Gabriela Bezati - PhD student (8/2025 -)
Gabriela is an incoming PhD student at Imperial College London in the Centre for Doctoral Training in Green Industrial Futures. She completed her MChem in Chemistry with Drug Discovery at the University of Strathclyde, where she worked on porous polymer microspheres for applications in proteomics. She completed an industrial placement at SIKA AG developing sustainable polymer adhesive formulations. She has broad interests in developing next-generation polymers and membrane materials for energy and sustainability. Her PhD will focus on developing new synthetic chemistries of molecular building blocks and microporous polymers with broad applications from molecular separations to energy conversion and storage. Alongside her research, she has a strong interest in science communication and is a co-first author of a recent publication in RSC Open Science exploring science communication in digital media.
Introduction to Research
The synthesis of advanced functional polymers is central to developing new materials for addressing global challenges in clean energy, sustainable chemistry, and environmental technologies. Among these materials, polymers of intrinsic microporosity (PIMs) represent a unique class of porous organic polymers, characterised by rigid and contorted molecular backbones that generate intrinsic micropores. These features provide high surface area, permanent porosity, and pathways for selective molecular or ionic transport.
While PIMs have shown great promise in separation technologies, their potential extends much further. By rationally designing monomer building blocks with tailored chemical functionalities and structural motifs, it is possible to develop next-generation PIMs with properties suited for a range of applications, including ion-exchange membranes and ionomers for electrochemical energy conversion and storage, such as fuel cells, batteries, and electrolyzers.
Gabriela's PhD research will focus on the chemical design, synthesis, and characterisation of novel monomers and the development of advanced PIM structures. By tuning the molecular architecture, introducing specific functional groups, charged moieties, or rigidified frameworks, the project aims to create polymers with optimised pathways for molecular separation and efficient ion transport. A particular emphasis will be placed on understanding how molecular structure governs properties such as free volume, ion conductivity, and chemical stability.
Through the development of new synthetic strategies and molecularly engineered polymers, this research will contribute to advancing functional materials for both separation and energy technologies, supporting the transition to a more sustainable, low-carbon future.