Equipment for Synthesis

Atomic Layer Deposition Picosun R-200 Advanced

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Processing temperature between 50 – 500°C for deposition of various metal oxides, metals, sulfides and nitrides. Ozone generator. 1-D to 3D objects, Si wafers, powders and particles can be coated.

Operando-FTIR Autoclave and Various Autoclaves for Synthesis

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We have an autoclave equipped with fiber optic ports connected to a Bruker Matrix-MF spectrometer for reaction monitoring.

In addition, we have various size autoclaves for the synthesis of MOFs, COFs and metal-organic coordination compounds.

Chemical Vapor Deposition

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CVD of graphene incl. post-growth transfer to arbitrary functional supports. CVD of carbon nanotubes. CVD recipe development for "post-graphene" 2D materials.

MBraun LabStar Glove Box

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For the handling of oxygen and moisture sensitive materials.

SCS Spin Coater

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For preparation of thin films on various substrates.

Fritsch Planetary Mono Mill

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Rotational speed up to 650 rpm, timer programming precise to a second, grinding chamber is completely encapsulated. 225mL useful capacity.

Equipment for Characterization

Accelerated Surface Area and Porosimetry System ASAP2020-Micromeritics

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Dedicated to identifying mesoporous structures. Specific surface area, pore structures, pore volume and pore connectivity measurements.

Up to 1 x 10-7 torr resolution (0.1 mmHg transducer)

Ambient to 450 °C, 1 °C increments

System Capacity: 1 analysis, 2 degas ports

High Resolution Micropore Analyses Micromeritics

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Dedicated to identifying microporous structures. Argon for ultrasmall micropores. Krypton for thin films and low surface area samples.

Analysis range: 1.3 × 10-9 to 1.0 P/P0

Analysis gas per sample up to 3 gases concurrently.

Minimum measurable surface area: 0.01 m2/g

Dynamic Chemisorption BelcatII

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Ideal for detection of dispersion of metals, metal size determination, quantitative and qualitative Lewis acid sites and adsorption strength of reactants (temperature programmed desorption).

In addition, quantification of oxygen vacancies and determination of redox properties (temperature programmed reduction and oxidation) are possible.

Differential Scanning Calorimetry Mettler Toledo

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From room temperature to 600°C for the determination of endothermic and exothermic processes.

Thermogravimetric Analyzer

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Temperature range between 20°C and 1200°C with reactive and inert gas operating conditions with a sensitivity of 0.1µg.

FluoTime 300 - High Performance Fluorescence Lifetime Spectrometer Picoquant

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Hardware: 300W steady-state lamp for continuous wave excitation with an emission detection range of 250nm to 2600nm. Laser diode head for UV excitation for lifetime measurements (picoseconds to milliseconds). Double monochromator in excitation and emission.
 

Accessories: thin-film, powder and liquid samples can be measured with a set of dedicated cuvettes and sample holders. Liquid N2 cryostat allows for low T measurements.

Information: emission spectra can be used to unravel electronic structures, defect states and identify charge transfer processes. Relaxation kinetics can be studied using the time-resolved mode to find the decay lifetime of the photoluminescence.

Studies: charge transfer, electronic structure, reaction mechanisms, radical trapping experiments

UV-Vis-NIR Spectrophotometer Jasco V-670

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Dual-grating, dual-detector covering a range between 190nm – 2700nm. Additionally, a diffuse reflectance accessory is available for powder samples and thin films.

FTIR Spectrophotometer Shimadzu IRTracer-100

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Measurement range between 7800 and 350 cm-1 with a DLATGS detector. Additional DRIFTS setup is available for powder samples. 

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Dynamic Light Scattering System

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Translational diffusion coefficient (Dt), Hydrodynamic radius (Rhyd), Size distribution, Polydispersity (PDI)/Liquid samples

Applications

Our laboratory is equipped with reactions boxes (gas connections, light feed-through and cooling), reactors, detectors, dedicated Xe and LED lamps as well as a solar simulator for carrying out experiments intended for photocatalysis, electrocatalysis, photoelectrocatalysis, electrochemical sensors.

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Gas Chromatograph Shimadzu Nexis GC-2030 BID

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Equipped with a barrier ionization discharge detector for the analysis and quantification of permanent gases. H2, CO, CH4, CO2 and C2H4 can be quantified in the lower ppm region.

Electrochemical Workstation Autolab

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Cyclic Voltammetry, Linear Sweep Voltammetry, Impedance spectroscopy, Coulometry, chronoamperometry etc.

Operando Diffuse Reflectance Fourier Transform IR Spectroscopy (DRIFTS)

Hardware: Dual-grating, dual-detector covering a range between 190nm – 2700nm. Additionally, a diffuse reflectance accessory equipped with an Ulbrich sphere is available for measuring powder samples and thin films

Information: absorption spectra in the UV-Vis-NIR range. Band-to-band absorption edges can be identified, defect states can be elaborated. Extinction and absorption coefficients can be calculated.

Studies: UV-Vis absorption profiles, solid-state and film absorption/reflectance, electronic structure of molecules and solids.

Photo(electro)catalytic testing

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Our group has developed many setups for advanced photocatalytic and photoelectrochemical tests for reactions, including hydrogen evolution (HER), oxygen evolution (OER), overall water splitting in the liquid phase as well as CO2 reduction in the liquid and gas phase (see DRIFTS). We employ various types of reactors (batch, continuous-flow) and light sources (solar simulator, continuous UV/Vis sources with various cut-off filters, narrow-band LEDs) and detectors (piezo, TCD, IR, fluorescence-based). Our strengths lay in the in situ and on stream product detection systems that allow monitoring the reaction kinetics and observing rapid catalyst (de)activation.