DAY 5 Safety Issues

Due to some safety issues, our mentor was busy today so we went on a culinary escapade.

And later did some self-reading on synthesis of nanomaterials for electrodes from which we gained much valuable insight.

Nanomaterials sometimes come in interesting shapes such as an urchin or flowers.

End of WEEK 1 DAY 5.

Stay tuned for the epic continuation of the two-week saga at MSE. 

DAY 4 Charging Up

Today we learnt more about making batteries.

Our mentor used the membrane produced on DAY 3 for the separator of the battery, which serves a dual purpose that will be explained later. Here you can see him cutting it to fit the shape of the electrodes.

This is the glove box, which our mentor used to prepare the separator cum electrolyte. The electrolyte used consists of lithium hexafluorophosphate (LiPF6) mixed with equal ratios of ethylene carbonate and diethyl carbonate. In the glove box, the separator membrane is soaked in the electrolyte. This prevents unwanted leakage of electrolyte under normal physical pressure. All this takes place in a glove box, which contains very little moisture and oxygen, to prevent unwanted reactions.

Vacuum Indication Mini Antechamber - used for transfering items into and out of the glovebox.

Tank of argon gas connected to the glove box. The glove box is filled with argon gas, to provide an inert atmosphere for safe handling of reactive materials within the box.

The final product is this flat battery.

DAY 3 The Adventure Continues

Today we learnt about making membranes from gel which was prepared on DAY 1,

made from a polymer (Nano Silicon Dioxide powder), dissolved in

N-Methyl-2-Pyrrolidone (NMP) solvent. The membrane is produced by

 first spreading the gel evenly on a pane of glass and then baking it for ten or

so hours in an oven. The spreading of the gel can be done through several methods,

and the easiest of which is using a glass rod, our mentor's favourite method due to its simplicity.

Here is a video of the process:

This is a bottle of acetone, which is used for cleaning as it is a good solvent that can dissolve most substances. Be careful though, its vapours are harmful.

This is the controlled coater, which our mentor used with a doctor blade. This instrument provides an alternative method of spreading the gel for membrane production.

In addition to these two methods, there are still two more methods that our mentor mentioned, which do not involve the lengthy process of dissolving of the polymer in solvent. These require various heating instruments, such as a heat press or an extruder.

A Heat Press

An Extruder

More interesting photos:

Look! We found a talking cabinet!

Here's a picture of a cloud that looks like a fish, taken on the way home.

DAY 2 Research in Progress

Today we learn more about electrolytes and how nanomaterials can improve their capacity while maintaining stability.

Photos for the day:

Dr Nathan tells us more about his research

Clowning in the studio

Group time at the Lee Wee Nam Library where we did in-depth research

While in the library, having understood the multiple processes that make the battery what it is, we went on to discover the secret of a close friend of batteries, the capacitor. We learnt that capacitors are much simpler, with no electrochemical reactions to produce electrons. Capacitors can only store these electrical charges, which are provided by none other than...batteries! The construction of a capacitor is much simpler too, with just two conducting terminals (like a battery), separated by a dielectric. In theory, this dielectric can be any non-conducting material like glass, and even air! The type of dielectric used determines the function of the capacitor. How amazing! 

DAY 1 The Adventure Begins

Today is our first day at NTU. We had the privilege of being mentored by Dr Nathan. 

We will be learning about nanomaterials, which are notable for their small feature size of less than 100 nanometers. They have a wide range of properties and uses, but we will be focusing on their application in energy storage. Energy storage, visualized physically, would take the form of our batteries and capacitors.

Living in a technologically forward society like Singapore, we find batteries all around us, yet its ubiquity means we tend to take batteries for granted. To have a better understanding and appreciation for batteries, we did our research on the internal workings of these 'energetic' wonders of technology. Firstly, we started with the anatomy of a battery. Housed in a plastic or metal casing, we have the electrodes (Cathode and Anode), where the electrochemical reactions occur. A separator acts as a barrier or membrane, to prevent contact between the electrodes, whilst allowing electrical charges to pass freely. With the electrodes connected through a load (like a light bulb), electrochemical reactions take place at the two electrodes, causing a flow of electrons through the load, lighting up the light bulb. 

Following are some pictures we got from the tour around the lab:

Solutions are mixed by a magnetic stir bar. The bar spins when placed on a magnetic field stirring the solution.

This table comes in handy, reminding us of the chemical hazards involved when incompatible chemicals are mixed. Safety always comes first!!

A year's supply of toilet paper

The Glovebox (A.K.A The Hug Machine)

This is the battery our mentor was working on

The ball mill - One way to produce nanomaterials is by placing the substance together with magnetic ball bearings in this machine. While in the machine, the metal balls in the container rotate and crush the substance into smaller and finer particles, producing nanoparticles.

This metallic container is used for hydrothermal synthesis, which is another method of
preparing nanoparticles.

The Oven - Used specifically for drying glassware only