Exploring the role of the local environment in electrode-membrane assemblies for the electroconversion of CO2

27 Mar 2024
Job Information

Organisation/Company

Institut Européen des Membranes

Research Field

Chemistry
Chemistry

Researcher Profile

Recognised Researcher (R2)
Leading Researcher (R4)
First Stage Researcher (R1)
Established Researcher (R3)

Country

France

Application Deadline

29 Jun 2024 - 22:00 (UTC)

Type of Contract

Temporary

Job Status

Full-time

Offer Starting Date

15 Sep 2024

Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?

Not funded by an EU programme

Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?

No

Offer Description

Context

The electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2 R) driven by renewably generated electricity (e.g., solar and wind) offers a promising means for reusing the CO2 released during the production of cement, steel, and aluminum as well as the production of ammonia and methanol. If CO2 could be removed from the atmosphere at acceptable costs, then CO2 R could be used to produce carbon-containing chemicals and fuels in a fully sustainable manner. Significant progress has been made in the electro-conversion of CO2 into multi-carbon (C2+) products, drawing on proven technical features found in fuel cells, such as the gas diffusion electrode (GDE) and the membrane electrode electrolyser (MEA) architecture. Under optimal neutral and basic conditions, impressive progress has been made, with high faradic efficiency (FE, >90%) and substantial current density (>1 A.cm-2 ). Beyond the design of the metal catalysts, understanding the role of the local environment on the selectivity of the reaction and the stability of the system is one of the main obstacles to the development of this technology. This local environment in the microporous regions (region II) and the catalytic layer (region III) remains poorly understood, as it is located in an area that is difficult to probe using conventional operando spectroscopy techniques (Raman and infrared).

 

The aim of the thesis will be to develop original approaches based on the coupling of textural analyses and electrochemical measurements to study the physico-chemical behaviour of a membrane electrode assembly (MEA).

 

 

The electrocatalytic properties will be studied for different configurations of membrane-electrode assemblies prepared from different catalyst ink formulations in order to modulate the fluxes of CO2 , ions and water at the level of the catalytic layer. Ion-conducting polymers (ionomers) will be used to modify the local concentrations of CO2 , H2 O, OH- and H+ to induce hydrophobicity, and charged groups at the ends of the side chains to modulate ion transport.

 

Methodology

The PhD student will use analytical techniques that combine gas sorption with an characterization technique dedicated to thin films and stacks available at the IEM, such as spectroscopic ellipsometry and microgravimetry by quartz crystal. The mass uptake, swelling and refractive index variation due to the sorption of CO2 and water in the presence of an ionomer layer will be studied initially on simple model stacks and may be extended to the study of the all-solid stack incorporating the electrolyte. The electrocatalytic characteristics of the various AEM configurations will be evaluated in continuous flow electrolysis cells. These evaluations will be completed by the use of analytical techniques to accurately measure the selectivity of the CO2 conversion reaction.

Funding category: Contrat doctoral

PHD title: Doctorat de Chimie
PHD Country: France

Requirements
Specific Requirements

We are looking for bright and self-motivated PhD student who are interested in the electrochemical reduction of CO2!

Our research aims to understand the behavior of low-dimensional materials towards the reduction of CO2.  The successful applicants should be able to conduct fast-paced research in a team-oriented environment and have good oral and written communication skills.

Knowledge with gas chromatography, HPLC and other techniques of analytical analysis is desired but not necessary.

Additional Information
Work Location(s)

Number of offers available

1

Company/Institute

Institut Européen des Membranes

Country

France

City

Montpellier

Geofield

Where to apply

Website

https://www.abg.asso.fr/fr/candidatOffres/show/id_offre/121840

Contact

Website

https://iem.umontpellier.fr/

STATUS: EXPIRED