PhD_Carbonaceous composites as next generation of electromagnetic shielding materials

About UM6P :

Located at the heart of the future Green City in Benguerir, Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P), a higher education institution with an international standard, is established to serve Morocco and the African continent. Its vision is honed around research and innovation at the service of education and development. This unique nascent university, with its state-of-the-art campus and infrastructure, has woven a sound academic and research network, and its recruitment process is seeking high-quality academics and professionals in order to boost its quality-oriented research environment in the metropolitan area of Marrakech.

About HTMR :

HTMR, the unique high-throughput multidisciplinary research laboratory in Morocco that aims to promote utilization of automated and parallelization approaches for applying high-throughput and combinatorial experimental methodologies to accelerate the development of new materials and processes.

The HTMR laboratory allows scientists to consolidate their research and proof-of-concept based on fully automated tools allowing the synthesis and screening of large numbers of compounds through workflows design, as well as the optimization of reaction/process conditions much more rapidly than the conventional approaches.

HTMR is a capability that supports the UM6P ecosystem and Moroccan industry to accelerate the research and development reducing the time and cost involved in the materials/process development and optimization in key applications:

• Metallurgy & anti-corrosion materials;
• Phosphates, intelligent fertilizers, silicon and fluoride-based materials;
• Energy storage (Electrolyte, Electrodes...);
• Biomaterials and Industrial By-Products;
• Characterizations and analyses.

Context :

With recent technological advances, electromagnetic pollution appears as a serious threat for modern digital systems and even for human health in case of long-term exposure. This is why the need for lightweight, flexible, tunable, eco-friendly, and low-cost shielding materials. In this PhD project, we are going to design and manufacture Carbon-based composites with high absorption shielding efficiency. It is well known that efficient electromagnetic absorbers must satisfy the competing criteria of being lightly reflective and extremely absorptive. Tailoring conductivity and porosity of the synthesized materials we can enhance the EMI shielding effects. In our approach, first, Conductive carbon-based scaffolds will be synthesized, followed by direct covalent sidewall functionalization. By the end, highly percolating nanocomposites will be prepared by polymer infiltration of hierarchically assembled carbon-based-scaffolds. Upon infiltration, all composites should preserve the original conductive skeleton with high mechanical stability. Successful implementation of the above concept is impossible without thorough analysis of the material processing and its effect on the overall heterostructure properties. The material engineering will be based on modelling and detailed characterization of the hybrid nanocomposites and scaffolds at all the stages of the technological process.

Keywords :

EMI shielding, carbonaceous materials, polymer composites, graphene, carbon nanotubes.

Specific objectives for the PhD candidate :

• Design and fabrication of novel EMI shielding materials.
• Characterization of the microstructure, composition, and type of the developed EMI shields.
• Evaluate the performance of the obtained EMI shielding materials.
• Study their mechanical and thermal resistance and their durability in an operational environment.

Profile :

• Applicants must have a degree in Engineering or Master's (or equivalent) in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, materials engineering, or another relevant field.
• Knowledge on polymers synthesis and characterization
• Knowledge on characterization of EMI shielding materials.
• Modeling and simulation skills will be a plus.