MODELING OF LIQUID-LIQUID EXTRACTION BY A MICROEMULSION MODEL (12 months, renewable)
Starting date: April 2023
Laboratory: LMCT
Project: The idea of the project is to develop a code for predicting thermodynamics in liquid-liquid extraction processes. This work will be based on molecular dynamics simulations coupled with a microemulsion model, and experimental measurements to parametrize the model. The originality of the project consists of coupling concepts of molecular chemistry for the short-range effects to soft matter theory in order to propose a self-consistent description of solvent extraction. [...]
Credit: M. Duvail / ICSM
Profile: Eligible candidates should have a good knowledge of physical chemistry or chemical physics. Good knowledge of programming is also important because of the modeling aspect of the project. Good oral and written communication and teamwork skills are also essential, as the candidate should collaborate with a team of experimental researchers.
Funding: The postdoc position is funded by the University of Montpellier within the ANR MULTISEPAR. The duration of the contract is 12 months (Net salary: ~ 2000 ¤ / month)
Further information: The successful candidate will join the LMCT group of ICSM. A position of assistant professor (maître de conférence) is planned for 2024 in the laboratory on this theme.
Contact: To apply, please send a cover letter, a detailed CV, and references to Pr. Jean-François DUFRECHE (jean-francois.dufreche
APPLICATION CLOSED
The Ph.D thesis proposed at ICSM are attached to the University of Montpellier and to the "Balard Chemical Sciences" Doctoral School of the University of Montpellier.
Starting date: September 2023
Laboratory: L2IA
Credit: J. Wang / ICSM
Project: We will study the molecular structure of liquid-liquid interfaces for extraction in the presence of mono- or diamides by trying to make the link between organization at the interface and extraction kinetics. This study will be carried out using physico-chemical techniques and approaches developed in the laboratory over the last few years, i.e. reflectivity, non-linear optics, surface tension... [...]
Profile: We are looking for a motivated candidate with a solid knowledge of chemistry-physics and a taste for experimentation. You have a master's degree in chemistry, chemistry-physics, theoretical chemistry or physics, or equivalent. You also have good written and oral communication skills. You have the ability to work in a team while having the necessary autonomy to carry out your own research topic.
Secured funding: The Ph.D. thesis is funded by the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA, Energies Division).
Further information: The candidate will join the L2IA group of ICSM and will be enrolled at the doctoral school ED459 Sciences Chimiques Balard of the University of Montpellier (France).
Contact: To apply, please send a cover letter, a detailed CV and references to Pr. Luc Girard (luc.girard@enscm.fr) and Dr. Olivier Diat (olivier.diat@cea.fr).
Starting date: October 2023
Laboratory: LMCT
Project: We will investigate the impact of structural effects of ionic solutions on uranium extraction performance, non-linear viscosity, and synergy between solutes using molecular modeling approaches, typically by classical molecular dynamics, in connection with experiments carried out in recent years at ICSM. [...]
Credit: M. Duvail / ICSM
Profile: We are looking for a highly motivated candidate student with solid theoretical knowledge in physical chemistry. You have a Master’s degree in chemistry, physical chemistry, chemical physics, theoretical chemistry or physics, or equivalent. You have an interest in programming and computer science, and ideally, you already have a basic knowledge of code (e.g., Python, Fortran, … languages, Linux environment, Shell scripts …). You also have good written and oral communication skills. You have the ability to work in a team while having the necessary autonomy to carry out your own research topic.
Secured funding: The Ph.D. thesis is funded by the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA, Energies Division).
Further information: The successful candidate will join the LMCT group of ICSM and will be enrolled at the doctoral school ED459 Sciences Chimiques Balard of the University of Montpellier (France).
Contact: To apply, please send a cover letter, a detailed CV, and references to Dr. Magali Duvail (magali.duvail@cea.fr) and Dr. Sandrine Dourdain (Sandrine.dourdain@cea.fr) before April 26, 2023.
STABILITY OF COLLOIDAL ORGANIC DISPERSIONS PREDICTED BY MULTI-SCALE MODELING
Starting date: October 2023
Laboratory: LMCT
Project: We will investigate the influence of aggregation on the stability of organic colloidal solutions involved in separation chemistry for rare-earth recycling by developing multi-scale approaches coupling molecular-scale simulations, typically by classical molecular dynamics simulation, to mesoscopic scale “coarse-grained” simulations. [...]
