Project choice for future prospects ADVICE PLEASE!

Looking for some advice on project direction. I am a first year PhD student working in a physics department but mainly around electrochemistry and using 2D materials as ion selective membranes in electrochemical devices (uk).

Right now I have been working on a scaled up application side of this topic, using pre-fabriacted membranes. Another pathway open to me is to focus more on nanofabrication of 2D material based devices in a clean room. This is more a fundamental physics research instead of application.

I worry that I will have better career prospects if I focus more on gaining nanofabrication skills and clean room techniques (lithography/SEM/transfer rig ect) because its more specialised and broader application. At the same time I worry if this work is likely to be automated. I think i want to go into industry in the UK btw. Should I push to spend more time in clean room learning nanofab or focus on application side? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.