Electrochemical Society

The novel Ti-containing anode for the K-ion battery.

Engineers and scientists typically work in teams where a leader oversees and guides process/product research, development, and direction. When technically-trained individuals first undertake a leadership role, frustration and anxiety are frequent outcomes, despite technical competency and good intentions. This situation largely occurs because our technical training has developed within us a mindset wherein we approach problems in a particular way that is based solely on logic, facts, and data. People are not facts or data, and in many cases, their approach to problems does not appear logical. Sudden awareness of such behavior is disconcerting to technically-trained individuals who are now in a position of leadership. The leader must recognize that decisions, even by engineers or scientists, are typically driven by biases, priorities, emotions, and previous experiences; the complex interplay of personal attitudes and characteristics with technical issues has been referred to as sociotechnical problems.This talk will discuss reasons why engineers and scientists often find adaptation into leadership roles frustrating and discouraging. Students should be made aware of the need for the development of professional skills such as emotional intelligence, conflict management/resolution, and leadership; these skills serve as compliments to their technical training and are required for success in leadership or management roles. The mindset transition from solving purely technical problems (academia) into technical teamwork efforts and leadership roles can be facilitated by offering examples and leadership background in undergraduate and graduate (required or elective) courses. More detailed education in these arenas can be presented through interactive seminars, workshops, or elective courses focused on leadership development.

There has been significant recent interest in studying multiscale characteristics of current and next-generation batteries, including lithium-metal and lithium-sulfur batteries. Multiple studies have conveyed the importance of microscale effects, pressure effects, and morphology changes. Advances in computing power make researchers believe that the detailed multiscale models can be efficiently simulated to arrive at the insights for the degradation and performance loss; however, this is not true and special attention needs to be paid to local singularities, boundary layers, moving boundaries, etc. This work presents 2D examples that illustrate the importance of grid convergence studies, provides well-defined detailed models to test the efficiency of numerical schemes, and discusses the associated simulation challenges. Perspective on important numerical aspects for robustness and efficiency, and recommendations on the possible best practices for studies involving multiscale modeling are also provided.

Electrocatalysis is the catalytic process involving oxidation and reduction reactions through the direct transfer of electrons between species at the electrochemical interface. An electrocatalyst specifically reduces the overpotential needed to allow the thermodynamically possible reaction to occur faster. These catalysts can be homogeneous, heterogeneous, or microbial in nature. Electrocatalysts are used in a wide range of fields, including corrosion, wastewater treatment, and energy storage. These promising applications will all be critical to a more sustainable energy future. The articles in the current issue of Interface look at this question of designing and using novel electrocatalysts from several different angles.

Diversity and inclusion are key to the modern work environment. A recent study by Forbes Insights, “Global Diversity and Inclusion: Fostering Innovation through a Diverse Workforce,” produced significant findings on this. On top of the list was that diversity is a key driver of innovation and is a critical component of being successful on a global scale. According to the study, senior executives recognized that a diverse set of experiences, perspectives, and backgrounds is crucial to innovation and the development of new ideas. A second finding was that a diverse and inclusive workforce is crucial for companies that want to attract and retain top talent. The competition for talent is fierce in our global economy. As such, top employers are increasingly putting plans in place to recruit, develop, and retain a diverse workforce. Although significant progress has been made to build and retain diverse workforces, progress still needs to be made in the areas of age, gender diversity, and disability. Members will agree—The Electrochemical Society is on the forefront of diversity and inclusion.

Following up on a proposal from OSI2016, this workgroup will identify and/or design new funding models for open scholarship, such as a venture fund that can allow more support for joint efforts, or propose ways to improve existing funding by improving the flexibility of library budgets (e.g. by examining the efficiency of “big deals”). After reviewing the challenges with funding open access, the group focused on the second part of the question to propose new ways to improve existing funding opportunities by finding flexibility in library budgets.

The use of exergetic efficiency rate of change to evaluate fuel cell performance is developed and explained. It is important to understand the maximum possible thermal efficiency a fuel cell system is capable of obtaining on a fuel and then what fraction of this efficiency it actually achieves. The exergetic efficiency rate of change is a natural and instantaneous measure of the change in fuel cell performance occurring at any time. There are three central performance measures for fuel cells. The first is exergetic efficiency which is measured by thermal efficiency. It permits the direct comparison of the performance of all fuel cell types operating on the same fuel, if desired. The second is exergetic efficiency rate of change which is useful in degradation and which is a broader, more inclusive concept than rate of change of ASR. The third is power or power density which can be related to the economic viability of the fuel cell or fuel cell system. Fuel cell system design and operation is ultimately the resolution of the tradeoffs between the three performance measures.