Postdoc position on green battery technologies

Materials science and technology are our passion. With our cutting-edge research, Empa's around 1,100 employees make essential contributions to the well-being of society for a future worth living. Empa is a research institution of the ETH Domain.

The Empa Laboratory of Cellulose & Wood Materials invites applications for a postdoctoral fellowship position on biopolymer-based materials for battery electrodes and green batteries. Together with our team of experienced scientists and industry partners, you will develop a new generation of green and sustainable binder materials enabling energy efficient processing of batteries. This project bridges our activities in the fields of biopolymers and composite processing and will be carried out in a framework of a large national project in close collaboration with the Empa Laboratory Materials for Energy Conversion. Combining fundamental and applied science, the goal is to develop highly functional and industrially relevant material solutions, which may be implemented as commercial products. We envision that the generated knowledge will advance the use of green binder materials in batteries and lead to advancements lowering the overall CO2 footprint of battery manufacturing.

Your challenges

• Evaluate novel biopolymer binder systems for low solvent or solvent free processing of graphite and NMC electrodes. 
• Develop and optimize electrode processing methods. 
• Prepare green battery devices. 
• Characterize and validate developed formulations in terms of physical properties, thermal and electrochemical stability. 
• Perform feasibility analysis for formulation development and practical application at scale. 
• Publish results in the form of patents or scientific journal articles, present results at international conferences.

Your profile

• PhD degree in material science, polymer science, chemical engineering or related fields. 
• Experience in experimental research, practical lab work (e.g. material synthesis, processing and scale-up, biopolymers) and talent for experimental design is required. 
• Interest in sustainable materials development with a potential for industrial implementation. 
• Fluency in English (written and oral) is a pre-condition, knowledge of German is an asset. 
• Self-motivated, critical-thinking, open-minded and communicative, with a strong interest to work in an interdisciplinary research environment.

Our offer

We are an international team dedicated to advance the development of a new generation of active, sustainable and highly functional biomaterials using cellulose and wood as material resources. We offer a challenging position (two years with possible extension) in a research institution in the Zürich area with outstanding infrastructure and within a broadly interdisciplinary setting. The position is available from January 1, 2024.

We live a culture of inclusion and respect. We welcome all people who are interested in innovative, sustainable and meaningful activities - that's what counts.

PatriciaNitzsche, Stv. Leiterin Personal / Dep. Head Human Resources