Electrochemical Systems

About this grant

TheElectrochemical Systemsprogram is part of the Chemical Process Systems cluster, which also includes: 1) theCatalysisprogram; 2) theInterfacial Engineeringprogram; and 3) theProcess Systems, Reaction Engineering, and Molecular Thermodynamicsprogram. The goal of theElectrochemical Systemsprogram is to support fundamental engineering science research that will enable innovative processes involving electrochemistry or photochemistry for the sustainable production of electricity, fuels, chemicals, and other specialty and commodity products. Processes utilizing electrochemistry or photochemistry for sustainable energy and chemical production must be scalable, environmentally benign, reduce greenhouse gas production, and utilize renewable resources. Research projects that stress fundamental understanding of phenomena that directly impact key barriers to improved system or component-level performance (for example, energy efficiency, product yield, process intensification) are encouraged. Processes for energy storage should address fundamental research barriers for renewable electricity storage applications, for transport propulsion, or for other applications that could have impact towards climate change mitigation. For projects concerning energy storage materials, proposals should involve testable hypotheses that involve device or component performance characteristics that are tied to fundamental understanding of transport, kinetics, or thermodynamics. Advanced chemistries beyond lithium-ion are encouraged. Proposed research on processes utilizing electrochemistry or photochemistry should be inspired by the need for economic and impactful conversion processes. All proposal project descriptions should address how the proposed work, if successful, will improve process realization and economic feasibility and compare the proposed work against current state of the art. Highly integrated multidisciplinary projects are encouraged. When appropriate, collaborations with industrial technologists are encouraged through GOALI proposals. Collaborative projects with an integrated experimental and theoretical approach are also encouraged. Topics of interest include electrochemical energy storage and electrochemical production/conversion systems. Radically new battery systems can move the U.S. more rapidly toward a more sustainable transportation future and to greater renewable electricity production penetration. High-energy density and high-power density batteries suitable for transportation and renewable energy storage applications are of primary interest. Advanced systems involving metal anodes, solid-state electrolytes, nonaqueous systemsbeyond lithium, aqueous systems beyond lithium,and multivalent chemistries are encouraged. Research activities focused on commercially available systems such as lead-acid and nickel-metal hydride batteries or lithium-ion batteries for medical or consumer electronics applications will not be considered by this program. Novel electrochemical and photochemical systems and processes for the production of chemicals and high-value products are encouraged. Emphasis is placed on those systems that improve process intensification and process modularization with accompanying benefits in energy efficiency and environmental footprint. Additional fundamental science topics of interest to this program include the study of: advanced fuel cell systems or fuel cell components for transportation propulsion or grid energy storage applications; flow batteries for stationary energy storage applications including alternative redox chemistries (e.g., organic, inorganic, organometallic, macromolecular) and operating strategies (e.g., redox-mediation, suspensions); and photocatalytic or photoelectrochemical processes and devices for the splitting of water into hydrogen gas or for the reduction of carbon dioxide to liquid or gaseous fuels. Projects that largely focus on developing fundamental understanding of the catalytic reaction me

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