Electrochemistry

Since their discovery, MXenes have shown promising electrochemical properties for energy storage, water desalination, catalysis, and others. In our group, we use different MXene compositions as electrodes and other components in different electrochemical systems, such as supercapacitors and batteries, to understand their electrochemical and charge storage behavior in various electrolytes, including aqueous, water-in-salt, and organic ones. Our goal is to gain a deep understanding of the electrochemical properties of MXenes in these systems and develop effective clean energy solutions.

Electrochemical water treatment: Sustainable energy and environmentally friendly seawater desalination and selective ion removal techniques are attracting significant attention as a solution to global freshwater shortages. A particularly promising avenue of research involves the use of MXenes in the electrochemical method of capacitive deionization (CDI). MXenes possess flexible interlayer spacing and surface terminations, enabling them to exhibit intrinsic cation selectivity and prevent anion intercalation. These properties enhance the charge efficiency in electrochemical ion removal processes of CDI. Currently, our study focuses on exploring ion transportation within MXenes under different parameter controls.
in-situ electrochemistry: Ou lab has increasingly focused on in-situ electrochemistry. New developments in this field include creating in-situ Raman spectroscopy, in-situ X-ray diffraction, and in-situ UV vis, with continuing work on new in-situ setups to bridge electrochemistry and characterization work.