When it comes to alternative energy solutions, many researchers are looking to fuel cells as a promising solution. With high theoretical efficiency levels and their environmentally friendly qualities, fuel cells could be an answer to both the energy crisis and climate issues. However, researchers are still looking at how to build a fuel cell so that it is not only efficient, but also cost effective.

Sadia Kabir, ECS student member and PhD student at the University of New Mexico, recently published a paper in the Journal of The Electrochemical Society detailing her novel work on graphene-supported catalysts for fuel cells. Kabir is moving from theory to proof with her new research, showcasing an efficient and economically viable fuel cell.

The research was compiled by an interdisciplinary team with representatives from the University of New Mexico, University of Portiers, and Franunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology.

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Every year, around 60 percent of the energy produced in the United States is wasted. With a heavy reliance on traditional combustion cycles and the burning of fossil fuels, an astronomical amount of potentially usable energy dissipates into the environment as waste. However, there may be a way to harvest that waste energy without drastically changing the energy infrastructure.

Jaeho Lee, assistant professor at the University of California, Irvine and ECS member, recently presented a paper at the 228th ECS Meeting on the thermal transport in nanostructures targeting the applications of thermoelectric energy conversion. This innovative technology has the potential to be applied to the current energy infrastructure in an effort to harvest a percentage of the wasted energy.

“Thermoelectrics could allow us to harvest waste heat in any form,” says Lee. “We could talk about large-scale waste heat from factory combustion cycles, but it could also be as small as something we generate from our bodies.”

Thermoelectric Potential

Thermal energies exist everywhere. By harvesting waste energy, researchers are taking a complementary step toward a more sustainable energy infrastructure.

“Globally, we’re consuming a lot of energy,” says Lee. “The world population is continuously increasing. Not only that, our energy consumption rate is increasing.”

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With the fifth international Electrochemical Energy Summit and the ECS Lecture by Adam Heller, the  228th ECS Meeting is poised to be one of our most significant programs in the history of the Society. While Heller’s contributions to science are well known—from lithium batteries to biomedical engineering to photoelectrochemistry—his connects to ECS may not be as familiar, but nonetheless run deep.

Notably, this is not the first lecture delivered by Heller at an ECS meeting. During the 180th ECS Meeting in 1991, Heller delivered one of four ECS lectures entitled “On the Impact of Electrochemistry on Biomedicine and the Environment.” Now, 28 years later Heller will be delivering yet another lecture at the 228th ECS Meeting in the same location as the 180th. With his scientific themes transcending the years, his lecture this year is entitled “Wealth, Global Warming and Geoengineering.”

Over 50 Years of Innovation

Aside from delivering the much anticipated ECS Lecture at the 228th ECS Meeting, Heller will also be accepting the Heinz Gerischer Award for his fundamental and applied contributions to electrochemistry and its uses. This award is especially significant due to the connection between Heller and Gerischer.

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A nationwide outbreak of Salmonella-tainted cucumbers has afflicted states with increased illnesses and hospitalizations. While the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has determined the source and cause of the outbreak, the damage has been done, and the case count is expected to rise in spite of the recent recall. Many are now asking the question: how can we better control food safety?

Shin Horikawa and his team at Auburn University believe their novel biosensor technology could resolve many of the current issues surrounding the spread of foodborne illnesses. As the principal scientist for a concept hand-picked for the FDA’s Food Safety Challenge, Horikawa is looking to make pathogen detection faster, more specific, and cheaper.

Faster, Cheaper, Smarter

“The current technology to detect Salmonella takes a really long time, from a few days to weeks. Our first priority is to shorten this detection time. That’s why we came up with a biosensor-based detection method,” says Horikawa, Postdoctoral researcher at Auburn University and member of ECS.

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Research out of the Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS) has yielded a novel micro-supercapacitor that has reportedly reached an energy density 1,000 times greater than current electrochemical capacitors.

This unmatched energy storage performance was made possible through a new electrode, producing density levels comparable to that of current lithium-ion micro-batteries.

Applications of this new technology could range from small electronics to autonomous sensor networks, opening the door to better water quality and air pollution monitoring.

“The extent of the electrode’s surface and the presence of pores of various sizes are key to a large storage capacity. We designed this new 3D electrode using an electrochemical process to synthesize a very porous gold structure. Ruthenium oxide, a pseudocapacitative material featuring high electrical conductivity and very good cyclability, was then inserted into the structure, resulting in unsurpassed energy density. For this type of application, component sizes are reduced to a few square millimeters, making it possible to use such expensive materials,” said Daniel Guay, ECS member and co-author of the study.

