Student project at imec (Thesis)
Imec has developed a technology platform to sense various gasses, such as ethylene and CO2, based on miniaturized electrochemical sensors. Instead of a conventional aqueous electrolyte, room temperature ionic liquids (RTIL) are used as electrolyte. RTILs are salts that are molten at room temperature and have several favourable properties such as low volatility, high stability and sufficient conductivity. These properties enable development of sensors with improved stability and it allow for further miniaturization.
For safety applications such as underground mining we are developing a miniaturized sensor that can detect changes in the oxygen concentrations in the air. The primary challenges in this project are to improve the sensor design, to derive a highly optimized electrochemical readout technique and to characterize the sensor performance with respect to the target gas (oxygen) as well as environmental conditions such as temperature and relative humidity.
What will you be doing?
This project focuses on investigating electrochemical sensors for the detection of oxygen concentration in the air:
Setting up and executing experiments.
Using and optimizing an experimental gas-flow setup.
Fabrication of sensor prototypes and optimizing sensor electrode layout and transducer material.
Data analysis and sensor characterization (sensitivity, selectivity, limit of detection).
Report the results in a clear way to a multidisciplinary team.
What we do for you
You will be working in an ambitious team of researchers, engineers, and innovators active in a broad range of activities centered around chemical sensing. You will work in a lab located on the High Tech Campus Eindhoven, the Netherlands. Imec the Netherlands is part of the larger Imec organization which is a world-leading R&D organization in the field of nanotechnology and electronics. We invite you to be part of our ambitious team where your ideas will have an impact on our society and our future lives.
Who you are
MSc student in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, Applied Physics or equivalent.
Strong affinity with (or willing to learn) electrochemistry characterisation techniques.
Hands-on approach in setting up and performing experiments.
Strong analytical skills.
Experience with data analysis (Matlab, Python, etc.).
Good written and verbal English skills.
Available for 6 months or longer.
Interested
Does this project sound like an interesting next step in your career at imec? Don’t hesitate to submit your application by clicking on ‘APPLY HERE’.
Got some questions about the recruitment process? Marsha Loomans of the Talent Acquisition Team will be happy to assist you.