Post-doctoral position on redox flow battery charceterisation - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

Department information

The Post-doc position is at the department of Applied Electrochemistry, which is a part of the Department of Chemical Engineering at the School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health, KTH.

The division of Applied Electrochemistry have four faculty members and around 25 PhD-students and postdocs, working with electrochemical power sources such as Li-ion batteries and fuel cells, and industrial electrolytic processes. The group focuses on electrochemical characterization of porous electrodes and electrolytes, including ion conductive membranes. Electrochemical measurements are often combined with physical in-situ methods and mathematical modelling.

Job description

The post-doc project focuses on electrochemical characterization of novel membranes for redox flow batteries (RFB). RFB is an attractive alternative for large scale energy storage in combination with renewable energy sources, utilizing solar and wind. RFB are considered to have longer durability and lower costs than Li-ion batteries for this application. However, the membranes are both costly and suffer from ion cross-over which gives rise to performance losses. If the cell is a hybrid using gas on one side and liquid on the other cross-over of electrolyte is an additional issue. In the project membranes specifically aimed for RFB will be developed in Prof Jannasch’s group at Lund University.

At KTH the membranes will be evaluated and compared with commercial available membranes. Performance factors such as ion conduction, cross-over, drag and water flux will be studied by electrochemical techniques and other available physical methods. An important part of the project is to set up a test-station and develop measuring strategies for the studies. The groups at KTH and LU are well-established in the fields of PEM fuel cells and Li-ion batteries, and by the present project we will also start up research in the hot field of RFB. The project will be performed in close collaboration with Prof. Kucernak’s group at Imperial College London. The project has support from the Swedish Battery Fond and the companies ABB, Vattenfall, Scandinavian Solar Parks and Ferroamps are in the reference group. The knowledge obtained is important to advance the development of RFBs and to enhance the understanding of the systems for applications in Sweden and elsewhere. The research results will be presented at international conferences and published in peer-reviewed international scientific journals.

The starting date is open for discussion, though ideally the successful candidate is able to start early autumn 2018.

Qualifications

PhD in electrochemistry, physical chemistry or chemical engineering. Experience of redox flow batteries is an advantage. The candidate should be creative, have good theoretical knowledge and interest in experimental work.
The candidate should also have good communication skills in English in speech and writing, able to work both in a team and independently, demonstrate initiative and be proactive in the project.

Trade union representatives

You will find contact information to trade union representatives at KTH:s webbpage.

Application

Your application shall include the following documents:

1. Curriculum vitae
2. Transcripts from university/university College
3. Cover letter with a brief description of why the applicant is interested in the position, skills and talents relevant for the position.
4. Contact information for a couple of references.
5. Thesis and publications as PDF files.

Log into KTH's recruitment system in order to apply to this position. You are the main responsible to ensure that your application is complete according to the ad.

Your complete application must be received at KTH no later than the last day of application, midnight CET/CEST (Central European Time/Central European Summer Time).

Other information

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Disclaimer: In case of discrepancy between the Swedish original and the English translation of the job announcement, the Swedish version takes precedence.