Missions

The project is carried out within the framework of the Emergence@CNRS Chemistry 2026 call, aiming to develop an unexplored class of catalysts: multimetallic fluorides based on 3d metals for the nitrate reduction reaction (NO3RR).

Activités

The main objectives are as follows:
1) Synthesize and evaluate the performance of fluorides as catalysts for the electrochemical reduction of nitrates (NO₃RR):
- Synthesis and characterization of original compositions,
- Evaluation of NO₃RR performance: determination of electrocatalytic activity (current density) and selectivity toward ammonia to identify the most promising materials.

2) Investigate the role of fluorine in NO₃RR catalysis via Raman spectroscopy:
- Probe the local structure and chemical bonds, providing complementary information on the organization of active sites in selected fluorinated materials using Raman spectroscopy,
- Operando monitoring to observe structural evolution of the materials and detect adsorbed species and reaction intermediates, in order to elucidate the NO₃RR mechanisms and the specific role of fluorine.

Compétences

The candidate must hold a PhD in materials chemistry, inorganic chemistry, solid-state chemistry, electrochemistry, or physical chemistry. They should have strong knowledge in materials synthesis and characterization. Skills in electrochemistry and/or Raman spectroscopy will be considered an advantage. Scientific curiosity and a high level of rigor are also important selection criteria.
The postdoctoral researcher will also be involved in supervising undergraduate or master's students and will actively contribute to the writing of scientific articles for international peer-reviewed journals.

Contexte de travail

The CNRS is a French national research organization with over 1,000 research units and 130 service units (most in partnership with universities and companies), and 33,000 employees. CNRS has received the “HR Excellence in Research” award from the European Commission for its human resources strategy for researchers (HRS4R). Through its HRS4R action plan, CNRS is committed to a continuous improvement process to better implement the recommendations of the European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for the recruitment of researchers.

The Institut des Molécules et Matériaux du Mans (IMMM) is a multidisciplinary CNRS research laboratory (UMR 6283, Le Mans, France) bringing together 80 permanent scientists and 60 PhD/postdoctoral researchers involved in an interdisciplinary approach based on polymers, inorganic materials, organic synthesis, and confined systems physics. These activities lead to approximately 40–50 publications per year in international journals. The work will be conducted within the COFI thematic group “Crystallochemistry of Oxides and Inorganic Fluorides” at IMMM.