Laboratory of Electrochemical Technologies – Electrocatalysis and Electrochemical Synthesis

Laboratory of Electrochemical Technologies – Electrocatalysis and Electrochemical Synthesis

The laboratory carries out fundamental and applied research using  modern approaches to electrochemical synthesis, electrochemical characterisation and testing of materials for electrocatalytic applications and of materials used for electrochemical energy storage. Potential partners and clients of the laboratory may include academic and industrial teams in Bulgaria and abroad with similar research interests.

Description of Activities

  • Recording current–voltage characteristics of electrodes of various architectures and configurations by applying a wide range of electrochemical techniques and methods.
  • Electrochemical characterisation of new laboratory-made or industrially produced electrode materials and systems for energy generation and storage;
  • Optimisation of the electrochemical and electrical parameters of existing commercial products.
  • Quantitative and qualitative relationships between the chemical structure and microstructure of electrode materials and their electrochemical activity;
  • Ex-situ and in-situ study of the mechanisms and elementary processes of electrochemical reactions and of the intermediate products formed in the course of these reactions;
  • Development of new methods for the standardised determination of the electrochemical and electrical parameters of electrode materials and systems for energy generation and storage;
  • Short-term and long-term testing of electrode materials and systems for energy generation and storage in accordance with established international standards and algorithms;
  • External quality control for the electrochemical industry (electrochemical characterisation of raw materials, intermediate and final products)

Service Description

Electrochemical testing of cathode and anode materials

  • Measurement of capacity, current efficiency, cycling stability and degradation processes;
  • Characterisation of anode and cathode materials used in lithium-ion batteries, sodium-ion batteries, supercapacitors and other energy storage devices;
  • Testing of materials in real or model battery cell configurations, with the option of adjusting the number of electrodes

Photoelectrochemical characterisation of light-sensitive materials:

  • Determination of the photogenerated current under UV and visible light illumination;
  • Study of the photoelectrochemical response at different wavelengths and illumination intensities;
  • Analysis of the efficiency of light-induced electrochemical processes in catalytic reactions;
  • Study of the stability and degradation of materials under photochemical stress.

Electrochemical characterisation of the electrode/electrolyte interface:

  • Real-time measurement of mass changes on the electrode surface using a quartz crystal microbalance;
  • Obtaining information on adsorption, desorption, product accumulation, electrode dissolution, etc.;
  • Testing under various temperature conditions using a thermostatted jacket.

Study of electrochemical reactions and mechanisms

  • Use of a rotating disc electrode (RDE) and a rotating ring-disc electrode (RRDE) to study the kinetics and mechanisms of electrochemical reactions;
  • Analysis of intermediate products;
  • Capability for simultaneous measurement of the main and intermediate currents at different rotation speeds (up to 10 000 rpm);
  • Suitable for the development of catalysts with high selectivity and activity.

Electrochemical impedance analysis (EIS)

  • Impedance measurements at frequencies from 10 μHz to 5 MHz in various polarisation modes;
  • Analysis of electrochemical circuits, diffusion processes, and capacitive and resistive components of the electrodes;
  • Use of various cell geometries and configurations to achieve high accuracy and repeatability.

Equipment

Photoelectrochemical station

Gamry Interface 5000 E and Interface 1000E potentiostats operating in synchronisation;

• Applied current of up to ±5A and potential of ±11 V, with high resolution and accuracy

• Electrochemical impedance measurement with a maximum frequency  of up to 2 MHz at a signal amplitude of up to 3 V and 5 A;

• Photoelectrochemical measurement stand with a protective, optically isolated enclosure, UV and white light sources with a frequency of up to 1 MHz, and a photodetector.

Potentiostat/galvanostat system with impedance analyser and microbalance

Gamry Reference 3000 AE potentiostat and Reference 30k current booster for connecting an electrochemical cell operating with two, three or four electrodes, as well as small-format batteries;

• Applied current from the potentiostat  of up to ±3A and potential of ±32V, with high resolution and accuracy, plus 8 additional voltage measurement channels. Applied current boosted up to ±30A and voltage from -2V to 20V.

• Electrochemical impedance measurement with a maximum frequency  of up to 1 MHz at a signal amplitude of up to 3 V and 3 A;

• Quartz crystal microbalance, Gamry eQCM 10M, with a maximum resonator frequency of up to 10 MHz and a measurable change in the mass of the electrode sample down to 1 ngcm-2 during various types of electrochemical polarisation.

• Electrochemical cell with a thermostatting jacket.

Bipotentiostat with rotating disc electrode (RDE) and rotating ring-disc electrode (RRDE)

Gallery

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Access to the Laboratory of Electrochemical Technologies

The Laboratory of Electrochemical Technologies is part of the research infrastructure of the National Centre of Excellence “Mechatronics and Clean Technologies” and is located on the Geo Milev campus. Requests for access and for joint research are therefore handled centrally — see Contact. In addition, a full overview of the Centre’s other laboratories is available on the Infrastructure and Laboratories page.

The equipment for electrochemical technologies was established under project BG16RFPR002-1.014-0006, funded by the Research, Innovation and Digitalisation for Smart Transformation Programme 2021–2027 and co-financed by the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund.