Symposium "Electrocatalysis 2024"
Nuremberg/Erlangen, May 22 - 24, 2024 - With over 200 international participants, the "Electrocatalysis 2024" symposium was a complete success: world-leading researchers in their respective fields and key players from industry came together in Nuremberg to present the latest developments in research and discuss current challenges for electrocatalysis in complex electrode structures. The symposium was jointly organized by the Helmholtz Institute Erlangen-Nürnberg for Renewable Energy and the Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg.
A successful mix of basic research through to applied electrocatalysis was offered by over 30 presentations, including those by Prof. Marc Koper (Leiden University, Netherlands), Prof. Douglas Macfarlane (Monash University, Australia) and Prof. Thomas Justus Schmidt (Paul Scherer Institute, Switzerland).
The poster session gave participants a good insight into the current state of research. Over 100 scientists presented their work here.
The best poster presentations were then honored with the Poster Award: Leopold Lahn (Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie), Angelika Samu (University of Szeged) and Matija Gatalo (ReCatalyst d.o.o. and National Institute of Chemistry) received the award presented by the Springer Nature Group.
The lecture program was framed by many networking opportunities: On the first evening, the participants came together for a dinner in the Historic Town Hall in the heart of Nuremberg's Old Town. The historic hall is the most important part of the Old Town Hall in Nuremberg and was considered the largest secular hall north of the Alps at the time of its construction.
Finally, the participants were able to visit the laboratories of the HI ERN in Erlangen and see the institute's modern infrastructure for themselves. The event concluded with a visit to the Bergkirchweih in Erlangen, one of the oldest and most beautiful folk festivals in the world, which has traditionally been celebrated on Erlangen's castle hill since 1755.
About the "Electrocatalysis 2024" symposium
Maintaining a sustainable future and tackling climate change requires the entire society’s efforts, particularly for the phase out of fossil fuels in all energy sectors. Electrocatalysis enables the electrification of fuel and chemical production using renewable energy sources, and is therefore key for this clean energy transition. The success of electrocatalysis relies on the intricate interfaces of porous electrode structures with reactants, products, and ion conducting phases, which drive the energy conversion reactions and determine system energy efficiency. Understanding and improving these complex interfaces demands a collaborative effort across various natural, material and engineering science domains, ranging from fundamental electrochemistry to applied research involving technical catalysts, porous catalyst layers, and advanced cell configurations.
The Electrocatalysis Symposium 2024 is the continuation of the International Symposia Series on Electrocatalysis, which was started in 2010.
The next symposium will take place in South Africa in 2026.
