This PhD project aims at investigating the fundamental processes in nanoscale electrochemistry by exploiting the information contained in the electronic noise of electrochemical currents, and the correlations in the noise for multiple nanoprobes. The research project is financed by the NWO ‘Zwaartekracht’ program Advanced Nano-Electrochemistry Institute Of the Netherlands (ANION).
Many open questions on the fundamental principles in electrochemistry remain unsolved. Here, we propose to introduce novel techniques that permit the investigation of some of the pressing questions. Individual electrochemical reaction events have long been suspected to show anomalous correlations, both, in space and in time. Such correlations can be revealed by measuring the noise in the current. In our groups we have ample experience in noise measurements in nanoscale conductors, and these techniques can be adapted for the investigation of electrochemical processes. The project will require the development of nanoscale electrodes with control over the size and relative position of the electrodes. Here, we will benefit from our experience in fabricating nanopositioning systems, and fabricating nanopores with embedded graphene or thin film metallic electrodes. The PhD student will be jointly supervised by Jan van Ruitenbeek (LION) and Grégory Schneider (LIC), and work in close collaboration with a PhD student at the University of Amsterdam who will develop the theory and advanced computer simulations for the noise in electrochemistry.