RESEARCH INTERESTS

Professor Forsyth’s research interests all revolve around electromaterials science and most research activities fall within the recently awarded ARC Australian Centre of Excellence in Electromaterials Science (ACES). Some of her specific research areas include:

Solid Electrolytes: Polymer electrolytes, composite electrolytes (ceramic filled polymer electrolytes), gel electrolytes and ionic liquid electrolytes have applications in the fields of battery and capacitor technologies, electrochromic windows, actuators and solar cells. More recently a new exciting class of electrolytes based on plastic crystals (disordered crystals) has been developed in our group and this holds promise for high lithium ion conduction in a solid phase. We have also recently begun working on novel single ion conducting gel electrolytes and have found the addition of zwitterionic compounds enhance ion dissociation as well as lithium ion transport. Understanding the structure-property relationships in these technologically important materials using various spectroscopic and simulation techniques, and thereby developing new electrolytes is of major interest in this area.

• Control of Electrochemical processes at electrode/electrolyte interfaces: Chemical treatment of reactive metals such as Li, Mg alloys, and Al alloys with ionic liquids or rare earth compounds can lead to the development of an interfacial layer that controls electron and ion transport to/from the metal interface and hence controls the electrochemical reactions. This has an impact on device performance as well as corrosion mitigation. A suite of surface characterization techniques (FTIR, micro-raman, LEIS, XPS and electron microscopy) together with electrochemical measurements, are used to determine the nature of the interfacial layer in order to understand how we can design the chemistry and processing to optimize performance.
• NMR characterization of materials (particularly transport in polymers and electrolytes). Using field gradient techniques to measure diffusion in materials. Her group has a state of the art Solid State NMR instrument and includes variable temperature MAS and a gradient system delivering up to 1800G/cm to measure variable temperature diffusion coefficients in solids.
• Corrosion Monitoring in Concrete Structures: This research area is of key importance in assisting industry/structure owners to reach an understanding of the residual life of a structure as well as to determine the efficacy of various treatment processes. The work is being carried out in collaboration with industry partners and involves both field trials in addition to the laboratory research.
• Green Corrosion Inhibitors: The development of environmentally friendly inhibitors based on a synergy between inorganic rare earth metal cations and organic inhibitors such as those based on carboxylates, amines and triazoles. This work is in collaboration with Prof. Glen Deacon in the department of chemistry (Monash University). The mechanism of corrosion inhibition of these new compounds is being explored using electrochemical and surface analysis techniques. Some of these inhibitor compounds have low solubility and show good potential for use in coatings. We are currently developing a program for AA2024 aluminium alloy coated with epoxy containing REM compounds together with DSTO and CSIRO (CMIT).

  http://www.chem.monash.edu.au/ionicliquids/index.html

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