Missions

A post-doctoral research position is available in the field of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and more specifically for the development of parahydrogen hyperpolarized NMR methods to study hydrogen storage in liquid or solid state.
H2 storage in organic liquids or solids is an alternative to high-pressure compressed gas storage. It is important to understand the mechanisms that enable chemical storage in order to create new materials with the necessary properties to efficiently store and release H2.
The objective of the project is to explore the use of parahydrogen NMR (PHIP) as a potential technique to characterize the chemical reactions associated with hydrogen storage. The PHIP effect by significantly increasing the NMR sensitivity, can allow the detection of very low concentration or short-lived products, including reaction intermediates, and thus has many applications in monitoring hydrogenation reactions and elucidating reaction mechanisms.

Activités

The post-doctoral researcher will be responsible for designing and implementing parahydrogen hyperpolarized NMR experiments and applying them to materials of interest. This position requires a candidate with research experience in NMR, particularly in the development of sample preparation devices and NMR experiments. Experience in NMR of parahydrogen is highly desirable.
Your tasks will include
- Installation and optimization of an internal system for the production of 50% enriched para-H2 under pressure (50 bar).
- The development of systems for the transfer of para-H2 under pressure to samples to be studied in situ inside NMR spectrometers.
- The development of specific NMR experiments for the study of hyperpolarized molecules.
- The application of this technology to the study of chemical reactions involved in the storage of hydrogen in the liquid and solid state.

Compétences

The successful applicant must have a Ph.D. in physics, chemistry, materials science, or a related field.
Significant experience in experimental NMR spectroscopy must be documented for this position.
Strong skills in parahydrogen hyperpolarization methods are valuable to the project.
The postdoc will be part of an NMR spectroscopy platform, which implies that in addition to proven individual scientific excellence, a collaborative spirit and good English skills are required. The candidate must be independent and creative.

Contexte de travail

You will work at the Laboratoire de Chimie de Coordination (LCC, UPR8241) in Toulouse. The LCC is a CNRS research center whose research areas are: Chemistry and catalysis, Chemistry and materials and Chemistry and health. The project will be carried out under the supervision of Dr. Yannick Coppel, manager of the NMR facility, as part of a larger project involving researchers from the University of Toulouse and external partners.
The facility covers complementary research activities in the field of liquid state and solid state NMR. It is equipped with 6 NMR spectrometers operating from 600 MHz to 300 MHz, adapted to a large variety of analyses (wide range of nuclei, gas/liquid/solid...). Moreover, the platform is part of the "RMN midi-pyrénées" network allowing access to complementary NMR spectrometers from 300 to 800 MHz. Our activities concern the development of experimental methods based on NMR spectroscopy and their applications to various problems in molecular and material sciences.

Informations complémentaires

Financing: “Green Hydrogen Key Challenge”, RHYO research cluster
Position immediately available, to be filled before end 2023