The CEC was established in 2006 to capitalize on a half century of excellence in electrochemistry at UT-Austin to foster collaborative research programs in the electrochemical sciences. Our broad mission is to advance research and solve problems, fundamental or applied, related to transfer of electrons or ions at interfaces. The CEC offers a strong coupling between fundamental electrochemistry and materials science, fields that are the foundation for widespread applications in diverse fields such as energy and health. We are comprised of a multi-disciplinary group of more than 250 faculty, staff, and student researchers spanning the chemistry, materials, and engineering aspects of electrochemical science.

CEC research is focused in 3 key areas:

• Electrocatalysis and electrochemical energy systems focuses on the discovery, characterization, and mechanistic understanding of new electrocatalysts and materials for electrochemical devices, such as fuel cells batteries, solar cells, and supercapacitors.
• Photoelectrochemical (PEC) systems are the most efficient chemical systems to date for solar energy utilization, and offer an important route to direct production of hydrogen (and potentially other chemicals) by sunlight.
• Bioelectrochemistry and sensors encompasses areas like membrane transport, toxicity screening, and ultrasensitive biosensor probes where electrochemistry plays a key role in the electroanalytical characterization of living biological systems.