Missions

Circularly-polarized luminescence (CPL) spectroscopy deals with chirality of the (emitting) excited state. In CPL, the electric field rotates constantly while lying on a plane perpendicular to its propagation direction, describing an either right- or left-handed helix. From practical viewpoint, the differential emission between right- and left- CPL arising from an electronic excited state in a chiral field, over the total emitted light, is quantified by the dissymmetry factor, g_Lum. To date, major efforts have been devoted to develop CPL-active organic systems,[1,2] yet their gLum values are typically unsatisfactorily low. On the other hand, phosphorescent Transition Metal Complexes (TMCs) possess appealing properties encompassing outstanding photo- and electro-chemical features, highly tunable emission color and relatively long-lived excited states.[3,4] Finally, lanthanide complexes are known to possess high values of dissymmetry factor.
Une of the tasks of the interdisciplinary project TORNADO aims at the synthesis, chiroptical and electrochemical characterisation of enantiopure d-metal complexes featuring metallophilic interactions.
The project is funded by the PEPR LuMa and involves a French consortium of 13 research laboratories, including 17 research groups and 2 characterisation platforms.

We are looking of a highly motivated candidate with a solid background in synthetic organic and/or organometallic chemistry and optical spectroscopy. The candidate must have earned a PhD (or equivalent) in Chemical Sciences or Molecular Chemistry with a chemical synthesis-oriented and spectroscopy background. He/she should be able to work with independence in a multidisciplinary environment and possess a curiosity-driven attitude. Very good knowledge of written and spoken communication skills in English is required. Knowledge of French is not essential.
The candidate must provide a letter of motivation, a detailed CV including the list of marks and the contact details of one (or two) reference(s).

References
[1] Circularly Polarized Luminescence of Isolated Small Organic Molecules, T. Mori, 2020, Springer;
[2] E. M. Sánchez-Carnerero, A. R. Agarrabeitia, F. Moreno, B. L. Maroto, G. Muller, M. J. Ortiz and S. de la Moya, Chem. Eur. J. 2015, 21, 13488; G. Albano, G. Piscitelli, L. Di Bari, Chem. Rev., 2020, 120, 10145;
[3] B. Doistau, J.-R. Jiménez, C. Piguet, Frontiers in Chemistry, 2020, 8, 555.
[4] V. Giuso, C. Gourlaouen, M. Delporte-Pebay, T. Groizard, N. Vanthuyne, J. Crassous, C. Daniel, and M. Mauro, PhysChemChemPhys, 2024, 26, 4855.

Activities

Design of new photoactive ligands and complexes
Synthesize organic heterocyclic ligands independently
Synthesize organometallic complexes independently under an inert atmosphere
Purify products using chromatographic techniques independently
Characterize products using spectroscopic techniques (NMR, MS, FT-IR)
Characterize photoactive products using optical spectroscopy techniques such as UV-Vis, steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence, and circularly polarized luminescence

Skills

Know how to synthesize organometallic ligands and complexes under an inert atmosphere
Know how to use chemical purification techniques (chromatography, HPLC, GC-MS)
Know how to write experimental reports
Know how to use chemical and spectroscopic characterization techniques (single- and multidimensional NMR)
Know how to use optical spectroscopy techniques (UV-Vis, fluorescence, etc.)
Be able to work independently
Be able to work in an interdisciplinary and multinational context

Work Context

The recruited candidate will carry out his/her work at the Département des Matériaux Organiques (DMO) of the Institut de Physique et de Chimie des Matériaux de Strasbourg (IPCMS), under the supervision of Dr Matteo MAURO (“Principal Investigator”) and Dr. Stéphane Bellemin-Laponnaz. Collaborations with other partners of the consortium are ongoing that will allow the candidate to carry out research stay for complementary characterisation of the compounds and materials.

The IPCMS is an interdisciplinary Mixed Research Unit (University of Strasbourg – CNRS) composed of 5 departments and of about 240 employees of which ca. 80 researchers and teacher-researchers and ca. 60 technical staff members. The IPCMS is a renowned research centre in the field of nanomaterials, nanoscience and functional materials that located at the Cronenbourg Campus in Strasbourg.

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.

Constraints and risks

Risks linked to chemical synthesis, chemical manipulation and laser/LED light irradiation. Short stays in other labs in France and abroad for complementary characterization of the compounds.