(2hv) Understanding and Applying Modern Electrochemistry to Develop and Connect Research for Electronic Technologies

Modern electronic technologies are developing at an impressive pace, shaping today’s societies by making our world more connected, safer, and cleaner; prime examples include electromobility, consumer electronics, bioelectronics, and robotics. These applications and many more encompass somehow electrochemical materials and processes that can, for example, involve various charge storage mechanisms, rate-dependent mass transport, and phase changes due to electron transfer. Therefore, researchers from various backgrounds encounter nowadays electrochemistry while developing interdisciplinary electronic technologies. In particular, the increasing importance of batteries and supercapacitors (e.g., for electromobility and grid storage) demonstrates the need for the fundamental understanding of “old-school” electrochemistry to comprehend and control material properties, molecular-level operating principles, and device performance.

Research Interests

I am an Electrochemist and study novel materials, chemistries, interfaces, and devices for energy storage applications, particularly electrochemical materials and designs for hybrid battery and supercapacitors^1-3. My scientific philosophy is to identify, understand, and control the molecular-level phenomena that govern macroscopic material properties, charge storage mechanisms, mass transport processes and device performance using a variety of electrochemical, spectroscopy and microscopy methods. My distinct expertise lies in the advanced application and analysis of electrochemical methods, e.g., variable-rate cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), chronoamperometry and in-operando techniques such as electrogravimetry (EQCM) and electrochemical atomic force microscopy (EC-AFM)⁴. Thematically, my research lies at the interface of electrochemistry, chemical engineering, physical chemistry, and materials science. Modern rechargeable aluminum and lithium batteries with pseudocapacitive charge storage contribution and the development of electrochemical data analysis methods to electroactive materials, are areas of particular current interest⁵. My fundamental electrochemical background and experience allow me to transfer and connect knowledge across energy technologies ranging from electroplating (e.g., anti-corrosion coatings), energy conversion (e.g., fuel cells), AI hardware (e.g., memristors), photoelectronics (e.g., integrated solar cell-capacitors) to bioelectronics (e.g., bio-FETs and neurointerfaces).

Teaching Interests

Electrochemistry is a truly multidisciplinary science which can be applied to a variety of fields within the physical, chemical, and biological sciences. I envision to revamp conventional electrochemistry and teach ubiquitous thermodynamics and kinetics of electrochemical phase boundaries, including for example, electrodeposition, electrocrystallization and electrochemical intercalation in a modern intuitive context, covering both fundamental and applied electrochemistry. In particular, concepts of the electrified interface (e.g., the Butler-Volmer relationship and Marcus theory), the influence of mass transport (e.g., convection, diffusion, migration) and rate-dependent charge storage mechanisms (e.g. faradaic diffusion-limited, capacitive and pseudocapacitive) will form the basis to understand and advance modern electronics. I want to demonstrate that conventional electrochemical measuring techniques (e.g., variable-rate cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic cycling, potential step methods, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy) and their interpretation methods can be applied equally to various modern electrochemical systems while leaning on the same fundamental background of electrochemistry. Furthermore, I envision to build leadership by growing an interdisciplinary research team and equip young scientists with in-depth specialist knowledge in the fields of electrochemical surface technology and electrochemical energy storage and conversion. My experiences in mentoring and supervising Ph.D. (7 students) and (under)graduate (4 students) projects as well as my established international network of academic and industrial partners form a strong base for my endeavors to become a faculty member.

References

[1] T. Schoetz, B. Craig, C. Ponce de Leon, A. Bund, M. Ueda, C.T.J. Low, Aluminium-poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) rechargeable battery with ionic liquid electrolyte, J. Energy Storage 28 (2020) 101176.

[2] J.H. Xu, T. Schoetz, J.R. McManus, V.R. Subramanian, P.W. Fields, R.J. Messinger, Tunable pseudocapacitive intercalation of chloroaluminate anions into graphite electrodes for rechargeable aluminum batteries, J. Electrochem. Soc. 168 (2021) 060514.

[3] T. Schoetz, O.M. Leung, I. Efimov, C. Zaleski, A. Miguel Ortega, N. García García, P. Tiemblo Magro, C. Ponce de Leon, Aluminium Deposition in EMImCl-AlCl₃ Ionic Liquid and Ionogel for Improved Aluminium Batteries, J. Electrochem. Soc. 167 (2020) 089006.

[4] T. Schoetz, M. Kurniawan, M. Stich, R. Peipmann, I. Efimov, A. Ispas, A. Bund, C. Ponce de Leon, M. Ueda, Understanding the charge storage mechanism of conductive polymers as hybrid battery-capacitor materials in ionic liquids by in situ atomic force microscopy and electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance studies, J. Mater. Chem. A 6 (2018) 17787-17799.

[5] T. Schoetz, L.W. Gordon, S. Ivanov, A. Bund, D. Mandler, R.J. Messinger, Disentangling faradaic, pseudocapacitive, and capacitive charge storage: A tutorial for the characterization of batteries, supercapacitors, and hybrid systems, Electrochim. Acta 412 (2022) 140072.