CIRIMAT – Post-doctoral position (H/F) – October, 2022
Development of environmentally friendly sol-gel coatings for connectors / Field of
application: aeronautics
Location: CIRIMAT – Centre Interuniversitaire de Recherche et d’Ingénierie des Matériaux
Funding: the applicant will be employed by Toulouse 3 University as part of a collaborative project with
Mécaprotec Industries and 4 connector manufacturers (CMG),
Gross salary: ~2700 to 3200€ gross monthly depending on experience.
Start of contract and duration: urgent recruitment, application expected October 20, 2022,
Duration of contract: 12 months
Keywords: Hybrid coatings; Corrosion protection; electric conduction; Carbon fillers; adhesion; Electrical
connector; surface functionalization; physico-chemical characterizations; surface analysis; electron microscopy.
Description of the project
Recently, the European REACH and RoHS directives have pushed the industrial world, and in particular the surface treatment sector, to find alternative solutions following the ban on the use of certain toxic chemicals. Since few years the CIRIMAT laboratory and the industrial partners of the connector industry, specialized in the design and development of electronic interconnection systems for aeronautics, have set up a partnership in order to develop an alternative solution to the use of cadmium passivated with Chromium(VI) tp protect the aluminum casing of connector housings, a solution that should ensure the same degree of performance whether in terms of anti-corrosion or surface conductivity.
The CIRIMAT research team has proven expertise in the field of functional coatings obtained by the solgel process. This way turns out to be a promising alternative that still requires improvements today. Based on the work carried out at CIRIMAT over the 2020-2022 period, the recruited person will be responsible for optimizing current results. The activities will consist of defining and optimizing development protocols; to carry out the characterization at different scales (structure, microstructure, chemical composition) and to evaluate the performance in electrical conductivity, electrochemical property, anti-corrosion protection, with regard to very precise specifications described in the CADSTAR project.
Work context
The applicant will join the “Coatings and Surface Treatments” team of CIRIMAT and will work in a project team made up of 3 teacher-researchers from the RTS team at CIRIMAT and a PhD Engineer. The RTS team has significant expertise and knowledge in the field of surface functionalization and the development of
multifunctional hybrid coatings. This work will be developed as part of a research program in collaboration with Mécaprotec Industries and 4 industrial connectors. The candidate will thus have the opportunity to interact directly with a large number of industrial partners. The recruitment of the selected candidate is subject to validation by the “Defense Security Officer”.
Application
We are looking for a candidate with a PhD in materials science. Bases or experience in the field of solgel coatings will be greatly appreciated. He/she must be strongly motivated for the experimentation. Ideally he (she) should be autonomous in the classic elaboration and characterization techniques used in materials
chemistry.
For any further information on the project and/or the recruitment process, please contact Marie-Joëlle Menu (marie-joelle.menu@univ-tlse3.fr) or Florence Ansart (florence.ansart@univ-tlse3.fr).
Please send to marie-joëlle.menu@univ-tlse3.fr and Florence.ansart@univ-tlse3.fr a detailed CV and a cover- letter with at least the name of a referent/letter of recommendation.