Haider Iftikhar, visiting PhD student from Aalto University

Haider will work together with Magnus Norgren and Christina Dahlström and researchers of the group of Surface and colloid Engineering.

We wish him welcome and hope he will enjoy working with us. Read more in his presentation below.

I am a visiting PhD student, from Aalto University’s School of Chemical Engineering, Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems. The area of my research is investigating alternative renewable energy harvesting methodologies. One of which is researching novel electrolytes for dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), for better efficiency, higher stability, and low-cost development. Another is utilizing recyclable wood based biodegradable materials such as cellulose and its derivatives to produce triboelectric nano-generators (TENG), that can produce cleaner electrical power with close to zero carbon footprint. In all, both the fields are extremely interesting and necessary for our fast-moving technology centric world, driven with the high consumption of electrical energy, which is why I am studying them in my doctoral studies.

I am visiting Mid-Sweden University and the Department of Chemical Engineering at FSCN research centre for 6 months PhD mobility, I came here to be part of the already ongoing innovative research conducted by the personnel of FSCN on TENG and related cellulosic materials. I have admired the work done here for quite some time now and always thought of what it would be to actually work here? Well now I am here, and I am amazed. The application of cellulosic materials in tribology here is not only inspiring but very impactful as well. During my time here I hope to collaborate as much as possible with the knowledge I have gained on TENG and to learn and implement the techniques practiced here. I am working under the extremely capable leadership of Professor Magnus Norgren and Associate Professor Christina Dahlström along with the rest of their colleagues. I am very interested in researching various cellulosic materials that can be efficiently applied in TENG to improve their output capacity and lifetime.

While working here for a couple of weeks I have already learnt many new avenues and exciting techniques that are very relevant to my work in general and overall. I feel right at home in Mid-Sweden University as though I never left Aalto to begin with, and I am looking forward to the rest of my mobility with the same fervor.