Course syllabus

Course-PM

KBT355 KBT355 Applied electrochemistry lp2 HT25 (7.5 hp) Link to Syllabus 

Course is offered by the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering

Contact details

Teaching team: We are a group of researchers with passion for electrochemistry and learn with you about fundamentals and applied sciences of Electrochemistry. Welcome to KBT355!

Examiner and lecturer:	Email	Room	Address
Alexander Giovannitti	alexander.giovannitti@chalmers.se	Room 8150	Kemigården 4, Floor 8
Lecturers:
Mathilde Luneau	mathilde.luneau@chalmers.se	Room 2072	Kemivägen 10, Floor 2
Joakim Halldin Stenlid	stenlid@chalmers.se	Room 5071	Kemigården 4, Floor 5

Teaching assistants:

Labs: Ruby Susan Raju (ruby@chalmers.se, Room 8149, Kemigården 4, Floor 8)

Labs: Markus Nilsson (markus.nilsson@chalmers.se, Room 2070, Kemivägen 10, Floor 2)

Tutorials: Anna Panagiota Souri (souri@chalmers.se, Room 2074, Kemivägen 10, Floor 2)

*three extra lectures and one tutorial are added as place holders in case lecturers/TA are unable to give the scheduled lecture/tutorial.

Course purpose

The main aim of the course is to provide students with an understanding of fundamental and applied concepts of electrochemistry. The clean energy transition brings many scientific and engineering challenges, notably in the field of electrochemical energy storage and chemical production technologies. Electrification of our society and industry requires trained engineers and researchers with strong knowledge of electrochemistry. The students will gain a comprehensive understanding of electrochemical systems and their role in addressing current and future challenges.

The course starts with an overview of fundamental principles in electrochemistry where thermodynamics and concepts such as electrode potentials and redox reactions are introduced. The course delves into topics including kinetics of electrochemical reactions, the Nernst equation, and electrocatalysis. It will also introduce key electrochemical methods and tools such as cyclic voltammetry, and rotating disk electrode measurements to characterize material performance for important electrochemical reactions. The second part of the course focuses on applications and electrochemical devices such as batteries, fuel cells, electrolyzers, and sensors. Students have an opportunity to carry out experiment to apply their knowledge in hands on experiments.  Finally, students team up to work in groups on projects dealing with electrochemistry by applying knowledge gathered in the course to real-world scientific and engineering topics. The groups will share their findings by preparing and presenting a poster.

Schedule

TimeEdit

Course literature

We will use the follow book to assist the learning of students:

Electrochemistry, 2nd, Completely Revised and Updated Edition

Carl H. Hamann, Andrew Hamnett, Wolf Vielstich

ISBN: 978-3-527-31069-2, April 2007, 550 pages

Teaching style and learning environment

Our aim is to create a stimulating, open, and inclusive learning environment. We work with active learning elements and student projects with poster presentations. We plan to invite guests from electrochemistry focused companies to act as poster judges to provide opportunities for students to engage with experts and expand their network. 

Formation of groups: We work in students groups ('groups') where we form groups during the first week. Within your groups, you will work on your project and present the group poster, you will also work together in the lab.  We are aware that not everyone enjoys the format of learning, especially when the examiner/lecturers forms groups. Our intension is to form effective and diverse groups to streamline learning.

Teaching philosophy:

We use active learning teaching methods in our course to improve long term retention of knowledge. 

Course design:

The course consists of three modules and all three modules must be completed to complete the course with 7.5 HECs. Here is a description on what is expected from you to earn all credits:

Module #1: Learn about electrochemical theory and applications during lectures and tutorials. Exam questions cover the content of all lectures (4.5 HECs (graded)). Working on three problem sets will support your learning and prepare you for the exam. Handing in solutions to the problem sets is optional - however, you will receive feedback and corrections for your answers if submitted by the deadline for hand in of each problem set (link to Problem sets).

