HÉCTOR D. ABRUÑA

The Electrochemical Society presents prestigious awards at its meetings that recognize outstanding scientific achievement and acknowledge exceptional service to the Society. These sessions are a great opportunity to meet peers and learn more about the leading lights of electrochemistry, as well as early-career scientists and doctoral, post-doctoral, and graduate students—the future of our field.

Among the major society awards presented at the 235th ECS Meeting, Héctor D. Abruña received the Allen J. Bard Award in Electrochemical Science. Abruña is recognized internationally as a leader in electrochemistry and analytical chemistry. Attendees gained insights into his important research and future directions—and so can you by viewing his award address, “Energy Conversion and Storage: Novel Materials and Operando Methods.” (more…)

Energy storage is crucial for the successful transition to renewable energy. Yet lithium-ion batteries have major limitations. Demand for lithium has increased exponentially, but production has not kept pace. Extracting lithium by brine mining is a long, costly, energy-intensive, and dangerous process with significant environmental impact. Access is difficult as most lithium mines are in South America.

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras developed a rechargeable iron ion battery to replace lithium. It uses mild steel as the anode and can store a high amount of energy. The iron battery withstood 150 cycles of charging and discharging under controlled conditions. After 50 cycles, the battery had 54 percent capacity retention. (more…)