engineering (China), volume 37, no. 3, pages 9-12.
  • Wang XK, Tian M. (2009) Extractive distillation of ethanol-cyclohexane azeotrope using ionic liquid as extractant, Guocheng Gongcheng Xuebao/The Chinese Journal of Process Engineering, volume 9, no. 2, pages 269-273.
  • Tian M, Wang X. (2009) Lodobenzene diacetate assisted synthesis of benzimidazole derivatives, Chinese Journal of Organic Chemistry, volume 29, no. 10, pages 1654-1658.
  • Tian M, Wang X. (2009) Preparation of methyl acetate by reactive and extractive distillation with Bronsted acidic ionic liquids, Shiyou Huagong/Petrochemical Technology, volume 38, no. 6, pages 603-607.
  • Yu Z, Xie J, Bai J, Tian M, Xia D. (2009) Preparation and electrocatalytic property of Au-Pt/SnO2/GC composite electrode, Rare Metals, volume 28, no. 4, pages 350-354, DOI:10.1007/s12598-009-0069-4.

2008

  • Wang X, Tian M. (2008) Study on synthesis and surface activity of a novel amphoteric gemini surfactant, Speciality Petrochemicals, volume 25, no. 3, pages 17-20.
  • Wang X, Tian M. (2008) Separation of benzene-cyclohexane by extractive distillation with ionic liquid, Petrochemical Technology, volume 37, no. 9, pages 905-909.
  • Zeng S, Tian M, Li J, Chen J. (2008) Post evaluation of water pollution control planning for Huai River Basin in China, 2nd International Conference on Bioinformatics and Biomedical Engineering, iCBBE 2008, pages 3421-3424, DOI:10.1109/ICBBE.2008.359.

2007

  • Yu ZH, Tian M, Xie J, Xia DG. (2007) Au-Pt/SnO2/Au composite electrode based on SnO2 modified layer, Chinese Journal of Inorganic Chemistry, volume 23, no. 8, pages 1329-1334.

2006

  • Yu ZH, Tian M, Jiao QY, Xia DG. (2006) Self-assembling nanobimetallic particles of Au-Pt on glassy carbon electrode, Acta Physico - Chimica Sinica, volume 22, no. 8, pages 1015-1021.
  • Yu ZH, Tian M, Xie J, Xia DG, Li YQ. (2006) Composition and analysis of the nanobimetallic catalyzer of Au-Pt/Cys/Au, Gongneng Cailiao/Journal of Functional Materials, volume 37, no. 12, pages 1991-1994.
  • Yu ZH, Tian M, Xie J, Wang WH, Xia DG. (2006) Composition and analysis of the catalyzer of Pt/MnO2/C, Beijing Gongye Daxue Xuebao / Journal of Beijing University of Technology, volume 32, no. 10, pages 931-934.

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Further information

Professional Activities

Dec 21, 2022

Our paper 'Freeze casting of porous monolithic composites for hydrogen storage' is now published on the journal of Material Advanced and on the cover! https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2022/MA/D2MA00710J

June 11, 2022

It was such great fun yesterday afternoon to talk about hydrogen “the fuel of the future” at Soap box science and learned other fantastic work from the female scientists.

The Soapboxscience brings top women in STEMM to their soapboxes to talk science with the public on the streets.

April 26, 2022

Dr Tian gave a talk on 'Dynamics of hydrogen confined in pores via neutron scattering.' at UK Neutron & Muon Science and User Meeting (NMSUM), which was the first in person talk and meeting in the two years. 

March 31, 2022

Success in the Royal Society International Exchanges Cost Share (NSFC) grant.

This grant will enable the collaboration with Professor Xiayi Hu's research team at the Xiangtan University on the project ' Tunable metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) for carbon capture and storage'. 

January, 18, 2022

Congratulations to Dr Tian on receiving RSC Enablement Grant 2022. 

The RSC Enablement Grant aims to support RSC members to start a new research project. The grant will be used to purchase equipment for a new PhD project. 

December 12, 2021

Congratulations to Rosie Rees on her MSc degree. 

Rosie's research dissertation was entitled 'Design of Green Hydrogen Supply Chain in Southwest England' that was awarded distinction. Well Done! Rosie started her job as a data analyst in Jersey Electricity after submitting the dissertation.

