First Day in the Lab

Today we had an orientation to the lab and the equipment we will be working with.  Two post doc students we will be working with, Eduardo and Rodrigo, walked us through the use of the AutoLab machine.  The learning was intense but they speak English very well so we were able to communicate effectively.

We are working with an electrochemical cell that contains three electrodes.  By switching out the compound of one of the electrodes a different graph of the oxidation and reduction that was occurring can be seen.  Some compounds produce faster results than others but the cost of the material used is a factor as well.  The ultimate goal of this research as a whole is to develop a more economical solar cell compared to the ones currently available.

Tomorrow we hope to actually start doing some of our own research.