The Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Materials Group in Argonne National Laboratory’s Chemical Sciences and Engineering Division is seeking to hire a Postdoctoral Appointee to participate in a project that operates within a large DOE consortium of nine U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) national laboratories. The project is dedicated to the accelerated discovery of catalytic materials for low-temperature PEM water electrolyzers, utilizing high-throughput synthesis and characterization techniques.

As a Postdoctoral Appointee, you will play a pivotal role in this exciting endeavor. Your responsibilities will encompass:

• Catalysts Synthesis: Utilize your expertise in materials synthesis to develop novel catalysts guided by machine learning algorithms

• Catalyst Performance Evaluation: Utilize aqueous electrochemical combinatorial techniques to evaluate the performance of synthesized catalysts, identifying promising candidates for further development

• Device-Level Performance Assessment: Integrate promising catalysts into low-temperature electrolyzers, utilizing single-cell testing platforms to evaluate their device-level performance

• The position also entails extensive ex‐situ and operando characterization of low temperature electrolyzer materials and electrodes using synchrotron X-ray techniques at Argonne’s Advanced Photon Source (APS). In particular X-ray absorption spectroscopy, X-ray scattering, and nano-computed tomography (nano-CT) will be employed to understand the nature of the active OER catalytic sites and the reaction mechanism

Position Requirements

• This level of knowledge is typically achieved through formal education in Chemistry, Materials Science, or Chemical Engineering at the Ph.D. degree level with 0-5 years of experience or equivalent in practical laboratory experience in the areas described in the job description

• Extensive knowledge of physical electrochemistry and oxygen evolution electrocatalysis

• Extensive knowledge of proton exchange membrane (PEM) water electrolyzer electrocatalyst and electrode characterization

• Extensive knowledge of solid-state materials synthesis and use of structure construction software such as Materials Studio, Crystalmaker, Mercury, VESTA, etc.

• Knowledge of inorganic and nanomaterial synthesis and crystal structure analysis using XRD Rietveld analysis

• Knowledge of aqueous electrochemical techniques

• Experience in X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), X-ray scattering (SAXS & WAXS), and X-ray nano-CT characterization of materials is beneficial

• Experience in impedance spectroscopy is beneficial

• Excellent written and oral communication skills and the ability to work as part of a collaborative multi-institutional team are required

• Ability to model Argonne’s Core Values: Impact, Safety, Respect, Integrity, and Teamwork

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