Credit: M. Duvail / ICSM
Profile: We are looking for a highly motivated candidate with solid theoretical knowledge in physical chemistry. You have a Master’s degree in chemistry, physical chemistry, chemical physics, theoretical chemistry or physics, or equivalent. You have an interest in programming and computer science, and ideally, you already have a basic knowledge of code (e.g., Python, Fortran, … languages, Linux environment, Shell scripts …). You also have good written and oral communication skills. You have the ability to work in a team while having the necessary autonomy to carry out your own research topic.
Secured funding: The Ph.D. thesis is funded by the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA, Fundamental Research Division).
Further information: The successful candidate will join the LMCT group of ICSM and will be enrolled at the doctoral school ED459 Sciences Chimiques Balard of the University of Montpellier (France).
Contact: To apply, please send a cover letter, a detailed CV, and references to Magali Duvail (magali.duvail@cea.fr) and Jean-François Dufrêche (jean-francois.dufreche@icsm.fr) before April 26, 2023.
APPLICATION CLOSED
Project: The aim is to establish the reaction mechanisms linked to the dissolution of UO2, their equilibria and kinetics, by implementing approaches based on ab initio molecular dynamics. [...]
Credit: B. Siboulet / ICSM
Profile: We are looking for a motivated candidate with good knowledge of molecular simulation and thermodynamics. You have a good knowledge of quantum mechanics and physical chemistry and you are able to use simulation tools and develop efficient analysis utilities. You also have good written and oral communication skills. You have the ability to work as part of a team, while having the necessary autonomy to carry out your own research topic.
Funding: The Ph.D. thesis is funded by the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA, Energies Division).
Further information: The successful candidate will join the LMCT group of ICSM and will be enrolled at the doctoral school ED459 Sciences Chimiques Balard of the University of Montpellier (France). The thesis will be done in collaboration with ENS Geology Nancy.
Contact: To apply, please send a cover letter, and a detailed CV to Dr. Bertrand Siboulet (bertrand.siboulet@cea.fr) et Pr. Jean-François Dufrêche (jean-francois.dufreche@icsm.fr).
L2IA and LSFC proposal (06/03 to 28/08/2023)
Sludges, as the residue of the final stages of industrial processes, whether from petroleum processing, mining, or recycling, are rarely simple systems to analyze and/or treat. They are diverse and varied in terms of their chemistry, the size of the agglomerates, and the origin of their concentration, forming a compact and heterogeneous system characterized by a dry mass and a certain quantity of water but also sometimes of residual solvent. They can be either mainly rich in mineral particles (e.g. sludge from mining elution) or rich in organic particles (sludge from wastewater treatment plants) - the latter can emit a gaseous release by bacterial decomposition or other oxidation reaction. Their management remains very complicated because often the process of transport or displacement of sludge in order to allow an analysis, a reprocessing, or a valorization can neither be that applied to a solid (because extremely divided) nor that of a fluid. In the first case, drying is extremely energy consuming because water or solvents are "trapped" in the matrix, and in the second case, fluidization does not allow a re-dispersion of particles but phase demixing which is also difficult to manage because it is not very predictable.
The objective of this internship project is therefore to study a model sludge formulated from the precipitation of insoluble salts and iron hydroxide forming aggregates of variable submicron size dispersible in the aqueous phase. The first step will be to study the stability of the system as a function of a variation in osmotic pressure and ionic strength and to correlate the viscosity of the solutions to the concentration regulated by these thermodynamic variables in the range of high concentrations. The kinetics of water recovery and re-dispersion will be evaluated with or without external stresses (pressure fields), as well as rheological aspects.
The internship will be carried out between the L2IA and the LSFC and in close collaboration with the SEAD/LCBC laboratory of CEA Marcoule under the supervision of Arnaud Poulesquen and Jean-Baptiste Champenois.
For more information, please contact: Olivier DIAT (olivier.diat@cea.fr), Coralie PASQUIER (coralie.pasquier@cea.fr), or Rachel PFLIEGER (rachel.pflieger@cea.fr)
APPLICATION OPEN
