Hybrid and Functional Monoliths from 1D Porous Silica Nanostructures

The internship will take place in the south of France, at the Institute Charles Gerhardt in Montpellier, within the Porous and Hybrid Materials Department, under the supervision of Dr. Tangi Aubert and Dr. Gaulthier Rydzek. This project is part of the Long-Term Thematic Project “CHIMENE – Sustainable Chemistry for Energy” of the University of Montpellier. As such, the student will benefit from personalized guidance for the pursuit of a career in research.

Scientific context: Mesoporous silica materials are widely recognized as key materials for numerous applications, notably due to their high specific surface area, which is ideal for heterogeneous processes such as adsorption and catalysis. However, shaping these materials at the macroscopic scale remains challenging, limiting their integration into industrial processes. The design of monolithic reactors is therefore a key step toward more efficient and greener industrial processes.
Our laboratory has recently developed new hybrid nanostructures of mesoporous silica using polyionic complexes (PIC) micelles as structuring and functionalizing agents. These micelles result from the self-assembly of triple-hydrophilic block copolymers containing complexing functions with charged micellization partners such as oligochitosan or metal salts. The use of these new triblock copolymers has enabled control over the shape of silica nanostructures, leading to worm-like 1D structures. Beyond their fundamental interest, these anisotropic nanomaterials can be used as building blocks for the bottom-up assembly of larger structures and the fabrication of hybrid monoliths with hierarchical porosity. Thanks to their intrinsic functionalization by the copolymer, these monoliths can adsorb metal species, giving them strong potential for environmental remediation and catalysis.
Reference: Vashishtha et al. ACS Nano 2024, 18, 29008-29020 (doi: 10.1021/acsnano.4c09887).

Internship Objectives: The student will aim to (1) synthesize gels through the co-assembly of 1D mesoporous silica nanostructures with block copolymer micelles, (2) develop a supercritical CO₂ drying protocol to optimize the structural properties of the resulting monoliths, (3) explore the use of metal ions as complexing agents for the direct fabrication of functional monoliths.
The student will learn RAFT polymerization and sol-gel self-assembly syntheses. The synthesized polymers and materials will be evaluated and characterized using a combination of techniques (NMR, ICP, SEC, TGA, BET) as well as electron microscopy (TEM, SEM). Metal ion adsorption will be monitored via UV-Vis spectroscopy.

Final year Master student or 3rd-year engineering student with a background in chemistry, physical chemistry, or materials science, and an interest in materials research (e.g., hybrid materials, hierarchical materials, block copolymers, nanomaterials, materials for environmental applications).