Post Doc in High-pressure-temperature behavior of natural gas hydrates: from hydrogen storage to planetary modelling

EPFL, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, is one of the most dynamic university campuses in Europe and ranks among the top 20 universities worldwide. The EPFL employs more than 6,000 people supporting the three main missions of the institutions: education, research and innovation. The EPFL campus offers an exceptional working environment at the heart of a community of more than 16,000 people, including over 12,000 students and 4,000 researchers from more than 120 different countries.

Your mission :

The project focus on the characterisation of the high-pressure-temperature structures, stability range, and proton dynamics of natural gas hydrates (NGH) (mainly H

2

, CH

4

, CO

2

), with applications to gas storage and to modelling of icy moons and planets.

NGHs are constituted by hydrogen-bonded H

2

O polyhedral cages, structurally similar to fullerenes, hosting gas molecules in their interior, are common on Earth in oceanic shelves and permafrost regions, and are particularly fascinating for their potential energy and environmental applications. Their thermal transport properties under HP conditions encountered in the largest icy moons and the newly discovered water-rich exoplanets are fundamental for their description, as clathrate hydrates naturally form in the water-rich interior of those bodies, potentially storing huge amount of volatiles .

Pressure is a key parameter in the study of NGHs as it remarkably increases the temperature range of their stability and their gas uptalking by inducing substantial variations in the water-gas distances, promotes structural transitions trough gas-rich structures and new gas-water interactions, and can accelerate gas exchange phenomena (such as CH

4

-CO

2

exchange). The project will involve using a combination of experimental techniques, including X-ray and neutron diffraction, quasi-elastic neutron scattering, and Raman spectroscopy.

Main duties and responsibilities include :
You will identify the p-T stability range and the new structures of (H2,He,CO2)- NGHs by coupling neutron and x-ray diffraction measurements and Raman scattering in diamond anvils cells (DAC). You will probe the gas exchange processes by high pressure quasi elastic neutron scattering measurements. You will compare your results with advanced ab-initio and DFT molecular dynamics simulations performed in the group. You will perform experimental work both in lab and at neutron and synchrotron sources, data analysis, present your results at international conferences, write publications in the peer reviewed journals and proposals for beam-times request at the neutron sources and synchrotrons.

Your profile :
Desired Qualifications:
- Ph.D. in Physics, Chemical Physics, Materials Science, Geophysics or a related field.
- Strong hands-on experimental skills and ability to work independently and collaboratively in a group environment.
- Expertise in high-pressure experiments, or powder neutron/x-ray diffraction or HP Raman scattering.

We offer :
FNS granted Post-Doc position. Salary following EPFL Post-Doc Scheme.

Start date :

1st June 2023 (negotiable)

Application Materials Required:Cover Letter, Curriculum Vitae (including publications), Refernces

Term of employment :
Fixed-term (CDD)

Duration :
Yearly contract renewable (project 24 months)

Contact :
[email protected]

Reference :
Job Nb 2882