Dr.-Ing. Fabian Hagen

Students of chemical engineering/process engineering (or similar) with an interest in experimental work. Knowledge of aerosol and particle technology may help you to get started but is not required.

Location: CS

Motivation:

Climate-neutral hydrogen production is one of the keys to achieving global climate targets. In this regard, methane pyrolysis is a promising technology based on the thermal cracking of methane into its elements, hydrogen and carbon. If carbon nanoparticles formed during pyrolysis are sold as a high-purity value electrical material, simultaneously the cost of hydrogen production is diminished. Electrical conductivity is the key particle property for use as an electrical material in batteries or fuel cells, and this is to be determined experimentally for a large number of carbon nanoparticle systems as part of this thesis.

Task:

First, a Van der Pauw measuring cell for determining the electrical conductivity of particulate systems needs to be set up and commissioned. The functionality of the set-up is then to be verified using well-known materials. Finally, the electrical conductivity of different carbon nanoparticle systems is to be measured and correlated with various particle properties such as the primary particle size distribution, the nanostructural composition, the specific surface area and a few more. The aim is to assess the particle properties that are decisive for the electrical conductivity of the particles.

Responsible:

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Dimosthenis Trimis