2024-RESEARCHPHOTOCATALYTIC-LMGP

The postdoctoral researcher will work within the LMGP (http://www.lmgp.grenoble-inp.fr/en, Materials and Physical Engineering Laboratory) and in collaboration with SiMAP (Science, Engineering, Materials and Processes, https://simap.grenoble-inp.fr/en). These laboratories located in Grenoble are members of the Centre of Excellence of Multifunctional Architectured Materials (CEMAM), which funds this project. CEMAM Labex is devoted to the design, creation, and the fundamental understanding of new multifunctional materials and improved performances that will underlie the technologies of the future in a more sustainable world. Located in the heart of an exceptional scientific environment, the LMGP and SiMAP offer to the applicant a rewarding place to work. The post-doctorate will be carried out in the framework of the ANR Cleansea project (https://anr.fr/Projet-ANR-22-CE08-0006). Offer description: Context To provide an ecological solution preventing marine biofouling, we propose to study the potential antifouling activity of thin films based on photo-active materials. These coatings, consisting in a mixture of TiO2 and Cu2O, combine functional properties (photo-catalysis, tuned surface energy) with micro topologies made of patterns covering a wide range from nano to micrometric scales.

Job Description.

The research program will consist in depositing and characterizing thin films of Ti-Cu-O with different cationic composition to establish the influence of the composition on structural and functional properties. The selected deposition method is Aerosol-Assisted Chemical Vapor Deposition (AACVD), compatible with large surface substrates. Film characterization will be done by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman Spectroscopy. Combining Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) with Atomic Force Microscopy and Optical microscopy will allow characterising the topography of the films at different scales, from the nanometric and micrometric to the centimetric scale. The functional properties will be evaluated by water contact angle and photocatalytic properties by monitoring the decomposition rate of aqueous Orange G solutions. The influence of the wavelength illumination (UV and visible) and the evaluation of the ROS production will be tackled. The objective is to select the best combination of Ti and Cu based thin films that allow a synergistic tuning of the photocatalytic activity generated by both materials. Taking into account the application of these coatings in marine environment, their mechanical properties need to be checked. The characterisation by nanoindentation and friction tests will be performed as a function of the composition in the as-deposited films, but also after immersion and aging in salted water. The analysis of these properties will allow to select an optimal composition, and devoted samples will be sent to our partners in Britanny for immersion in the Atlantic Ocean to evaluate the antifouling response of the proposed materials.