ISE 76th Annual Meeting – Advances in Electrochemistry and Collaboration

Obtain your билета now. This ISE 76th Annual Meeting offers accessible demonstrations that translate electrochemistry advances into practical practice. Expect concise data, sound judgments, and a straightforward performance narrative you can apply in your lab or team.

The program foregrounds advances in anode technologies and stacks optimization, with cross-border teams from Germanys and Israelis sharing methods. april sessions spotlight new materials, scalable electrolytes, and the interplay between traditional Teutonic approaches and modern, collaborative research–all with a practical focus for real-world deployment.

Sessions map the land and citys where electrochemistry informs manufacturing and energy storage. Among the speakers, abraham leads a panel on standardization, while prayers punctuate the opening with a note of unity. The lines between academia and industry blur as teams align on shared metrics and transparent data.

Competition drives faster translation from bench to pilot lines, while technologies for safe, scalable practice help teams implement results. The conference emphasizes доступ to modular test-beds, coherent documentation, and reproducible results across sites, ensuring researchers can validate findings across multiple citys and institutions.

Prepare a collaboration plan: identify partners, set milestones, and align on data sharing. By the end of the meeting, attendees will have concrete steps to integrate new technologies into existing workflows, bridging concepts from interface to field and turning insights from ISE into measurable impact.

Catalyst and electrode material selection for PEM and alkaline electrolyzers under dynamic load

Recommendation for dynamic load operation: For PEM electrolyzers, select IrO2-based anodes on carbon-supported films with Pt-based cathodes, optimized for transient currents. For alkaline systems, deploy Ni-Fe catalysts on corrosion-resistant films attached to Ni foam, with PTFE binder to maintain durability. Establish contact with institutions in spain and other countries to compare data and verify under real-field loads, and pursue direct collaboration with researchers from pylypenko groups to validate performance across multiple setups.

Design principles密 focus on interface stability and rapid current response. Use a gradient catalyst loading to preserve contact between the catalyst layer and the diffusion layer, and apply a thin, robust film to suppress delamination during fast transients. Employ tip-enhanced characterization to map active sites at the catalyst–film interface during step changes in current and to guide iterative improvements.

In PEM stacks, prioritize anode materials that resist dissolution under oxidizing conditions while delivering acceptable OER activity. Anode options include IrO2 on Ti with a protective oxide film, paired with a high-surface-area Pt/C cathode. Keep the ionomer distribution uniform to maintain proton transport and minimize contact resistance. For dynamic events, tune the membrane-electrode assembly (MEA) architecture to reduce local overpotentials at the start of each ramp, and calibrate gas-management channels to avoid local flooding that can mask true activity.

In alkaline stacks, favor Ni-Fe oxide/hydroxide catalysts anchored on Ni substrates with a carbon-free film to minimize carbon-related corrosion. Use a PTFE-containing binder to sustain mechanical integrity under cycling. Fe doping and minor Co additions can raise OER kinetics while preserving stability under fluctuating currents. For such configurations, verify catalyst–support cohesion with photography-grade surface imaging and in-situ spectroscopy to track dissolution and phase changes during dynamic tests. Data from universitatät Pylypenko collaborators show repeatable improvements when the film is tuned for strong electrical contact and low interfacial resistance, and when starting from a clean, well-defined interface rather than a mixed, aged surface.

Testing protocol should include dynamic load steps that mimic events reported by researchers in dklb and bünting teams. Run current ramps from 0.1 to 2 A/cm2 with controlled dwell times, and monitor ECSA loss, HER/OER overpotentials, and film integrity. Use a controlled atmosphere to keep the anode and cathode films clean, and record surface changes with photography–grade imaging to document failure modes. Collect data directly from cells and store it with a consistent картой-based labeling scheme so researchers can trace measurements back to starting conditions and electrode histories.

Operational guidance for researchers and engineers includes: (1) verify contact quality between catalyst, film, and diffusion layer before each run; (2) implement a modular electrode design that allows rapid swap of catalysts in response to requested test matrices; (3) plan collaboration events that connect laboratories across countries. The approach yields more robust electrode materials for dynamic loads and accelerates translation to pilot facilities and commercial units. In Spain, ongoing demonstrations at museums and museums-like venues (музея) offer hands-on evaluations of electrode modules under real-world cycling and help align design decisions with field requirements.

Developing high-activity, low-loading catalysts to cut electrolyzer costs

Target Ir loading ≤0.2 mg Ir cm^-2 in PEM electrolyzers and push NiFe-based catalysts to sub-mg per cm^2 in alkaline cells, while delivering ≥1 A cm^-2 at 1.8 V using ultrathin film shells on conductive cores. This combination reduces catalyst expenses without sacrificing performance.

