Your Job:
Within the scope of various national and international projects, electrochemical processes in solid oxide fuel cells as well as electrolysis cells are investigated. Depending on your field of expertise and what you consider to be your strengths, you will take responsibility for an experimental or modeling topic from the fields within the research projects: 1. processes and mechanisms, 2. Degradation, 3. Materials. For your specific topic, you will develop and deepen your skills in the appropriate methods. This is done, for example, on solid-state synthesis and screen printing of self-produced solid or symmetrical half cells or on their commercial ceramic counterparts.
In the field of materials the properties will be studied by means of:
- X-ray diffraction (XRD) for structural investigations of the (manufactured) material
- Dilatometry for measuring the expansion of a material
- Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) for determining the change in mass of a material as a function of temperature
- Scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray analysis (SEM-EDX) for the determination of the elemental composition of a sample
- X-ray photon spectroscopy (XPS) for the non-destructive detection of the chemical composition of a sample.
In the investigation of processes, mechanisms and degradation, electrochemical experiments and characterization are carried out by means of:
- Current-voltage characteristics to measure the performance of a cell
- Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy for the determination of running processes during operation of the cell
- Voltage-time curves to characterize the ageing behavior of a cell
- Mass spectroscopic evaluation (MS), if necessary, to quantify the share of contained species in the output gas composition. For this purpose, distribution of relaxation time (DRT) methods and equivalent circuit models (ECM) are additionally used for analysis. You will actively incorporate your results into projects and thus complement and expand the entire team with your concrete and creative contributions.
Your Profile:
- Bachelor or Master studies in physics, chemistry, materials science, CES (computational engineering science) or other relevant disciplines
- Knowledge of the fundamentals and applications of electrochemistry
- Theoretical and practical experience in preferably several of the above task areas
- You have good computer skills and may have experience in Python as a programming language
- Excellent collaboration and communication skills, as well as having fun to work as part of a team
- Fluent English and good German in writing and speaking
Our Offer:
We work on the very latest issues that impact our society and are offering you the chance to actively help in shaping the change! We support you in your work with:
- Varied involvement in current topics such as the energy transition through interdisciplinary collaboration
- Ideal conditions for gaining practical experience alongside your studies
- Qualified supervision by scientific colleagues
- A large research campus with green spaces, offering the best possible means for networking with colleagues and pursuing sports alongside work
- Flexible work (location) arrangements, e.g. remote work as well as a reasonable remuneration of your work
We welcome applications from people with diverse backgrounds, e.g. in terms of age, gender, disability, sexual orientation / identity, and social, ethnic and religious origin. A diverse and inclusive working environment with equal opportunities in which everyone can realize their potential is important to us.