
Bringing novel materials to the C2MCI
We were happy to be part of a very successful general meeting of the Carbon to Metal Coating Institute (C2MCI),
We were happy to be part of a very successful general meeting of the Carbon to Metal Coating Institute (C2MCI),
It’s a pleasure to announce that Subash Rajasekar, a post-doc that completed his PhD in a collaborative program between SFU
We welcome Daria Cirlan, an undergraduate student who is joining us via her NSERC USRA as the newest member of
Dr. Steven Holdcroft is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, Past-President of the Canadian Society for Chemistry (CSC), a Professor of Chemistry, and former Chair of the Department. He holds a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Electrochemical Materials.
He researches ionic polymers, electrochemistry, and fuel cell technology, and has authored/co-authored 300+ articles. He was the Technical Program Chair of Pacifichem 2010 and Pacifichem 2015. More recently, he was the Group Chair of NSERC’s Evaluation Group 1504 (Chemistry) and served on the Committee for Discovery Research reporting to the Vice President, Research NSERC.
He serves on the Editorial Advisory Board of the journals Chemistry of Materials (ACS) and Energy and Environmental Science (RSC). In 2018, he cofounded Ionomr Innovations Inc., a 25-person SFU spin-out commercializing electrochemical membranes for clean energy applications.
For services to the community, Dr. Holdcroft was awarded the Macromolecular Science and Engineering Division Award of the Chemical Institute of Canada (CIC) and is a recipient of the Canadian Society of Canada RioTinto Alcan Award for contributions to Inorganic chemistry or electrochemical research. In 2018, he received the Outstanding Alumni Award from his alma mater for Academic Achievement.
Hydroxide Ion-Conducting Polymers. The Holdcroft group synthesizes and studies hydroxide ion-conducting polymers for alkaline water electrolysis, fuel cells, and CO2 electrolysis.
We designed a new sub-class of polymers, C2-sterically-protected polybenzimidazoliums and polyimidazoliums, which are exceptionally stable under highly caustic conditions at elevated temperatures: J. Am. Chem. Soc. (2012), ACS Macro. Lett. (2014 & 2016), Angewandte Chemie (2016) & Nature Comm. (2019).
We are studying the synthesis of novel proton-containing polymers in order to further understand how polymer structure controls polymer morphology and how morphology facilitates ion-transport.
Our work focuses on multi-phenylated, sulfonated polyphenylenes, and a method to prepare highly controlled, reproducible polymers: J. Am. Chem. Soc. (2015), Angewandte Chemie (2017), Macromolecules (2019 & 2020).
The study of transport of ions, reactant gases, and water in solid polymer electrolytes is of great interest to us. Examples include correlations of proton and hydroxide ion conductivity as a function of water/ion ratio and as a function of membrane morphology, solid-state electrochemistry of dissolved oxygen at membrane/Pt interfaces, and systematic studies of adsorption and diffusion of water: J.Am.Chem.Soc. (2016), ACS Mater.Lett. (2019), J. Mem.Sci. (2019).
We design, fabricate, and analyze various types of electrochemical devices that utilize solid polymer electrolytes.
These include fuel cells, water electrolyzers, and CO2RR electrolyzers, with a focus on component and interfacial phenomenon, and an emphasis on novel materials based on non-fluorous polymeric membranes: J.Electrochem.Soc. (2020), J. Power Sources Adv. (2020), RSC Adv (2020), J. Mem. Sci., (2019), ACS Applied Energy Materials (2019), ChemElectroChem. (2020).
In 2016, with four group members, we founded Ionomr Innovations Inc. to scale up and commercialize hydrocarbon solid polymer electrolyte technology.
Today, this company employs more than 25 people, is central to many global research endeavors researching emerging clean energy technologies. Ionomr has received numerous national and international accolades (Coast Capital Venture Prize, 'Ready to Rocket' list, Hong Kong-Canada Venture Prize, Nouryon International Imagine Chemistry Prize, and the International Start Up Energy Transition (SET) Award.
The Holdcroft Group continues to study chemistry underpinning large scale polymer synthesis and membrane fabrication: Energy Environ. Sci. (2016), Macromolecules (2019 & 2020), J. Mem. Sci. (2020).
Our group has a long history researching π-conjugated polymers (πCPs), particularly their structure-function, solid state, chemically-amplified-, soft-, and, thermal-lithography, their photochemistry, and related macromolecular electronics.
