Welcome to Chemical Engineering at the University of Waterloo

Researchers in the Department of Chemical Engineering have developed a new 3D-printed electrode design for redox flow batteries, a promising technology for storing energy generated by wind and solar power. Their work shows how carefully designed internal structures can help battery liquids move more effectively through the system while reducing the energy needed to pump the liquid.

Led by Professor Maxime van der Heijden, the research team created porous electrodes using 3D printing. The goal was to improve what engineers call mass transport, the movement of molecules in the battery liquid to the places where energy-storing reactions occur.

Redox flow batteries work differently from the lithium-ion batteries found in phones and electric vehicles. Instead of storing energy in solid materials, they store energy in liquid electrolytes held in external tanks. Because the amount of stored energy can be increased by using larger tanks, these batteries are attractive for large-scale renewable energy storage and grid applications.

Electrodes are a critical part of the battery because they provide the surface where chemical reactions take place. Making electrodes porous increases the available surface area and creates more locations where these reactions can occur.

The Department of Chemical Engineering’s Analytical Lab Facilities are helping advance research across the University of Waterloo and for external academic institutions, industry partners and emerging start-ups.

The Analytical Lab Facilities is a model of research infrastructure support, serving as a hub for materials characterization and chemical analysis, giving researchers access to technical expertise and specialized services, encouraging cross‑disciplinary innovation.

"Our goal is to lower the barriers to high-level research," says facility Director, Dr. Charles Dal Castel. "By providing access to advanced instrumentation and expert support, we can give researchers the tools they need to accelerate discovery."

The approach combines instruments centrally located in large communal laboratories with instruments in satellite locations (in laboratories managed by individual faculty). Much of the equipment has been acquired through grant funding, creating a shared resource that maximizes research impact.

Three chemical engineering graduate students won in the Academy of Research Commercialization (ARC) inaugural pitch competition.

ARC is a new program launched jointly between the Faculty of Engineering and the Conrad School of Business in collaboration with Velocity and WatCo (Waterloo Commercialization Office).

ARC provides programming such as fund preparation, and workshops for PhD students aiming to transform deep-tech research into for-profit ventures. 

Three entrepreneurially minded chemical engineering graduate students were winners of the competition.

Drew Davidson’s start-up ArcticEdge Technologies Inc. was one of the winners. Davidson, who is co-supervised by Professors Milad Kamkar and Valerie Ward, was inspired by his mother, Kelley Willemze who was a firefighter in Cambridge for over 30 years.