Ion insertion characteristics of a mesoporous titania-silica composite for application in electrocatalysis

With the ever-increasing demand for energy, researchers are looking for novel solutions for its storage. One of the primary focuses is novel energy storage materials. Titania or TiO₂ has been shown to be an insertion electrode for different types of ions. As an energy storage material, is an interesting candidate due to its ability to reversibly store ions. However, this special characteristic can also have other applications in electrocatalysis, DNA assembly etc.

At Imec, we are currently exploring a mesoporous titania silica composite material that can be deposited on top of a substrate in the form of a thin film. This battery-like thin film, applied on top of an electrode, can reversibly take up and release ions. Current experiments in our lab are directed towards understanding the ion insertion characteristics of this material in different electrolyte solutions in the presence of different ions. It has been seen that several factors including cation size, pH of the electrolyte solutions etc. play a role in the electrochemical characteristics of this material.

In this Master Thesis, the student will fabricate electrodes with the mesoporous titania silica coating. Systematic electrochemical studies will be carried out on these electrodes in different aqueous and non-aqueous electrolytes of varying pH. These electrodes will be further characterized using several techniques including SEM, XRF, EDX, ERD, Raman etc. During this thesis, the student will learn fundamentals of electrochemistry, application of three-electrode setups, working with various characterization tools and be a part of an interactive research environment. The entire experimental work of the project will be carried out in the electrochemistry labs at imec. For more information on this topic, please contact Debargha.Chakravorty@imec.be.