Predicting and implementing Out-of-equilibrium Waveform-controlled Electrochemical pRocesses

Objective

The chemical industry is the third-largest source of global industrial emissions, calling for electrification strategies in line with the REPowerEU Plan. Using alternating electrochemical potentials (i.e., alternating current with square or sinusoidal waveforms) to manufacture chemical products is a promising route to more sustainable transformations. Yet current research relies mainly on trial-and-error and has so far focused on time-symmetric waveforms, even though redox processes are inherently time-asymmetric. POWER will introduce a systematic, theory-driven experimental approach to harnessing alternating waveforms to drive chemical reactions under nonequilibrium conditions, opening efficient and sustainable pathways for chemical manufacturing. It pioneers the use of time-asymmetric potentials to achieve predictive control of electrosynthetic processes. By informing mechanistic models with targeted experiments, the project will establish a reproducible framework for theory-driven waveform design. Redox-induced nonequilibrium self-assembly of a molecular machine and annihilation electrochemiluminescence experiments will serve as strategic testbeds for model development and validation. The methodology will then be applied to the electrochemical synthesis of non-natural amino acids under alternating polarity. The objective is to demonstrate experimentally quantifiable gains in yield and energy efficiency, with up to an order-of-magnitude improvement over the state of the art, and to enable access to derivatives currently inaccessible with existing protocols, including precursors of peptides implicated in oncology and other therapeutic domains. By advancing cleaner and more efficient electrochemical manufacturing powered directly by electricity, POWER will help reduce dependence on fossil fuels, cut CO2 emissions, and accelerate Europe’s transition to a sustainable economy.