PhD position in Fabrication, Characterization and Testing of Selective CO2 Photo-capture Nanostructured Alloys
This positions is funded through a collaborative project between the Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS), York University, and McGill University. This PhD position will be based at York University.
Overall project title: Developing Photoactive Nanostructured Alloys for Selective CO2 Capture and Release via Integrated DFT-based Genetic Algorithm Search, Experimentation and Techno-enviro-economic Assessment.
Project description: Combating global warming caused by increased atmospheric CO2 concentrations is a grand challenge in the 21st century. To limit the global temperature increases to 2 °C, set in the 2015 Paris Agreement, enhanced carbon capture materials are urgently needed. Presently, the performance of carbon capture materials is hindered by high energy requirements for regenerating the material, which is typically done using pressure or temperature swing absorption cycles. In this project, a different approach will be taken towards the development of CO2 capture materials, wherein photoactivity is the main driving force for CO2 capture and its subsequent release.
The overall objectives of the project are to use genetic algorithm-based machine learning approaches to identify nanostructured alloys that selectively adsorb and photodesorb CO2, fabricate, characterize and test the identified materials, and perform techno-economic (TEA) and life-cycle assessment (LCA) to estimate the commercial viability and environmental impacts of the identified materials. The objectives of the project for the open PhD position are described below.
PhD position: Fabrication, Characterization and Testing of CO2 Photocapture Materials.
The objectives of the project for the open PhD position are to fabricate, characterize and test nanostructured alloys for the ability to adsorb and desorb CO2 in the presence and absence of light and/or electric charge for the purpose of selectively capturing CO2 from different gas streams. The properties of carbon capture materials will be characterized using atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area analysis, X-ray diffraction, UV-Vis spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis. The performance of the synthesized carbon capture materials will be tested using a custom-built flow setup comprising a photocell and gas analyzer.
The person appointed will work as part of an interdisciplinary and diverse team, with people coming from different backgrounds, focused on developing novel energy materials, and will have access to world-class experimental facilities and collaborations.
Starting date: Jan or May 2025
Financial support: All students will receive a competitive funding package to support their graduate studies. Moreover, students are also invited and supported to apply for external scholarships from OGS, NSERC, etc.
Eligibility: Applicants for this PhD position should have a MASc degree in a related field (e.g. Materials Science and Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Chemsitry, Physics) and must be fluent in English (orally as well as in written). Exceptional applicants with a relevant bachelor’s degree can be considered for direct entry into the PhD program (without having attained a MASc degree). Fluency in French is considered to be a valuable asset. Successful applicants must be self-starters, and critical thinkers, and should be able to work within a team.
How to apply: Interested candidates should send an application package consisting of a detailed CV, cover letter, academic records, statement of interest, and the contact details of two references.
- Please send your application package to Prof. O’Brien (paul.obrien@lassonde.yorku.ca)
Please mention if you are an international or a domestic (Canadian citizen/permanent resident) candidate. Any inquiries can also be sent to these emails. The team values diversity and fosters a study and research environment where individual differences are recognized, appreciated, respected, and valued. All qualified individuals are welcome to apply, especially members of visible and ethnic minorities, women, Indigenous people, and people with disabilities.
MASc Position in the Design, Fabrication and Testing of Multifunctional Building Envelopes
Project title: Multifunctional Building Envelopes with Integrated Carbon Capture
Project description: The operation of buildings accounts for about 30% of the global energy consumption. Researchers and policy makers have made significant efforts towards the realization of net-zero buildings, which generate as much energy as they consume on an annual basis. Of the available technologies for improving building energy consumption it has been recognized that the design, development and integration of energy-efficient building envelopes is critical for achieving net-zero. More recently, advancements towards net zero emission buildings, and even carbon negative buildings with integrated cabron capture units, have been investigated. Furthermore, CO2 capture in buildings has been recognized as a strategy for revitalizing and recirculating indoor air, thereby reducing fresh air intake requirements and the associated heating and cooling loads.
Trombe walls are a passive solar technology that can be utilized as building envelopes that reduce the heating loads in buildings by up to 30%. The classic Trombe wall is comprised of an air channel positioned between a glazed window and a thermal storage wall. Solar light transmitted by the window is absorbed by and heats the storage wall. Subsequently, heat from the storage wall is transferred to the channel, causing heated air to move up the channel. During colder months indoor air enters a vent at the bottom inner side of the channel and is heated as it moves up the air channel, and is then returned to the indoors through a vent at the upper inner side of the channel. In previous work, the thermal storage medium within the Trombe wall has been made from semi-transparent materials to provide indoor lighting. Moreover, photocatalytic materials and air filters have been used in building envelopes to simultaneously achieve space heating and air purification. The research conducted by the successful applicants for this project will focus on multifunctional building envelopes. The objective of the research project is to design, build and demonstrate a prototype of a multifunctional semi-transparent Trombe wall that can provide 1) indoor lighting, 2) heated air, and 3) building integrated carbon capture.
Research area: Sustainable Energy, Building Energy, Solar Energy Materials, Computational Fluid Dynamics, Air Filtration
Starting date: Jan. 2025
Financial support: Successful applicants will receive a competitive funding package providing financial support of the duration of their graduate studies. Students are also invited to apply for internal scholarships from York University and the Lassonde School of Engineering and for external scholarships from NSERC and the Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS) Program.
Eligibility: Applicants should have a degree (B.A.Sc., or B.Sc.) in Engineering, Materials Science, Physics, Chemistry or equivalent and must be able to work independently as well as with a team. The ability to demonstrate critical and independent thinking will be invaluable assets.
How to apply: Interested candidates should send an application package consisting of a detailed CV, academic records, statement of interest, and the contact details for two references to paul.obrien@lassonde.yorku.ca. Any inquiries can also be sent to this email.
AM-SET-Lab 