Power2Hype at the 74^th Annual Meeting of the International Society of Electrochemistry

Hosted by the International Society of Electrochemistry (ISE), the 74^th Annual meeting took place in the vibrant city of Lyon, France, between the 3^rd and the 8^th of September 2023. With the aim of advancing electrochemical science and technology, disseminating scientific and technological knowledge, promoting international cooperation in electrochemistry, and maintaining a high professional standard among its members, this congress was the perfect opportunity for electrochemists from all regions of the world to participate in fruitful discussions in an atmosphere of friendly exchange.

As part of an invited symposium on electrochemical systems and engineering for energy storage & resources recovery, and sustainable environmental management, Sotirios (WFBR) presented his research on paired electrolysis. “Being invited to chair a session and give a talk at the ISE, the largest annual gathering of electrochemists and electrochemical engineers was an incredible and novel experience, as well as a wonderful opportunity to connect with, and meet, other researchers interested in H₂O₂ electrosynthesis. Given the extremely early stages of the project, I presented an overview of P2H based on the project website, as well as the WP2 and WP3 activities that will be undertaken at WFBR which include synthesizing and optimizing a suitable carbon-based 2e– ORR electrocatalyst for efficient and high rate cathodic H₂O₂ production, and assembling an integrated, scaled up flow reactor utilizing a solid polymer electrolyte (SPE), and a BDD anode, for the convergent paired “200%” electrosynthesis of H₂O₂ that can subsequently be concentrated to 20 – 99% w/w for a plethora of industrial applications. The P2H section of my talk drew great attention from researchers working at the Harbin Institute in China, as well as Ruhr University Bochum and Aachen University, both located in Germany, with a particular interest expressed in the type of SPE that will be used within the integrated reactor. Overall, my invited talk at the ISE was a unique occasion to promote the P2H project in its entirety, as well as the activities and capabilities of each P2H partner in particular, to a wide audience of researchers and scientists with identical H₂O₂ -related interests. Hopefully at the next ISE gathering, we will have some novel and engaging results to present and discuss!” said Sotirios in regard to his participation.

The symposium themes and discussions were very relevant for the Power2Hype-related activities and facilitated a wonderful opportunity to catch up with fellow Power2Hype researcher and friend, Dhananjai Pangotra, from Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology (FIGB), who presented his poster on the electrochemical production of carbon dioxide to formate/formic acid.