• Strategy: use ultrathin active-film catalysts on highly porous, conductive supports. Aim for film thickness in the 2–5 nm range to maximize active surface area per unit mass while ensuring robust adhesion and minimal resistance losses.
• Strategy: adopt core–shell or single-atom catalyst concepts to maximize atoms per mass and boost mass activity. Pair a highly active shell with a durable core (for example, IrO2-on-FeNi or CoP on conductive carbon) to preserve intrinsic activity at reduced loading.
• Strategy: engineer the metal–support interface to boost utilization. Doping the carbon support (N, S, or P) and tuning interfacial strength improves charge transfer and mitigates catalyst dissolution, helping achieve equal or better stability at lower metal content.
• Strategy: accelerate characterization and feedback. Implement in-situ/operando characterization (XAS, Raman, FTIR) to monitor oxidation states, surface species, and degradation pathways; use those insights to guide iterative optimization across film thickness, particle size, and support texture. Include a focused set of metrics: mass activity, specific activity, and degradation rate per 1000 hours of operation.

To translate lab success into stacks, align experiment plans with a clear cost model. For example, track catalyst cost per kW, capitalized by installation time and replacement cycles, and quantify hidden costs such as support corrosion and transport losses. The dklb framework can guide regression analyses that link loading, activity, and stability under realistic operating spectra.

The approach benefits from collaboration across topics and forums. In workshops hosted in hok kaido, researchers discuss film deposition routes, whether to deploy spin coating, sputtering, or vapor deposition, and how to scale the installation from coin cells to pilot stacks. Members share experiment results and discuss best practices (лучшие) and lessons learned, including how to maintain performance with early-stage loading reductions.

Practitioner notes:

1. Experiment design: compare two catalyst families on identical supports, including film-based deposition, to isolate effects of loading and shell architecture.
2. Characterization cadence: run rapid, repeated tests (TOF, mass activity, and electrochemical surface area) with operando checks every 50–100 hours to catch early degradation signals.
3. Installation plan: pilot the most promising catalysts in a small alkaline module first, then migrate to a full stack, tracking cost per kW and energy efficiency at target current densities.
4. Community engagement: include forums and topics that discuss equipment access (доступ) and equal opportunity for early-career researchers, with regular talks led by a founder and several longtime members.

In the field, teams located in diverse settings use early experiments to refine the film architecture. A project in a land with multiple research sites, including a lab in hokkaido, reports that ultrathin films delivering high surface density maintain stability under load swings and corrosive environments. The installation workflow benefits from a clear protocol and hidden optimization opportunities revealed by Wenzel-roughness assessments and surface-area mapping, helping teams extract more activity from each gram of metal. When discussions turn to cost, the community emphasizes not only lowered loading but also smarter integration of catalysts into installations, including standardized interfaces and modular assembly that reduce times between testing and deployment. In this collaborative spirit, talk and outreach extend to diverse audiences, including church and Christian networks, who participate in ethics-focused forums to strengthen responsible innovation and supply-chain transparency.

Durability testing protocols for electrolyzer stacks during renewable intermittency

Recommendation: adopt a harmonized, 2,000-hour intermittent-duty protocol that mirrors renewable variability and enables cross-lab comparison. Run a repeating cycle with 12 h at high-load (70–90% of rated current) and 12 h at low-load (10–20%), plus 5–10 minute ramp transitions between states every 2–3 cycles. Keep the MEA stack temperature around 60°C and stabilize inlet conditions to isolate aging effects. Record cell-level voltage, current, temperature, flow rates, and gas purity every 5–10 minutes, and perform electrochemical impedance spectroscopy at 1, 10, and 100 hours. Store results into a centralized database with dates and traceable identifiers. Target degradation: <3 mV per cell per 1,000 hours and impedance growth under 25% at 0.1 Hz over the duration. This approach reduces cross-lab variance, which supports reproducibility across teams, and provides daily insight into histories of aging, origin of failures, and the arch of advances in this field. To accelerate decision-making, teams can cook a baseline scenario and compare it with variants.

