1 PhD Student position on Syntheses of Nanoparticles in France | CEA French Atomic and Alternative Energies Commission

Taking full advantage of the syntheses of nanoparticles in water at room temperature requires an optimal control over their morphology and crystal quality. However, the traditional guidelines (e.g. the classical nucleation theory) fail intrinsically to describe the multi-step mechanisms involved in "soft chemistry" syntheses. More modern approaches take into account nucleation from dense, disordered transient phases (prenucleation clusters, liquid-liquid phase separations, amorphous phases), but advances are hampered by the lack of knowledge about these phases.

The aim of this PhD is to study experimentally these phases, using as an experimental model system the syntheses of luminescent nanoparticles which are also relevant for applications as biolabels, thin film phosphors and up-conversion.