Background

Inkjet printing consists of the ejection and deposition of ink droplets onto substrates that are moving underneath the printhead. The contactless nature of the process provides great flexibility regarding the material compositions of both the ink and the substrate. For printing on paper, water-based inks have been developed that are beneficial from an environmental standpoint. For the optimization of both the printing speed, the color reproduction and the achievable printing resolution, an in-depth understanding of the ink-substrate interaction is necessary.

Project description

The goal of this project is to develop experimental setups for the electrical, optical and thermal characterization of the dynamical processes of ink imbibition, solvent evaporation and colorant transport with ms-time resolution. The candidate will use advanced experimental techniques such as impedance spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy and thermography, high-speed video microscopy as well as elastic light scattering. In parallel the candidate will extend an existing numerical model for multicomponent transport in porous media that aids in the interpretation and rationalization of the experimental results. This project will extend our current understanding of ink-media interaction and therefore provide opportunities for publications in prestigious journals of the field.

The team

This project will be carried out within the Fluids & Flows group at the Department of Applied Physics (https://www.tue.nl/en/research/research-groups/fluids-and-flows/) of Eindhoven University of Technology. The PhD candidate will be supervised by prof.dr. Anton A. Darhuber. This project is part of a large research program in collaboration with Canon Production Printing, Wageningen University and the University of Twente.

We are looking for an enthusiastic PhD-student with an excellent background in fluid dynamics. You have a MSc degree in (applied) physics, mathematics, chemical & mechanical engineering or a related discipline. You are fluent in spoken and written English.

• A meaningful job in a dynamic and ambitious university with the possibility to present your work at international conferences.
• A full-time employment for four years, with an intermediate evaluation (go/no-go) after nine months.
• To develop your teaching skills, you will spend 10% of your employment on teaching tasks.
• To support you during your PhD and to prepare you for the rest of your career, you will make a Training and Supervision plan and you will have free access to a personal development program for PhD students (PROOF program).
• A gross monthly salary and benefits (such as a pension scheme, pregnancy and maternity leave, partially paid parental leave) in accordance with the Collective Labor Agreement for Dutch Universities.
• Additionally, an annual holiday allowance of 8% of the yearly salary, plus a year-end allowance of 8.3% of the annual salary.
• Should you come from abroad and comply with certain conditions, you can make use of the so-called '30% facility', which permits you not to pay tax on 30% of your salary.
• A broad package of fringe benefits, including an excellent technical infrastructure, moving expenses, and savings schemes.
• Family-friendly initiatives are in place, such as an international spouse program, and excellent on-campus children day care and sports facilities.