For electrochemical energy systems such as batteries, ultra-(pseudo-)capacitor and fuel cells, the gas/solid, liquid/solid and solid/solid interfaces are critical nexus where many important physical and chemical processes take place. For example, the formation of solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI) is one kind of electrochemical deposition at the electrode surfaces. How SEI is formed and what are their compositions are strongly related to the battery performance and safety (i.e., dendrite formation at lithium metal anode). During battery charge-discharge cycling, the electrode/electrolyte interfaces usually transform, resulting in short cycle life and low energy capacity. In contrast, the interfacial couplings and reactions between electrodes and solid electrolytes dictate the operation and performance of solid-state-battery in very distinct way. In addition, electrochemical reactions such as oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR) in fuel cells, oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in electrolyzers, and CO₂ reductions on catalysts surface determine the efficiency of these energy systems. However, these interfacial processes are not well understood and controlled, which directly affects the development of sustainable devices for energy harvesting, conversion and storage.

To address the pressing opportunities and challenges, this symposium was designed this symposium to highlight the recent trends in the deposition, transformation and reaction of functional interfaces for electrochemical energy systems. The symposium will bridge expertise in academia research and industrial applications from electrochemical deposition, interfacial reactions, functional control, advanced characterization to applications of energy devices. Particular attention will be paid to the understanding of interfacial physics and chemistry, the control, and multimodal in situ characterization of functional materials in catalysts, energy storage and conversion. This topic may also include novel architectures for mechanistic studies, such as the use of epitaxial thin film, single crystal surfaces and substrate-supported entities as model systems. Also of interest are, in situ monitoring of functional interface formation/transformation/reactions. This symposium will provide an interactive forum for scientists from various fields interested in the application of interfacial engineering to both classical and emerging applications. Specific sessions will be organized based on scientific theme topics in order to foster cross-fertilization of ideas and strategies. It will also host sessions with a focus on recent advanced tools such as emerging coherence-based capabilities from 4^th generation light sources and their applications in the studies of interface processes of sustainable energy devices. This symposium hopes to benefit materials scientists from various backgrounds, and will help encourage the implementation of rational design, smart control and advanced characterization approaches to solve the needed problems in this field.

absorption diffusion electrodeposition energy generation energy storage film metal oxide surface chemistry