Master Thesis: Electrochemical behaviour conductive polymers - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

Cathodic protection remains one of the most important corrosion protection methods in society, helping to prevent corrosion related damage and to prolong the longevity of structures. It can be ensured by two ways i.e. sacrificial anodes or impressed current. The former is widely applied in seawater and potable water storage facilities. This method uses metallic sacrificial anodes that have some release in the environment that continue to be questionable in terms of long-term impact. On the other hand, the continuous development of conductive polymers (synthetic metals) and their use for corrosion protection is a growing area within corrosion research. This class of materials is already used as impressed current anodes for cathodic protection of submerged structures. The possibility to tailor the chemical structure of these materials and define their final electrical and electrochemical properties represents an opportunity to develop ecofriendly sacrificial anodes offering a current output comparable to traditional anode materials and a controlled release to the environment.

An initial step toward this development is to determine the electrochemical behavior of conductive polymers in different conditions. This will provide information about both the stability domains of the conductive polymer as well as the corresponding chemical structure and oxidation state. Limited work has been done for most of the commercialized conductive polymers usually used for corrosion protection coatings and thus represents an opportunity for exciting and relevant research.

Project research topics
The present master thesis project aims to identify and characterize the electrochemical behavior of selected conductive polymers.

Project activities
The master thesis work will be performed as a part of the project “Ecofriendly sacrificial anodes” financed by RISE.

The work will include an initial literature review of the current knowledge regarding the factors influencing the electrochemical behaviour of conductive polymers. This part should allow the determination of the conductive polymer candidates that can meet the desired and controllable properties. Depending on the availability of the commercial polymers and/or laboratory synthesis requirements, a second step involving the characterization of both chemical and electrochemical properties will be performed. Chemical characterization will be based on the combination of different spectroscopy techniques including FTIR, Raman and UV-visible. For electrochemical characterization, open circuit potential, potentiodynamic scan, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and voltammetry scans will be employed. Depending on the outcomes, a further step where the molecular engineering of the conductive polymer

Who are you?
We are looking for a master’s student within the areas of chemistry, material science or similar. The project will involve practical work at RISE Corrosion in Kista as well as spectroscopic characterization at KTH in Stockholm.

Location and start date
The Corrosion Department at RISE is located at Isafjordsgatan 28 A in Kista, Sweden.

Proposed start date in June 2021 (with pause during part of July and August).

Supervisory team at RISE
Division: Material and Production; Department: Corrosion; Unit: Infrastructure and Energy

Main supervisor: Abdelkader Meroufel, +46 73 047 22 63

Co-supervisor: Johan Ahlström, tel +46 10 228 48 77

Unit Manager: Andrew Gordon, tel +46 10 228 48 55

Want to know more?
Feel free to contact Abdelkader for more information. Send in your application (CV and covering letter) no later than June 15th.

Master Thesis, RISE, Stockholm, material science, corrosion, chemistry, electrochemistry