Translation in Chinese: 我的硕士生Rosie周日毕业典礼。这个也是知识改变命运的经典案例。从社会学科背景做能源毕设，毕业后就业电力行业，成功转型。最近五年是新能源氢能源历史最好时机。例如到2030年仅英国政府就要在英国创造9000个就业岗位。然而在2009-2019年的十年间，氢能源领域的萎缩与没落，造成了人才的巨大缺口。如果你错过了电池行业的风口，请关注我们氢能源领域。

 

December 5, 2021

Invited talk entitled 'Wind to Hydrogen in Southwest England' and panel discussion on Future Hydrogen Society at ICAE2021, the 13th International Conference on Applied Energy.

Hydrogen is experiencing a promising wave of enthusiasm across the world. Future energy scenarios in the UK are being produced with a reliance on hydrogen, and the growth of the industry. However, the climate challenge and UK decarbonisation targets require hydrogen’s carbon-intensive history to be re-written. As decarbonisation has not historically been the focus of hydrogen use, there is relatively little research concerning sustainable hydrogen economies. This study examines the feasibility of a green hydrogen economy for the Southwest of England, using data collection and expert elicitations to produce an optimal design. The cost, emissions, and social impacts of this design are calculated and considered in the evaluation of its feasibility. The designed green hydrogen economy consists of wind powered electrolysis, salt cavern storage, and distribution via pipelines to decarbonise heating in the Southwest England. Various recommendations for further research are given to ensure the growth of the hydrogen industry and its contribution to a sustainable energy system.

 

November 30, 2021

The high-pressure gas adsorption equipment is being installed in the lab. 

 

October 8, 2021

An interview on Hydrogen Storage at ISIS Neutron and Muon Source 

A virtual interview with Valeska Ting (University of Bristol), Nuno Bimbo (University of Southampton) reviewed our research in developing porous materials for hydrogen storage and how ISIS neutron and muon source helps them with their work. Available  https://youtu.be/PJezSfMcfdY. 

 

September 2021

Welcome Qian Yu join the group

Qian is joining the group as the CSC-Exeter funded PhD student focusing on developing composites for hydrogen storage and CO2 capture and storage. 

 

June 2021

Mi carried out QENS experiment to investigate dynamics on hydrogen and deuteriumadsorbed on the POCs at ILL, Grenoble, France. 

November 2020

Win the first prize presentation in the 4th INWED celebration organised by CEMPS.

The presentation is available http://https://youtu.be/pbVRhc4wDrE

May, 2020

Win the 2020 Top 50 Women in Engineering: Sustainability (WE50) 

Montage of the 2020 WE50 L-R in alphabetical order by surname.

Teaching

Advanced Materials Engineering, MSc, Download Full Module Specification

Materials engineers are often at the cutting edge. Their understanding of the properties and behaviours of different substances is crucial in the development of technologies - and advances in materials can drive the creation of new products and even new industries. This module will expose you to current developments in biomaterials, materials for energy, and nano-composites.

Energy Storage Technology, 3rd year Undergraduate, Download Full Module Specification

Renewable energy is expected to provide a central solution to our need for a sustainable fuel. However, major challenges presented by renewable energies, such as fluctuations in output, unavailability, and unpredictability, limit their popularity. As a solution to these problems, energy storage technology (EST) is growing in significance. EST is to convert/store energy and to release energy in a controlled fashion when required, which improves energy efficiency and stabilizes operation of electricity grid.

In this module students will obtain general understanding of a number of energy storage systems. Technologies such as mechanical energy storage system (e.g. pumped hydro, compressed air), hydrocarbon storage, lithium ion battery, redox flow battery, lead acid battery, hydrogen and fuel cells, and thermal energy storage will be studied in terms of principles of operation, characteristics, development progress and challenges.

Materials and Manufacturing,  Apprenticeship, Download Full Module Specification

The material components of a product determine how efficiently it works. If the manufacturers of a railway carriage wheel use the incorrect combination of material components, this can cause it to break and spell disaster for passengers. You will learn how to relate basic theory to current technology such as state of the art materials and rapid manufacture techniques. Furthermore, the module will introduce you to the fundamental material solids that engineers use, such as metals, polymers, composites, glasses and ceramics. You will also have the chance to explore why materials behave the way they do, how they differ and what we can do to manipulate them to create products. Moreover, you will take part in lab work to make and test different kinds of materials, and study common manufacturing techniques by practically trying and testing them.

