Exsolution presents a sustainable alternative to conventional catalyst preparation methods by enabling the activation of earth-abundant elements through nano-structural effects, in-situ rejuvenation, or long-lasting preservation of active sites, dramatically extending catalyst lifetime and reducing material waste in energy conversion systems. This symposium aims to bring together leading experts in exsolution and solid-state ionics to discuss the latest advancements in this promising nanocatalyst fabrication route, which has significantly impacted many relevant energy conversion and storage technologies.
Beyond its initial applications in Solid Oxide Electrochemical Cells, exsolution has emerged as a versatile surface functionalization strategy finding new applications across sustainable technologies, from membrane reactors for green hydrogen production to catalyst systems for CO utilization and environmental remediation.
Topics will include recent breakthroughs in nanoparticle exsolution, with a focus on unraveling the underlying physicochemical mechanisms at the nanoscale and exploring future directions to broaden the application potential of this technology. This symposium will also examine pathways to scale exsolution from laboratory to industrial implementation while maintaining its core advantages in resource efficiency, stability and sustainability.
POSTER CONTRIBUTION PRIZES
🏅 Best poster presentation prize valued as a Tango Gift Card (valued at 100€) Wiley.
🏅 Best poster presentation prize valued as a Tango Gift Card (valued at 100€) Wiley.
🏅 Best poster presentation prize valued as a Tango Gift Card (valued at 100€) Wiley.
🏅 Best poster presentation prize (valued at 125€) JPhys Energy
Sponsored by:
- New trends in metallic nanoparticle exsolution (multicomponent exsolution, non-conventional routes for exsolution, endogenous exsolution)
- In situ monitoring of exsolved nanoparticle formation
- Operando studies on electrochemical performance of advanced electrodes
- Advances in thin-film surface functionalization
- Oxide exsolution in Proton Ceramic Electrochemical Cells
- Mechanistic understanding of metallic exsolution based on computational tools
- Nanoparticle exsolution in thermo-catalytic processes and membrane reactors
Alfonso J. Carrillo holds a Ph.D. in chemical engineering by Universidad Rey Juan Carlos (Spain)—research conducted at IMDEA Energy. Then, he moved to the Electrochemical Materials Laboratory, first at ETH Zurich (Switzerland), and after at MIT (USA), where he was 2018 Eni-MIT Energy Fellow. He has been awarded with the Energy and Environmental Research Grant by Fundación Iberdrola, Juan de la Cierva Formación by the Spanish Ministry of Science, and Junior Leader Fellowship by Fundación LaCaixa. He has worked at ITQ (Spain) since January 2019, with a focus on the functionalization of redox oxides for energy storage and production of renewable fuels.
I am currently a Senior Lecturer (2023), having joined the University of Strathclyde in 2020, as a Chancellor's Fellow in Renewable Energy in the Department of Chemical and Process Engineering. I completed my MEng in Materials and Process Engineering at the University Politehnica of Bucharest in 2008, and later earned a PhD in Energy Materials from the University of St Andrews, Scotland, in 2013. Following this, I worked in several post-doctoral research roles at the University of St Andrews and Newcastle University.
My career has been dedicated to contributing innovative and ground-breaking concepts in the fields of advanced materials and renewable energy conversion applications, as evidenced by my 40+ peer-reviewed publications, including five in the prestigious Nature-family journals and two in Energy and Environmental Science.
Now leading a dynamic research team of 7 PhD students, 2 PDRAs, and multiple masters and interns, as well as international visitors, our focus is on the development of materials and devices for renewable energy conversion. This includes materials development, characterisation, and testing with applications in green hydrogen production, clean power generation, carbon capture, and conversion to sustainable fuels and chemicals. My mission is to accelerate the transition to a low-carbon society by improving technology performance, reliability, cost-effectiveness, and sustainability. This is achieved by collaborating with both industrial and academic partners worldwide to drive meaningful change.
In addition to my research, I am committed to mentoring the next generation of energy engineers and promoting knowledge transfer for a cleaner, sustainable energy future.
ELEONORA CALIN/A
Graduated in Materials Science at Instituto Sabato, UNSAM, Argentina
PhD Technical University Berlin, Germany
Since 2018, staff researcher at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) in the Interface Design Department of the Energy Materials In-situ Laboratory (EMIL), currently coordinating HZB’s characterization strategies in the Care-O-Sene and Green-QUEST projects. and the the HZB Photon school held yearly at BESSY II, offering lectures and practical trainings at several beamlines.
Research focus on in-situ and operando investigations of energy materials and devices, such as catalysts and solid oxide cells. Complementary synchrotron-based spectroscopies, scattering and imaging methods are combined to investigate energy conversion processes.
Feiyan Xu