Center for Electrochemical Science and Engineering:
Research Program

Electrochemical Experience at IIT

The Center for Electrochemical Science and Engineering offers industry and government an unusually strong platform for conducting advanced research. It also provides students with specialized training in one of the United States' most comprehensive programs in electrochemical science and engineering.

Since 1994, IIT has conducted more than $4 million each year in fuel cell, battery and basic electrochemistry R&D, placing it at the forefront of U.S universities engaged in these technical areas. A five-year partnership with the federal government has trained students interested in fuel cell and battery technology to make contributions to their development and manufacture.

The center seeks to forge alliances with industrial partners to advance these technologies to commercial readiness. It is already the lead institution of an alliance focused on direct methanol fuel cells and advanced batteries, which involves the University of Minnesota, Pennsylvania State University, California Institute of Technology, Argonne National Laboratory and several small companies.

The center coordinates the activites of faculty associated with the various disciplines at IIT, including aeronautical, chemical, electrical, mechanical, metallurgical and materials engineering, as well as chemistry.

Advanced equipment in the center includes:

• accelerated rate calorimeter
• computational laboratory and multimedia classroom
• dielectric analyzer
• FTIR (Mattson) spectrometers
• gas chromatograph mass spectrometers
• GPC light-scattering system
• high-temperature corrosion optical facility
• mercury porosimeter
• Raman spectrometer
• surface area chemisorption system
• thermogravimetric analyzer
• x-ray diffractometer

The center also draws on expertise from other IIT research centers and faculty:

Energy+Power Center

Established at IIT in 1989 through the endowment of a chaired professorship by the McGraw Foundation. The McGraw Professor, Henry R. Linden, directs the center's comprehensive research and education program in sustainable global energy development. Included among this center's numerous activities is an interdisciplinary research and education program in Energy/Environment/Economics (E3). This unique program features efforts in multiphase flow, fluidization, enhanced oil and gas recovery, process monitoring and control, power engineering, pollution prevention, global climate change, energy economics, and energy and environmental policy. The program offers the E3 specialization at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

Center of Excellence in Polymer Science and Engineering (CEPSE)

Established at IIT in 1990 with a grant from the Amoco Foundation to serve as an interdisciplinary research, education and technology transfer facility. Research efforts focus on polymer process modeling, polymer rheology, polymer reaction engineering, polymer synthesis, polymer characterization, and polymer and rubber recycling. The CEPSE also offers an undergraduate specialization and a graduate concentration in polymer science and engineering.

Faculty specialists in process modeling and control

constitute a designated "research cluster" in the Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering.