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Dr. Ayush Pundir

Technical Expertise

Experimental, Analytical and Computational Capability

Techniques performed directly during doctoral and project research, organised by the stage of work in which they are used and by the interpretation they support.

Capability matrix

Six capability groups

Synthesis, electrode engineering, cell assembly, characterisation, electrochemical evaluation and failure analysis.

Wet-chemical routes for carbons, oxides and sulfides used as hosts, catalysts and coatings.

  • Hydrothermal synthesis
  • Sol-gel synthesis
  • Porous carbon synthesis
  • Metal oxide nanostructures
  • Metal sulfide nanostructures
  • Heteroatom-doped carbons

Interpretation

From measurement to scientific insight

A technique is only useful through the chain of reasoning it supports. Each row states that chain explicitly.

XRD

  1. Phase identification
  2. Crystal structure
  3. Rietveld refinement
  4. Structure-performance correlation

EIS

  1. Charge-transfer resistance
  2. Interface evolution
  3. Diffusion behaviour
  4. Degradation analysis

XPS

  1. Surface chemical states
  2. Adsorbed species
  3. Interface reaction products
  4. Mechanism evidence

BET

  1. Surface area
  2. Pore-size distribution
  3. Sulfur accommodation
  4. Ion accessibility

GITT

  1. Quasi-equilibrium potentials
  2. Ion diffusion coefficients
  3. Kinetic limitation
  4. Rate design

HR-TEM

  1. Lattice imaging
  2. Particle and flake morphology
  3. Interface contact
  4. Composite validation

Materials

Material design experience

  • Porous carbon
  • Biomass-derived carbon
  • Metal oxides
  • Metal sulfides
  • Functional composites
  • Cathode materials
  • Separator coatings
  • Interlayers

Software

Scientific software and analysis tools

  • Origin
  • HighScore Plus
  • PDXL
  • Digital Micrograph
  • XPS Peak Analyser
  • FULLPROF
  • ImageJ
  • Mercury
  • Avogadro
  • Gaussian 16

Workflow

Where each capability is applied

The full materials-to-cell sequence, listed in order.

  1. 01

    Material Selection

    • Precursor screening
    • Earth-abundant chemistry
    • Biowaste precursors
    • Literature-led design
  2. 02

    Synthesis and Processing

    • Hydrothermal synthesis
    • Sol-gel synthesis
    • Chemical activation
    • Composite preparation
  3. 03

    Structural Characterisation

    • XRD
    • Rietveld refinement
    • Raman spectroscopy
    • TGA
  4. 04

    Surface and Interface Analysis

    • XPS
    • HR-TEM
    • EELS
    • FE-SEM
    • EDS
    • BET and pore-size analysis
  5. 05

    Electrode Fabrication

    • Slurry preparation
    • Coating and drying
    • Loading control
    • Separator functionalisation
  6. 06

    Coin-Cell Assembly

    • Glove-box handling
    • Electrolyte control
    • Interlayer integration
    • Cell sealing
  7. 07

    Electrochemical Evaluation

    • CV
    • GCD
    • EIS
    • GITT
    • Rate capability
    • Long-term cycling
  8. 08

    Post-Mortem Investigation

    • Controlled cell disassembly
    • Recovered-component imaging
    • Surface chemistry of cycled parts
  9. 09

    Mechanism Interpretation

    • Diffusion analysis
    • Polarisation analysis
    • Structure-performance correlation
  10. 10

    Performance Optimisation

    • Architecture refinement
    • Loading and electrolyte tuning
    • Design iteration