An ode to electrochemistry

Catalyst · 13 Mar 2025 · 35m

What this episode covers

Dr. Yet-Ming Chiang, a professor at MIT and co-founder of companies including Form Energy and Sublime Systems, discusses the strategic applications of electrochemistry beyond batteries. He explains that electrochemistry is best suited for high-energy-density, two-dimensional interfacial reactions, such as producing acid and base for industrial processes like cement and mining, rather than three-dimensional thermal transformations. Chiang also outlines the limitations of solid-solid transformations and evaluates the current role of AI in accelerating material discovery versus true system-level invention.

Mentioned

Companies
Form Energy, Sublime Systems, 24M, Desktop Metal, A123 Systems, Energy Impact Partners, EnergyHub, Antenna Group, Boston Metal
Also
Chlor-alkali process, DARPA

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