In-situ multi-parameter Analysis Platform for Formation of Energy Materials
With in-FORM we develop a synchrotron based in-situ material research platform to gain insight into the formation of functional materials during deposition. This platform consists of a slot-die coating and annealing system with atmosphere control and a suitably small foot-print as well as flexibility for integration into the Balder beamline at MAX IV.
Schematic drawing of the in-situ multi parameter analysis platform in-FORM.
Schematic drawing of the in-situ multi parameter analysis platform in-FORM.
Instrumentation
We develop instrumentation consisting of a slot-die coating and annealing system with atmosphere control and a suitably small foot-print as well as flexibility for integration into the Balder beamline at the MAX IV laboratory.
Methods
We develop methods for real-time in-situ investigations during deposition of functional energy materials combining X-ray spectroscopy (XAS/XRF), X-ray scattering (XRD) and optical spectroscopy to capture changes in composition, structure and optoelectronic properties simultaneously.
Analysis Tools
Multimodal and real-time data analysis tools are developed for giving a live feedback to the operator. The tools will be integrated into the so called scientist's dashboard and enable a visual data analysis, correlating results from XAS, XRD and optical spectroscopy.
Recent Updates
We performed first in-situ coating experiments where we were able to follow the formation of metal-halide perovskites in-situ by means of combined multimodal XAS, XRD, UV-vis and photoluminescence spectroscopy. The newly developed in-situ coating setup was recently integrated into the Balder beamline at MAX IV and can perform coating, gas quenching and annealing experiment in an inert gas environment. First tests of in-situ measurements show highly statisfying data quality for XAS and XRD.
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We were able to perform our first test coatings with our recently developed slot-die coationg system. The system is now completely assembled and mounted inside an inert atmosphere box. Everything is remotely controllable via a scriptable coating command line software based on Python. This gives full remote control over the whole coating and annealing process. The system was tested by coating a thin-film of black water based ink onto a 30m polyimide substrate. The coating was performed at room temperature with subsequent annealing on our annealing stage -which is included into the roll-to-roll setup- at 50 °C. See a video…
Read moreThe picture documents the construction phase of a sealed environment that will encapsulate the coating device and part of the scientific instrument in an inert atmosphere in order to prevent the exposure of sensitive inks to oxygen and humidity and also to protect the operators from dangerous chemicals and solvent vapours that may form during the coating operation. It consists of an alluminum frame and acrylic glass walls with silicone sealed gaps with an internal volume of about 0.6 m³. This volume will be filled with inert gases and the inner atmosphere will have < 1 ppm of oxygen and…
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Related Publications
Timeline & Achievements
Gantt chart of the in-FORM project.
Team
Justus Just
Principal Investigator
Eva Unger
Project Coordination
Matteo Ciambezi
Post-doc
Jiatu Liu
Post-doc
Collaborators
Martin Kiener
coating system design