PhD on the Study of the Relationships Existing Between the Preparation of Gold-supported Nanopa[...]

PhD on the Study of the Relationships Existing Between the Preparation of Gold-supported Nanoparticles, Their Size, the Nature of Metal-support Interactions and Their Catalytic Activity in Oxidation Reactions

Candidate: The candidate will hold a master's degree in Chemistry (materials science, solid chemistry, sustainable and environmental chemistry, physical and analytical chemistry,...) or a degree from engineering school (5 years) in the field of materials or chemistry: grades > 12/20.

He or she must have good knowledge of materials science and solid chemistry or heterogeneous catalysis as well as good experimental work skills (practical lab, research internships).

Desired skills:

1. Good communication skills in English (B2 level at least) and/or French, both spoken and written.
2. Practical and theoretical knowledge of synthesis and characterization methods (XRD, UV-visible and IR spectroscopies, XPS, electron microscopies etc.).
3. Skills in reactivity and development of reaction mechanisms.
4. Preferably, knowledge in heterogeneous catalysis, adsorption, and thermal analysis.

Application package:

1. CV up to date.
2. Academic transcript including your grades in Master 1 and Master 2 (or years 4 and 5).
3. Application letter explaining the match between your profile and the research subject, as well as your motivation.

PhD subject:

Although gold has long been considered as a relatively inert noble metal, supported catalysts containing gold nanoparticles smaller than 5-10 nm have recently demonstrated exceptional potential in catalysis, particularly for the oxidation of CO or certain volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Gold-based catalysts offer the advantage of high selectivity, good stability, and reduced environmental impact. Below 5 nm, gold presents a large number of low-coordination sites, which are essential for the activation of dioxygen. However, other factors influence gold catalysis, such as the nature and characteristics of the support (oxides like TiO2, ZrO2, CeO2, Al2O3…). These will define the electronic state of the supported nanoparticles, their dispersion, and their resistance to thermal sintering.

Conventional impregnation methods used for the fabrication of supported catalysts have limitations in the case of gold, as they generally do not yield nanoparticle sizes compatible with active catalysts. Therefore, specific strategies must be developed to optimize the properties of gold deposited on a given support. In this context, the PhD project focuses on two synthesis methods for supported gold nanoparticles: a chemical method based on Deposition-Precipitation (DP) and an innovative physical method called Laser Ablation in Liquid Media (LALM). The supports used in this study will be reducible supports like doped ceria (Ce(Zr)O2) and titanium oxide (TiO2) or a non-reducible oxide like alumina (Al2O3). The overall objective of the thesis is to better understand the relationships between nanoparticle size, the nature of metal-support interactions, and catalytic activity for model oxidation reactions such as CO oxidation and/or propene oxidation.

To this end, the first step will be to optimize the synthesis parameters of gold-supported catalysts. Thus, the DP method using hydrochloroauric precursor can be performed in the presence of various additives (sodium hydroxide, urea, etc.) to vary the gold content, electronic state, and size distribution of the nanoparticles. An additional calcination step may be necessary to reduce the deposited precursor to metallic gold. LALM, on the other hand, uses a laser and a high-speed rotating metal target in pure water to generate a colloidal gold solution, enabling the formation of very small nanoparticles without contaminants. The colloidal suspension will then be immobilized on the supports. A range of characterization techniques will be employed to thoroughly analyze the physico-chemical properties of the obtained catalysts, such as AAS to measure gold content, XRD and UV-visible spectroscopy to monitor nanoparticle size and their plasmonic properties. Additional techniques such as X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) will help to better understand the interactions between gold and the support, providing insights into nanoparticle distribution and electronic state.

Regarding performance tests, the conversion temperatures and selectivity of the catalysts (e.g., for CO to CO2 conversion or propene oxidation) will be measured on a dynamic test bench using gas-phase FTIR spectroscopy detection/quantification. Correlations will be made with nanoparticle size, dispersion, and speciation.

The project, straddling the CDE and nanomaterials teams of LCP-A2MC laboratory, aims to develop more efficient, selective, and deactivation-resistant gold-based catalysts by optimizing preparation techniques and carefully analyzing metal-support interactions to improve their performance in various chemical oxidation reactions.

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Job details

Title: PhD on the Study of the Relationships Existing Between the Preparation of Gold-supported Nanoparticles, Their Size, the Nature of Metal-support Interactions and Their Catalytic Activity in Oxidation Reactions

Deadline: 2025-05-30 23:59 (Europe/Paris)

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