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PhD Students

As the opportunities and projects for promotion are constantly changing, we cannot provide detailed information here. If you are interested, please send an e-mail to aglepple.

B.Sc. / M.Sc. Students

If you are interested in a research project (Bachelor's, Master's, in-depth or specialization module) in our working group, please send an email to aglepple to ask about a possible project. If you already have a desired topic, you are welcome to mention it.

Possible research projects:

Corrosion behavior of thermal insulation layers

In this project, the ceramic oxide Ta₂Zr₂O₁₇ or YTaO₄ is to be produced wet chemically by means of a precipitation reaction. After material analysis using X-ray diffraction (XRD), the corrosion resistance of the material against CaO/MgO/Al₂O₃/SiO₂ (CMAS) will be tested and newly formed phases will then be identified using XRD and scanning electron microscopy (SEM).

Contact persons: Alina Habermann, Jonas Pflug

Investigation of the influences of lattice parameters and Li content on ionic conductivity

Through the careful selection and combination of suitable elements, the lattice parameters and Li content of Li garnets are to be modified in order to investigate their influence on ionic conductivity. The synthesis takes place via solid-state reactions, but can also be supplemented by hot pressing (spark plasma sintering, SPS) for comparison purposes. The characterizations focus on X-ray diffraction, electron microscopy, and impedance spectroscopy.

Contact person: Benjamin Zimmermann

Investigation of the thermal conductivity of rare earth zirconates

The laser flash method will be used to investigate the thermal conductivity of rare earth zirconates with different numbers of rare earth metal cations. For this purpose, the zirconates will be synthesized using wet chemistry and the material will be characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and gas pycnometry (density determination). The project aims to determine the influence of configuration entropy on thermal conductivity.

Contact person: Jonas Pflug

Synthesis and investigation of high-entropy spinels for use in CSP

In order to optimize the thermal stability and optical properties of black spinels, this project aims to synthesize (Co precipitation) and characterize (XRD, SEM) various high-entropy spinels based on transition metal cations. Subsequently, the properties of the spinels (thermal conductivity, density, etc.) will be determined and compared.

Contact person: Anna Scholl

Investigation of the interaction of state-of-the-art high-temperature stable pigments with carrier materials

In CSP (concentrated solar power) systems, spinels are used as pigments for coatings. In order to gain a better understanding of the aging processes of the materials, this project aims to investigate the interactions of spinels with components of commercial carrier materials. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and, if necessary, high-temperature X-ray diffraction (HT-XRD) will be used for the investigation.