Energy-related applications
Research interests:
Energy-related applications
Charge transfer between a solid electrode and an electrolyte occurs across the solid–liquid interface, making the molecular organisation of the interfacial liquid crucial to the performance of many electrochemical devices, including batteries and dye-sensitized solar cells. Related phenomena also occur in biology, where networks of ions associated with membranes have been proposed to guide or confine charged species and thereby facilitate bioenergetic processes.
Despite their importance, the molecular organisation of ions at functional interfaces remains poorly understood, both for ions in aqueous solutions and for ionic liquids. Existing models and experimental data provide considerable insight into how ion density and orientation vary perpendicular to a surface, but much less is known about how ions organise and move laterally, parallel to the interface.We investigate this lateral organisation and dynamics at solid–liquid interfaces. Our work ranges from well-controlled model systems, such as aqueous metal ions at crystalline surfaces, to technologically relevant interfaces involving ionic liquids and functional dye-sensitized solar cells. We also explore how interfacial ionic networks influence processes such as molecular adsorption and desorption.
