Development of nanostructures using alumina templates for photocatalytic and sensor applications. Share

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PROJECT TITLE: Development of nanostructures using alumina (Al2O3) templates for photocatalytic and sensor applications

REQUIREMENTS

To achieve this project and to bring about various applications along with articles in reputed high impact factor Q1 journals, there are couple of equipment’s required.

This required equipment’s along with their information and justification is given below.

 

 

Keithley Potentiostat (2450-EC) (Quotation attached)

 

 

 

Figure 1 Keithley Potentiostat 2450-EC

 

 

The 2450-EC Electrochemistry Lab System is Keithley’s low cost alternative to traditional electrochemistry potentiostats. The 2450-EC brings speed, flexibility, and simplicity right to your fingertips. Its innovative graphical user interface (GUI) and advanced, capacitive touchscreen technology allow intuitive usage and minimize the learning curve to enable researchers, scientists, and students to learn faster, work smarter, and invent easier. The 2450- EC is a versatile instrument, particularly well-suited for research and development in fundamental electrochemical lab research, characterizing the next generation of materials and electrolytes, new energy storage devices, and faster, smaller sensors.

 

Figure 2 Kickstart software interface (Left); 2450-EC power envelope [working range] (Right)

 

 

While potentiostats are excellent instruments for electrochemistry applications, they typically lack any front panel display and control knobs, often are 2-quadrant systems only, and must be completely controlled by a computer with software that is not always open for users to customize tests beyond what the software can do. Keithley’s 2450-EC is a smart alternative as a DC/low frequency potentiostat. The 2450-EC has features that, in many cases, can perform as well as a potentiostat at lower cost including a wide range of voltages and currents for sourcing or measuring, nV / fA sensitivities, and high impedance sense leads with a typical input resistance of 50G ohms and only 1pA of input bias current, typically acceptable with a wide variety of reference electrodes. The 2450-EC can run internal application test scripts so electrochemistry meaurements can be run without the use of an external computer. Results (graphs) are immediately displayed right on the instrument front panel touchscreen. Connecting the 2450-EC to a 2-, 3-, or 4-electrode cell to perform the same tests as a potentiostat is simple with the included translation cable.

 

Specification

 

 

 

Justification

 

 

 

Figure 3 Currently available setup in our lab

 

 

Above mentioned is the currently available setup in the research lab (NML). As clearly mentioned in Fig.??, only a linear potential is achievable in the given setup (300 V without precise current [5 A] and 60 V with precise current [1.5 A]). Thus only Mild Anodization is

 

possible, no variable current with respect to potential can be initiated and no pluse variation can be carried out to develop AAO templates on substrates with modified nanochannels. Thus the need of the keithley 2450-EC potentiostat is high. In addition to varied anodization, if procured, the equipment can also be used to carry out highly sensitive resistance vs time studies in a two or four probe system for gas sensing for vapour gases. It can be used to study the I-V characteristics of a perovskite solar cells layer (FAPbI3/MAPbI3) and also the study the switching application of tellurium based chalcogenide glasses (Se-Te-In).

Thus, the equipment can be used for not only for anodization but also for the study of all the applications currently carried out by the scholars in the lab.

 

CH    Instruments     Electrochemical     Analyzer/Workstation     (CHI608E/CHI660E)

(Quotation included)

 

 

 

Figure 4 CH Instruments Electrochemical Workstation/Analyzer

 

 

The Model 600E series is designed for general purpose electrochemical measurements. The system contains a fast digital function generator, a direct digital synthesizer for high frequency AC waveforms, high speed dual-channel data acquisition circuitry, a potentiostat, and a galvanostat (available only in select models). The potential control range is ±10 V and the current range is ±250 mA. The instrument is capable of measuring current down to picoamperes. The instrument is very fast. The function generator can update at a 10 MHz rate.

 

Two high speed and high resolution data acquisition channels allow both current and potential (or an external voltage signal) to be sampled simultaneously at a rate of 1 MHz, with 16-bit resolution. The instrument provides a very wide dynamic range of experimental time scales. For instance, the scan rate in cyclic voltammetry can be up to 1000 V/s with a 0.1 mV potential increment or 5000 V/s with a 1 mV potential increment. The potentiostat / galvanostat uses a 4- electrode configuration, allowing it to be used for liquid/liquid interface measurements, and eliminating the effect of the contact resistance of connectors and relays for high current measurements. The data acquisition systems also allow an external input signal (such as spectroscopic) to be recorded simultaneously during an electrochemical measurement.

The instrument is capable of a wide variety of electrochemical techniques, and is available with integrated simulation and fitting software functions for both impedance and cyclic voltammetry. These features provide powerful tools for both electrochemical mechanistic studies and trace analysis.

