Post-doc (M/F) in instrumental developments for mechanochemistry

European Commission; France; Sur place; EUR 35 000 - 45 000; Plein temps

Résumé du poste

Une opportunité de recherche post-doctorale est disponible au sein de l'Institut Charles Gerhardt à Montpellier, pour avancer dans le développement de matériaux via la mécanochimie. Le candidat sera responsable de l'adaptation d'appareils, de la caractérisation de matériaux et de la gestion des données en temps réel, dans un environnement collaboratif.

Qualifications

• Compétences en chimie analytique et mesures physico-chimiques.
• Autonomie et rigueur requises.
• Excellente communication en anglais, orale et écrite.

Responsabilités

• Développer et adapter des dispositifs de mécanique pour des géométries de mélange.
• Caractériser et analyser des matériaux de manière multi-technique.
• Collaborer avec des équipes interdisciplinaires sur des projets de recherche.

Connaissances

Chimie analytique

Traitement de données

Travail en équipe

Communication

Formation

Doctorat en Chimie ou domaine connexe

Description du poste

Organisation/Company CNRS Department Institut Charles Gerhardt Montpellier Research Field Chemistry Physics Researcher Profile Recognised Researcher (R2) Country France Application Deadline 3 Jul 2025 - 23:59 (UTC) Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Full-time Hours Per Week 35 Offer Starting Date 3 Nov 2025 Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Not funded by a EU programme Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

Mechanochemistry is becoming one of the mainstream methods used by synthetic chemists. Notably, it is considered as very important for the development of « green chemistry », because it allows solvent quantities to be significantly reduced. One of the most common approaches to mechanochemistry is ball-milling (BM), which consists in mixing in a reactor different reagents (most often in their solid form), using milling beads. This enables reducing the size of the solid particles, mixing them efficiently, and making them react at their interfaces. More recently, it was shown that when one also heats the reaction medium during the milling, it is possible to accelerate the kinetics of reactions, and/or change their selectivity.
In Montpellier, at the ICGM, we have developed a device we have named "i-BM", which enables to heat by induction the milling media. This approach is advantageous, because (i) it allows performing the heating in a precise, rapid, and reproducible way, and (ii) it can be used to selectively heat either the walls of the reactor or the beads, depending on the materials they are made of. This versatility of i-BM opens up unique opportunities to further investigate mechanochemical reactions, and notably to decipher the relative contributions of milling vs heating on the synthetic outcome.
In this general context, the purpose of this post-doctoral research position is to push forward the instrumental developments around i-BM:
* By adapting the apparatus to other mixer-mill geometries (notably the horizontal mixer-mills), and testing a variety of heating schemes;
* By coupling the technique to analytical methods which enable to follow the course of mechanochemical reactions in real time (i.e. "operando" methods), to help rationalize the changes in kinetics and/or selectivity ;
* By extending the range of applications of i-BM to the synthesis of other molecules and materials of high added value.

- Syntheses by mechanochemistry
- Modifications and instrumental adaptations for i-BM
- Multi-technique characterizations of materials
- Treatment and analysis of large quantities of data (arising from real-time measurements of mechanochemical reactions)
- Detailed analyses and reporting of the data collected

Research will be carried out at the Institut Charles Gerhardt of Montpellier (ICGM, UMR5253, https://www.icgm.fr/ ), within the MISOTOP research group (https://www.misotoplab.org/ ).
The ICGM is internationally recognized in the field of molecular and materials sciences, and very well equipped for their synthesis and characterization. For this project, the MISOTOP team has direct access to 7 different ball-mills,1 device for milling while heating, and several instruments to analyze in real-time the evolution of the reaction medium (thermal imaging camera, microphones for acoustic measurements, Raman spectrometer, and high-speed optical camera).
On a daily basis, the recruited post-doc will work in a collaborative and interdisciplinary environment, in direct interaction with the team of researchers, engineers, and students directly associated to the project, and more specifically C. Leroy, N. Fabregue, T.-X. Métro, and D. Laurencin. He/she will be expected to push forward the research on i-BM, and to communicate on the results in publications and presentations at national and international conferences.

Scientific skills:
- Analytical chemistry, physico-chemical measurements, and data treatment
- Synthesis and characterization of materials (notably by vibrational spectroscopies and powder X-ray diffraction…)
- Computational modeling of physical phenomena (optional)

Non-scientific skills:
- Excellent level of communication in English (oral and written), to be able to valorize the work, under the form of publications, webinars, and presentations at national and international conferences.
- Autonomy and rigor
- Team-working