Electrocatalysis for Sustainable Fuels and Chemicals

Dear Colleagues,

The transition of the energy sector from fossil-based fuels and resources to renewable resources and energy will significantly change the energy system of the future. An important aspect in this transition is the increased electrification of the energy sector, which raises the need for storage and efficient use of electrical energy.  Electrochemical reactions allow for the efficient conversion of chemical into electrical energy and vice versa, and have the potential to play a key role in this energy transition. While hydrogen is currently being discussed as a future energy vector, the utilization of carbon dioxide through electrochemical reduction to small organic molecules also receives significant attention today. However, electrocatalytic reactions have the potential to be applied more broadly and have also been explored in other areas of synthetic chemistry such as organic electrosynthesis. While the early focus was on exploring the influence of special conditions of an electrified interface on organic reactions, this area nowadays has the clear potential to support the electrification of the chemical industry and, thus, to integrate renewable energy sources into chemical processes.

It is envisaged that this Special Issue will represent a collection of the most current research activities that addresses both fundamental and application-oriented aspects of electrocatalysis for the synthesis of fuels and chemicals.

Topics to be covered in this Special Issue include:

• Electrosynthesis of small molecules
  • Ammonia
  • Alcohols
  • Hydrocarbons
• Electrosynthesis in more complex organic reactions
• Carbon dioxide electrolysis
• Synthesis of electrocatalysts
• Redox shuttles for flow batteries
• In situ and operando diagnostics of electrocatalysts and electrosynthesis
• Modeling of catalysts and electrocatalytic reactions
• Electrochemical reactor technology
• Integration of electrocatalytic processes in further downstream processing of fuels and chemicals

Coupling of electrosynthesis with alternating electricity supply

Prof. Dr. Peter Holtappels
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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• organic electrosynthesis
• carbon dioxide electrolysis
• ammonia synthesis
• electrocatalytic reactors dynamic operation
• in situ/operando diagnostics