News
Our team in late May at the 243rd ECS Spring Meeting in Boston
The 243rd ECS Meeting was recently held in Boston, MA (USA) together with the 18th International Symposium on Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFC-XVIII) from May 28th to June 2nd, 2023. The LSWV was represented at the event by Prof. C. Roth, Mr. H. Hoffmann, and Mr. M. Kutter, all of whom showcased the work done at the chair in the form of a talk.
Both Prof. Roth and Mr. Hoffmann focused on the Dynamic Hydrogen Bubble Templating (DHBT) method, but with different points of view. Mr. Hoffmann focused on his work and experience with the production of Ag-based gas diffusion electrodes (GDEs) for the electrochemical reduction reaction of CO2 (CO2RR) to CO, which is done using a variation of the DHBT method where the current is applied as pulses (rather than continuously) to maximize the amount of deposited catalyst and minimize the overpotential during CO2RR. Additionally, to prevent the electrode from flooding with electrolyte, hydrophobic ionomers are employed. Prof. Roth, on the other hand, focused on the development process that turned the initially thin foam electrodes into fully functional GDEs with high catalytic activity towards CO2RR.
The last talk, given by Mr. Kutter, focused on the recycling aspect of PFSA-based membranes and their reuse in Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFCs). This is a topic which will gain more and more relevance as time moves forward, given that the membranes are one of the costliest components of PEMFCs and that recycling them is a challenge due to their high resistance to thermal and chemical degradation.
All in all, it can be said that all three of the contributions from the team were well received by the community, generated intense discussions and left a positive impression about the team and work done at the LSWV. We thank Prof. Roth, Mr. Hoffmann, and Mr. Kutter for their participation at the ECS meeting and wish them continued success in the future.
Prof. Dr.-ing. Christina Roth during her presentation at the ECS meeting in Boston.
The LSWV team members at the ECS meeting in Boston. From left to right: Mr. Hendrik Hoffmann, Prof. Christina Roth, and Mr. Maximilian Kutter.