After a several year hiatus, the Chicago Section began the revitalization process in April 2015. Leading the effort in reengaging section members and activity are Alan Zdunek and Jordi Cabana from the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) and Eungje Lee and Arturo Gutierrez from Argonne National Laboratory (ANL). They will serve as the interim executive board for the coming year.

A kick-off meeting/social reception is planned during the ECS 227th Meeting in Chicago, IL on Monday, May 25th from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., immediately following The ECS Lecture at the plenary. The reception will be jointly hosted by the Chicago Section, the Joint Center for Energy Storage Research (JCESR) and the Center for Electrochemical Energy Science (CEES) and the Chemical Sciences and Engineering Division at Argonne National Laboratory.

All ECS members are invited to participate in the event to learn more about future Chicago Section events and the program highlights from JCESR and CEES.

For more information contact, Interim Chair, Alan Zdunek, at zdunek@uic.edu.

Logan Streu, ECS Content Associate & Assistant to the CCO, recently spotted an article out of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory detailing a new type of graphene aerogel that could improve energy storage, sensors, nanoelectronics, catalysis, and separations.

The researchers are creating graphene aerogel microlattics through a 3D printing process known as direct ink wetting.

This from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory:

The 3D printed graphene aerogels have high surface area, excellent electrical conductivity, are lightweight, have mechanical stiffness and exhibit supercompressibility (up to 90 percent compressive strain). In addition, the 3D printed graphene aerogel microlattices show an order of magnitude improvement over bulk graphene materials and much better mass transport.

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Chemical phase map showing how the electrochemical discharge of iron fluoride microwires proceeded from 0 percent discharge (left), to 50 percent (middle), to 95 percent.
Source: AZO Materials

ECS student member Linsen Li, along with former member Song Jin, have recently completed the first part of their study focusing on the powerful potential of iron fluoride in lithium-ion batteries, which can improve energy storage.

“In the past, we weren’t able to truly understand what is happening to iron fluoride during battery reactions because other battery components were getting in the way of getting a precise image,” said Linsen Li, graduate student and research assistant at the University of Wisconsin – Madison.

This development will likely impact energy storage and could, in the future, advance large-scale renewable energy storage technologies if the researchers can maximize the cycling performance and efficiency of the low-cost fluoride lithium-ion battery materials.

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Thousands of scientific leaders from around the world
will gather this spring in Chicago for the 227th ECS Meeting.

Over 50 topical symposia consisting of over 2,000 technical presentations, full-day short courses, professional development workshops, career opportunities, poster sessions, a dynamic technical exhibit and the 3rd Free the Science 5K Run. The 227th ECS Meeting is expected to attract over 2,000 scientists and engineers from industry, government, and academic institutions.

The ECS Lecture
“Hydrogen from Photoelectrochemical
Water Splitting – What’s it gonna’ take?”
John A. Turner studied under Fred Anson and Heinz Gerischer. He joined the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in 1979 and began his work on photoelectrochemical water splitting for hydrogen production.

Society Award
The first ever Allen J. Bard Award will be presented along with the Gordon E. Moore Medal for Outstanding Achievement in Solid State Science and Technology.

Register for the meeting by Friday
and get a discount on your hotel room too!

PS: There is sill time to join us as an exhibitor or sponsor.
Contact dan.fatton@electrochem.org for further information.

Opening of the ECS Korea Section-KIST Joint Symposium on Electrochemical CO₂ Conversion in Gwangju, South Korea.

The Korea Section Symposium (Organizers: Prof. Yung-Eun Sung, Prof. Soo-Kil Kim and Dr. Byoung Koun Min) was held on April 2, 2015 at the Kimdaejung Convention Center in Gwangju, Korea.

This year, the event was held as a Joint Symposium with the Korea Institute of Science and Technology, with the title “ECS Korea Section-KIST Joint Symposium on Electrochemical CO₂ Conversion.” It was composed of seven talks on electrocatalysts and systems for electrochemical reduction of CO₂.

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Deadline for Submitting Abstracts
May 1, 2015

Submit today!

You won’t want to miss the

– Electrochemical Energy Summit 2015 –

Theme: Solar Critical Issues and Renewable Energy

Held during the 228th ECS Meeting, the fifth international ECS Electrochemical Energy Summit is designed to foster an exchange between leading policy makers and energy experts about society needs and technological energy solutions.

