ALCHEMHY research on innovative ammonia production reached the international electroceramics community this October, as project partner CIIAE – the Iberian Centre for Research in Energy Storage presented recent progress from the project at Electroceramics XX in Novi Sad, Serbia.
During the conference, Blanca I. Arias Serrano (CIIAE) delivered the oral presentation “Direct Electrochemical Synthesis of Ammonia (DESA) in Protonic Ceramic Cells (PCCs): Selecting Perovskite-Related Cathode Materials.” The contribution showcased progress being made within ALCHEMHY on Direct Electrochemical Synthesis of Ammonia (DESA), one of the innovative ammonia-production routes investigated by the project. The presentation focused particularly on the selection and characterisation of advanced cathode materials for DESA in Protonic Ceramic Cells. This materials-development work represents an important step in the progression of the technology. ALCHEMHY researchers are moving from the initial screening and assessment of candidate materials towards electrochemical testing and the development of functional DESA electrodes.
The work reflects the broader approach of ALCHEMHY: combining advances in materials, electrochemistry and process development to explore alternative ways of producing important platform chemicals such as ammonia using increasingly electrified production routes. Developing appropriate electrode materials is particularly relevant for the DESA concept, as the performance of the electrochemical process depends on identifying materials capable of supporting the required reactions and operating conditions. The research presented at Electroceramics XX therefore contributes to the technical foundations needed for the further development and validation of the DESA technology within ALCHEMHY. The work presented at the conference results from close collaboration between researchers from CIIAE and CICECO – University of Aveiro. Alongside Blanca I. Arias Serrano, the research includes contributions from Alejandro Natoli Gutiérrez and Kiryl Zakharchuk from CIIAE, as well as Aleksey Yaremchenko, Aleksandr Bamburov, Mehdi Hedayati and Francielly Cesconeto from CICECO – University of Aveiro. This collaboration brings together complementary expertise in advanced materials and electrochemical technologies, supporting ALCHEMHY’s efforts to progress from materials research towards functional components and, ultimately, more mature ammonia-production technologies.
Electroceramics XX provided a valuable opportunity to present ALCHEMHY’s progress to an international community working on electroceramic materials and related technologies, while exchanging knowledge with researchers active in the field. Scientific dissemination of this kind is an important part of ALCHEMHY’s pathway towards impact. Sharing emerging results with specialised communities allows project partners to place their work within the wider research landscape, exchange expertise and strengthen connections that can support the further development of the technologies. ALCHEMHY thanks Blanca I. Arias Serrano and the teams from CIIAE and CICECO – University of Aveiro for representing the project and communicating its progress at Electroceramics XX. We also thank the University of Novi Sad, the European Ceramic Society and the Serbian Society for Ceramic Materials for bringing the electroceramics community together and providing a platform for scientific exchange.