Advent calendar - December 19th - Winfried de Haas
In the Zernike Institute Advent Calendar, we are presenting 24 short spotlights in December. In these specials, we highlight PhD students, postdocs, support staff, and technicians of our research groups and team - providing a glimpse in their typical day at work. In Episode 19 meet Winfried de Haas, PhD student in the Materials Chemistry group led by prof. Moniek Tromp.

I am nearing the end of my PhD project in the Materials Chemistry group led by prof. dr. Moniek Tromp. The research I have been doing concerns studying batteries during their charging and discharging and as such understand their performance. It starts with running battery charge-discharge measurements. Then, when the batteries work, we apply characterization techniques including x-ray diffraction and x-ray absorption spectroscopy, firstly ex-situ and then operando in specially designed cells. Due to the deadline of the thesis getting closer though, I find myself more in the office writing the chapters and analysing the data we gathered during my project.
My project involves the NiFe battery in combination with performance-enhancing additives. The NiFe battery is a potentially more cost-efficient battery than Li-ion batteries, while being more sustainable. These batteries can exhibit a complicated “soup” of species in the electrolyte as well as in the electrode. Where these species travel in the battery and how they interact is crucial for understanding the battery chemistry. This battery is already over a hundred years old. I find it fascinating that we can still learn a lot of new things about it with the help of modern advances in measurement techniques.
When successful, operando battery research yields a lot of high-quality data opening up a wealth of information, providing answers towards performance, as well as a lot of new questions to pursue. This makes the data analysis very complex, but very satisfying when different techniques come together, and the puzzle falls into place. With this knowledge in hand, we can move to even more clever ways to improve our batteries.
Contact: Winfried de Haas
Last modified: | 15 December 2022 1.55 p.m. |
More news
-
15 December 2022
Groningen contributes to major research initiative into energy-efficient information technology
The Dutch science funding agency NWO recently awarded a large research project into new concepts for energy-efficient information technology of no less than ten million euros
-
05 December 2022
Frans J. Sijtsma new Director Agricola School
On the recommendation of the Board of the University of Groningen, Dr Frans J. Sijtsma has been appointed as academic director of the Rudolf Agricola School for Sustainable Development with effect from 1 February 2023. This concerns a 0.5 FTE...
-
29 November 2022
Science Shops: bridging the gap between university and society
Science shops. What kinds of things can you buy there? A knowledge sandwich? A wisdom smoothie? Bacteria on demand? It is not clear to everyone what science shops have to offer. And yet, they play an important role for society, researchers, and...