PhD Student (f/m) on ID31 in the Structure of Materials group

Thesis subject: From nut shells to hard carbon: a Circular approach to Hard Carbon Synthesis for Sustainable Na-ion Battery Anodes

You will join ID31’s team and study the synthesis and characterization of hard carbons from lignin bio-sources and their electrochemical performances when used as anode materials in Na-ion batteries. ID31 beamline is dedicated to the investigation of materials structure, focusing on solving challenges in the energy sectors, allowing a smooth transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources.

The aim of the PhD project is to systematically investigate the relationship between synthesis parameters, powder structure and electrochemical performance of hard carbons. The hard carbons will be synthetized using lignin-based sources; hard carbons from different sources will be used for comparison.

The high flux at high energy available at ID31 allows for the fast structural characterization of the hard carbons with Wide Angle X-ray Scattering, while complimentary techniques will be used to investigate the presence of impurities and porosity.

The project will take place at ESRF, and the student will be co-supervised by Prof Lorenzo Stievano (Univeristy of Montpellier), Dr Jakub Drnec (ESRF) and Dr Marta Mirolo (ESRF) and will be part of the European Battery Hub.

Further information may be obtained from Marta Mirolo (tel.: +33 (0)4 76 88 29 69, email: marta.mirolo@esrf.fr).