Winter in Switzerland: Ms. Mejica's Research Stay at Empa

Glennise Faye C. Mejica, a Research Fellow (RF) III of the CIPHER project and a PhD Student Researcher of Empa's AURORA project with UP Diliman, visited the Laboratory for High Performance Ceramics at Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Switzerland from February 1, 2024, to March 29, 2024, for a two-month research stay. The Project AURORA, titled "Advanced Utilization and Research On Renewable Ammonia" is funded by the Research Partnership Grant ASEAN 2022 (RPG-ASEAN 2022), aiming to deepen the understanding and advance photoelectrochemical ammonia technology through comprehensive investigations on photoelectrocatalysts. It also supports the exchange of ideas and training on advanced instruments relevant to the study between researchers from the Philippines and Switzerland.

During Ms. Mejica’s stay, she conducted research on photoelectrocatalysis for nitrogen reduction reactions and received training on scientific instruments and apparatus pertinent to the study. She was mentored by Dr. Artur Braun, the Project Principal Investigator of Project AURORA.

Some highlights of the research stay include:

• Project AURORA meeting

• Conducting experiments on Photoelectrochemical Nitrogen Reduction Reaction (PEC-NRR)

• Developing copper oxide-based photocathodes and performing photoelectrochemical testing

• Visiting Casale, an ammonia company located in Lugano, Switzerland

• Visit of Prof. Joey D. Ocon, PhD at Empa

• Visit of Prof. Julie Anne Del Rosario-Paraggua, PhD, who delivered a talk at Empa

This research stay provided Ms. Mejica with invaluable opportunities to engage with researchers from diverse backgrounds and refine her skills and expertise. The experience significantly enhanced her capabilities in researching photoelectrochemicals for nitrogen reduction reactions within the scope of Project CIPHER and Project AURORA.

By: Glennise Faye C. Mejica, M.Eng.