MINES Saint-Étienne
Post-doc - New STEM-EDX methodologies for the quantitative analysis of grain boundary segregation in low alloy steels - CDD 24 months
SMS CENTRE / MPI DEPARTMENT
JOB ENVIRONMENT:
Institut Mines-Télécom is the leading public group of engineering and management Grandes Écoles in France. Consisting of eight public graduate Grandes Écoles and two subsidiary graduate schools, Institut Mines-Télécom leads and develops a rich ecosystem of partner schools, economic, academic and institutional partners, key players in education, research and economic development.
Mines Saint-Étienne, a graduate school of the Institut Mines-Télécom, is responsible for education, research, innovation, industrial transfer and scientific culture dissemination. With 2,500 students, 500 staff and a budget of €50m, it has 3 campuses dedicated to the industry of the future, health and well-being, and digital sovereignty and microelectronics. It is ranked in the top 15 graduate engineering schools in France and the top 500 universities worldwide.
The 2023-2027 strategy of Mines Saint-Etienne is in line with that of Institut Mines Telecom. It aims to:
- Support the ecological, digital and generational transitions and educate the people involved
- Support national and European sovereignty in microelectronics and digital technologies
As part of the SIRA industrial chair, which focuses on the ageing of steel components in the primary circuit of pressurised water nuclear reactors, it is recruiting a post-doctoral researcher to work on the development of methodologies for measuring intergranular segregation using STEM-EDX (Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy - Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy).
JOB DESCRIPTION:
The Georges Friedel Laboratory (LGF) is a CNRS Joint Research Unit (UMR 5307). Located at the École des Mines de Saint-Étienne and supported by two supervisory bodies (Mines Saint-Étienne and CNRS), the laboratory brings together all the research potential of Mines Saint-Étienne in the fields of materials, mechanics and processes.
The SMS - Sciences des Matériaux et des Structures - centre is one of five teaching and research centres at Mines Saint-Etienne. Within the LGF, it develops research in materials science, mechanics and advanced manufacturing processes for transport and energy production, with the aim of increasing the durability of materials.
This post-doc is part of the ‘SIRA’ chair, a four-year partnership between Mines Saint-Etienne and the companies Framatome and EDF, co-financed by the Agence Nationale de la Recherche, focusing on the ageing of low-alloy steels (16MND5) used in the primary circuit components of pressurised water nuclear reactors.
This post-doc is organised around two areas of work. The first involves the analysis of segregation at carbide-matrix interfaces. Carbides play a potentially important role in the initiation of transgranular cleavage and brittle intergranular fracture. In a carbide-matrix interface debonding scenario, the segregation of elements such as phosphorus in these interfaces would therefore reduce the critical stress for the initiation of intergranular fracture, and even that of transgranular cleavage. These interfaces have been little studied, apart from a few SAT studies. We propose to develop a methodology for analysing segregation in these interfaces using STEM-EDX, based on the method developed by C.H. Hsu for grain boundaries. The problem to be solved here is twofold: firstly, we need to develop a method for sampling the FIB plate that will enable us to obtain a vertical, throughhole carbide-matrix interface; we also need to take account of the heterogeneous nature of the interface in the quantification model. Monte-Carlo simulations of the production of X-ray photons in the sample could be used to address this second issue.
The second area of work concerns STEM-EDX analysis of the intergranular segregation of carbon, which is particularly important for at least two reasons: firstly, it could potentially reduce the segregation of phosphorus, through competition for sites; secondly, it would intrinsically improve the cohesion of the joint. However, the carbon segregation measurements on which these hypotheses are based are relatively few and need to be confirmed. Carbon segregation is particularly difficult to analyse using Auger spectrometry because of the presence of nanometric carbides on the fracture surfaces. The aim here is to work on the quantitative analysis of carbon segregation by STEM-EDX, using a methodology identical to that developed by C.H. Hsu for P, Mn, Ni and Mo. The main obstacle to be overcome is the surface contamination of FIB slides by carbon. We need to develop a cleaning method, probably using plasma, to reduce the contamination so that its contribution to the EDX spectrum is not prohibitive for the detection of segregated carbon. It will also be necessary to find analysis conditions that limit the phenomenon of contamination under the beam, and above all, to ensure that the contamination is homogeneous throughout the analysed zone, in order to envisage a method of quantification by subtraction.
The position is based on the Saint-Étienne campus.
PROFILE SOUGHT:
You are:
- Holding a doctoral degree in Materials Science or Physics or Chemistry
You have the following skills, knowledge and experience:
- Good knowledge of Materials Science
- Significant experience in Transmission Electron Microscopy
You recognise yourself in the following abilities and skills:
- Ability to work in a team
- Ability to interact with academic and industrial partners
WHY JOIN US:
Institut Mines-Telecom is characterised by: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m39m6hdNC48
- A scientific environment of excellence
- A group with entities throughout France
Mines Saint-Etienne is distinguished by:
- A privileged working environment with a high student supervision rate and a high environment rate (support and back-up functions)
- First-rate experimental and digital resources
- Significant contract research activity (€11m/year in Research and Innovation contracts), mainly with
industrial partners - 25% international students, Member of the T.I.M.E. network and the EULIST European University
- A centre for scientific, technical and industrial culture - La Rotonde - which is unique in France, and which has a major impact on society (> 50,000 visitors per year)
- Pleasant workplace, easily accessible by public transport and close to motorways
- Public transport costs reimbursed up to 75% (subject to conditions)
- Sustainable mobility package
- Staff committee that subsidises sports, leisure, cultural and social events and activities
- The possibility of partial remote working
- 49 days annual leave
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Recruitment conditions:
- Fixed-term contract for a period of 24 months
- Desired start date: 01/02/2025
- Remuneration will be set according to the candidate's profile, based on the rules defined by the Institut Mines Télécom's management framework
- Full time
- Position based in Saint-Étienne
The position is open to all, with accommodation available on request for candidates with disabilities. The job is open to civil servants and/or the general public.
All applications may be subject to an administrative enquiry.
How to apply:
Applications (CV, covering letter, letter of recommendation if applicable) must be submitted on the RECRUITEE platform no later than 03/12/2024 :
Candidates selected based on their application will be interviewed in videoconference.
As part of its Equality, Diversity and Inclusion policy, École des Mines de Saint Etienne is an employer that is committed to fair treatment of all applicants.
For further information:
For further information about the position, please contact:
Frédéric CHRISTIEN - Professor
Email: frederic.christien@emse.fr
Tel.: +33 (0) 7 71 44 04 14
For all administrative information, please contact:
Julie JAFFRE – HR Administrator
Email: julie.jaffre@emse.fr
Tel: + 33 (0)4 77 42 00 17
Useful links:
https://www.mines-stetienne.fr/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUeuC5iQiN0
Protecting your data:
Job details
2024-12-03 23:59 (CET)
More jobs from this employer
About the employer
École des Mines de Saint-Étienne is France’s oldest elite engineering school outside Paris, and the fifth oldest among France’s 250 « Grandes École...
Visit the employer page