Missions

During this post-doc, we will focus on simplified physical model systems in order to study experimentally how a reactive environment can influence Brownian motion. We use the cantilever of an atomic force microscope (AFM) and colloidal particles, the latter observed with an evanescent wave microscope (TIRFM), as model Brownian objects in various chemically reactive environments, with or without catalyst.

Activités

Evanescent wave microscopy, AFM, sample preparation, development of non-equilibrium physico-chemical systems, bibliometric studies, writing articles, supervision of trainees, collaboration with a PhD student, collaboration with theorists for modelling.

Compétences

Knowledge of soft matter, surface chemistry, transport studies at nano and micrometric scales, knowledge of particle tracking by image analysis, knowledge of physical models for transport (advection-diffusion, reaction-diffusion).

Contexte de travail

Microscopic living systems are chemically reactive systems, strongly out of equilibrium, whose dominant mode of transport is Brownian. At the colloidal scale, chemical outputs are of the order of several tens of kT, i.e. an order of magnitude greater than the typical thermal energy fluctuations responsible for Brownian motion.

Contraintes et risques

Use of lasers, working in a chemical hood