Participants

• Fluid Interface Reactions, Structures, and Transport Center (FIRST)
  David Wesolowski, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
• NorthEast Center for Chemical Energy Storage (NECCES)
  M. Stanley Whittingham, Binghamton University
• Center for Mesoscale Transport Properties (m2m)
  Esther Takeuchi, Stony Brook University
• Nanostructures for Electrical Energy Storage (NEES)
  Gary Rubloff, University of Maryland
• Center for Electrochemical Energy Science (CEES)
  Paul Fenter, Argonne National Laboratory
• Joint Center for Energy Storage Research (JCESR)
  George Crabtree, Director
• Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis (JCAP)
  Harry Atwater, Director

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What better day than Earth Day to highlight the work of ECS member Luke Haverhals, an assistant professor at Bradley University working in novel types of energy storage and conversion through the utilization of renewable, sustainable substrates such as hemp, wood, and silk.

Haverhals is a former student of current ECS 3rd Vice-President Johna Leddy. Since departing from Leddy and the University of Iowa, Haverhals has worked in an area focused on wielding natural fibers using ionic liquids (i.e. enhanced energy conversion devices).

Ionic liquids have been gaining much notoriety lately, with potential game changing electrolytes for energy conversion devices ranging from batteries to fuel cells.

Make sure to join Haverhals and other scientists pioneering world-changing research by joining ECS today and attending our upcoming scientific meeting!

The modern environmental movement was born 45 years ago today. A small group of twenty-somethings with a passion for the environment rallied together to create a more earth-conscious society, establishing what has become known as Earth Day.

The original Earth Day focused primarily on the pollution issue, but this year’s Earth Day is heavily directed towards climate change and the energy infrastructure.

While there may be a war on science happening with people and politicians alike dismissing climate change as mere myth, scientists conducting research in the field state that evidence for warming of the climate system is unequivocal.

When looking at climate change on a global level, the numbers speak for themselves.

• Carbon dioxide levels are at their highest in 650,000 years
• Nine of the 10 warmest years on record have occurred since 2000
• Land ice is dropping by 258 billion metric tons per year
• Sea levels have risen nearly 7” over the past 100 years

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ECS will be offering three Short Courses at the 227th ECS Meeting this May in Chicago. Taught by industry experts, the small class size makes for an excellent opportunity for personalized instruction helping both novices and experts advance their technical expertise and knowledge.

Register online today!

Short Course #1
Nanotechnology for Bioenergy: Biofuels to Fuel Cells
Shelley D. Minteer, Instructor

This course is perfect for those with an interest in biofuels and renewable energy. Attendees can expect to learn about the production and use of biofuels, the advances in synthetic biology that have improved biofuel production, advance sin ananotechnology that have improved electrochemical biofuel production, electrochemical uses of biofuel, and more—including fuel cells, enzmatic biofuel cells, and microbial biofuel cells. Read more.

About the Instructor
Dr. Shelley D. Minteer is most well known for her contributions to the use of catalytic cascades for anodic electrocatlaysis. In 2003, Professor Minteer co-founded Akermin, Inc. with her previous graduate student, which has focused on the commercialization of her biofuel cell technology and has moved on to carbon capture technology. Her roles with ECS have included: Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary-Treasurer, and Member-at-Large of the Physical and Analytical Electrochemistry Division, as well as being a member of multiple other Society committees. She is currently the technical editor for the Journal of The Electrochemical Society and ECS Electrochemistry Letters.

LIVE WEBCAST: April 30th at 5:00pm
Find out more and register today!

Flow Batteries for Grid-Scale Energy Storage
Large-scale energy storage is required to meet a multitude of current energy challenges. These challenges include modernizing the grid, incorporating intermittent renewable energy sources (so as to dispatch continuous electrical energy), improving the efficiency of electricity transmission and distribution, and providing flexibility of storage independent of geographical and geological location. Read more.

How to Publish in ECS Journals
ECS publications span the entire subject area of electrochemistry and solid-state science. The Society publishes peer-reviewed technical journals, proceedings, monographs, conference abstracts, and a quarterly news magazine. The Society’s oldest title, Journal of The Electrochemical Society, has been in continuous publication since the Society’s founding in 1902.

Presented by Robert F. Savinell
Editor of the Journal of the Electrochemical Society and ECS Electrochemistry Letters.

ECS Student Member Benefits, Awards, and Travel Grants
ECS offers a variety of options for students to get involved. Tune in to find out more.

Presented by Beth Fisher
ECS Associate Director of Development & Membership Services

Space is limited! Register today!

Hosted by ECS and the Research Triangle Student Chapter of ECS.