Graduation 2020
Distinction for first Electrolyser Research Group master’s graduate
11 December 2020 | Story Helen Swingler. Photo Michael Hammond. Read time 7 min.
“It makes me feel incredible,” Ziba Rajan said, describing her emotions on the eve of something special. The University of Cape Town (UCT) postgraduate is not only thrilled to be the first master’s graduate from the Electrolyser Research Group but delighted that she will receive her degree cum laude.
Ziba, who is from Kenya, is one of hundreds of students who will graduate virtually on 15 December, after live ceremonies were halted to prevent COVID-19 transmission. This is one of two virtual graduation celebratory events, a first for the university. The other will be held on 14 December.
The Electrolyser Research Group is part of the HySA Catalysis Competence Centre, hosted by UCT’s Institute for Catalysis Research, in the Department of Chemical Engineering; and Mintek, South Africa’s national mineral research organisation. HySA Catalysis is one of three national Centres of Competence with the mandate to develop materials, components and units in the early part of the fuel cell and hydrogen-generation value chain.
Sustainable world
Spurred by her master’s work, Ziba has registered for a PhD in the group, which is focused on developing advanced electrolyser catalyst materials for hydrogen production. Electrolysers are devices that convert electrical energy into chemical energy in the form of oxygen and hydrogen. When the electrical energy is derived from renewable sources, such as wind and solar, the hydrogen produced can be used as a potential clean energy carrier to replace fossil fuels and help to decarbonise the global economy.
She said that she’d been engrossed by her master’s project, titled “Iridium oxide supported on antimony-doped tin oxide as an electrocatalyst for the oxygen evolution reaction”. Iridium is described as a hard, brittle, transition metal of the platinum group and considered to be the second-densest metal. Oxygen evolution is the process of generating molecular oxygen by a chemical reaction, usually from water.
While electrolysis technology holds hope for a more sustainable world, commercialising the technology is restricted by the large capital costs associated with its components, Ziba said.
Novel contributions
Her work made some interesting and novel contributions to the field. As a result, she was able to publish these in a prestigious journal earlier this year.
“I set out to develop a method to synthesise highly active and durable oxide-supported iridium oxide catalysts for oxygen evolution in proton exchange water electrolysis using an organometallic chemical deposition technique,” she explained.
“The work demonstrated that it is possible to make supported catalysts with interfaces that are engineered towards making the best of the rare and expensive noble metals used to make these materials.”
“The very first career I seriously considered was as an astronaut.”
Noble metals are metallic elements that are highly resistant to chemical attack – even at high temperatures. They are also well known for their catalytic properties.
“The material I made in my master’s was able to catalyse the oxygen evolution reaction using 80% less iridium than the state-of-the-art commercial benchmark, with five times higher activity and comparable durability.”
“Our group focuses on the development of high-performance catalysts and electrodes using as little noble metal as possible. Development in this work can make huge strides towards affordable electrolyser components – and commercialisation.”
Ziba is also the president of the Electrochemical Society Student Chapter at UCT. She’s always been drawn to science, she said.
“The very first career I seriously considered was as an astronaut; soon after, a geologist and then, like many people, a brief period wanting to be a medical doctor.”
A cousin studying electrical engineering introduced her to chemical engineering. He’d guessed she might be interested.
“I looked up what chemical engineering was, and the rest is history.”
Designing catalytic chemicals
She did her undergrad at UCT (2014 to 2017), attracted by its “stellar reputation” and affordable fees in comparison to other world-class international universities. But during her undergrad years Ziba began developing her own interests: reaction engineering and designing catalytic materials to make chemical processes more efficient.
“My final-year thesis was in the catalysis research niche, and this propelled me to an MSc in the design of catalysts for water electrolysis,” she said.
She was supervised by the Electrolyser Research Group’s Dr Rhiyaad Mohamed and Dr Tobias Binninger of the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique in France.
Ziba’s PhD will expand on her master’s findings and explore new facets of the field. She hopes to create new knowledge that will foster the systematic development and design of outstanding oxygen evolution catalysts.
“I can have all my friends and family watching the ceremony online, at the same time.”
“We have some exciting work planned; this involves the use of advanced methods that are used predominantly in solid-state physics.”
Like many, she will be graduating in unusual circumstances thanks to COVID-19. But there is a bright side – and she has a plan to celebrate.
“The one positive thing to come from all of this is that I don’t have to figure out who to give the usual two tickets to! I can have all my friends and family watching the ceremony online, at the same time. I have a small dinner planned afterwards, just to celebrate this amazing moment.”
The last word comes from her supervisor, Dr Mohamed: “Ziba never ceases to amaze me. Her energy and enthusiasm for her work is unrivalled. It has been a pleasure to work with her, and I look forward to continuing the journey. Congratulations on this incredible achievement!”
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Graduation 2020
We understand the disappointment that our students and their families feel about the impact that the global pandemic has had on the normal operations for graduation ceremonies. Please know that the decision to host virtual graduation celebratory events was not taken lightly. We congratulate the March and December 2020 graduates on their academic success during an exceptionally challenging year.
The March 2020 Senate List of Qualifiers was approved at the beginning of March and everyone on that list had technically already graduated in absentia with a confer date of 19 March 2020. The celebratory event video was made available online at 18:00 on Monday, 14 December to honour the March 2020 graduates.
The December 2020 graduands have graduated during the virtual graduation celebratory event at 18:00 on Tuesday, 15 December 2020.
Find full information, including Frequently Asked Questions, on the Graduation page on the Students website. You can also follow the celebrations on UCT’s Twitter page and the #UCTGrad2020 hashtag.
The December graduation season has seen the University of Cape Town (UCT) exploring uncharted territory, with thousands of graduates being honoured in virtual graduation celebratory events – the first of their kind for the university since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
08 Feb 2021
Siphokazi Jonas is one of the most prolific spoken word poets in South Africa, and her work has travelled nationally and internationally. An alumnus of UCT, Siphokazi writes and performs this poem that speaks to the challenge of graduating under the shadow of a changing global experience.
14 Dec 2020Videos – 15 December virtual graduation celebratory event
The University of Cape Town (UCT) deans congratulate the March and December 2020 graduates on their academic success during an exceptionally challenging year and wish them well in their future endeavours.
15 Dec 2020
Videos – 14 December celebratory event for March graduates
Your names
The names of all of the 2020 graduates and graduands can be found in the ceremony programme PDFs. The names of all of the March 2020 graduates are accessible in the March programme PDFs that you can find through the index: just click through the March index to find your graduation ceremony group PDF. The names of all of the December 2020 graduands are accessible in the one December ceremony programme PDF.
Your photos
Graduates and graduands were invited to submit photos for publication as part of the 2020 celebrations. If you submitted a photo, you will find it in the gallery collections, divided into the March and December cohorts.
Our stories: inspirational graduates
The UCT News team has profiled a cross-section of inspirational graduands and graduates whose stories inspired us. To all those we haven’t been able to feature, we’d like to say: each one of you is an inspiration – to your university, your families and your communities. We wish you every success in the future.
December
March
#UCTGrad2020 – social media elements
Customised Facebook frames and Instagram stickers are now available on those social media platforms. Watch the tutorial videos here to see how easily you can get your online presence ready to celebrate during the virtual events.
