Postdoctoral Position on Reversible Binders for Sustainable Battery Electrodes

Postdoctoral Position on Reversible Binders for Sustainable Battery Electrodes

INM - Leibniz Institute for New Materials

Saarbrücken, Germany

Project Description:

The RevEl project aims to replace PTFE-based dry binders with fluorine-free nanocomposites that combine mechanical robustness during battery operation with controlled debonding-on-demand at end-of-life to enable direct recycling.

Within this project, the focus of the Department Structure Formation (SF) is on developing and characterizing the hybrid binder systems. The research integrates polymer science, composite engineering, interfacial mechanics, and chemical polymer design to eastablish a new binder type that is suitable for industrially scalable dry electrode processing.

The successful candidate will play a central role in engineering fibrillar composite architectures that mimic PTFE performance while introducing recyclability and regulatory compliance.

Your Tasks:

• Develop and characterize thermoplastic polymer-nanofiller composites for dry electrode processing;
• Engineer fibrillar composite network structures with tailored morphology;
• Develop processing routes;
• Perform advanced structural and physicochemical characterization (SEM, SAXS, DLS, DSC, TGA, DMA, rheology, adhesion testing, FTIR, Raman, XPS);
• Quantify adhesion, cohesion, rheological, thermal, mechanical properties;
• Establish structure–property relationships relevant to electrode applications;
• Investigate thermally or chemically triggered debonding mechanisms;
• Analyze recovered materials to assess recyclability and dispersion quality;
• Contribute to peer-reviewed publications, technical reports, and potential intellectual property;
• Collaborate with internal and external project partners;
• Ensure timely milestone reporting and structured project documentation.

Your Profile:

Expected:

• Completed PhD in Materials Science, Polymer Science, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering (materials focus), or related field;
• Demonstrated laboratory experience in polymer-filler composite fabrication;
• Experience with at least several of the following techniques: SEM, SAXS, DLS, DSC, TGA, DMA, AFM, rheology, adhesion testing, FTIR, Raman, or comparable methods;
• Evidence of scientific output (e.g., peer-reviewed publications, preprints, patents, software, industrial reports, or comparable research contributions);
• Experience analyzing structure–property relationships in polymer and composite systems;
• Ability to independently plan experiments and document results;
• Strong written and oral communication skills in English;
• Ability to work independently while contributing effectively to collaborative project.

Benefitial are:

• Experience with anisotropic nanoscale fillers and their surface modification;
• Background in adhesion science and interfacial mechanics;
• Familiarity with dynamic or reversible polymer networks;
• Knowledge of battery materials or dry electrode processing;
• Experience in industry-collaborative or application-driven research projects;
• Knowledge of FAIR data practices or structured data management.