Engineer (M/F) in isotopic labeling and chemical analyses: towards the study of MOFs for CO2 capture

Job Description

Missions

With the increase in CO2 concentration in the atmosphere, there is an urgent need to develop materials to capture this gas in an efficient and durable way. Intense research has been carried out on the international level, and a wide variety of compounds have been studied for this purpose, including porous materials like MOFs (Metal Organic Frameworks). However, very often, the exact mode of incorporation of CO2 in the materials is uncertain.
Among the analytical tools capable of informing on the local structure around CO2 at the atomic level, there is nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Recently, it has been demonstrated that oxygen-17 NMR can allow studying with unique insight the local structure around CO2 in porous materials. However, these works also showed the intrinsic difficulties related to the interpretation of the spectra.
In this general context, the purpose of this project is thus:
1- to synthesize compounds labeled in oxygen-17 (ligands, MOFs, or model materials), as the natural abundance of this isotope is too low for allowing to perform high-resolution NMR analyses without labeling;
2- to characterize the model phases by powder X-ray diffraction, vibrational spectroscopies (IR and Raman), mass spectrometry, and NMR (13C, and of course 17O)
3- to use the solid state NMR observations to better understand the structure and reactivity of MOFs entrapping CO2

Activity

- Development of 17O isotopic labeling reactions, especially using mechanochemistry
- « Routine » analyses of molecules and materials (using vibrational spectroscopies, powder X-ray diffraction...) and more advanced analyses (using mass spectrometry and multinuclear NMR)
- Solid state NMR analyses of 17O-labeled compounds
- Discussions with scientific collaborators to confront the NMR results to those extracted from computational approaches
- Participation to the daily activities in the laboratory, including for the improvement of synthetic and characterization protocols
- Valorisation of the results, under the form of publications, reports and/or presentations at scientific meetings

Your Profil

Skills

- Expertise in the synthesis of molecules and materials
- Experience in characterization methods of (notably using IR spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffraction, NMR and mass spectrometry…)
- Good level of communication in English (oral and written), to be able to present and summarize the results under the form of reports, webinars, and oral presentations.
- Rigour and autonomy ; team-working

Your Work Environment

Research will be carried out at the Institut Charles Gerhardt (ICGM, UMR5253) of the University of Montpellier (https://www.icgm.fr/), within the MISOTOP research group (https://www.misotop.cnrs.fr).
The ICGM is internationally renowned for its expertise in materials science, with an excellent support for advanced studies on their synthesis and characterization. For the oxygen-17 isotopic labeling, the laboratory is equipped with several machines for mechanochemical synthesis, and has direct access to an advanced characterization platform, with high-resolution instruments for mass spectrometry and solid-state NMR.
On a daily basis, the recruited engineer will be working in a collaborative and interdisciplinary environment, in interaction with the local team of researchers, engineers, and students, directly associated to these studies at the ICGM, but also with the whole team of scientists working on the ANR COMeuFs research project (including from the groups of Dr F. Pourpoint in Lille and Prof C. Gervais in Paris). Moreover, to further gain in sensitivity and resolution, ssNMR measurement campaigns may be planned on the high field instruments available within the Infranalytics national network. (https://infranalytics.eu/en/users/platforms).
This project is funded by the French national funding agency (ANR). Interested candidates should deposit their CV and motivation letter on the CNRS portal, at the following address: https://emploi.cnrs.fr/Offres/CDD. It is also recommended to include in the application the names of 2 references, including their contact details. The starting date for the post-doc should be between september and october 2026.

Constraints and risks

The position is located in a sector under the protection of scientific and technical potential (PPST), and therefore requires, in accordance with the regulations, that your arrival is authorized by the competent authority of the MESR.

Compensation and benefits

Compensation

from 2521.95€ gross monthly salary, depending on experience

Annual leave and RTT

44 jours

Remote Working practice and compensation

Pratique et indemnisation du TT

Transport

Prise en charge à 75% du coût et forfait mobilité durable jusqu’à 300€

About the offer

About the CNRS

The CNRS is a major player in fundamental research on a global scale. The CNRS is the only French organization active in all scientific fields. Its unique position as a multi-specialist allows it to bring together different disciplines to address the most important challenges of the contemporary world, in connection with the actors of change.

CNRS

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