Description of the position
Availability
01/10/2026
Duration
18 months maximum
Job Description
In the context of decarbonizing the chemical industry, the conversion of biomass into value-added chemicals is an important milestone. In this context, the ANR funded SOLBIOPEC project proposes converting biomass-derived furanic platform molecules (furfural and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF)) into high-value fuels or feedstock molecules for the chemical industry (such as methylfuran, furfuryl alcohol, and furandicarboxylic acid) through an unassisted photoelectrochemical process. More specifically, we will study the reduction of furfural at a photocathode made of a p-type III-V semiconductor (GaAs, GaAsxPy) protected by an epitaxial oxide layer, and the oxidation of HMF at the BiVO4/WO3 photoanode.
The post-doctoral research will provide a better understanding of the aging mechanisms of photoelectrodes (photocathode and photoanode). In particular, the corrosion they can suffer is limiting critically their development in this application and needs special attention. To achieve this, the work will involve in situ and operando experiments (X-ray Diffraction (XRD), X-ray Photoemission (XPS) and near field techniques like atomic force microscopy (AFM)) in both laboratory and synchrotron environments. Surface XRD will be used to study the crystallographic structure of the post-mortem surfaces of photoelectrodes, XPS will reveal their chemical properties, and AFM will examine their morphology. These studies will be complemented by operando XRD using a dedicated operando electrochemical cell thanks to a major upgrade of a laboratory Smartlab (Rigaku) equipped with a high energy monochromatic X-ray source. For the most interesting samples and situations, additional synchrotron experiments will be conducted using raster map approaches like micro-XRD, micro-XRF (X-ray fluorescence), and X-ray spectromicroscopy (X-PEEM). These techniques are fully capable of revealing the location and nature of defects within the photoelectrode surfaces likely to have a major contribution to the ageing of the electrodes.
The SOLBIOPEC project is led by IRCELYON (Lyon) in partnership with INL (Lyon) and CEA/SPEC (Saclay). The photocathodes are produced by molecular beam epitaxy at INL while photoanodes by solutions-based methods at IRCELYON.
Location
Site
The research will be mainly conducted at CEA/SPEC (Orme des Merisiers, Université Paris-Saclay).
Applicant profile
Profil
Applicants should hold a Ph.D degree in Solid State Physics or Materials Science or a closely related discipline.
Skill requirements:
Candidate should hold a PhD in physics or chemistry with a good background in experimental materials science characterization techniques (especially XRD and/or synchrotron). Experience in the field of photoelectrochemical cell would be an asset.
Language
French / English
Contact
Dr. Antoine BARBIER – Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission CEA/Saclay – DRF/IRAMIS/SPEC/LNO – CNRS UMR 3680, Bât. 772, Orme des Merisiers, 91191 Gif-Sur-Yvette France.