Electrochemical reactions play an important role in technologies such as batteries, hydrogen production, and environmental sensing. To better understand how these reactions occur, scientists often use advanced microscopes that can observe surfaces at extremely small scales. One such tool is the electrochemical scanning tunnelling microscope (EC-STM), which allows researchers to visualize materials and reactions at the nanoscale while they are occurring in a liquid environment.
The aim of this project is to improve the preparation of EC-STM tips, which are very sharp metal probes used to scan and image material surfaces. The shape, cleanliness, and stability of these tips strongly influence the quality of the images obtained. In this project, the student will help explore different methods to produce stable and high-quality tips and test their performance in simple electrochemical experiments.
The student will work closely with a senior researcher and have the opportunity to join a small research team comprising postgraduate students and early-career researchers in the laboratory. Through this experience, the student will gain hands-on exposure to modern nanoscience techniques, learn basic laboratory skills, and see how researchers collaborate to solve scientific problems related to energy and electrochemical technologies.
School
Chemical Engineering
Research Area
Nanotechnology | Electrochemistry | Catalysis
Suitable for recognition of Work Integrated Learning (industrial training)?
No
- Research environment
- Expected outcomes
- Supervisory team
- Reference material/links
This interdisciplinary project which will be carried out at the Australia Carbon Materials Centre (A-CMC) and ARC Centre of Excellence for Carbon Science and Innovation. A-CMC is a well-known research centre with many high-profile academics in the related areas, equipped with the required instruments for this work. This project will involve ECSTM tip fabrication, coating, catalyst synthesis and characterisation, ECSTM machine operation and imaging demonstration. at SEB at UNSW.
- Understanding the working principle of the EC-STM instrument and optimisation of EC-STM tips for stable nanoscale imaging of electrochemical interfaces.
- The project will allow students to work in a research team with postgraduate students and researchers to develop skills in problem solving, experimental design and academic communication.
- Students will also gain basic training in electrochemical experiments and characterisation techniques.
- The research may contribute to ongoing projects in the group and could lead to a publication in a peer-reviewed journal.
- Insights into electrocatalysis by scanning tunnelling microscopy. Chemical Society Reviews, 2021, 50(10): 5832-5849.
- Electrochemical scanning tunneling microscopy in electrocatalysis. Current Opinion in Electrochemistry, 2024, 46: 101512.
- Operando visualization of the hydrogen evolution reaction with atomic-scale precision at different metalgraphene interfaces. Nature Catalysis, 2021, 4(10): 850-859.
- Systematic electrochemical etching of various metal tips for tunneling spectroscopy and scanning probe microscop. Review of Scientific Instruments, 2021, 92(1).