Doctoral theses

Powertrain electrification in the transportation field is currently a strong trend. Permanent magnet synchronous machines (PMSM) are commonly used in this type of application because of their compact design and their high energy efficiency.

The Li-ion battery is the technology currently used by car manufacturers to provide the energy storage required for electrified vehicles. However, these Li-ion batteries can be the source of incidents with potentially dramatic consequences that can have various origins but are grouped under the term thermal runaway.

The massive introduction of electric vehicles presently is a key contributor to make automotive transport more durable. This in particular requires the ability to design more efficient and low-cost electric powertrains in order to increase the vehicles’ autonomy and to make them more competitive on the market. 

Due to the progressive hybridization and electrification of passenger vehicles, the optimization of electric motors is becoming a priority challenge for a responsible energy transition. 

The general context of transport is undergoing profound change, in particular through stricter considerations of the impact of its emissions on the environment and the air quality in real use. The use of innovative carbon-free fuels, such as hydrogen (H2) and ammonia (NH3), is a way to limit emissions at the source.

Today, the awareness by the public authorities of the ecological footprint and the health impact of existing transport systems requires a significant change in the mobility offer.

Within the context of CO2 emissions abatement, "Solar Fuels" production, i.e. energy carriers using sunlight as primary energy source, represents an appealing but challenging alternative. Inspired by natural photosynthesis, this alternative aims at storing solar energy in chemical bonds by achieving CO2 photo-reduction into valuable compounds.

Nowadays, solid electrolytes are considered to be the key to the development of next generation batteries. Polymers and inorganics are two types of lithium conducting solid electrolytes which have been widely studied but their performances are still limited. A promising route to reach efficient electrolytes is to use inorganic nanoparticles.

Zeolites are crystalline and microporous aluminosilicates. The perfectly controlled porosity and the presence of charges due to the presence of aluminum in the framework provides to these materials specific properties which give rise to very diverse applications (ion exchange, separation, adsorption, catalysis).

The PhD project is proposed in the context of the transformation and upgrading of lignocellulosic biomass into platform molecules for the chemical industry.

Renewable biomass can be converted by fermentation into molecules of interest such as butanol and isopropranol. These two solvents are widely used industrially and as chemical building blocks. The associated fermentation process using Clostridium bacteria has low yield and productivity.

To limit greenhouse gas emissions, IFPEN is developing new amine-based solvents for CO2 capture in fumes (thermal power stations, steelworks, cement factories…). These mainly contain CO2, water, N2 and O2 but also different impurities such as sulfur oxides (SOx) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) at different concentrations depending on the emitter.