Specification Potentiostat:

• Zero resistance ammeter • 2- or 3- or 4-electrode configuration • Floating (isolated from earth) or earth ground • Maximum potential: ±10 V • Maximum current: ±250 mA continuous, ±350 mA peak • Compliance Voltage: ±13 V • Potentiostat rise time: < 1 μs, 0.8 μs typical • Potentiostat bandwidth (-3 dB): 1 MHz • Applied potential ranges: ±10 mV, ±50 mV, ±100 mV, ±650 mV, ±3.276 V, ±6.553 V, ±10 V • Applied potential resolution: 0.0015% of potential range • Applied potential accuracy: ±1 mV, ±0.01% of scale • Applied potential noise: < 10 μV rms • Measured current range: ±10 pA to ±0.25 A in 12 ranges • Measured current resolution: 0.0015% of current range, minimum 0.3 fA • Current measurement accuracy: 0.2% if current range >=1e-6 A/V, 1% otherwise • Input bias current: < 20 pA

Galvanostat:

• Galvanostat applied current range: 3 nA – 250 mA • Applied current accuracy: 20 pA ±0.2% if > 3e-7A, ±1% otherwise • Applied current resolution: 0.03% of applied current range • Measured potential range: ±0.025 V, ±0.1 V, ±0.25 V, ±1 V, ±2.5 V, ±10 V • Measured potential resolution: 0.0015% of measured range

Electrometer:

• Reference electrode input impedance: 1e12 ohm • Reference electrode input bandwidth: 10 MHz • Reference electrode input bias current: <= 10 pA @ 25°C

Waveform Generation and Data Acquisition:

 

• Fast waveform update: 10 MHz @ 16-bit • Fast data acquisition: dual channel 16-bit ADC, 1,000,000 samples/sec simultaneously • External signal recording channel at maximum 1 MHz sampling rate

Experimental Parameters:

• CV and LSV scan rate: 0.000001 to 10,000 V/s • Potential increment during scan: 0.1 mV @ 1,000 V/s • CA and CC pulse width: 0.0001 to 1000 sec • CA and CC minimum sample interval: 1 μs • True integrator for CC • DPV and NPV pulse width: 0.001 to 10 sec • SWV frequency: 1 to 100 kHz • i-t sample interval: minimum 1 μs • ACV frequency: 0.1 to 10 kHz • SHACV frequency: 0.1 to 5 kHz • FTACV frequency: 0.1 to 50 Hz, simultaneously acquire 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th harmonics ACV data • IMP frequency: 0.00001 to 1 MHz • IMP amplitude: 0.00001 V to 0.7 V rms

Other Features:

• Automatic and manual iR compensation • Current measurement bias: full range with 16-bit resolution, 0.003% accuracy • Potential measurement bias: ±10V with 16-bit resolution, 0.003% accuracy • External potential input • Potential and current analog output • Programmable potential filter cutoff: 1.5 MHz, 150 KHz, 15 KHz, 1.5 KHz, 150 Hz, 15 Hz,

1.5 Hz, 0.15 Hz • Programmable signal filter cutoff: 1.5 MHz, 150 KHz, 15 KHz, 1.5 KHz,

150 Hz, 15 Hz, 1.5 Hz, 0.15 Hz • RDE control output (Model 630E and up): 0-10V (corresponding to 0-10000 rpm), 16-bit, 0.003% accuracy • Digital input/output lines programmable through macro command • Flash memory for quick software update • Serial port or USB port selectable for data communication • Cell control: purge, stir, knock • CV simulation and fitting program, user-defined mechanisms • Impedance simulation and fitting program • Maximum data length: 256K-16384K selectable • Dimensions: 14.25”(W) × 9.25”(D) × 4.75”(H) • Weight: 12 lb.

Justification

With the growing trend in the research field, the need to purse current topics is of greater need. This equipment mentioned above will help use to explore various possibilities in the field of energy storage and harvesting in a greater level.

This equipment if purchased, will allow us to deposit complex materials into the pores and bring about we’ll designed nano arrays and it can also be used to study and examine materials for electrochemical water splitting (hydrogen production) from fresh water and also from sea water (main objective). It can also be used to study various energy based applications like supercapacitors, battery, supercapattery, bio sensor, fuel cells, carbon capture, photoelectrochemical degradation, photoelectrochemical water splitting, corrosion studies,

 

electrodeposition and so on along with gas sensing and photocatalysis making our project a much more versatile one.

 

These equipment will help us in evaluating the device fabricated and will help us in publishing papers in high impact factor Q1 journals as the need for research in energy harvesting and storage of renewable energy is very high.

These equipment will improve the standards of the research lab and will enable the students to try innovative ideas and subject them to test for bringing out quality research contributions to the society.

These equipment can also push the scholars in preparing devices and trying to publish patents and glorify the name of the institution.

Principal Investigator : Dr N K Udayashankar | Contact : nkuday@nitk.edu.in

Estimated Budget : 15 lakhs

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