----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Project:	A7

Title:          Operando study of the interlayer distance in 2D-membranes

DESY group:     FS-PETRA-D (PETRA Diffraction and Scattering)

Type:           On-site

Duration:       19th july - 10th sep 2021

Description: 
The scientific work of the summer student will be focused on the investigation of liquid-gas separation in alcohol-water and alkane mixtures using novel membranes based on 2D nanoparticles by grazing incident wide-angle X-ray scattering (GIWAXS) technique. Nowadays membrane processes gain major importance for numerous technological separation tasks including gas sweetening, desalination, bioethanol production, alcohol separation, etc. Promising membrane technologies include the utilization of 2D membranes with slit-like galleries operating with molecular sieving and capillary condensation mechanisms. The performance of these processes depends strongly on the interlayer spacing between semipermeable layers (typically 0,3-1,5 nm) which can be easily studied by GIWAXS technique. The membranes under investigation will consist of 2D hydrophilic (graphene oxide, MXenes) and hydrophobic (reduced graphene oxide, chemically modified GO, CdTe@oleic acid) layers. All kinds of samples will be prepared by spin-coating technique on the surface of anodic alumina membranes. The goal of this work will be to directly observe the liquid-gas separation as a function of vapour pressure using 2 chambers humidity/liquid cell in the in operando GIWAXS experiments.  It is expected, that the knowledge of the interlayer distance in operando conditions will shed light on the permeation mechanism in 2D materials and will enable the further design of 2D membranes with enhanced separation efficiency and performance.


Special Qualifications expected:
Knowledge of general electrochemistry. Experience in electrochemical methods and impedance spectroscopy 
Experience in thin films deposition (with casting or coating techniques) and characterization


Cancellation Policy: 
If due to the CoViD-19 pandemic the student can not be on-site, the project will be converted to a remote project.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------