Polymer matrix thermoelectric and pyroelectric composite materials for converting waste heat into electrical energy

Organisation/Company

Unité Matériaux et Transformations

Research Field

Technology » Materials technology
Technology » Energy technology

Researcher Profile

Recognised Researcher (R2)
Leading Researcher (R4)
First Stage Researcher (R1)
Established Researcher (R3)

Country

France

Application Deadline

13 Jul 2025 - 22:00 (UTC)

Type of Contract

Temporary

Job Status

Full-time

Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?

Not funded by a EU programme

Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?

No

As part of the THERMOHARV Interreg project, the Polymer Systems Engineering (ISP) team from the UMET laboratory at the University of Lille, in partnership with the Polymer Materials Department (SMPC) at the University of Mons, are looking for a PhD student for an innovative project on the design of thermoelectric and pyroelectric composite materials with a polymer matrix, for the conversion of waste heat into electrical energy in the “building of the future” field.

The aim of this thesis is to synthesise, characterise and optimise the properties of flexible nanocomposites with thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) matrices filled with conductive or ferroelectric nanoparticles, capable of exhibiting thermoelectric or pyroelectric responses (thermal energy/electrical energy conversion) for incorporation into waste heat recovery systems in the building sector (residential, industrial or tertiary). On the one hand, the conductive fillers will be carbon nanotubes which, at high content (> 15% by mass), give the composites interesting thermoelectric properties. On the other hand, the ferroelectric fillers will be electroactive nanoparticles of the barium titanate (BTO) type capable of inducing pyroelectric properties in the materials. The matrix will also be optimised in order to improve the thermo and pyro properties (chemical and/or morphological modifications). The aim of the thesis will be to study the impact of the processing, the structure/morphology, the type of fillers, their content and their dispersion, in order to obtain composites with the highest thermoelectric or pyroelectric properties.

Funding category: Contrat doctoral
ULille (2 ans) + UMons (2 ans)
PHD title: Materials Science
PHD Country: France

Website

https://www.abg.asso.fr/fr/candidatOffres/show/id_offre/129530

The candidate should hold a Master's degree or engineering school diploma in physical chemistry or polymer or materials chemistry. He/she should have a strong taste for experimental work as well as good oral and written communication skills (at least in English) to present his/her work at conferences and write articles in international scientific journals. The candidate should also be able to work as part of a team and interact with all the colleagues involved in this multidisciplinary project. The 4-year thesis will be carried out for 2 years at the University of Mons, Materials Research Institute and for 2 years at the University of Lille, UMET laboratory, but given the geographical proximity of the 2 sites, occasional travel between the 2 units will be required during the thesis.

Number of offers available

1

Company/Institute

Unité Matériaux et Transformations

Country

France

City

Villeneuce d'Ascq

Geofield

Website

https://umet.univ-lille.fr/

• X (formerly Twitter)
• Facebook
• LinkedIn
• Whatsapp
• 
  More share options
  • E-mail
  • Pocket
  • Viadeo
  • Gmail
  • Weibo
  • Blogger
  • Qzone
  • YahooMail