The Hope College Society of Physics Students (SPS) held their elections today! Congratulations to the new officers:
The next SPS meeting will be September 23 at 3 pm. Everyone is welcome to join!
The Physics Department welcomes Prof. Geoffrey Lenters from Grand Valley State University. Prof. Lenters is visiting in our department during the fall 2016 semester and is working with Prof. Remillard on optical spectroscopy of microplasma emissions. As an astrophysicist, Prof. Lenters brings critical knowledge of plasmas and their optical emissions to the project. Please stop by the Microwave Lab in Vanderwerf Hall to greet Prof. Lenters.
Response of Surface Bound Hexacyanoferrate Films to Binary and Ternary Metal Alloys
Research Advisor: Dr. Jennifer Hampton
Recently, there has been an increase in the use of intermittent renewable energy sources. By possessing a large volumetric charge density while maintaining rapid charging and discharging rates, electrochemical capacitors contribute to the diversity of energy storage materials that are needed to accommodate these new demands. In particular, hexacyanoferrate (HCF) films possess a crystal structure which remains physically unaltered during charge cycling, making it an ideal candidate for a durable pseudocapacitor. Transition metals were deposited onto a gold substrate from solution using an electrochemical cell to produce a NiCo or NiCoCu backbone for the thin films. These films are studied in a scanning electron microscope (SEM) with an energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS) attachment to determine their structures and compositions. This particular study focuses on how the composition and processing of the metal layer affects the HCF film properties including charge storage, charge/discharge rates, and qualitative surface characteristics. Preliminary results suggest that the alloy processing contributes only slightly to variations in electrochemical properties.
This work was generously funded by the Hope College Dean for Natural & Applied Sciences Office, the Hope College Department of Physics, and the National Science Foundation under NSF-MRI Grant No. CHE-0959282.
Characterization of Cation Intercalation in Surface Bound Prussian Blue Analogues
Research Advisor: Dr. Jennifer Hampton
With the increasing popularity of handheld, rechargeable devices (such as smartphones) the demand for Lithium-ion batteries has also increased to fill this need. Alternative battery types provide an opportunity to lower costs by using more earth abundant elements. Prussian Blue Analogue (PBA) films are one alternative that have the benefit of admitting a more diverse range of ionic intercalants than lithium. This study focuses on the characterization of PBA films which are exposed to a variety of cations (Li+, Na+, K+) that differ from the initial solution in which they were created. We found that some films would exhibit enhanced features, such as, a larger charge capacity. Preliminary results demonstrate that some cation intercalants are more kinetically favorable, and out-compete each other for interstitial site occupation within the PBA lattice. Further research could look to the effect of using 2+ ions (Mg2+ and Ca2+) as the intercalant.
This material is based upon work supported by the Hope College Department of Physics, the Hope College Dean for Natural and Applied Sciences Office, and the National Science Foundation under NSF-MRI Grant No. CHE-0959282.
