Electrochemical performance of ordered nanostructure electrodes for fuel cell and water electrolysis applications

There has been a lot of interest in the sector of green energy these recent year and we all know why; 6th of April, 2024, was the warmest day ever experienced in Belgium on a 6th of April through the years we have witnessed. It was pleasant in Belgium of course, but imagine in warmer climates how it can be! Or how it can get during a summer day when you want to enjoy the sun. Leave alone the energy security and politics around it! This is why we all need to put our effort towards resolving the energy crisis by supplying it from renewable resources ,which are more accessible than fossil fuels and of course greener. Of course, harvesting energy from these resources are not yet as affordable and practical as they ought to be. So, we need hands to push forward the wheel and make it rounder!

Today, at imec, the researchers in the energy sector successfully developed an ordered nanostructured material, called nanomesh, which can be served as electrodes in water electrolysers and fuel cells. The electrode is a potential replacement for state-of-the-art electrodes that are used in fuel cells and water electrolysers commercially. Optimizing the nanomesh electrodes would pave the way towards having greener and more affordable energy technologies and hopefully towards a cleaner and more pleasant summer days all around the world!
In this research, the electrochemical performance of the nanomesh electrodes, made of Pt and Ni would be explored for alkaline and acidic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), oxygen evolution reaction (OER), oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), and hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR). The intern would learn how to run electrochemical experiments using inverted rotating disk electrode (IRDE) tool. During the course of the internship, they will also have a chance to learn more about characterisation of the Nanomesh using SEM and XRF.
If you are up to give us a hand in pushing the green energy wheel forward, apply and join the energetic team of imec, Leuven!
Looking forward to seeing you!

[Read more about it here]:

1. Combining High Porosity with High Surface Area in Flexible Interconnected Nanowire Meshes for Hydrogen Generation and Beyond
2. Research progress of catalyst layer and interlayer interface structures in membrane electrode assembly (MEA) for proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) system
3. Competitive enhancement of CO2 reduction reactions versus hydrogen evolution for high surface area electrodes: a comparative study for Cu and Ag nanomesh
4. Freestanding μm-thin nanomesh electrodes exceeding 100x current density enhancement for high-throughput electrochemical applications
5. Development and testing of a highly efficient proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzer stack
6. A comparison on the dynamical performance of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) with traditional serpentine and an open pore cellular foam material flow channel
7. Designing the next generation of proton-exchange membrane fuel cells

Type of Project: Internship 

Master's degree: Master of Bioengineering; Master of Science 

Master program: Bioscience Engineering; Nanoscience & Nanotechnology 

Supervisor: Philippe Vereecken (Bioscience, Nano) 

For more information or application, please contact Sohrab Pahlavan (sohrab.pahlavan@imec.be)

Only for self-supporting students.