Snabbfakta
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- Grenoble
Ansök senast: 2024-09-01
PhD student (f/ m): Spectroscopic coherent diffraction imaging (CEA-UGA-ESRF)
Context & Job description
The characterization of structural properties such as displacement fields, composition, and defects in nanostructures is a major challenge in materials science, particularly in catalysis. Copper (Cu) is gaining attention as a viable alternative to precious transition metals like platinum (Pt), palladium (Pd), and rhodium (Rh) for catalytic applications due to its abundance and high activity in various industrially relevant reactions. However, the active phase of Cu in different reactions remains a subject of debate, primarily because Cu can exist in multiple oxidation states. This underscores the need for high-resolution chemical and spatial analysis of catalysts during catalytic reactions.
Coherent X-ray diffractive imaging in the Bragg geometry (BCDI) emerges as a powerful non-destructive technique for probing the three-dimensional structure of nanomaterials. BCDI offers a spatial resolution typically below 5 nm and a sub-angstrom resolution of internal crystalline lattice displacements. Despite its potential, the spectro-BCDI technique has not yet been implemented experimentally. Building on our successful application of in situ and operando BCDI during (electro-)chemical reactions, we are now poised to extend this technique to include spectroscopic capabilities. This advancement will provide unprecedented insights into the chemical states and spatial distributions of catalysts, particularly Cu, under reaction conditions.
The aim of this PhD is to develop and apply the nano-focused 3D spectroscopic coherent imaging technique at the nanoprobe ID01-EBS beamline of The European synchrotron (ESRF). The development of a robust algorithm for 3D spectroscopic Bragg imaging will allow imaging in 3D complex crystalline materials at the nanoscale, one of today’s major challenges of nanoscience. This technique will be used to reveal both chemical (oxidation states and bond structure) and structural (lattice strain, defect(s), morphology, composition) information of alloyed Cu catalysts under gas conditions to extract mechanistic understanding for designing both effective and selective CO2 reduction catalysts. By applying 3D spectroscopic BCDI, we aim to uncover critical information about the dynamic behaviour of catalysts under working conditions.
Expected profile
Working conditions
The salary will be calculated on the basis of relevant qualifications and professional experience.
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