Novel Multiscale approach to Transport phenomena in Electrochemical Processes

Although electrochemical processes are commonly used in many traditional and innovative applications (microelectronics, Micro Electro-Mechanical Systems" (MEMS)), they are in general very complex and badly understood. They rely on the interplay between charge, mass and heat transport in usually complicated (turbulent) flow, and the basic electrochemical production process is influenced by many (mostly unwanted) parallel effects: side reactions, surface contamination effects, gas evolution, or heat transfer. As a result, the industry relies heavily on best practice guidance, most often gained from years of experience with trial and error.

This situation is a serious limitation for improving the quality of products, speed of manufacturing and energy consumption. It also hampers innovation and the development of new applications (e.g. in mechatronics, or bio-engineering), and in the worst case it may lead to a decline of important industrial activities, or transfer to countries with less restrictions on energy cost and environmental issues, especially for mass production and continuous lines.


The present project aims to develop a generally applicable methodology for understanding and controlling a wide range of electrochemical industrial processes with the unifying characteristic that they are based on charge-driven mass transfer.