Mohit Saraf
Fulbright-Nehru Postdoctoral Research Fellowship
Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, India
Mohit Saraf in the Nanomaterials Group lab.
The Fulbright-Nehru Fellowship Program provides opportunities for highly talented Indian faculty and researchers in the early stages of their careers to strengthen their research capacities at U.S. institutions.
Please describe your research.
My research focuses on studying electrochemistry of MXenes and their heterostructures in water-in-salt electrolytes for electrochemical energy storage.
What brought you to Drexel to work on your research?
Drexel University is one of the leading universities in nanotechnology and materials research. MXenes, a novel family of two-dimensional (2D) materials, were discovered at Drexel University in 2011. These materials show exceptional properties which make them suitable for a variety of applications including electrochemical energy storage. During my PhD studies in 2016, I found these materials very interesting for my research and I wanted to learn the best practices for handling these materials. I asked Professor Gogotsi to host me and was fortunately accepted by his Nanomaterials Group, however, I couldn’t join his group at that time. Since then, we stayed in close communication, it wasn’t until last year, in April 2021, after significant delay due to COVID-19, that I arrived at Drexel as a Fulbright Fellow.
Tell us about something in your research work that you are particularly proud of/excited about.
I am super excited to explore MXenes, being the most talked about materials in the world at this time. Recently, a paradigm shift has been observed where MXenes are being studied in water-in-salt electrolytes. These electrolytes open new avenues in the field of electrochemical energy storage and I am proud of contributing to uncovering the hidden potential of MXenes. Moreover, I get a lot of opportunities to present at top conferences/seminars which allows me to grow professionally and expand my network.