Pulling out a Au electrodeposition sample

Author: Ashlyn DesCarpentrie | Major: Chemistry | Semester: Fall 2022

My name is Ashlyn DesCarpentrie, and I’m a senior undergraduate majoring in Chemistry with minors in Mathematics and Biology. With the help of the Honors College Research Grant, I’ve been conducting research in Dr. Robert Coridan’s materials science group in the Chemistry & Biochemistry Department of Fulbright College.

My mentor, Dr. Coridan, was my professor for Chemistry II for Majors during spring of my freshman year. I really enjoyed having him as a professor, and I became interested in his group’s research after hearing him talk about it in class. During my sophomore year, I reached out to him to see if there were openings in his lab for undergraduates. Dr. Coridan gave me a tour of the different projects his students were working on and the different equipment they had available to see what piqued my interest. I ended up settling into work involving electrodeposition under the guidance of a graduate student, which led to the development of my thesis project.

The overall aim of my project is to develop a method of patterning gold (Au) that is cheaper and more efficient than the conventionally used photolithography. Micropatterned Au has a variety of applications in microelectronics, electrocatalysts, miniaturized antennae, etc., but not all of these applications justify the complicated, expensive, and time-consuming process of photolithography. In previous research, our group developed a method of electrodepositing Au onto a patterned, photodoped cuprous oxide (Cu₂O) film, resulting in a Au pattern. The problem is that for the Au pattern to be useful, it can’t be on a conductive substrate like the Cu₂O electrode. My specific goal is to isolate the Au pattern from the Cu₂O electrode so that it can be transferred to a more useful substrate (ex. a silicon wafer), while maintaining the pattern’s integrity.

My past year of funded research has been fun, enlightening, and frustrating at times. My main goals for 2022 were to master Cu₂O and subsequent Au electrodeposition, find a solution that completely etches Cu₂O while leaving Au, and to synthesize a hydrogel that allows the etchant through to the Cu₂O while adhering to the intact Au. The results so far have been a little unorthodox. I discovered that the best stencil for selectively depositing Au onto the Cu­₂O electrode is neon green nail polish. I learned that the best hydrogel stamp for etching Cu₂O while leaving Au is not one that I can make myself; it’s a burn bandage from Target. Besides learning electrodeposition techniques, I’ve also had the opportunity of learning how to use interesting instruments like the UV-Vis, and to work on side projects like a developing a machine-learning program for predicting refractive properties of materials developed in our lab.

My research experiences have taught me that chemistry is not all about mysterious green liquids in beakers, perfect precision, and the occasional explosion. It’s also about thinking outside the box and combining the new and the old to develop an innovative method for addressing the world’s needs. This valuable time in the lab has led me to pursue a career in research. For my next steps, I am applying to a PhD program to continue my education in chemistry.