November 30 - December 5, 2025
Boston, Massachusetts
2025 MRS Fall Meeting & Exhibit

Symposium SF06-Advances in Smart Materials for Electrochemically Driven Separations, Capture and Transformations

This symposium will focus on the development of smart materials and electrochemical processes for the separation, purification, and transformation of critical materials such as lithium, platinum group metals (PGMs), rare earth elements (REEs), and others, alongside electrochemical carbon dioxide (CO2) capture and conversion. By bridging these fields, the symposium aims to address shared scientific questions and technical challenges, and to promote cross-disciplinary collaboration. Key discussions will center on the opportunities and challenges in designing electrochemically active materials capable of operating in proton-rich and non-aqueous environments, maintaining selectivity and cycle stability, and achieving energy-efficient processes. Additional focus will be on shared approaches to electrochemical capture and release mechanisms, as well as chemical and engineering strategies aimed at enhancing selectivity and throughput. The symposium will explore advanced material design principles, including AI/ML and quantum chemical methods, to drive the development of next-generation materials for CO2 capture and critical element recovery. Cutting-edge in situ and in operando techniques, such as X-ray and neutron scattering, will be highlighted for their ability to reveal fundamental chemistries and mechanisms governing redox-active materials. These insights will guide the design of materials with high electrochemical and chemical stability, reversibility, and water tolerance—critical for both CO2 capture and critical element separation applications. The symposium will also examine innovative strategies for improving selectivity in complex, dynamic environments, focusing on the use of electrochemically driven smart materials in solid-liquid and liquid-liquid separation processes. By identifying common ground between these fields, the symposium aims to foster integrated discussions and advance the development of materials and processes that address global challenges in carbon management and resource recovery.

Topics will include:

  • Predictive Design and AI/ML Integration for Electrochemical Materials
  • Emerging Electrochemical Separation Technologies
  • Material Design for Electrochemical Recovery and Conversion
  • Advanced In Situ and Operando Characterization Techniques
  • Redox-Active Materials and Processes for Critical Element Separations and Carbon Management
  • Electrochemically Driven Smart Materials and Selectivity
  • Scalability and Industrial Applications of Electrochemical Processes
  • Coupled Electrochemical Processes for Resource Recovery and Environmental Management
  • Future Directions in Electrochemical Material Science for Resource Recovery and Sustainability

Invited Speakers:

  • Anastassia Alexandrova (University of California, Los Angeles, USA)
  • Christopher Arges (Argonne National Laboratory, USA)
  • Michael Aziz (Harvard University, USA)
  • Joseph Cotruvo (The Pennsylvania State University, USA)
  • Betar Gallant (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA)
  • Alan Hatton (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA)
  • Marta Hatzell (Georgia Institute of Technology, USA)
  • Alex Ivanov (Oak Ridge National Laboratory, USA)
  • Watchareeya Kaveevivitchai (National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan)
  • David Kwabi (University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, USA)
  • Kai Landskron (Lehigh University, USA)
  • Shihong Lin (Vanderbilt University, USA)
  • Zachary Schiffer (Harvard University, USA)
  • Hyowon Seo (Stony Brook University, The State University of New York, USA)
  • David Sinton (University of Toronto, Canada)
  • Hanyu Wang (Oak Ridge National Laboratory, USA)
  • Haotian Wang (Rice University, USA)
  • Michael Whittaker (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, USA)

Symposium Organizers

Ilja Popovs
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
USA

Chong Liu
The University of Chicago
Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering
USA

Yayuan Liu
Johns Hopkins University
Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering
USA

Xiao Su
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering
USA

Topics

absorbent electrical properties in situ intercalation ion-exchange material operando purification