NexEchem

Infrastructure and User Services

NexEchem focuses on developing scalable electrocatalytic materials and devices with high activity, selectivity, and long-term stability under real-world conditions.

Central to NexEchem is the Self-Driving Lab for Electrochemistry (SDL4EC), located at DIFFER, which employs artificial intelligence to autonomously design, synthesize, and rapidly test new electrocatalytic materials, significantly reducing development timelines and cost.

NexEchem integrates complementary facilities to ensure comprehensive research capabilities: the Low-Temperature Electrochemistry (LT EC) at Delft University of Technology, High-Pressure High-Temperature Electrochemistry (HPHT EC) at University of Twente, and an In-Depth Material Characterisation (ID MC) facility equipped with advanced Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) at the University of Groningen.

The centralized data platform at Eindhoven University of Technology underpins these activities, ensuring data adheres to FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) principles. This digital infrastructure connects all components, allowing efficient data sharing, analysis, and decision-making.

NexEchem will provide a comprehensive suite of services to scientific users, offering unparallelled access to state-of-the-art laboratory facilities, scalable production lines, and open-access databases. These services encompass advanced equipment for material synthesis, characterisation, and testing, including high-throughput experimentation tools essential for cutting-edge research in electrochemical conversion. NexEchem provides an end-to-end platform that spans the entire cycle of electrochemical research from initial design and development to rigorous testing and optimisation

Examples/description of the type of research

NexEchem focuses on addressing critical scientific and technological challenges that arise when scaling electrochemical processes from laboratory to industrial environments. The research primarily investigates how scale-up and realistic operational conditions affect the activity, selectivity, durability, and overall performance of electrocatalytic materials and devices. Through SDL4EC’s high-throughput, AI-driven methodologies, researchers rapidly identify promising electrocatalyst compositions and understand degradation mechanisms under diverse operational stresses.

Complementary facilities within NexEchem extend this foundational research by exploring catalyst and device behaviour under low-temperature and high-pressure, high-temperature conditions that closely emulate industrial applications. This multi-scale approach uncovers fundamental insights into electrochemical reaction kinetics, catalyst stability, and mass transport dynamics, essential for developing robust and efficient electrochemical conversion systems.

NexEchem's integrated feedback loops between AI-driven synthesis, detailed operando characterization, and realistic performance testing enable predictive insights into material performance at industrial scales. The facilities’ unique capacity for detailed multi-dimensional characterization, spanning from nano-scale material properties to full-scale industrial process emulation, positions NexEchem as a transformative hub for innovation in electrochemical conversion. These capabilities directly contribute to improved electrochemical technologies, significantly reducing development times and costs, while enabling breakthroughs aligned with global sustainability goals.

How to access the infrastructure?

Users can apply for access through an online proposal submission web-based portal. Academic and industrial users will have tailored access pathways to ensure fair evaluation and encourage broad use of the facility. The call for proposal round is twice a year. Users are encouraged to contact the facilities upfront to gain advice on the submission procedure and technical feasibility.