PhD Fellowship in Chemistry for Solar Energy Conversion

Updated: 3 months ago
Location: Vand uvre les Nancy, LORRAINE
Job Type: FullTime
Deadline: 01 May 2024

9 Feb 2024
Job Information
Organisation/Company

University of Lorraine
Department

L2CM
Research Field

Chemistry » Molecular chemistry
Researcher Profile

First Stage Researcher (R1)
Country

France
Application Deadline

1 May 2024 - 00:00 (Europe/Paris)
Type of Contract

Temporary
Job Status

Full-time
Hours Per Week

35
Offer Starting Date

1 Oct 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

The aim of the project is the development of abundant metal-based light-responsive complexes and their use in DSSCs (Dye-sensitized Solar Cells). Several noble metal complexes (Ru, Ir, Pt) have long been considered as lead compounds due to their ideal photophysical and geometrical properties with power conversion efficiency (PCE) values in the 9-11 % range. Despite these ideal photophysical properties, ruthenium is a scarce metal, toxic and expensive and limits the real-world industrial development of the cells. In consequence, the main goal of our project is the replacement of such expensive metals by cheap and environmentally benign metals in the search for developing low-cost efficient devices, and resource-preserving industrial processes.

The L2CM has recently contributed to the field by investigating different approaches to tune the electronic properties of abundant organoferrous complexes (ANR PhotIron). By combination of chemical synthesis and quantum simulations, the parameters influencing the excited state lifetime of organo-ferrous dyes and their interfacial behaviour after chemisorption on semiconductor have been pointed out. [1,2] The L2CM and the University of Ferrara in Italy (S. Caramori) are currently leaders in the field of iron-sensitized DSSC cells with a record efficiency of 2% very recently obtained. [3,4]

In spite of these promising results, the efficiency of the Fe-sensitized DSSCs is still to be improved. In this regard, dye-TiO2 interfacial TD-DFT computations have already shed light on the reasons for such limited performance. Therefore, current synthetic efforts are targeted to overcome these specific aspects with the aim to make organoferrous complexes a genuinely alternative to their ruthenium counterparts.

References:

[1] Pastore, M.; Duchanois, T.; Liu, L.; Monari, A.; Assfeld, X.; Haacke, S. & Gros, P. C. Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 2016, 18, 28069-28081 (10.1039/C6CP05535D)

[2] Reddy Marri, A.; Marchini, E.; Diez Cabanes, V.; Argazzi, R.; Pastore, M.; Caramori, S.; Gros, P.C. J. Mater. Chem. A, 2021, 9, 3540-3554. (10.1039/D0TA10841C).

[3] Reddy Marri, A.; Marchini, E.; Diez Cabanes, V.; Argazzi, R.; Pastore, M.; Caramori, S.; Gros, P.C. Chem. Sci., 2023, 14, 4288 – 4301 (10.1039/D2SC05971A).

[4] Pastore, M.; Caramori, S.; Gros, P.C. Acc. Chem. Res.2024 (10.1021/acs.accounts.3c00613)


Requirements
Research Field
Chemistry » Organic chemistry
Education Level
Master Degree or equivalent

Skills/Qualifications

The candidate should have an excellent background in organic/organometallic synthesis and related characterization techniques (e.g. UV-Vis, fluorescence). An experience in an international environment as well as a good English level will be appreciated. The candidate must be open-minded and willing to work in a multidisciplinary and international environment.


Languages
ENGLISH
Level
Good

Research Field
Chemistry » Organic chemistry
Years of Research Experience
None

Additional Information
Work Location(s)
Number of offers available
1
Company/Institute
UL-CNRS
Country
France
City
VANDOEUVRE LES NANCY
Postal Code
54052
Street
Bd des Aiguillettes
Geofield


Where to apply
E-mail

[email protected]

Contact
State/Province

Choisissez s'il vous plaî
City

Vandœuvre-lès-Nancy
Website

http://www.l2cm.univ-lorraine.fr/l2cm/
Street

Bd des Aiguillettes
Postal Code

54500
E-Mail

[email protected]
Phone

+33(0)372745684

STATUS: EXPIRED