Hydrogen simulator

In collaboration with Dr Shuya Zhong, we are developing a hydrogen simulator website 'H2SIM'. H2sim is an award-winning content hydrogen simulation system, which enables you to calculate solar/wind to hydrogen production, storage, delivery and demand. 

https://hychain.co.uk/

PhD and Fellowship

The Hydrogen Storage Team is currently seeking highly motivated PhD candidates and early career researchers to join our team. We are offering PhD student positions and supporting fellowship applications for early career researchers. If you are passionate about hydrogen storage research and want to be part of a dynamic team working on cutting-edge technology, we encourage you to apply. Don't miss this opportunity to advance your career and make a real impact in the hydrogen energy field. EPSRC Doctoral Training Partnership https://www.exeter.ac.uk/pg-research/money/phdfunding/fundedcentres/epsrcdtp/

China Scholarship Council and University of Exeter PhD Scholarships

https://www.exeter.ac.uk/pg-research/csc-scholarships/

EPSRC Industrial Doctorate Centre in Offshore Renewable Energy (IDCORE)

https://www.exeter.ac.uk/pg-research/money/phdfunding/fundedcentres/idcore/

  List of Key Fellowship Schemes

Funder/Scheme

Description

Approx Deadline

BBSRC Discovery Fellowships

Supports researchers in gaining leadership skills by undertaking independent research in any area of science within the council’s remit. The Discovery Fellowships will support the transition of early stage researchers to fully independent research leaders.

February

ESRC Postdoctoral Fellowships 

This is a postdoctoral fellowship to develop: publications, networks, research skills and professional skills. Proposals are welcome from both single disciplines and combinations of disciplines, but the fellowship activities must be based at least 50% within the social sciences. 

March

EPSRC Postdoctoral Fellowships

Internal process is included generally.

No fixed deadlines; advised submission dates depending on discipline.

EPSRC Open Fellowships

 Internal process

 No fixed deadlines; advised submission dates depending on discipline.

Leverhulme Early Career Fellowships 

For Early Career Researchers who have not yet held a full-time permanent academic position who would like to undertake a significant piece of research.

An internal screen via Engineering Department

 February

Leverhulme Research Fellowship

Open to experienced researchers, particularly those who have been prevented, due to duties, from completing a programme of original research.

UoE currently does not support this scheme.

 November

NERC Independent Research Fellowships

To enable outstanding early career research scientists to develop into international science leaders in the areas of Environmental Sciences.

 October

Royal Academy of Engineering Research Fellowships

Support for outstanding early career science or engineering researchers to carry out unclassified research on specific, pre-determined topics in intelligence, security and defence communities.

Internal process: Host organisations are usually capped in the number of applications they can submit to the Royal Academy of Engineering. 

 September

Royal Academy of Engineering UK Intelligence Community Postdoctoral Research Fellowships

Support for outstanding early career science or engineering researchers to carry out unclassified research on specific, pre-determined topics in intelligence, security and defence communities.

 April

Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 Research Fellowships

1851 Research Fellowships are intended to give early career scientists or engineers of exceptional promise the opportunity to conduct a research project of their own instigation; an ultimate objective is to contribute to the knowledge base required for a healthy and innovative national culture. Around eight awards are made each year.

 January/February

Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowships

Offers a recognised first step into an independent research career for outstanding scientists and engineers at an early stage of their research career. The applicant must have a need for a flexible working pattern due to personal circumstances, such as parenting or caring responsibilities or health issues.

 November

Royal Society Research Professorship

 -

Royal Society University Research Fellowships

To provide outstanding scientists, who have the potential to become leaders in their chosen field, with the opportunity to build an independent research career, in the areas of natural sciences and engineering.

 September

STFC Ernest Rutherford Fellowships

To enable early career researchers with clear leadership potential to establish a strong, independent research programme in the remit of STFC (astronomy, solar and planetary science, particle physics, particle astrophysics, cosmology, nuclear physics, accelerator science)

 September

UKRI Future Leaders Fellowships

The previous rounds (2018-2022) aimed to support excellent and high potential future research and innovation leaders transition to/establish independence.

Further rounds of this scheme are anticipated in 2023.

 TBC

UKRI Stephen Hawking Fellowships

To support and develop the next generation of visionary scientists in theoretical physics and/or fundamental mathematical and computer sciences that underpin them.

There have not been any calls since 2020. 

 -

Wellcome Early Careers Awards

This scheme provides funding for early-career researchers from any discipline who are ready to develop their research identity. Through innovative projects, they will deliver shifts in understanding that could improve human life, health and wellbeing. By the end of the award, they will be ready to lead their own independent research programme.

The proposed research can be in any discipline - as long as it has the potential to improve human life, health and wellbeing, and aligns with the funder’s funding remit.

 October

EU and International opportunities

ERC starting grant/consolidator grant

 January

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