Organisation/Company Universidad del País Vasco/Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea (UPV/EHU) Department Vice-Rectorate for Research Research Field Physics » Other Researcher Profile First Stage Researcher (R1) Positions PhD Positions Application Deadline 5 Nov 2026 - 23:59 (Europe/Madrid) Country Spain Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Full-time Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Other EU programme Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No
Offer Description
Project C³ (Controlled Formation of Carbonates in Cement) tackles the decarbonization of cement, which accounts for ~8% of integral CO2 emissions. Since a large share of these emissions is intrinsic to the clinkerization process, capturing and utilizing CO2 through carbonation curing emerges as a key route toward net-zero. In these carbonated cements, CO2 reacts at early stages with clinker phases and hydroxides, forming CaCO3 (calcite, vaterite, or aragonite) and aluminosilicate gels; the polymorphism, size, and morphology of the carbonate determine the microstructure,



mechanical strength, and the amount of CO2 sequestered. However, under the complex alkaline and multi-ionic conditions of cement pores, the nucleation mechanisms and the influence of foreign ions (Mg, Fe, Al, Si species, etc.) are not well understood, and current thermodynamic databases do not include non-classical species such as prenucleation clusters (PNCs), amorphous calcium carbonates (ACCs), or non-stoichiometric ones.
The central hypothesis of C³ is that, if one can understand and manipulate at the atomic scale how minor ions affect the kinetics and polymorphism of CaCO3 formation, it will be possible to simultaneously optimize CO2 uptake and the mechanical performance of these calcium-carbonate cements (CCCs). Therefore, the overall objective is to generate fundamental knowledge on carbonate formation in CCCs (temperature, pH, and impurities) through atomistic simulation techniques.

📌 Controlled Carbonate formation in Cement (España)
🏢 Universidad del Pais Vasco/Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea (UPV/EHU)
📍 España