Test profile and evaluation metrics

Key metrics include voltage drift (mV per cell per 1,000 hours) and impedance growth tracked by EIS at 0.1 Hz. Maintain constant feed-water quality and inlet gas conditions to avoid confounding factors; monitor hydrogen crossover and mechanical wear indicators. Data cadence targets 5-minute intervals for core signals and scheduled EIS checks at 1, 10, and 100 hours. Apply Kalman filtering or similar smoothing to reduce sensor noise and flag outliers, with daily data validation. Document date-stamped snapshots and arch histories of failures to trace the origin of degradation. Incorporate plasmonics-informed aging indicators to broaden the insight, and provide oral updates to keep teams aligned; use welcomecard templates to onboard new participants.

Collaboration and knowledge sharing

Coordinate with iaam and multiple forums to align on methods and benchmarks, then cover dates and outcomes within events in Mainz (mainz) and frankfürt (frankfürt), as well as Teheran (teheran) and Palestine (palestine) and Israelis (israelis) labs. Share cook sheets, measurement methodologies, and histories of observations to build a transparent baseline. Publish daily summaries and oral briefs to broaden reach, while discussing sillage of uncertainties to refine error bars. Leverage iaam platforms to archive data and insights, reinforcing the origin of improvements and the arch of advances across collaborating teams. This open approach supports more reliable durability assessments and accelerates the translation of findings into practice.

Pathways to scale from lab to pilot: system design and integration tips

Begin with a modular, plug-and-play system architecture that standardizes interfaces for cells, electrolytes, sensors, and controls. Use a common data model and a shared communication protocol to decouple process logic from hardware choices. This approach speeds the move from lab demonstrations to pilot runs and reduces rework when scaling volumes or swapping vendors.

Histories from labs led by wolfgang and johannes show how electrolyte selection, catalyst loading, and flow configuration influence increasing performance during scale-up. Matching electrolyte chemistry to catalyst surfaces, deploying tip-enhanced diagnostics to detect degradation early, and locking in stable operating windows drive transformation of the process from concept to practice. A book of best practices captures these lessons for cross-site use. atanassov explores modularity; только practical note.

Implement a cross-site testing plan with clear KPIs: energy per mole, electrode utilization, and system availability. For brazil and norway, run parallel skids at 5–10 L and 30–60 L sizes, with a common DC bus and standardized electrolyte handling. This reduces risk and accelerates decision points; sound data governance ensures traceability. This approach offers a solid path to scalable performance.

Travel logistics factor in design: in september, teams travel between sites and run hotel-based validation sessions. A музея exhibit on electrochemical histories informs onboarding and practice, and a single, scalable stack explores reuse across teams and offers a sound basis for cost models and capacity planning.

Hydrogen purification, compression, and storage options for fuel cell systems

Choose a PSA-membrane hybrid purifier that delivers 99.999% H2 with CO ≤ 2 ppm and dew point below -40°C, and pair it with a two-stage compressor to reach 350–700 bar for storage. This setup minimizes catalyst poisoning and supports stable fuel cell performance across load changes. present data from clausthal and switzerland-based teams show robust operation for feeds from 5 to 50 Nm3/h, while pre-treatment for sulfur compounds keeps downstream units clear. germany-based helmholtz researchers and partners in switzerland contribute through joint demonstrations that target automotive and stationary applications; the approach scales from small campuses to broader campus networks near airports and industrial hubs, aligning with dates and periods when pilot runs are required, and adding a festive cadence to the project narrative.

Purification technologies and performance targets

PSA offers rapid polishing to 99.999% purity, achieving CO in the low ppm range and removing water, sulfur compounds, and hydrocarbons in a single pass. Vacuum Swing Adsorption can further reduce trace impurities when feed composition fluctuates, while selective polymeric or inorganic membranes provide modular polishing and lower energy demand for steady-state operation. For large-scale or remote sites, cryogenic distillation handles high-purity requirements, but its footprint and capital costs rise. Set target impurity limits at CO ≤ 2 ppm, CO2 ≤ 1 ppm, H2S ≤ 0.1 ppm, and a dew point below <-40°C> to prevent condensation in cool climates. Pre-treatment steps should remove sulfur species and hydrocarbons before the purification train, ensuring long-term catalyst protection for the fuel cells. In practice, provide a small modular pre-treatment skid with electrodeposition-coated components to resist corrosion in harsh feeds, especially when operating near Clausthal or in Swiss pilot facilities.

