Two Postdoc positions on synthesis of conjugated polymers for solar cell

The Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering promotes research and education for sustainable development, for improved health and quality of life. Our research ranges from natural science and bioscience, applied chemistry and biotechnology to chemical engineering. Our educational programs are characterized by technological solutions for improving people’s everyday life, and are continuously developed for meeting and promoting societal and industrial development.

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Information about the division
The research at Polymer Technology is focused on bulk polymers and organic electronics with an aim to produce new knowledge that can be used to develop new products and improved processes. All research are conducted in co-operation with industries and/or universities/institutes. Presently, the group consists of 1 professor, 2 assistant professors, 3 post docs and 11 PhD students.

Major responsibilities
Your major responsibility as postdoc is to perform your own research in a research group. The position also includes supervising master's and/or PhD students to a certain extent. Another important aspect involves collaboration within academia and with society at large. The position is meritorious for future research duties within academia as well as industry/the public sector. 

Description:

The positions were supported by an EU FP7 project entiled "Flexible, Organic and Large Area Electronics and Photonics" (SUNFLOWER). Start date of the project is Oct. 1st, 2011 and duration time is 54 months.

About SUNFLOWER

SUNFLOWER is a collaborative research project of 20 partner institutions from science and industry. Its goal is the development of highly efficient, long-lasting, cheap and environmentally friendly printed organic photovoltaics.

As a result of increasing prosperity more and more countries need more energy. The growth of the traditional industrial countries is based largely on the energy from fossil fuels. But it is well known how much they pollute our planet. This is the reason why research in the field of alternative energies is strongly supported (Earth Summit – Agenda 21,1992 and Kyoto Protocol, 1997).

Solar energy, among others, is an alternative and more environmentally friendly energy source. It is already extensively in use to heat buildings, to charge electronic devices or more rarely in the form of power plants for the production of electricity. The challenge related to the production of solar energy is currently to make solar cells (photovoltaics) more efficient, cheaper and more durable. Only if this can be achieved, solar energy will be competitive in market.

The SUNFLOWER project and all involved scientists and technical developers want to make a significant contribution to the improvement of solar cells. The SUNFLOWER partners focus on high-tech research with the goal to produce printed organic photovoltaics modules with high efficient (tandem) architecture and dedicated light management structures. The partner will deliver solutions for new photo-active polymer materials, cost effective flexible substrates including diffusion barriers and printed conductors. In the near future a deeper understanding of the device pysics, an elucidation of degradation mechanisms and an estimate of the environmental impact of the main materials and processes will be available thanks to the SUNFLOWER partners. More information about this project can be found: http://www.sunflower-fp7.eu

Position description:

The main function of Chalmers in this project is to provide active materials for making tandem organic solar cells. For this purpose, the postdocs at Chalmers will synthesize both low band gap and high band gap polymers as donor for the rear and front cells in the tandem solar cells. Thus, candidates with experience in design and synthesis of conjugated polymers for solar cells are highly appreciated. The candidates should be also good at characterization tools such as NMR, IR, TGA, DSC, UV-Vis-NIR-absorption, MALDI-TOF, and molecular weight determination of polymers using SEC.

Only applications using the online application tools for the positions will be accepted. 

Position summary
The position is limited to a maximum of two years (1+1).

Qualifications
To qualify for the position of postdoc, you must have a doctoral degree in Chemistry or Material Science or a relevant field; the degree should generally not be older than two years. You are expected to demonstrate good potential within research and education. The position requires sound verbal and written communication skills in English. 

Application procedure
The application should be marked with Ref 20130279 and written in English. The application should be sent electronically via Chalmers webpage.

Application deadline: November 20, 2013

For questions, please contact:
Prof. Mats Andersson, Applied Chemistry/Polymer Technology, mats.andersson@chalmers.se, +46317723401 
Assistant Prof. Ergang Wang, Applied Chemistry/Polymer Technology, ergang@chalmers.se, +46317723410 




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