Prof. Dr. Bertold Rasche
Participating in the following Rounds:
Electrochemistry provides us with an unmatched lever to control the chemical equilibrium. Employing this lever in inorganic solid state chemistry allows the access to new (metastable) phases and structures. Concomitantly, electrochemistry affords an outstanding precision in the control and analysis of the composition of phases. This is particularly needed when studying complex physical phenomena such as superconductivity, because these properties are often very sensitive towards composition.
My group follows a combined electrochemical and solid state chemical approach, where electrochemistry is used to change the composition of solids post-synthetically, or compounds are synthesised directly from solution. Joining this approach with in-situ X-ray diffraction finally establishes a direct link between the electrochemical experiment and structural changes. This not only provides insights into complex physical phenomena, but is also the foundation of more applied topics such as battery research and electrochemical sensing.