My thesis is nearly all done. Out of a total of eight chapters, four have been written. Out of these four, one needs major revisions, the other, minor. Of the remaining four, the conclusion is half written, and the introduction and materials chapters are the easiest yet to write. The final outstanding chapter is another results chapter, based on a "last experiment." For me, this is the most difficult part of the entire PhD experience.
The difficulty is compounded by the demand that the experiment be something unique and original that hasn't already been done. This is not at all easy when you have only two and a half months left of funding, and three months left on the student visa (and a supervisor who is less than helpful sometimes and seemingly always on holiday). One experiment has undergone four attempts, but the materials that are the subject of the study are just not robust enough on their own to get reliable, consistent results. Conducting polymers are fickle. Adding to the frustration is sloppy software on some of the characterization equipment. (If there are overt software bugs, can you truly trust your data given that there may very well be covert bugs, too?)
If the data analysis suggested by my supervisor shows crap again, then I am going to drop that experiment and try another. Last night I went into the lab and got started, and I think the samples I made are pretty good. If it really turns out that way, then I will do electrical characterization (first on dry samples, then with hydration and added chemicals) as well as electron and optical microscopy. I think tensile testing of soft materials sucks, so I'll stay away from that. (There are still too many engineering problems to be resolved for tensile testing soft materials: like how do you tightly clamp wet hydrogels and not get slippage or damage the material? I don't have time do solve this engineering problem, as my PhD will be in chemistry.)
All I need is for one last experiment to work and give me some good results. If my latest idea does not work, then I have to keep cycling through ideas until I get something that does work...and I have just under three months max in which to do it.
