My battery is better than yours! ... but is it really?

New standards for reproducibility and comparability of cell tests urgently needed

20-Sep-2024 - To date, there are no uniform standards for research into solid-state batteries, which are also to be used in e-mobility in the long term - even though billions are being invested in this area worldwide. Researchers at the University of Bayreuth have identified the reasons for this and report on ...

Green hydrogen: ‘Artificial leaf’ becomes better under pressure

Findings can increase the efficiency of electrochemical and photocatalytic devices

02-Aug-2024 - Hydrogen can be produced via the electrolytic splitting of water. One option here is the use of photoelectrodes that convert sunlight into voltage for electrolysis in so called photoelectrochemical cells (PEC cells). A research team at HZB has now shown that the efficiency of PEC cells can be ...

Maximizing Hydrogen Peroxide Formation during Water Electrolysis

Killing two birds with one stone

23-Jul-2024 - When water is split electrolytically, the result is typically hydrogen – and useless oxygen. Instead of oxygen, you can also produce a useful product. If you know how. Due to its high availability, water is considered the most useful starting material for hydrogen production. Ideally, the ...

Environmentally friendly and cost-effective electrolysers thanks to new MEA

Up to 95 percent less iridium, no PFAS: Spin-off elementarhy achieves first successes

11-Jul-2024 - A membrane electrode assembly (MEA) developed at the Leibniz Institute for Plasma Science and Technology (INP) in Greifswald, Germany can save up to 95 percent of the rare metal iridium in electrolysers. The technology also eliminates the use of per- and polyfluorinated chemicals (PFAS), making ...

From waste to value: The right electrolytes can enhance glycerol oxidation

"Our research could help to convert biomass by-products into valuable chemicals more efficiently"

03-Jul-2024 - When biomass is converted into biodiesel, huge amounts of glycerol are produced as a by-product. So far, however, this by-product has been little utilised, even though it could be processed into more valuable chemicals through oxidation in photoelectrochemical reactors. The reason for this: low ...

New discovery reveals key role of nickel ions in the Simons process

This groundbreaking research enables a targeted improvement of the Simons process, which is of great importance for the chemical industry

13-May-2024 - Researchers at the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM) and Freie Universität Berlin have deciphered the exact mechanism of the Simons process for the first time. The electrochemical process is of great importance for the production of fluoroorganic compounds and is used in ...

Electrochemistry Paves the Way: Sustainable Synthesis Method Reveals N-Hydroxy Modifications for Pharmaceuticals

Closing knowledge gaps - new findings on heterocycles

18-Apr-2024 - New highly selective and scalable electro-organic synthesis of novel benzo[e]-1,2,4-thiadiazine-1,1-dioxides which represent an important structural motif of APIs (active pharmaceutical ingredients) modified with a unique N-hydroxy moiety. Recently published research results enable preparative ...

New ways to fine tune electrochemistry

Scientists have found new paths to steer and optimize electrochemical processes

15-Apr-2024 - Optimizing electrochemical reactions is essential for the transition to renewable energies. In electrochemical reactions, electric currents and potential differences are used to binding and induce reactions. Electrochemistry is a pre-requisite for hydrogen production, and for batterie technology, ...

Sustainable raw materials for a green chemical industry

Launch of the BEFuel project: From exhaust gases and wastewater to e-fuels and high-quality chemicals

29-Jan-2024 - How can e-fuels and biosurfactants for industry be produced from exhaust gases and wastewater? An interdisciplinary consortium coordinated by Fraunhofer UMSICHT is addressing this question in the newly launched BEFuel project. The focus is on coupled bioelectrochemical production – i.e. the ...

Developing new types of batteries sustainably

16-Jan-2024 - "Conventional lithium-ion batteries are very powerful, but also expensive, as they require metals such as nickel and cobalt in addition to lithium," says chemist Prof Dr Yan Lu. "That's why I'm researching more sustainable alternatives, such as lithium-sulphur batteries and batteries based on ...