To create a hydrogen-based economy on a global scale, for storage, refueling, and other applications, it is essential to purify and compress available hydrogen sources and produce ‘green’ hydrogen at scale. This makes electrochemical hydrogen technologies attractive, because these single-stage processes can be implemented in a decentralized manner and rely on renewable energy input only. Impurities in the reactant streams, however, significantly lower the efficiency. In M-Select, we will develop superior impurity-tolerant coatings for electrocatalytic materials and address and mitigate technological challenges in the hydrogen supply, storage, and conversion chain.

We work on solar power plants for which buildings, nature, and agriculture surrounding the solar panels play an important role in the solar energy collection. Furthermore, we develop a new type of nanophotonic material which collects sunlight and sends invisible infrared light towards solar panels. This non-harmful, “cold” light is ideal for high solar cell performance and invisible to the human eye, enabling more solar energy production per area at significantly reduced cost, environmental burden, and landscale alteration. With our multidisciplinary team, we investigate technicial and business possibilities, as well as environmental and societal impacts.

Methane utilization requires better technologies in response to the electrification of industry, societal demand of feedstocks and practical fuels, and worldwide appeal for sustainable energy. The project aims at building an efficient electrolyzer based on earth abundant electrode materials and understanding how methane converts to valuable products using green electricity.

The ELECTROGAS project involves a consortium of two academic partners (Leiden and Twente), two bigger private partners (Akzo Nobel and Shell), and two SMEs (Magneto Special Anodes and Elson Technologies), with academic and technical interest in electrochemical processes. With the rapid growth and associated cost reduction of renewable power, the conversion of electrons into fuels, chemicals and materials is receiving renewed attention. The project is based on the necessity to efficiently and selectively produce the formation of gases as a highly relevant recurrent theme in the cost-effective operation of many electrochemical processes, such as (sea)water electrolysis, chlorine production, chlorate synthesis, and selective hydrogenation. This condition to control selective gas formation under electrochemical conditions is translated into a number of innovative and challenging scientific projects with direct valorisation potential, and with an intimate involvement of the private partners through frequent project meetings, supervision of PhD students, and industrial secondments. Specific attention is paid to the scrutiny of factors like process conditions (high Temperature/Pressure), electrode configurations, hydrodynamics, and type of electrolyte, typically receiving little attention in the open literature. Widening the exploration space by including such conditions holds the potential for discovery of new and improved conversion options. A first significant part of the project is dedicated to a better fundamental understanding of the thermodynamics and kinetics of electrochemical gas evolution through the development and deployment of a dedicated three-electrode electrochemical autoclave with well-defined mass transport conditions (Leiden), and through the detailed study of gas bubble formation using highly specialized equipment with high-speed cameras (Twente). These studies will systematically screen the influence of process conditions (temperature, pressure, pH) and catalyst nano- and microstructure on gas formation, bubble release and the associated overall energy efficiency. The use of a novel ultrasonic horn, developed recently by Elson Technologies, to stimulate bubble release will also be investigated. These studies will give more fundamental insight into the factors determining the energy efficiency of high-pressure water and chlorine electrolysis at high current densities, of great interest to Akzo Nobel. The second significant part of the proposal involves the formulation of novel process conditions and new stable and cost-effective electrocatalysts for specific electrochemical reactions in which the selective formation of gases or the selective inhibition of gas formation is key to a more efficient and sustainable process. Selective oxidation of water to oxygen from chloride-containing water (such as seawater) is a much desired process for which detailed fundamental insight is essentially missing. The project aims at a systematic experimental investigation of Mn- and Ir-based oxides under various experimental conditions (including high pressure and temperature), in combination with in situ spectroscopy and detailed density functional theory calculations, to develop a model for this reaction. Final aim is the development of a new oxide material that would be stable enough for Magneto Special Anodes to develop new technical anodes for electrochemical processes in chloride-containing water. Understanding the catalytic interaction between chlorine and water electrolysis is also of general interest to Akzo Nobel. The active and selective formation of hydrogen, or the selective inhibition of hydrogen evolution, is a second challenge of interest to a number of technological applications. The project will study and develop novel earth-abundant materials for hydrogen evolution, to be used in future (high-pressure) electrolysers for storage of renewable electricity, of business interest to Shell. A second interest of Shell involves the selective electrocatalytic hydrogenation of organic compounds such as ketones and aldehydes, in which the concomitant evolution of hydrogen needs to be suppressed. The project will attempt to do this by studying selective electrocatalysts under high pressure in suitable mixed-solvent electrolytes. Finally, the selective evolution of hydrogen from chlorate-containing electrolyte is a process of great importance to Akzo Nobel. The main challenge in this process is to develop an alternative protective layer capable of suppressing chlorate reduction which does not make use of Cr(VI). The project will study these layered interfaces by in situ vibrational spectroscopy and test novel electrode formulations in a pilot plant of Akzo Nobel.

The bicycle industry is undergoing a radical transformation - the trend towards electrification and digitisation in combination with shared mobility concepts and heightened customer expectations requires manufacturers to develop novel approaches for product innovation, manufacturing and service delivery. The influx of new technologies and materials is rapidly changing the appearance, function and role of bicycles and E-bikes and custom bikes now represent a significant part of the bicycle market. Effective incorporation of bikes into the future connected and smart transport networks require technologies and mechanisms to allow monitoring the bike, understanding the cyclist and the context. The project will advance the industry in improving lead-time and effectiveness of their product innovation process, as well as the functionality, reliability and quality of their products and services.