MNC News
The researchers at the Minnesota Nano Center are working on a variety of projects every day that impact the world in ways big and, more to the point, very, very small. One tiny solution to a big problem is the work being done to improve hydrogen based battery systems. A thesis paper by UMN student Tejas Nivarty focused on making green hydrogen manufacturing more efficient by refining the production methods for a key catalyst in the water electrolysis process used to create hydrogen from water.
Nivarty focused on Atomic Layer Deposition, a technique similar to 3d printing on the scale of individual atoms, to carefully control the structure of Co3O4 crystals, and was ultimately able to achieve better crystallization and therefore a more suitable catalyst for water electrolysis than is typical of other methods.
The applications of and demand for green hydrogen is almost endless as its capacity to store energy makes it valuable as both a fuel and an energy storage material. New ways to decarbonize the hydrogen production process and make green hydrogen more financially viable may ultimately prove critical to decarbonizing industry and supporting other green technologies like intermittent renewable energy sources.
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Read the full paper at:
https://conservancy.umn.edu/handle/11299/227803
MNC Workforce Development
The Minnesota Nano Center is working with the University's Technological Leadership Institute (TLI) and three regional technology companies to expand training of Minnesota's technical workforce for careers in semiconductor manufacturing. The MNC is partnering with Honeywell, Collins Aerospace, and Polar Semiconductor to offer hands-on training in the tools and techniques necessary to manufacture integrated circuits, advanced sensors, and other microdevices. This week, the MNC hosted 60 company staff for their initial session and lab orientation. Future classes will cover the tools of photolithography, thin film deposition, etching, and characterization.
plasma to chemically etch surface organic contaminants with highly reactive free radicals or activate surfaces to alter surface characteristics such as wetting or adhesion.
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