Catalysis and Chemical Engineering Global Conference

In support of an increased demand for renewable energy, an efficient energy storage system is critical to ensure a stable power supply. One of the major components in chemical engineering is catalysis, which has significantly helped develop these systems by enhancing storage capacity, improving efficiencies in battery designs, and moving in the direction of greater sustainability.

So just how much does catalysis really make a difference in the energy storage? Catalysis is defined as accelerating chemical reactions with materials referred to as catalysts. In most instances, in the case of energy storage, catalysts are implanted on either the battery or the fuel cell to hasten key reactions. This may be to hasten the charging and discharging times of the batteries for fast and quick storage of energy. It can be very useful in systems, like electric vehicles or grid storage, in which rapid efficient transfer of energy is needed.

Lithium-ion batteries are just one of the major applications of catalysis in energy storage. These increasingly find their applications in portable electronics as well as electrical vehicles. Catalytic materials inside the battery can, in some ways facilitate the movement of lithium ions in between the electrodes of the battery, thus leading to quicker charging times and more solid battery lifespans. Further research is being conducted in developing catalyst-based solid-state batteries to produce safer and longer-lasting alternatives by replacing liquid electrolytes with solid materials that could conduct ions through catalyst support.

Catalysis is also essential in the development of the latter fuel cells that generate electricity directly by converting chemical energy to electrical energy. For example, platinum-based catalysts are widely utilized in hydrogen fuel cells in the reaction of hydrogen and oxygen to give only water. Therefore, fuel cells could be considered clean sources of energy from cars to backup power systems.

Beyond conventional batteries and fuel cells, some of the new energy storage technologies use catalysis: for instance, metal-air batteries and supercapacitors. These latter devices rely on catalytic processes to achieve both high energy density and rapid charging performances, which could revolutionize the storage of renewable energies.