2-year PhD position (m/f/d) in ‘Atomic-scale characterization of solid electrolyte interphases in li

In order to fill a fixed-term position in full-time (39.83 hours/week = 100%) from August 15, 2026 or at the earliest possible date, we are looking for a

2-year PhD position (m/f/d) in ‘Atomic-scale characterization of solid electrolyte interphases in lithium batteries’ (salary 13 TV-L, 100%)

The chair of "Atomic-scale Characterisation" is studying materials at the atomic level.

Developing high-energy-density rechargeable battery technologies is essential to solve energy and environmental problems. However, its development is currently impeded by a poor understanding of elementary processes occurring at electrode/electrolyte interfaces. Several long-standing issues such as short cycle life, low Coulombic efficiency and hazardous dendrite formation in batteries cannot be fundamentally solved due to the knowledge gap.

Scope: full-time
Duration: fixed-term, 2 years
Start: from August 15, 2026 or at the earliest possible date
Apply by: 2026-07-20

Your tasks:

The bottleneck is that interfacial chemistry on the atomic-scale is as yet unresolved, owing to the lack of sufficiently suitable analytical capabilities. In this project, the PhD candidate will employ atom probe tomography, coupled with a highly innovative cryogenic sample preparation and transfer platform, to provide atomic-scale insights into solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) and cathode electrolyte interphase (CEI) formed at the electrode/electrolyte interface in lithium batteries.

The PhD candidate will be funded by the European Research Council (ERC) consolidator grant ‘INTERACT’ for three years under supervision of Prof. Tong Li. The PhD candidates will work closely with other members in the Chair of Atomic-scale Characterization () to improve a fundamental understanding of how electrode/electrolyte interfaces work in batteries, expanding their knowledge in materials characterization.

The successful candidate will be working in the new research center for interface-dominated high-performance materials (ZGH) at Ruhr University Bochum, which houses a large and comprehensive suite of equipment dedicated to nanostructure analysis; the center is among the best facilities of its kind in the world. He or she will have access to world-class set of laboratories and more than 10 major microscopy platforms, including the state-of-the-art atom probe, aberration-corrected TEM and focused ion beam etc.

The tasks include:

· Assembling batteries (in glovebox), performing battery cycling tests and electrochemical testing such as cyclic voltammetry, Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy in varying electrolytes

· Performing cryogenic scanning electron microscopy/focus ion beam experiments for imaging and chemical analysis

· Performing cryogenic scanning electron microscopy/focus ion beam experiments for preparing atom probe specimens

· Carrying out atom probe tomography experiments on SEI layer formed after different cycles

· Carrying out atom probe tomography experiments on SEI layers formed at different temperatures

· Writing manuscript of the papers

Your profile:

• The candidate must have:

· an excellent master degree in materials science, electrochemistry, inorganic or organic chemistry

· project experiences with lithium metal or ion batteries

· familiar with assembling cells and performing electrochemical cycling tests for non-aqueous or aqueous batteries

· solid knowledge of electrochemistry or relevant project experiences

· experiences with operating scanning electron microscopy/focused ion beam

· a high level of spoken and written English

· self-motivated and eager to learn

· can work both independently and as part of an interdisciplinary team

The candidate may have:

· experiences in operating and analyzing [X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy data] of battery interfaces

https://jobs.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/jobposting/faf80170a6a407d45a1f6a2d2f76ee32da4fbd290?ref=AfA