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Eric Schindelholz of Sandia National Laboratory will be awarded the ECS Corrosion Division Morris Cohen Graduate Student Award at the upcoming 228th ECS Meeting for his contributions to methods for the study of atmospheric corrosion and his insights into the fundamentals and the factors controlling surface wetness and the carrion of steel.

In light of receiving the award, Schindelholz was able to sit down with local news station KOAT to talk about his work on such projects as the preservation of the Statue of Liberty and historic Pearl Harbor ships.

Learn more about his research at the 228th ECS Meeting and take a look at his scheduled talk, “Impact of Salt Deliquescence on the Humidity-Dependence of Atmospheric Corrosion.”

Congratulations to Indiana University Student Chapter for being named ECS’s Outstanding Student Chapter for 2015.

The ECS Outstanding Student Chapter Award was established in 2012 to recognize distinguished student chapters that demonstrate active participation in The Electrochemical Society’s technical activities, establish community and outreach activities in the areas of electrochemical and solid state science and engineering education, and create and maintain a robust membership base.

With a competitive applicant pool this year, the student chapter at Indiana University truly demonstrated how they live out the mission of ECS within their community. As highlighted in their application, “Indiana University’s ECS Student Chapter is dedicated to the promotion of electrochemical and solid state science among three demographics: the general community, the general undergraduate and graduate student body at Indiana University, and the student ECS members.”

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We have created a special opportunity for student members at the 228^th ECS Meeting in Phoenix.

In the exhibit hall we have a booth which we are calling the Edison Theatre. Here we would like to give you the chance to:

• demonstrate a portion of the research you have been working on
• share projects you are taking to elementary and middle schools or community events
• share projects you are working on with peers or cohorts within your academic setting

This is meant to be a “show and tell.” Your presentation can be anywhere from 10-15 minutes long. You can do it once or multiple times during exhibit hours. We’ll be happy to help you with your demonstration.

Here’s a piece of a video that takes a quick look at Mike Zach at the Edison Theatre from the 227th ECS Meeting in Chicago:

We are scheduling slots in the Theatre on a first come first served basis. We would like to book them as soon as possible so we can start promoting them.

We hope you want to take this opportunity to show off you and your chapter’s hard work.

Contact Rob.Gerth@electrochem.org if you’re interested.

ECS’s Nate Lewis is propelling his vision of efficient and affordable alternative energy sources with the new development of an “artificial leaf” system that splits water through solar energy to create hydrogen fuel.

(PS: Make sure to catch Nate Lewis’ presentation this October at the fifth international Electrochemical Energy Summit held during the 228th ECS Meeting!)

“This new system shatters all of the combined safety, performance, and stability records for artificial leaf technology by factors of 5 to 10 or more,” says Lewis, a 33-year ECS member and scientific director of the Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis.

Shattering Water Splitting Records

He and his team, including postdoctoral scholar and ECS member Ke Sun, were able to achieve recording-setting outcomes through the development of a advice with three novel components: two electrodes, one photoanode and one photocathode, and a membrane.

This from Futurity:

The photoanode uses sunlight to oxidize water molecules, generating protons and electrons as well as oxygen gas. The photocathode recombines the protons and electrons to form hydrogen gas.

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ECS’s job board keeps you up-to-date with the latest career opportunities in electrochemical and solid state science. Check out the latest openings that have been added to the board.

P.S. Employers can post open positions for free!

Electroanalytical Sales Scientist
Pine Research Instrumentation – Durham, NC
The position encompasses critical aspects of sales and support for the electrochemical instrumentation product line offered by Pine Research Instrumentation. This position couples deep understanding of electrochemical science with the ability to communicate and interact with other people. Successful individuals in this position enjoy the unique chance to blend interpersonal skills (for sales and marketing purposes) with scientific knowledge (for technical support and advice).

PhD Student in Electrochemical Conversion of Biomass
Ohio University – Athens, OH
The Center for Electrochemical Engineering Research (CEER) at Ohio University is searching for PhD students to join a team of researchers working on electrochemical conversion of biomass. The successful candidate will develop materials and processes for electrochemical conversion of biomass to fuels and industrial chemicals, including developing electrocatalysts and reactor systems. Product stream analysis is an integral component of this program.

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