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School of Physical and Chemical Sciences

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  1. School of Physical and Chemical Sciences
  2. Centre for Condensed Matter Physics
  3. PhD at CCMP
  4. PhD Projects in CCMP
  5. Developing muon spin rotation to study open-channel metal-organic frameworks for applications in batteries.

Developing muon spin rotation to study open-channel metal-organic frameworks for applications in batteries.

Research Group: Center for Condensed Matter Physics

Funding

This project has been supported by the Faculty for Chinese Scholarship Council (CSC) funding. If you wish to be considered for another funding route, please contact the supervisor [a.j.drew@qmul.ac.uk].

Project Description

This PhD project will develop the muon technique [1,2] to measure ion mobility in open-channel metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). The project will develop in-situ in-operando cells suitable for charge-discharge measurements, test them, and carry out detailed measurements (backed up with DFT) in order to:

  • Maximise high Li+, Na+and K+ ion conductivities
  • Understand the effect of loading additional electrolytes in the MOF channels, such as LiBH4and LiBF4 with or without polycarbonates and solvents.
  • Understand the ion conduction mechanisms in different MOF channels
  • Optimise framework stability by comparing anionic framework production via direct synthesis of by grafting ionic liquids on the linkers post-synthetically

This work will be supplemented and supported by x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), pair distribution function x-ray and neutron scattering and quasi-elastic neutron scattering, Raman scattering and magnetic resonance techniques. The XAS may also require a new in-situ in-operando cell to be developed, as the current version may not be optimised for MOFs.

[1] “Local mobility in electrochemically inactive sodium in hard carbon anodes after the first cycle” ACS Jensen et al., Journal of Materials Chemistry A, 8, 743 (2020)

[2] “Muon spin spectroscopy: magnetism, soft matter and the bridge between the two” L Nuccio et al., Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics (Topical Review) 47, 473001 (2014)

SPCS Academics: Prof. Alan Drew

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