진학프로석·박사 채용 접수 플랫폼

The position is a part of the ECODECO project, funded by FTJ (Fond de la Transition Juste), with different academic partners from Walloon Region (UNAMUR, UCL, CRM, Cenaero, UMONS, Materia Nova, Multitel and CTP) and an industrial steering committee. Modifying the surface of an object can significantly increase its lifespan or performance, and this methodology is used in many fields such as cutting tools, polymer metallization, the medical sector, or optics. However, adding such a material to a surface, even if the thickness remains small (1nm – 10 μm), hinders the recyclability of the object due to the difference in materials. For better recycling, it is therefore necessary to remove the coating. In certain sectors, such as high-value-added machining tools, the object can even be decoated, re-prepared, and recoated (recharged) multiple times during its lifecycle. Decoating is usually done by methods based on pyrometallurgy, a very energy-intensive method that separates materials thermally, or chemically, using baths with high concentrations of alkaline products and surfactants, which have a significant environmental impact.

The ECODECO project portfolio is dedicated to implementing eco-friendly solutions based on XR or laser to enable the decoating of objects at the end of their life. The portfolio includes the production of standard samples, the study of their aging, and the implementation of decoating solutions, both through an experimental approach and using digital tools.

The position is a full time (possibly 90% or 80% part time) position for 2 years at the University of Namur. The post-doc researcher will focus on development and simulation of thin coating deposition, aging and decoating processes. The researcher will work in close collaboration with another postdoctoral researcher (working on the experimental aspects), external academic partners, and the developing team from ICS (Innovative Coating Solutions, a spin-off of LARN laboratory) which is in charge of the development of “Virtual Coater”, the main software used in this project.

More specifically, the tasks of the project are the following: (1) Development of a thermal-stress analysis tool adapted to microscopic scale structures (low-pressure coatings). (2) Simulation of aging phenomena due to high temperature. (3) Adaptation of the thermal-stress analysis tool to optical models (transfer-matrix, RCWA or FDTD) to predict XR or LASER beam absorption effect on the coating. (4) Use the developed tools to support the design of interface layers and to predict decoating phenomena.