MSE Ph.D. Proposal - Taylor
McLachlan
=====
Date: Thursday, February 2, 2012
Time: 1 PM
Location: Molecular Science and Engineering Building, Room 1100F
Title: Shape Preserving Conversion Reaction of Alumina Structures using
Metal Halides: Structure, Kinetics, and Applications
Committee:
Dr. Kenneth H. Sandhage (Advisor, MSE)
Dr. Michael Durstock (Wright-Patterson Air Force Base)
Dr. Meilin Liu (MSE)
Dr. Hamid Garmestani (MSE)
Dr. Bernard Kippelen (ECE)
Summary
Porous anodic aluminum oxide nanostructures provide hexagonally ordered arrays
of pores with periodic distribution and tunable size and length. The proposed
research introduces a new process for partially converting the chemistry of the
aluminum oxide nanostructure to titanium dioxide while retaining shape through
a gaseous metal halide (TiF4) reactive conversion process. By this
process, oriented titania nanotubes with tailored structures can be formed.
This vapor-based process allows titania formation within small pores
inaccessible to liquid-based approaches through an intermediary TiOF2
product. Applications of the converted titania structures including
dye-sensitized solar cells and Li-ion batteries will be explored as improving
efficiencies in both devices requires careful control over the electrode
structures and chemistries. The reactive conversion kinetics, crystal
structure, current-voltage behavior, incident photon electron collection
efficiency, and electrochemical measurements will be characterized with
collaborators at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, the Georgia Institute of
Technology, and The Ohio State University to understand the cause and effect of
structural modification on the nanostructures and the resulting effect on
device performance.