PhD student (M/F) in NMR and theoretical chemistry of solid electrolytes
- FTC PhD student / Offer for thesis
- 36 months
- Doctorate
This offer is available in English version
This offer is open to people with a document recognizing their status as a disabled worker.
Offer at a glance
The Unit
Unité de Catalyse et de Chimie du Solide
Contract Type
FTC PhD student / Offer for thesis
Working hHours
Full Time
Workplace
59652 VILLENEUVE D ASCQ
Contract Duration
36 months
Date of Hire
01/10/2026
Remuneration
2300 € gross monthly
Apply Application Deadline : 20 July 2026 23:59
Job Description
Thesis Subject
Thin-film amorphous electrolytes, such as those based on LiPON, are at the heart of microbatteries, which are increasingly used in the health sectors. They also represent promising coatings for electrodes in solid-state batteries. However, one of their major limitations is their moderate ionic conductivity. A promising approach to circumvent this issue is to incorporate other network formers than P, such as Si or B. Nevertheless, our limited understanding of the atomic-scale structure of these amorphous materials, except for LiPON, restricts the possibilities for rationally improving their conductivity using this strategy. In particular, a major question is whether all the chemical elements are incorporated into the same phase or a separation between different amorphous phases occurs. Additional challenges in the characterisation of thin films by NMR spectroscopy arise from the fact that B and Si are more difficult to observe than P. This project aims to overcome these obstacles and understand how the combination of different network formers impact the atomic-scale structure of these thin-film electrolytes and thus increases their ionic conductivity.
To answer this question, we will probe the local environments of P, Si, N and B atoms and the mobility of Li+ ions using solid-state NMR spectroscopy. In particular, we will demonstrate the possibility of detecting 11B, 14N, 15N and 29Si in these thin films. The gains in resolution and sensitivity offered by ultra-high magnetic fields (up to 28 T) will be particularly useful to observe quadrupolar nuclei with spin I ≥ 1 (11B, 14N). The experimental NMR data will be compared with structural models and diffusion coefficients for Li+ ions calculated by ab initio molecular dynamics.
Your Work Environment
This project is funded by ANR, French research funding agency. The PhD student will be supervised by Olivier Lafon at the University of Lille (https://uccs.univ-lille.fr/en/research-teams/solid-state-chemistry-department/rm2i-team and https://pro.univ-lille.fr/en/translate-to-english-olivier-lafon) and Eric Furet at ENSC Rennes (https://iscr.univ-rennes.fr/fr/inorganic-theoretical-chemistry-cti and https://iscr.univ-rennes.fr/fr/eric-furet). This project will benefit from the use of high-field NMR magnets (800, 900 MHz and 1.2 GHz) of Lille NMR facility and computational facility of Rennes Institute of Chemical Sciences.
Compensation and benefits
Compensation
2300 € gross monthly
Annual leave and RTT
44 jours
Remote Working practice and compensation
Pratique et indemnisation du TT
Transport
Prise en charge à 75% du coût et forfait mobilité durable jusqu’à 300€
About the offer
| Offer reference | UMR8181-OLILAF-006 |
|---|---|
| CN Section(s) / Research Area | Materials, nanomaterials and processes chemistry |
About the CNRS
The CNRS is a major player in fundamental research on a global scale. The CNRS is the only French organization active in all scientific fields. Its unique position as a multi-specialist allows it to bring together different disciplines to address the most important challenges of the contemporary world, in connection with the actors of change.
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