NGenE 2021: Electrochemistry Is Everywhere

In 2016, an Editorial in ACS Nano, entitled “The Rising and Receding Fortunes of Electrochemists”, reflected the growing scientific consensus that existing initiatives in fundamental research were undermatched to the fact that electrochemistry was becoming ubiquitous in applications in energy, thus handicapping progress toward social impact. That same year, Next Generation Electrochemistry (NGenE) hosted its first edition at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). NGenE is an annual summer workshop focused on describing emerging challenges at the frontiers of research in electrochemistry and the application of innovative strategies to address them. The original premise behind NGenE was also that, despite its reach and importance, fundamental electrochemistry had gone through a rather slow period of activity in the early 21st century compared to many companion fields. Back in 2016, one of the causes was ascribed to a deficit in electrochemistry training at the graduate level, leading to calls for increased emphasis in research in this area. Since 2016, NGenE has tackled these deficiencies by broadening the knowledge and perspective of senior graduate students and postdoctoral researchers. A series of world-renowned experts in various walks of electrochemistry examine fundamental phenomena at an advanced level, identifying critical gaps in our understanding and innovative strategies to address them. The program assumes baseline knowledge and prior experience in electrochemistry. NGenE does not ask, “What is electrochemistry?” but instead, “What will electrochemistry become?”. As such, it addresses the very same issues raised in the aforementioned Editorial. Fast-forwarding five years, support and activities in fundamental electrochemical research have undergone very significant growth. Furthermore, new applications of electrochemistry that were not on our radar in 2016 have emerged, especially among organic chemists. It is an exciting time to be an electrochemist, and new generations of leaders in research are increasingly pursuing this path. Simultaneously, NGenE has evolved from a program with a focus on rather specific topics, such as batteries, to expose the major diversity of fields interested in electrochemistry and finding common elements between their challenges. In 2020, the world ground to a halt with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and NGenE had to adapt to the reality that meetings in person were not possible. The program migrated from a format of interactive lectures led by individual researchers to panel discussions involving multiple researchers talking to each other and with the attendees, who were provided the virtual floor to ask questions. The outcome was a series of highly dynamic discussions that are now free to watch on demand by anyone in the world. NGenE 2021 was divided into a series of panels, each dedicated to a specific topic at the frontiers of electrochemical research. In this status report, we summarize the key messages emerging from the discussions. While some panels covered aspects not limited to energy technology, the commonality of lessons and challenges highlights the many opportunities ahead for cross-pollination to establish electrochemistry as central to our current transition away from the fossil-fuel paradigm. By sharing them here, we strive to motivate the community to pursue directions that move us beyond the current frontiers. This summary is divided in themes that map out of the specific panel topics. Can Electrochemistry Replace Thermochemistry? In thermochemistry, temperature and pressure are major driving forces for chemical transformations. Existing high-temperature thermochemical processes rely on burning fossil fuels to achieve high temperatures in the furnace, reactor, or kiln. By burning fossil fuels to achieve the desired chemical transformation, CO2 is emitted, which adds to its toll as a major greenhouse gas. Steel and cement manufacturing, steammethane reforming, and the Haber−Bosch process are some of the examples of thermochemical processes at high temperatures that are challenging to decarbonize. These industries rely on mature technologies that have evolved over decades and have not changed significantly in the past decade. With the sustained declines in the cost of installing and using renewable sources of energy, electricity continues its transition to becoming a sustainable energy carrier free of emissions of greenhouse gases. All the major sources of renewable and carbon-neutral energy (solar, wind, nuclear) generate electricity, ensuring that a renewably powered society will be electrified. Shifting from thermochemistry to electrochemistry in industrial production could accelerate this transition by relying on electricity free of emissions. Electrifying the generation of heat is one way that could enable an electrified thermochemical industry. However, estimates suggest that if all thermal needs were electrified, it would be necessary to double the electricity running through the distribution system. This transition will be challenging without a tremendous increase in electrical transmission and