Description du sujet de thèse

The development and optimization of new materials relies more and more on the use of artificial intelligence. One important class of materials to be optimized within the frame of the European Green Deal is catalysts, namely bimetallic catalysts. Here the addition of a second metal not only permits replacing expensive and polluting metals with more abundant and environment-friendly ones but also to control and tune catalytic activity, selectivity and stability through the choice of nanoalloy material.
One crucial parameter for the application of bimetallic nanostructures is its chemical structure, i.e., the spatial distribution of the elements. Notably a bimetallic catalyst can show drastically different properties depending on whether one metal is found at the nanoparticle surface, the other one or both. This chemical structure is, however, difficult to ascertain experimentally and often highly controversial in theory.
The aim of the NACRE project (financed within the PEPR DIADEM) is to investigate physically fabricated and surfactant-free bimetallic nanoparticles in controlled states (chemical ground state, under reactive conditions etc.) using different Transmission Electron Microscopy techniques. The experimental data are then treated using various machine learning techniques, both unsupervised and supervised, in order to extract the spatial distribution of chemical elements.
The PhD candidate should bring a strong background in data treatment and modelling based on available and to-be-developed python routines. Extended knowledge on nanoscale physics and chemistry is furthermore indispensable.

Contexte de travail

The Institute for Light and Matter (Institut Lumière Matière - iLM) is a joint CNRS-University of Lyon 1 research unit located on the Lyon Tech La Doua campus.
With more than 300 employees, including a hundred doctoral students and post-docs, the iLM is a major player in physics and chemistry research in the Auvergne Rhône Alpes region, internationally recognized for the excellence of its research.
The continuum between fundamental research, responses to major societal challenges and innovation is at the heart of the unit's approach. The entire staff is committed to promoting excellence and ethical and responsible research.

Le poste se situe dans un secteur relevant de la protection du potentiel scientifique et technique (PPST), et nécessite donc, conformément à la réglementation, que votre arrivée soit autorisée par l'autorité compétente du MESR.