The Center for Electrochemical Engineering (CEE) is dedicated to the integrated study of electrochemical power sources including batteries, fuel cells, and super capacitors. Electrochemical power sources have been selected because of their critical importance to the timely development of batteries for electric vehicles, laptop computers, hand-held cordless power tools, and cellular phones. The CEE serves as a focal point for the development (system identification, specific cell design, test, and evaluation) of new power source technologies.

Conventional battery systems (Lead acid, Ni-Zn, Ni-Fe, and Ni-Cd) do not address important issues needed for electronic appliances such as long life, low weight, the use of nontoxic materials and high power. In the last decade focus has shifted to a new class of cells such as Lithium ion and Nickel Metal Hydride batteries. Laboratories at the Center for Electrochemical Engineering are set up to synthesize different chemicals, which can be used as battery electrodes for Li-ion cells and Ni-MH batteries. Further, the facility has the ability to study the charge-discharge behavior, utilization, and capacity fade of different batteries and super capacitors. We also have the capability to cut open batteries and perform diagnostic tests to determine the causes of battery failure. It is worth mentioning here that a team of researchers headed by Dr. Branko N. Popov has been investigating the cause of failure of Nickel-Metal Hydride and Lithium-ion batteries for the past 5 years. This program has been funded by both private and government funds. The National Reconnaissance Office and the Office of Basic Research, Department of Energy have been supporting this effort.

Surface preparation, plating of conventional and nanosized deposits, electroless deposition, deposition of alloys and composites are critical for aerospace, automobile, medical and engineering industries. Tremendous potential exists for the growth of metal finishing industry in this century through the development of processes that are either environmentally friendly or are applicable at the nano-scale. The CEE carries out theoretical and experimental studies to achieve such coatings. Nanostructured alloys and innovative composite materials are developed through adaptation of existing bath chemistries. Process development is based on techniques developed in our laboratories such as underpotential deposition (UPD) of monoatomic metal layers, autocatalytic reduction and potentiostatic pulse (PP) and pulse reversal (PR) plating of amorphous and crystalline nanostructured alloys. The processes have been optimized based on obtaining superior corrosion and electrocatalytic properties. Further refinement of the coating process is achieved through the development of theoretical models. An example of this approach is our current focus to develop electroless and electrodeposition processes to synthesize ternary alloys such as Zn-Ni-X (X=Cu, Cd, or P). These materials are targeted as a replacement for Cd deposits used in corrosion protection of hard alloys.

The CEE is also involved in use of electrodeposition for the development of composite materials that are applicable in the next generation of batteries, super capacitors and fuel cell assemblies. With increasing miniaturization of electronic devices, current focus is on developing portable energy sources that can power these devices. To this purpose, several nanostructured composites based on transition metals (Co/Ni/Cu) and noble metals (Pt/Pd/Ru) on powders were developed using electroless and pulse plating techniques.

The Center for Electrochemical Engineering is dedicated to advancing the knowledge and experience through education and research of corrosion control, corrosion prevention by protective coatings, passivation, cathodic protection, and materials performance and selection. The Department of Chemical Engineering at USC offers undergraduate and graduate corrosion courses through the CEE that are materials oriented. The objective of the courses is to teach the students in materials selection and design. The courses introduce the student to the underlying science of corrosion engineering principles developed from thermodynamic, kinetic, mass transfer and potential theory. The special topics are: (1) electro-chemical thermodynamics and electrode potentials, (2) kinetics of electrode reactions, (3) mass transfer by migration and diffusion, (4) dc and ac corrosion techniques for corrosion rate monitoring in air, aqueous media, molten salts, concrete and soil, (5) passivity, (6) forms of corrosion, (7) engineering design of corrosion prevention systems, (8) coating and inhibitors, (9) anodic protection (10) cathodic protection.

For the last ten years the CEE has been developing for ONR alternative coatings to protect hard alloys from hydrogen embrittlement and to substitute cadmium plating. First principle mathematical models were developed for the characterization of hydrogen permeation into metals and alloys under corrosion conditions. Currently we are developing nanostructured, non-anomalous Ni-Zn-P coatings and Zn-Ni-SiO2 based alloys, which completely inhibit corrosion and hydrogen permeation in the substrate. For ELISHA technologies the CEE is developing a proprietary process to coat galvanized steel with a thin layer of SiO2. This is a tremendous challenge since electrodeposition of SiO2 from aqueous electrolytes has not been reported before. The immediate application of this process is to replace hexavalent chrome and conversion based coatings. For the last five years for SCDOT, TDOT and for Federal Highway Administration the CEE has been actively involved in research and development of novel inhibitors for preventing the failure of concrete structures. For SCDOT a mathematical model was developed which predicts the service life of the structure.