PRISM programme

Organisation/Company ÉCOLE SUPÉRIEURE DE PHYSIQUE ET DE CHIMIE INDUSTRIELLES DE LA VILLE DE PARIS
- PSL Department Laboratory SIMM Research Field Physics » Chemical physics Chemistry » Instrumental techniques Researcher Profile First Stage Researcher (R1) Positions PhD Positions Application Deadline 31 Oct 2026
- 23:59 (Europe/Brussels) Country France Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Full-time Hours Per Week 35 Offer Starting Date 1 Mar 2027 Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Horizon Europe – COFUND Reference Number PRISM-2026-754691 Marie Curie Grant Agreement Number 101261637 Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? Yes

Offer Description

*PRISM programme*

The PRISM (PhD Research Programme for International Training in Sustainable Soft Matter) programme has launched its first call for applications, offering up to 14 fully funded PhD fellowships starting from 1 March 2027 at Paris Sciences & Lettres (PSL) University. The programme trains researchers to address ecological transition challenges through sustainable soft matter science, with projects focused on eco-friendly chemical processes, circular economy, renewable energies, and carbon capture, storage, and valorisation. Co-funded by the European Union under Horizon Europe MSCA COFUND (Grant Agreement 101261637) and partner institutions, PRISM provides interdisciplinary, international, and intersectoral training, including mobility opportunities, secondments, and courses in sustainability, innovation, entrepreneurship, career development, and transferable skills.

Applications must be submitted via the PRISM website by 31 October 2026 (23:59 Paris time).

*The PhD project*

BUBBLE-AFM: Molecular processes at electrode/electrolyte interfaces during water electrolysis: from solvent restructuring to nanobubble nucleation

The transition toward sustainable energy systems critically relies on the development of efficient water electrolysis technologies for green hydrogen production. However, the performance of electrolyzers is strongly limited by the formation, growth, and adhesion of gas bubbles at electrode surfaces, which block active sites, increase local resistance, and alter mass transport near the interface. Despite extensive studies, the fundamental mechanisms governing the earliest stages of bubble nucleation, occurring at the nanometric scale, remain poorly understood due to the lack of suitable in situ characterization techniques.

This PhD proposal aims to address this major knowledge gap by developing an innovative experimental approach combining electrochemical control with in situ Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) in liquid environments. Building on recent advances and the installation of a new electrochemical AFM platform within the ESPCI premises, the project will provide unprecedented access to molecular-scale processes occurring at electrode/electrolyte interfaces during water electrolysis. In particular, it seeks to elucidate the transition from solvent restructuring under applied potential to gas supersaturation and ultimately nanobubble nucleation.

The scientific rationale rests on the hypothesis that bubble nucleation is a metastable process governed by a subtle interplay between local surface properties (chemistry, wettability, roughness, defects) and electrochemical conditions. To get novel fundamental insights into this process, we will first focus on model electrodes (e.g., graphite). We will rely on high-speed and high-resolution dynamic force spectroscopy of near-surface structural and solvation forces, which will provide insight into the early stages of bubble nucleation — from solvent restructuring under electrochemical potential, to interfacial gas saturation, to bubble nucleation and growth kinetics. We will then extend our investigations towards more realistic electrodes, using high-resolution imaging of surface nanobubbles to correlate local bubble nucleation with surface chemistry (hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity balance), topography, and defects. Together, these measurements will help identify nucleation pathways and clarify the role of surface heterogeneities in triggering bubble formation.

A second objective will then be to establish quantitative correlations between these nanoscale observations and macroscopic electrochemical performance. By systematically varying electrode materials and surface treatments, we will aim to determine how local interfacial phenomena influence global efficiency, thereby providing guidelines for the rational design of improved electrodes with reduced bubble-related losses.

Overall, this PhD project is highly innovative in its ability to access previously inaccessible interfacial phenomena at the nanoscale and to bridge the gap between interfacial soft matter, solid/liquid interfaces, fundamental surface science and applied electrochemical engineering. I