MARIN ACADEMY RESEARCH COLLABORATIVE​
STUDENT BLOGS
ANALYZING THE ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES OF GRAPHENE-BASED SUPERCAPACITORS
I am currently in the process of designing and conducting an experiment which examines the application of the nano-carbon material graphene in supercapacitors. Since August of 2016, I've been primarily focused on background research and preparation. I've written a full research proposal and have created an in-depth hypothesis which I will soon begin to explore with a set of lab experiments. Updates and progress reports will be posted here intermittently.
February 13, 2018
PROJECT UPDATE
I recently finished the first phase of construction of the finalized version of the SC devices. The next step will be to start testing and data collection, which will first require me to set up a charging circuit. Once this data collection step is complete, hopefully within the next two weeks, I will begin design of a larger SC array based on the analysis of the initial data.
November 28, 2017
PROJECT UPDATE
This week I finished testing the first device created with my new printing method. Initial testing proved it functioned as predicted, although further optimization of the printing process may yield improved results. Ideally, as I continue to alter the method, I will continue to create more efficient devices in the next few weeks.
October 17, 2017
PROJECT UPDATE
I am currently looking into methods of spectroscopically analyzing my graphene samples to determine purity. I aim to use a UV/Vis spectrometer to look at aqueous samples of both the original GO and the laser reduced graphene product in order to compare the results. The biggest challenge in the next few days will be preparing these samples for analysis, as they must first be dried on a substrate before they can be made into an aqueous solution.
September 29, 2017
PROJECT UPDATE
Today I officially began working on the actual method of my experiment. I created some test blots on various substrates, starting the process of creating graphene-oxide sheets to be tested with the laser cutter. Hopefully by the end of next week I will have found the optimized method of drop casting over my chosen substrate and will be ready to begin optimizing the laser settings themselves.
May 5, 2017
PROJECT UPDATE
On Monday of this week, I officially started my symposium project! So far I have drop cast the graphene oxide on the PET substrate and allowed it to dry. However, last class, I discovered I had glued the PET to a CD, not a DVD as required. Because of this, I need to spend extra time next class removing the PET/GO sheet from the CD and gluing it to the correct disc. In the meantime, I'll be working with photoshop to design the electrode patterns I'll be feeding into the LightScribe software.
April 21, 2017
PROJECT UPDATE
On Thursday I had the opportunity to meet with a Ph.D. student at UC Berkeley to talk about the possibility of me working in his lab over the summer assisting with battery research. This research is related to my own project as it also examines optimizing energy storage efficiency through exploring the best methods of integrating certain materials. Hopefully, this summer I'll be able to gain some valuable lab experience and learn more about the intricacies of battery technology. In the meantime though, I'll have to do more background research into this specific realm of engineering in order to be ready to work in the lab and overall be more versed in the field as I begin to write my paper next year.
April 14, 2017
PROJECT UPDATE
As Science Symposium approaches, I have begun work on creating an experiment which will prepare me to continue my larger MARC project. I've decided that in this smaller initial project I want to make a first attempt at building supercapacitors without necessarily altering the original methods I'm following too much. As of today I've finalized my proposal and hopefully by mid-May I will have been able to accomplish my goal of creating a working device.