Internship: Probing Interfaces in Plasmonic Gold-Titania Nanorods

AMOLF; Amsterdam; Hybrid; EUR 8,928 - 20,088; Full time

Job summary

AMOLF in Amsterdam seeks a Master’s student for an internship focused on hybrid plasmonic-semiconductor research. You will study the interface between gold nanorods and TiO₂ to enhance charge transfer efficiency.

The ideal candidate will be enrolled in a relevant Master's program, available for at least 5 months, and able to collaborate within a diverse research environment.

Qualifications

• Currently enrolled in a Master’s program in a relevant field.
• Nationality of an EU-member state or studying in the Netherlands.
• Availability for at least 5 months as part of mandatory curriculum.

Responsibilities

• Study and engineer the interface between gold nanorods and a TiO₂ shell.
• Explore different crystallization pathways to improve the interface.
• Measure charge transfer efficiency using advanced optical techniques.

Education

Master’s program in physics, chemistry, materials science, or a related field

Job description

Work Activities

Hybrid plasmonic‑semiconductor nanoparticles combine strong light absorption in metals with longer‑lived charge carriers in semiconductors, making efficient hot‑electron injection across the metal‑semiconductor interface key for applications such as photocatalysis. In this project, you will study and engineer the interface between gold nanorods and a TiO₂ shell. Crystalline TiO₂ improves charge‑transfer efficiency, but the crystallization process can alter the gold core’s shape and hence its optical response. Therefore, different crystallization pathways will be explored to improve the interface while preserving plasmonic properties. The charge transfer efficiency will be measured using single‑particle dark‑field scattering and (time‑resolved) photoluminescence. These measurements will be correlated with structural data from electron microscopy and tomography to reveal how interface structure and morphology govern charge transfer.

Qualifications

You are currently enrolled in a Master’s program in physics, chemistry, materials science, or a related field. You have a nationality of an EU‑member state and/or you are a student at a university in the Netherlands. The internship has to be a mandatory part of your curriculum. We expect you to be available for at least 5 months, although longer is preferable.

Work environment

AMOLF is a part of NWO‑I and initiates and performs leading fundamental research on the physics of complex forms of matter, and to create new functional materials, in partnership with academia and industry. The institute is located at Amsterdam Science Park and currently employs about 140 researchers and 80 support employees.

In the Hybrid Nanosystems group (https://amolf.nl/research-groups/hybrid-nanosystems), we investigate the interaction between different components in complex hybrid nanostructures and develop new architectures for such systems. A powerful way of designing novel materials lies in combining unique properties of separate components in a hybrid system. Nanomaterials are especially interesting for this approach as they display unique properties compared to their bulk counterparts. An intelligent combination of several material classes in one nanostructure offers a promising approach towards improving existing properties and compensating for disadvantages of the separate components, as well as augmenting the system with novel functionalities.

Working conditions

At the start of the traineeship your trainee plan will be set out, in consultation with your AMOLF supervisor.

AMOLF Energy Research Academy (https://www.lmpv.nl/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/2026-2027-AMOLF-Energy-Research-Academy-program.pdf): AMOLF offers a special program for research internships in sustainable energy science. It is composed of a research project in one of AMOLF’s research groups, combined with a series of dedicated tutorials on fundamental aspects of the science behind sustainability technology. Admission to this Academy is only possible in combination with a research internship project at AMOLF.

More information?

For further information about the position, please contact dr. Wiebke Albrecht or dr. Tom Veeken.

Application

You can respond to this vacancy online via the button below. Please annex your:

• Motivation letter
• Resume
• List of followed courses plus grades

Online screening may be part of the selection.

Diversity code

AMOLF is highly committed to an inclusive and diverse work environment: we want to develop talent and creativity by bringing together people from different backgrounds and cultures. We recruit and select on the basis of competencies and talents. We strongly encourage anyone with the right qualifications to apply for the vacancy, regardless of age, gender, origin, sexual orientation or physical ability.

AMOLF has won the NNV Diversity Award 2022, which is awarded every two years by the Netherlands Physical Society for demonstrating the most successful implementation of equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI).