Click here to download the ECAT 2026 programme
NOTE: Small changes will be made to the programme. Please check back on 29 October 2026 for the final version. No changes will be made to the order of events, and all presentations will retain their slots.
14:00 – 18:00 Hotel check-in 14:00 – 17:00 Conference Registration 17:20 Transport to Alluvia Boutique Winery. Please report to the outdoor area in front of the hotel lobby at 17:20 sharp for shuttle pickup. 18:00 – 22:00 Traditional South African braai at Alluvia Boutique Winery SESSION 1 | Chair: Prof. Cobus Kriek 08:15 Welcoming Address 08:30 Plenary Address 1: Prof. Gabriele Centi Electrocatalysis to enable an e-chemistry future: setting the scene and why go beyond the current approaches 09:15 Keynote Address 1: Prof. Jan Rossmeisl Catalysis on High Entropy Alloys 09:45 Lecture 1: Prof. Michael H. Eikerling Untangling the double-edged role of cations in electrocatalysis 10:05 Lecture 2: Prof. Karl Mayrhofer Evaluation of Electrocatalyst Activity, Stability and Selectivity during dynamic operation – Online Coupling of Analytical Techniques to Electrochemical Flow Cells 10:25 – 10:55 Tea and Coffee Break SESSION 2 | Chair: Prof. Michael Eikerling 10:55 Keynote Address 2: Prof. Peter Grütter Spatially resolved electrocatalysis 11:25 Lecture 3: Prof. Gregory Jerkiewicz Extreme Electrocatalysis: Exploration of Electrochemical Processes at Pt Electrodes in Frozen Aqueous Electrolyte Solutions 11:45 Lecture 4: Dr Adrian C. Fortuin Mapping the pH Landscape of Zinc Electrochemistry: Ammoniacal Complexation, Overpotential and Hydrogen Evolution in Near-Neutral Electrolytes 12:05 Lecture 5: Prof. Rhiyaad Mohamed Iridium-based catalysts for acidic oxygen evolution: linking synthesis, structure and stability 12:25 Lecture 6: Dr Deep L. Singh Interfacial Electron Transfer in Metal Oxide Heterostructures for Enhanced Oxygen Evolution Reaction Performance 12:45 – 13:45 Lunch SESSION 3 | Chair: Prof. Jean-Philippe Croué 13:45 Keynote Address 3: Prof. Byron D. Gates Protective Oxide Coatings on Platinum Electrocatalysts: A Pathway to Enhanced Durability in PEM Fuel Cells 14:15 Lecture 7: Prof. Krzysztof Kruczała Radical Formation and Mitigation in Anion-Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells: Operando EPR, DFT and Oxide Scavengers 14:35 Lecture 8: Mr Thokozani Tsoari Electrolyte-dependent hydrogen evolution on MoS₂ and WS₂ electrocatalysts from alkaline electrolyte to seawater conditions 14:55 Lecture 9: Prof. Yoshiyuki Kuroda Nano-Size Effects of Hybrid Layered Double Hydroxides for Highly Functional Anode Materials 15:15 – 15:45 Tea and Coffee Break SESSION 4 | Chair: Prof. Gregory Jerkiewicz 15:45 Keynote Address 4: Prof. Svein Sunde The Oxygen Evolution Reaction: Polarization Curves, Impedance, and Microkinetic Models 16:15 Lecture 10: Mr Branham Kock Electrocatalytic Evaluation of a Co/Mo Composite Cathode for the Hydrogen Evolution Reaction in PEM Water Electrolysis 16:35 Lecture 11: Mr Steve Baranton Catalysts and Electrode Development for AEM Water Electrolysis 18:00 Travel to Rhebokskloof Wine Estate. Please report to the outdoor area in front of the hotel lobby at 18:00 sharp for shuttle pickup. 18:45 – 22:00 Dinner at Rhebokskloof Wine Estate SESSION 5 | Chair: Prof. Daniel Guay 08:30 Plenary Address 2: Prof. Frank Marken Intrinsically microporous polymers in electrocatalysis and in photocatalysis 09:15 Keynote Address 5: Prof. Omotayo Arotiba Semiconductor ‘Engineering’ In Photoelectrocatalytic Applications for Water Treatment and Green Hydrogen Generation 09:45 Lecture 12: Prof. Cobus Kriek From Photocatalysis, to Electrocatalysis, to Photo-electrocatalysis, to Catching the Sun – A Journey 10:05 Lecture 13: Mr Buyane Ngubane Sun-powered molecules: Enhancing molecular solar thermal energy storage via liquid-crystalline norbornadiene-azobenzene hybrids 10:25 – 10:55 Tea and Coffee Break SESSION 6 | Chair: Prof. Karl Mayrhofer 10:55 Keynote Address 6: Dr Anzel Falch PFAS-free binders for electrocatalysis and accessible electrochemical tools 11:25 Keynote Address 7: Prof. Sivakumar Pasuphati Biogenic Silicon for Proton Beam Writing: A Promising Material for Solar Energy Application 11:55 Lecture 14: Ms Sinawo Cekiso Biogenic Silicon for Proton Beam Writing: A Promising Material for Solar Energy Application 12:05 Lecture 15: Mr Kaden Moonsamy Photoreforming of 2-methyl-2-butanol over bare and Pt-loaded TiO₂: mechanistic insights & product selectivity under ambient conditions 12:25 – 13:45 Lunch 13:45 – 17:00 Poster Session 19:00 – 22:00 Conference Gala Dinner 07:00 – 10:00 Hotel check-out SESSION 7 | Chair: Prof. Christophe Coutanceau 08:30 Plenary Address 3: Prof. Boon Siang Yeo Electrosynthesis of long-chain hydrocarbons 09:15 Keynote Address 8: Prof. Kenneth Ozoemena Nanostructured High-Entropy Spinel Oxide as Efficient Electrocatalysts for Alkaline Water Splitting 09:45 Lecture 16: Prof. Lang Xu Coal-Based Carbon for CO₂ Electroreduction: From Dual-Site Atomic Design to Embedded Molecular Construction 10:05 Lecture 17: Mr Johann Greenberg Unravelling electrocatalytic hydrogenation and homogeneous reactions during the upgrading of pyrolysis bio-oil 10:25 – 10:55 Tea and Coffee Break SESSION 8 | Chair: Prof. Yoshiyuki Kuroda 10:55 Keynote Address 9: Prof. Bruno Pollet Hydrogen Sono(electro)catalysis: From Catalyst Synthesis to Hydrogen Production 11:25 Lecture 18: Dr Philippe Vernoux Electrolysis of HMF for the co-production to FDCA and H₂ using mixed Ni-based hydroxide catalysts 11:45 Lecture 19: Prof. Jean-Philippe Croué Cathode-Dependent PFAS Degradation and Short-Chain Product Evolution in Membrane Concentrates 12:05 Lecture 20: Prof. Christophe Coutanceau Experimental evidences of different sites for the electrooxidation of glucose on nickel and assessment of their activity and selectivity 12:25 – 13:45 Lunch SESSION 9 | Chair: Prof. Krzystof Kruczala 13:45 Keynote Address 10: Prof. Lindiwe Khotseng From waste to green energy: Advanced electrocatalysts for sustainable fuel cells and energy conversion and storage 14:15 Lecture 21: Prof. Pawel J. Kulesza Multifunctional Electrocatalysis: Application of Cu-Intercalated WO₃ Nanowires for Reduction of Carbon Dioxide and Nitrates in Acid Medium 14:35 Lecture 22: Prof. Iwona A. Rutkowska Application of Iron Phosphide Based Hybrid Electrocatalysts for Reduction of Nitrogen, Nitrates and Carbon Dioxide 14:45 – 15:25 Tea and Coffee Break SESSION 10 | Chair: Prof. Cobus Kriek 15:25 Keynote Address 11: Prof. Nico Fischer When the support talks back – rWGS control via FexNi supported on overlayered γ-Al₂O₃ 15:55 Lecture 24: Mr Johann Greenberg Unravelling electrocatalytic hydrogenation and homogeneous reactions during the upgrading of pyrolysis bio-oil 16:15 Lecture 25: Dr Magaji Ladan Bifunctional Electrocatalytic Performance of Manganese Oxide/Nitrogen-Doped Reduced Graphene Oxide Nanocomposite for Rechargeable Zinc-Air Batteries 16:35 Conference Closing RemarksMONDAY, 2 NOVEMBER 2026
TUESDAY, 3 NOVEMBER 2026
WEDNESDAY, 4 NOVEMBER 2026
THURSDAY, 5 NOVEMBER 2026