Doctoral fellow

Doctoral fellow - Department of Solid State Sciences

Ghent University, Department of Solid State Sciences.

YOUR TASKS

AIM: Develop and exploit novel (experimental) approaches to uncover the temperature household of heterogeneous catalysts during thermo-catalytic CO2 conversion.

SCIENTIFIC CONTEXT AND CHALLENGE: Heterogeneous catalysts lie at the heart of various industrial chemical processes and form the key towards environmental remediation in the coming decades. These solid nanomaterials expose tailored active surface sites that transform harmful waste molecules into added value products, such as renewable fuels.

While the main focus in the field has been on understanding the impact of the catalyst structure and its performance, the local catalyst temperature has to date remained largely unexplored. However, temperature is a crucial parameter in catalysis as it dominates the reaction kinetics, thermodynamics and stability of a catalyst.

Recent pioneering work from our group, published recently in Nature Catalysis, now enables to directly monitor the nanoscale temperature of the catalyst phase executing the reaction. The data shows that reaction heat from catalytic reactions causes significant temperature changes in the catalyst, potentially changing its local performance and impacting the catalyst stability.

PROGRAM AND JOB DESCRIPTION: In the PhD program, the doctoral student will develop the next generation of operando X-ray thermometry tools, strongly moving beyond the capabilities of the group’s recently-developed X-ray absorption thermometry method. In addition, the student will explore novel optical laser-based methods to chart nanoscale heat transport within catalysts. Both pillars will require a strong component of catalyst fabrication, to tailor model catalysts via gas‑phase deposition methods, including atomic layer deposition (ALD) and physical vapor deposition (PVD).

More specific tasks:

• Synthesize/fabricate metal nanoparticle catalysts by ALD/PVD, to convert CO₂ into renewable products, e.g. syngas, methane, methanol, etc.
• Participate in (and eventually lead) international synchrotron experiments (e.g. ESRF, SOLEIL) to develop and exploit the targeted operando X-ray thermometry methods.
• Pioneer novel optical laser-based methods to track heat flows in catalysts and possibly simulate bottlenecks for nanoscale heat transport via COMSOL/OpenFOAM.
• Commit into script‑based data analysis of the obtained large synchrotron datasets.
• Write down your findings in high‑quality, first‑authored manuscripts for publication in flagship journals, and contribute to international conferences.
• Supervise M.Sc. students in their thesis research project.
• Assist in teaching activities at the Department of Solid State Sciences.

RESEARCH ENVIRONMENT

The PhD thesis will be conducted under the supervision of Prof. Filez, fully embedded within the Conformal Coating of Nanomaterials (CoCooN) research group at the Department of Solid State Sciences, Ghent University, Belgium. The CoCooN group has strong expertise in ALD/PVD and a track record in X‑ray characterization both in‑house and at large‑scale synchrotron facilities abroad. The PhD topic is part of an FWO project.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

REQUIREMENTS

• Holder of a Master degree in physics, chemical or physics engineering, chemistry or a related discipline. The diploma requirements must be met by the date of appointment. Students graduating this academic year can therefore apply.
• Excellent oral and written proficiency in English, with eye for detail, accuracy and nuance, in balance with efficient time management to smoothly run the project.
• Strong scientific reasoning skills to perform high‑quality fundamental research.
• You are strongly interested in and motivated for the outlined research topic, can work independently and have a feeling of responsibility to execute your project.
• Good command of programming languages, e.g. Matlab, Python, is a must.

STRENGTHS

• Knowledge/experience in heterogeneous catalysis and/or heat transport phenomena.
• Knowledge/experience in gas phase deposition techniques, such as atomic layer deposition (ALD) and physical vapour deposition (PVD), to fabricate model catalysts.
• Knowledge/experience in synchrotron-based in‑situ/operando X‑ray spectroscopy‑diffraction, as well as the analysis of the resulting large datasets.
• Previous use of simulation software, e.g. COMSOL or OpenFOAM, is appreciated.

WHAT WE CAN OFFER YOU

• A challenging, stimulating and constructive work environment with a collegial atmosphere at the forefront of the field. You will also have the opportunity to engage in running activities of the group, where relevant.
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