Castner Medal and Lecture 2017: Developments in Electrodes and Electrochemical Cell Design

Synopsis

The Castner Medal is awarded every 2 years by the SCI Electrochemical Technology Group, to recognise the achievements of an authority on applied electrochemistry. The prize is named after Hamilton Castner, a pioneer in the field of industrial electrochemistry. He developed a better process for the manufacture of caustic soda, involving the electrolysis of brine in a mercury cell (patented in 1892). The process was soon established in many parts of the world, making full use of SCI connections.

The recipient of the 2017 Castner Medal is Prof Frank Walsh. Frank is Professor in Electrochemical Engineering at the University of Southampton, where he directs the research activities of the Electrochemical Engineering Laboratory in the Energy Technology Research Group.

In this lecture, Frank discusses the diversity of cell geometries used for electrochemical processing and energy conversion, with special emphasis on electrode design.

Electrode materials include metals, conductive ceramics and polymers, as well as polymer-metal or ceramic-metal composites. Area, electrocatalytic activity and functionality can be tailored, by selecting an appropriate support structure/coating combination. Inspiration for electrode design can come from many sources, including nature (biomimetics) and other scientific and engineering subject areas (technology transfer).

The diversity of electrodes will be illustrated by examples from Frank's laboratory, covering the fields of inorganic and organic synthesis, environmental remediation of wastewaters (containing organic and metal ion contaminants), surface finishing, and energy storage/conversion. Potential developments in electrochemical technology are considered.

Programme

Day 1 - 31st October 2017

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