Job DescriptionPhD-position in electrode/catalyst development for PFAS-free fuel cells (m/f/d)
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Part-time position (80 %), Start-date: At the earliest possible date
PFAS ("forever chemicals") are valued across countless industries for their heat resistance and remarkable stability. They are also state-of-the-art in proton-conducting membranes and electrodes for fuel cells, a technology currently gaining serious traction in heavy-duty trucking. But that same stability that makes PFAS attractive for different applications makes them persistent in the environment: they've been detected in soil, water, air, and even human and animal tissue, and have been linked to health concerns. Thus, the fuel cell industry increasingly needs viable, PFAS-free alternatives.
This is precisely the challenge we are tackling in the CORAL-HC project. Promising hydrocarbon-based ionomers have recently emerged as candidates that can match PFAS performance. However, the catalysts and electrode architectures that work so well with PFAS materials don't simply transfer to this new material class. Fundamental questions about how catalyst, carbon support, and hydrocarbon ionomer interact still need to be answered from scratch.
To address this, we will use atomic layer deposition (ALD) to design and fine-tune catalysts specifically for hydrocarbon ionomers. ALD's ability to deposit ultrathin, highly controlled layers of platinum atom by atom offers a unique lever for precisely tailoring the size, distribution, and local environment of platinum nanoparticles on the carbon support. xmdgtar This precision will allow us to systematically probe how catalyst structure influences performance in combination with hydrocarbon ionomers, and to engineer catalysts that are optimized for this new material class rather than simply adapted from PFAS-based systems.