Empa, Materials Science and Technology

Postdoctoral Researcher on CO2 Solid Adsorbent Shaping and Degradation

📍 8600 Dübendorf

Role and responsibilities

Help coordinate project activities and develop synergies within the team and between project partners. Supervise intern students contributing to the project. Elucidate chemical as well as structural ageing mechanisms of structured and pure solid sorbents under different ageing conditions. Develop accelerated and high throughput sorbent ageing protocols. Help define mitigation strategies for sorbent ageing. Develop versatile, upscalable sorbent shaping/coating procedures. Help shape new, emerging scientific research lines within the project scope and publish/communicate your scientific results

Team / description

Materials science and technology are our passion. With our cutting-edge research, Empa's around 1,100 employees make essential contributions to the well-being of society for a future worth living. Empa is a research institution of the ETH Domain. The Laboratory for Building Energy Materials and Components develops advanced and/or low eco-impact, porous materials for insulation, sorption, and energy-related applications. Our research portfolio spans fundamental materials chemistry, process–structure–property relationships, and application-driven R&D;, in close collaboration with academic and industrial partners.

Qualifications and Skills

  • A high level of curiosity, independence, teamwork skills and motivation

  • Doctoral degree or equivalent research experience in porous materials, surface or adsorption/separation science or a closely related field

  • Excellent written and oral communication skills in English

  • Experience or familiarity with one of the following topics: Characterization of sorbent/porous materials characterization e.g. nitrogen sorption (BET, BJH, NLDFT), breakthrough measurements, SEM, TEM, TGA, FTIR, NMR, thermal conductivity measurements

  • Synthesis and/or shaping of solid sorbents.

  • Sorbent modelling and prediction of performance or ageing.