This symposium broadly covers current and emerging understandings of materials for fuel cells, electrolyzers, and related electrochemical devices (such as metal-air batteries, and electrocatalytic reactors for carbon dioxide and nitrogen reduction). Of particular interest are how fundamental understandings of materials can impact macroscopic device performance and stability, how to design superior materials for interfaces and interphases (e.g., solid-solid, solid-liquid, and solid-gas) in electrochemical systems, and how to experimentally validate open hypotheses within this field of research. The objective is to provide an interdisciplinary discussion forum about the current state and future perspectives of electrochemical materials, particularly for fuel cells and electrolyzers, including open challenges and opportunities. Symposium topics include new structure-property relations of materials in fuel cells, electrolyzers, and related devices; state-of-the-art characterization and computation tools; and conceptual discussions of the interplay between fundamental and applied aspects of materials in electrochemical systems. Special emphases are placed on materials design for interfaces and interphases from atomic- and molecular-level understandings and their role in shaping macroscopic device performance and stability, on first-principles and phenomenological modeling with predictive power, and on in situ/in operando characterizations of materials for interfaces and interphases as well as their evolution over the course of the device’s operation. The symposium also welcomes contributions aimed at bridging well-defined experimental measurements with first-principles modeling.

catalytic diffusion electromigration energy generation energy storage kinetics metrology simulation surface chemistry