Module #2: The project is worth 1.5 HECs (pass/fail). In groups of 2-3 students, you select a project (see List of Projects). The groups develop and submit a summary of their project planned by the end of week #45. (mandatory, Link to assignment) The groups also prepare a poster that presents the content of the project (mandatory, Link to assignment). Some projects allow students to collect data in a research group at Chalmers to offer hands on experience on electrochemistry. In addition to the group work, each student must follow the schedule below to earn the credits:

1. Hand in your poster draft by the deadline to receive feedback for your handed-in poster draft (mandatory to submit draft of poster - Link to assignment).
2. Provide feedback on other group’s drafts for two posters by the deadline (mandatory - Link to assignment)
3. Presents the poster of their group at the poster session on 25/12/19 (13:00-15:00 and 15:00-17:00 (mandatory to be present).

Module #3: Each group will carry out three to four lab experiments and hand in lab reports. (Link to assignment) The lab exercises will take place in the teaching lab. The module is worth 1.5 HECs (pass/fail).

Please note: Your final grade for KBT355 is determined by the exam score. To complete the course and earn 7.5 HEC, you  must also pass module #2 (project) and module #3 (labs).

A user guide to the course (course organization):

General organization: 

We use Canvas to collaborate with students, submit assignments and provide information. Examiner and lecturers will communicate via the Announcements channel in Canvas. You can email the examiner and lecturers for further questions related to the course (we aim to get back to you within three days).  

Lectures and problem sets

KBT355 consists of 12 lectures covering content from fundamentals to applied electrochemistry (3 extra lectures are added as place holders in case lecturers are unable to give the scheduled lecture).  The course works with elements of active learning, which has been shown to promote learning. You should aim to attend all 12 lectures in person to make use of in-class activities. During tutorials, you will discuss questions you have and solve problems. You will only receive corrections and feedback on your answers if you hand in answers to the problem sets by the deadline. Participating in tutorials and working on problem sets will prepare you for exam questions.

Project, poster presentation and poster presentation

You work on a project during the course where the project has four mandatory assignments. Here is a summary of what to do for the project:

Week #45:	In class #1, you get to know your group members and as a group and select a project from list of projects available. Each student submits the summary of the project by the deadline.
Week #46-48:	Familiarise yourself with the topic of your project and read the provided literature. Coordinate experiments/simulations with the contact person responsible for your project to perform experiment(s) in the research group. Prepare the poster draft covering the topic of your project and add analysed data from experiments/simulations. Submit a poster draft by the deadline to receive feedback from your peers. We provided a poster template for you to use as inspiration - you are welcome to use your own style!
Week #49-50:	Review two poster drafts from other groups and provide feedback to your peers.
Week #50-51:	Complete the poster following relevant suggestions from the feedback. Submit the final poster by the deadline. Each group is responsible to print their poster - Use Chalmers Poster service to print the poster free of charge (project code will be shared soon)

Labs

In your groups, you work on three to four experiments in the lab and hand in lab reports for the experiments. 

Missed deadlines:

You must inform the examiner in advance via email for late hand-in of assignments. Please note that an additional assignment is provided for late hand-in.

Changes made since the last occasion

This course is offered first time in '25/'26

Learning objectives and syllabus

Learning objectives:

Module #1 (4.5 HECs)

• Explain the fundamental principles of electrochemistry, including electrode potentials, redox reactions and kinetics, and electrochemical cell designs.

• Describe modeling methods and applications of electrochemistry such as electrochemical energy storage, electrocatalysis, and sensors.

Module #2 (1.5 HECs)

• Collaborate with a group of students to research or explore an advanced topic in electrochemistry.
• Develop a clear and visually engaging scientific poster summarizing key findings and present the poster at the poster sessions of the course.
• Evaluate peer presentations and provide constructive feedback.

 Module #3 (1.5 HECs)

• Conduct electrochemical experiments (e.g., chronoamperometry, cyclic voltammetry, etc.).
• Analyze experimental data to determine key electrochemical parameters.
• Write clear, concise, and well-organized lab reports, demonstrating the ability to interpret experimental results in the context of theoretical principles.

https://www.chalmers.se/en/education/your-studies/find-course-and-programme-syllabi/course-syllabus/KBT355/?acYear=2025/2026

Examination form

There will be written, closed-book exam covering the content of all lectures and learning goals covered in module #1. Your final grade is made up of the graded exam (4.5 HECs). The time and place of the exam will be provided in the coming weeks.