We recently investigates the photoelectrochemistry of conjugated polymers, a concept we introduced in the 90’s and which has re-emerged under the topic, “solar fuels”: Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells (2019), Synthetic Metals (2019), & Can. J. Chem., 96 (2018).
Low-temperature polymer electrolyte-based devices that drive the electrochemical reduction of CO2 and CO towards value added products have become a staple in carbon utilization strategies worldwide. The emergence of novel, cheap catalyst materials and innovative cell designs have opened a pathway towards economic viability of these new kinds of electrolyzers which heavily rely on the performance and durability of the deployed polymer electrolytes.
Our established, highly conductive, and robust anion conducting and cation conducting polymers offer a unique materials platform that allows us to tune specific (transport/stability) polymer properties towards the requirements of these new devices. We study the fundamental processes at the electrode-electrolyte interface that determine the balance of reactants in the cathode catalyst layer, and design membrane-electrode-assemblies that enable efficient and stable CO2 electrolysis.
(Mardle, P.; Holdcroft, S; et al., J Phys. Chem. C. 2021, 125.)
Outstanding undergraduate students from Canada are encouraged to apply for an NSERC Undergraduate Research Award. SFU undergraduate students interested in developing their research skills in areas of polymer chemistry and/or electrochemistry should contact Dr. Steven Holdcroft regarding courses CHEM 481, 482, and 483.
Opportunities are available for exceptional, self-motivated students to enter the Ph.D. or M.Sc. program in the Department of Chemistry. Areas of research include the design, synthesis, study and implementation of electroactive, functional polymers and electrodes. Interested candidates are encouraged to submit a cover letter, CV and a copy of their transcripts to holdcrof@sfu.ca.
New postdoctoral positions become available from time-to-time. Applicants are expected to have expertise in either polymer chemistry, organic materials science, electrochemistry, synthetic organic chemistry. Interested applicants are encouraged to submit a cover letter, CV, and any other information that may be relevant, e.g., a sample publication, reference letters, to holdcrof@sfu.ca. Regrettably, due to the large volume of applications received, only exceptional candidates will be contacted.
Correspondence
Office: SSB 8102
Tel: (778) 782.4221
holdcrof@sfu.ca
Attn: Steven Holdcroft, Professor
Department of Chemistry
Simon Fraser University
8888 University Drive, Burnaby,
Greater Vancouver, BC
Canada V5A 1S6
Subash holds a master’s degree from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, India, specializing in metallic bipolar plates for PEM fuel cells.
He gained industry experience as a junior manager before pursuing a collaborative Ph.D. program between SFU and the Indian Oil Corporation. His research focuses on exploring different catalysts and ion exchange membranes for fuel cells, CO2 electrolysis, and electrolyzer applications.
Outside of his work, Subash enjoys traveling and exploring nature.
Daria is currently pursuing her B.Sc. in Chemistry and MBB at SFU. She studied HEK293T cells as part of her molecular biology research under Dr. Bingyun Sun.
Daria joined the lab as a USRA student, working on NHC polymers.
In her free time, you may find her exploring Vancouver or crocheting.
Franklin has a BSc in Chemistry from Michael Okpara University in Nigeria. He further obtained his MSc degree in chemistry at Illinois State University where he worked on designing metal nanoparticle/polymer nanocomposite as a stable and effective quasi-homogeneous catalyst in C-C bond-forming reactions.
He is currently studying the catalyst layers of proton exchange membrane water electrolysis with hydrocarbon ionomers and membranes synthesized in our lab.
In his free time, he enjoys playing ping pong and photographing picturesque landscapes.
Marina obtained her PhD from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in Germany, where she worked on the surface modification of graphite electrodes for lithium-ion batteries. During her PhD, she spent four months at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland, synthesising organic linkers for metal-organic frameworks.
She joined the group to pursue her interest in synthesising polymeric materials for electrochemical devices.
In her free time, she enjoys playing soccer, singing and making music.
Alessandra obtained her B.Sc. in Chemistry from the Federal University of São Paulo, Brazil, where she also got her M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Science – Chemistry. During her Ph.D., she did part of her studies at the University of Victoria, Canada.
Alessandra’s background is in luminescent polymers and materials, photochemistry, supramolecular systems, and material characterization.
In her free time Alessandra likes to dance ballet, hike, and enjoy new restaurants.
