The bottleneck is that interfacial chemistry on the atomic-scale is as yet unresolved, owing to the lack of sufficiently suitable analytical capabilities. In this project, the PhD candidate will employ atom probe tomography, coupled with a highly innovative cryogenic sample preparation and transfer platform, to provide atomic-scale insights into solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) and cathode electrolyte interphase (CEI) formed at the electrode/electrolyte interface in lithium batteries.
The PhD candidate will be funded by the European Research Council (ERC) consolidator grant ‘INTERACT’ for three years under supervision of Prof. Tong Li. The PhD candidates will work closely with other members in the Chair of Atomic-scale Characterization (Home) to improve a fundamental understanding of how electrode/electrolyte interfaces work in batteries, expanding their knowledge in materials characterization.
The successful candidate will be working in the new research center for interface-dominated high-performance materials (ZGH) at Ruhr University Bochum, which houses a large and comprehensive suite of equipment dedicated to nanostructure analysis; the center is among the best facilities of its kind in the world. He or she will have access to world-class set of laboratories and more than 10 major microscopy platforms, including the state-of-the-art atom probe, aberration-corrected TEM and focused ion beam etc.
The tasks include:
- Assembling batteries (in glovebox), performing battery cycling tests and electrochemical testing such as cyclic voltammetry, Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy in varying electrolytes
- Performing cryogenic scanning electron microscopy/focus ion beam experiments for imaging and chemical analysis
- Performing cryogenic scanning electron microscopy/focus ion beam experiments for preparing atom probe specimens
- Carrying out atom probe tomography experiments on SEI layer formed after different cycles
- Carrying out atom probe tomography experiments on SEI layers formed at different temperatures
- Writing manuscript of the papers
