We are always looking for highly-motivated individuals to join the LCPO! Interested undergraduate and graduate students can apply to the following offers. They are also strongly encouraged to contact LCPO's researchers directly.
Biosourced pi-conjugated polymers for photovoltaics
Category: Ph. D.
Duration: 36 months
Team: Polymer materials for Electronic, Energy, Information and Communication Technologies
Funding: ANR
Laboratory: LCPO
Contacts : Henri Cramail , Éric Cloutet
Applicant profile
We are looking for a highly motivated student holding a Master degree in organic and/or polymer chemistry. Teamwork abilities and good skills in English are required.
Project summary
In the context of energy transition, while it is of paramount importance to switch to efficient renewable energies such as solar, wind or geothermal, it is essential to consider the materials that are used in this new paradigm. In fact, most of the time only the intrinsic performances of the materials are taken into account, whereas the impact of their manufacturing process and how they will be recycled should also be taken into account. Thus this project intends to target sustainable polymer materials and processes for their use in organic photovoltaics (OPV). For instance, it is proposed to upgrade in a more sustainable way the routes to electro- and photo-active pi-conjugated polymers while integrating biobased synthons. The latter might have a dual effect of bringing promises features in OPV and promoting biodegradability and recycling.
The work will be carried out at the Laboratoire de Chimie des Polymères Organiques (LCPO, UMR5629), one of France's leading polymer research centers, located on the campus of the University of Bordeaux. In particular, it will involve two of the LCPO's teams whose research themes are related to the topic, namely bio-sourced polymers and functional polymers for Energy, teams 2 and 4 respectively. The LCPO offers all the necessary infrastructure and a stimulating workplace for all those wishing to acquire a high-level training in polymer chemistry.