Chase obtained his B.Sc. from the University of Calgary developing CO2 photocatalysis, and later obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Saskatchewan studying and improving polymer solar cells.
His current research focuses on the development of polymers for a range of applications from ion-exchange membranes to corrosion prevention.
In his free time, you may find him climbing a mountain or cooking delicious food.
Ana Laura obtained her B.Sc. in Chemistry from the University of São Paulo, Brazil. She did part of her undergraduate studies at the Institut Polytechnique de Grenoble, France, where she had her first contact with electrochemistry. She has a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from the University of São Paulo with one year done at the University of Surrey, UK. She also did a 2 years post-doc at the Nuclear and Energy Research Institute (IPEN), Brazil, in collaboration with Shell.
Ana Laura has experience in membrane and ionomer synthesis (using radiation-induced grafting), materials characterization, and application in PEMFCs and AEMFCs.
During her free time, Ana Laura likes to travel, train BJJ, and enjoy nature.
Matthew received his Bachelor’s in Chemistry from the University of British Columbia Okanagan focusing on organic and analytical chemistry.
In his final year of studies, he worked for Progressive Planet Solutions Inc. furthering their pozzolanic cement development before transferring to InnoTech Alberta to join the Bio-Thermal Chemical Processing Team and assist on the development of electrochemical grade activated carbon products made from Canadian industrial waste for use in supercapacitors and lithium sulfur batteries. This project is now in the scale up phase and being prepared to launch to market.
In his free time you can find him out fly fishing and camping.
Torben joined the lab to add to the team currently working on CO2 electrolysis, following his PhD that he completed at the Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research in Stuttgart (Germany).
Torben’s background is in characterization and development of hydrocarbon ionomer membranes for PEMFC and PEMWE application, focusing on their balance of properties to combine high performance and durability.
His broader interest lies in functional polymeric materials, electrochemistry, and the renewable energy economy.
Jacob Ronen Keffer obtained his B.Sc. in Chemistry from McMaster University, in Hamilton, Ontario. He worked with Dr. Gillian Goward’s group, using solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance to study sodium-ion battery cathodes.
He is now pursuing his Master’s in Chemistry and is focusing on carbon dioxide reduction. He hopes to apply solid-state NMR methods to polymer membranes.
In his free time, Jacob has been exploring Vancouver and loves hiking, skiing, biking and wants to explore camping and climbing.
Kate has an MChem from Lancaster University in the UK, with her research focussed upon developing small molecules for solar thermal fuels.
She moved to SFU for a PhD and is currently interested in developing structure – property relationships of poly(imidazolium)s for anion exchange membranes.
In her free time, Kate likes to be exploring BC on her bike or hiking up the mountains.
Binyu graduated with a B. Eng. in Chemical Engineering from East China University of Science and Technology and a M. Sc in Chemistry from Memorial University of Newfoundland.
Before joining Dr. Holdcroft’s group, he worked on developing more efficient anode catalysts for direct ethanol fuel cells.
Now, he starts to study the water electrolysis on our anion exchange membrane (HMT-PMBI). In his free time, you may find him in the gym.
Sidney is a first year graduate student in the Holdcroft Lab interested in characterizing the ionic conductivity and permselectivity on anion exchange membranes.
She received a B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Waterloo in 2017 where she worked in Jean Duhamel’s lab during her thesis project and proved the ability of using Model Free Analysis (MFA).
In her spare time, Sidney enjoys playing piano, skiing and is a food lover.
Emmanuel got his bachelors degree in Engineering Physics at Obafemi Awolowo University, his research focus was on Dye Sensitised Solar Cells (DSSC).
He went on to work in the industry for two years before obtaining his M.Sc degree in Electrical Engineering at the University of Cape Town focusing on PFSA catalyst coated membranes for PEMFC performance enhancement.
Emmanuel is a huge lover of nature and wildlife photography and in his spare time likes to teach life skills to kids.
Apurva is a visiting research student in Holdcroft’s group.
She completed her MSc in Energy Science from IIT Bombay, her masters project focused on the mechanism(s) of hydrogen sorption in metal hydrides. Currently she is continuing her PhD at IIT Bombay.
Her current research project in Holdcroft’s group focuses on the analysis of transport properties in ion exchange membranes.
Apurva loves to paint in her spare time and is fond of Madhubani paintings.