Job title:
PhD student (M/F) Photocatalytic and photoelectrochemical performance measurements of dissymmetric heterostructures for green hydrogen production
Company:
Job description
Offer DescriptionThis PhD project is in line with a strong theme of the Photocatalysis and Photoconversion team from the Institute of Chemistry and Processes for Energy, Environment and Health (ICPEES), which is the production of solar fuel. The tests carried out during the PhD will be based on the ICPEES photocatalytic platform, which is a relatively unique tool in France for characterizing photocatalysts under simulated solar irradiation. The PhD student (M/F) will also benefit from the photoelectrochemical equipment developed within the team. In addition to ICPEES’ equipment, the candidate will benefit from the many materials characterization facilities available on the CNRS Cronenbourg campus (XPS, SEM, TEM etc….).The doctoral project will be carried out mainly within the framework of ANR OSCARE, a collaborative project between Bordeaux research institutes ISM, ICMCB, LOMA and ICPEES. ICPEES is a partner in this project, contributing its expertise in photocatalytic and photoelectrochemical measurements. The project is based on promising initial results obtained with the photocatalytic approach, while the photoelectrochemical part will provide a more pioneering aspect.The position is located in a sector under the protection of scientific and technical potential (PPST), and therefore requires, in accordance with the regulations, that your arrival is authorized by the competent authority of the MESR.The conversion of solar energy into chemical energy has great potential for producing hydrogen in a clean and renewable way, which can be used as an energy carrier, but also to carry out reactions of interest to the chemical industry. This photochemical process can be carried out by semiconductor materials (SCs) which convert photons into charge carriers (e-/h+ pairs) used to carry out the targeted redox reactions. Efficient conversion requires SC materials that combine the following properties: absorption of a large part of the solar spectrum, good charge carrier mobility, and catalytic efficiency for the targeted redox reactions while being stable in water. To date, no material has all these properties, and heterostructures combining several components seem more likely to meet all these requirements, for example by combining an SC optimized for light absorption and a material catalyzing the targeted reactions. Nevertheless, the mechanisms governing the reaction and the key physico-chemical properties in these functional heterostructures remain poorly understood.In this context, the project aims to study heterostructures with a high degree of dissymmetry, which should enable better separation of photogenerated charges and hence greater photocatalytic efficiency. These heterostructures, associating semiconductor particles with oxidation and reduction co-catalysts, will be obtained using an original method, exploiting a laser beam focused in millichannels, developed by one of the partners.By adjusting the synthesis parameters, dissymmetry, co-catalyst loading and its distribution on the semiconductor surface can be controlled. These objects with controlled dimensions and interfaces will be used to determine the mechanisms explaining this enhancement of photoconversion activity in these dissymmetrical particles. During the PhD, these heterostructures will be used for hydrogen production using photocatalytic (PC) and photoelectrochemical (PEC) approaches. These two approaches are complementary for the study of materials for photoconversion. The photocatalytic approach is relatively easy to implement and inexpensive, but provides little information on reaction mechanisms. In this project, it will enable us to quantify the H2 production of the different structures by chromatography, and the temporal stability of this production. The photoelectrochemical approach is more complex, as it involves immobilizing the material on electrodes, but measuring the photocurrent enables many intrinsic properties of the heterostructures studied to be determined. In the PhD, this approach will provide complementary information in terms of spectral response and charge carrier dynamics, to determine the key properties of heterostructures that need to be improved to achieve high photoconversion efficiencies.Where to apply WebsiteRequirementsResearch Field Chemistry Education Level Master Degree or equivalentResearch Field Physics Education Level Master Degree or equivalentResearch Field Technology Education Level Master Degree or equivalentLanguages FRENCH Level BasicResearch Field Chemistry Years of Research Experience NoneResearch Field Physics Years of Research Experience NoneResearch Field Technology Years of Research Experience NoneAdditional InformationAdditional commentsRequired knowledge and skills :
– Materials Chemistry
– Spectroscopies
– Materials characterization
– Physical chemistry
– English level B2 or C1 (reading, writing and scientific presentation skills in English)
– Teamwork skills
– Autonomy and initiative
– Interest in experimental work and data analysisThe following skills would be a plus (not mandatory):
– Photocatalysis
– Electrochemistry
– Programming tools (Python, Labview). Website for additional job detailsWork Location(s)Number of offers available 1 Company/Institute Institut de Chimie et Procédés pour l’Energie, l’Environnement et la Santé Country France City STRASBOURG GeofieldContact CitySTRASBOURG WebsiteSTATUS: EXPIREDShare this page
Expected salary
Location
Strasbourg, Bas-Rhin
Job date
Sun, 21 Jul 2024 05:24:40 GMT
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