Compression and storage integration

Store hydrogen in high-pressure composite tanks at 350 bar (5,000 psi) or 700 bar (10,000 psi), with 350 bar suitable for many stationary and light-duty mobile setups and 700 bar common in automotive systems. A 70 L 700 bar tank stores roughly 2.5–3.0 kg H2, while the same tank at 350 bar holds about 1.0–1.5 kg, reflecting the density difference. For large-volume needs or fixed installations, consider a bank of tanks to reach the required hourly delivery, with a focus on rapid fill and safe venting. Metal hydride and chemical hydride options provide lower-pressure storage with higher gravimetric density but heavier system weight and more complex heat management; these options are attractive for long-term storage at low duty cycles or in off-grid hubs where fill cycles are infrequent. For integrated systems, plan energy consumption for compression around 4–7 kWh/kg to 350 bar and 8–12 kWh/kg to 700 bar, factoring heat exchange and standby losses. Projects presented by michigan and swiss partners show that modular storage trains, including inline purification pre-conditioning and smart control, improve cycling stability in diverse duty profiles. When deploying near Clausthal or in festive research weeks, schedule a flexible storage module with quick-change connections to accommodate varying feed compositions.

Techno-economic and environmental life-cycle assessments for water electrolysis projects

Begin with a modular TEA-LCA framework that runs in parallel with pilot data and online information feeds. Define cradle-to-gate and cradle-to-grave boundaries early, and lock in a shared data template so updates at aveiro sites or other campuses propagate across all scenarios. Build the model to compare PEM, alkaline, and solid-oxide variants under regional electricity mixes, carbon prices, and policy incentives, and set a target LCOH under 2.50 USD/kg H2 for near-term deployments where renewable energy is abundant.

In TEA, quantify capital expenditure (CAPEX) in the range of 900–1,600 USD per kW for PEM and 700–1,300 USD per kW for alkaline systems, with O&M costs around 0.8–2.5% of CAPEX per year. Include balance-of-plant (BOP), water pretreatment, and standby losses, and model learning curves that reduce CAPEX by 15–25% after 2–3 learning rates. Evaluate electricity as the dominant variable input, using regional price forecasts and time-of-use rates to build hourly LCOH profiles. Report sensitivity to electricity price, discount rate, and stack efficiency so investors can see the impact of policy support or corporate off-take agreements.

Environmental life-cycle assessment should follow a cradle-to-grave approach, capturing upstream material extraction, manufacturing, installation, operation, maintenance, and end-of-life recycling. Use a consistent functional unit–1 kg of hydrogen delivered at the system boundary–and report global warming potential (GWP), water-use intensity, and particulate emissions as core indicators. When electricity is sourced from grids with high fossil-carbon intensity, the carbon footprint of the process can double compared to green electricity scenarios; quantify this split under multiple regional grids and seasonal renewables mixes. Link daily operation data to ambient conditions–temperature, humidity, and solar irradiance–to refine life-cycle inventories with site-specific inputs.

Integrated evaluation framework and practical steps

Step 1: set a “period one” baseline using current electrolysis hardware at a mid-scale site and couple it with spectro-photo-electrochemistry diagnostics to map efficiency losses in real time. Step 2: run three to five scenarios including a baseline grid mix, a 50/50 wind-solar mix, and a 100% renewables scenario, then translate results into LCOH and GWP ranges. Step 3: incorporate bio-catalysis and process integration options as adjunct technologies, assessing their incremental CAPEX and potential synergies for co-produced chemicals. Step 4: create an online dashboard that presents time-resolved metrics–CAPEX per kW, O&M per kg H2, LCOH, and CO2 intensity–paired with aerial site assessments and daily production profiles.

The content from universities, such as université in Europe and collaboration nodes at Aveiro, should feed the model with period-specific data, including updated module efficiencies and new catalysts. Include input from stakeholders across multiple sites–including Karl and Metzger groups–to capture best practices in built infrastructure, dark-sky energy planning, and creative siting. Use video-based presentations and online information exchanges to accelerate decision cycles, keeping personal and operational timelines tight: allocate time blocks for received data, presented results, and decision points.

Data quality matters: document measurement uncertainty for each parameter, from stack efficiency to catalyst degradation rates, and propagate these uncertainties through Monte Carlo analyses to reveal robust decision boundaries. For environmental gains, emphasize reduced carbon intensity through on-site renewables, water recycling, and low-footprint materials. When reporting results, present both mid-point indicators (e.g., GWP, primary energy demand) and endpoint indicators (e.g., human health and ecosystem quality), ensuring stakeholders can translate findings into concrete actions.

Finally, ensure the process is participatory: organize periodic (monthly) updates, short daily stand-ups with site teams, and quarterly reviews that incorporate feedback from diverse groups–including community and investor representatives–so the TEA-LCA stays aligned with market needs and sustainability commitments. The goal is a transparent, data-driven pathway from initial studies to built, operating plants with measurable carbon reductions and cost advantages that a broad audience can understand and support.