In order to improve the state-of-the-art of solar energy conversion and battery technology, researchers must employ techniques that give insight into the fundamental chemistry that is involved in the conversion and storage of energy. One such physical method is electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR). EPR can probe, at the atomic level, catalytic reactions which provide the understanding needed to improve current green energy technologies.
However, current EPR instruments are expensive, bulky, and require experiments to be performed under conditions that don’t truly mimic the working environments of these interesting chemical processes. For this reason, the MPI CEC has partnered with other research and industrial institutions to develop a “miniature spectrometer” to investigate semiconductor materials, solar cells, catalysts, electrodes for fuel cells and batteries, and other energy-harvesting technologies for a sustainable future.
The “EPR-on-a-Chip” project is funded for three years by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) with a total of 6.7 million euros, and is coordinated by the <link https: www.helmholtz-berlin.de zentrum index_en.html _blank external-link-new-window internal link in current>Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie (HZB). HZB and MPI CEC are joined by the University of Stuttgart, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, and Bruker Biospin GmbH as partners to bring EPR instrumentation down to the size of a USB stick and utilize this advancement to perform experiments that are currently not possible.
“The idea is to connect chip-sized EPR sensors directly to the chemical compound or electronic devices so that chemical reactions can be observed under the most realistic conditions possible,” says <link internal-link internal link in current>Dr. Alexander Schnegg, research group leader at the MPI CEC and responsible for catalysis and battery research within the project. “We are further developing fundamental processes based on understanding, i.e. we are conducting basic research according to Max Planck's motto ‘Knowledge must precede application’.”
Further information on the "EPR-on-a-Chip" project can be found on the <link https: www.helmholtz-berlin.de pubbin _blank external-link-new-window internal link in current>HZB website.