After graduating with her doctorate, Sophia spent two and a half years in the Chemistry Division at the US Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, DC, as a National Research Council (NRC) post-doc fellow. Her post-graduate research is focused on characterizing the ions and molecules interactions and transport in various types of materials, especially those with application in electrochemical devices such as non-lithium ion-based batteries and proton conducting fuel cells. Materials studied include conducting and non-conducting polymers, various classes of deep eutectic solvents, ionic liquids, and gas hydrates.
Our laboratory is focused on fundamental characterization of ion transport in various media through a combination of exploration of short- and long- range dynamics and interactions. We use NMR and EI spectroscopies, in combination with bulk transport parameters in our investigations. Recently, we added electrospinning synthesis of polymers and their composites for targeted applications. The main objective of this body of work is to create thin films that are mechanically robust and electrically capable for their specific application.
Our contribution to the proposed EERC is to use the capabilities of our high-pressure NMR technique to probe the water pathways in polymers of interest. For these studies we will use 2H T1 and D studies both in the static and fringe fields respectively. We can also contribute by electrospinning polymer thin films and their composites that are expected to be more mechanically capable.