Electrochemical Manufacturing in the 21st Century

Three articles appearing in the issue of Interface are introduced. The articles look at various facets of electrochemical manufacturing, ranging from an overview of traditional and emergent avenues of electrochemical manufacturing in the chemical industry, to electrochemical surface finishing and impedance based characterization of raw materials. In the case of electrochemical surface finishing, E. J. Taylor and M. Inman reveal that not only is the process more robust; but, the manufacturing cost is lower. D. Riemer and M. E. Orazem demonstrate how electrochemical impedance spectroscopy can measure the state of the oxide film on raw materials, which is a critical parameter in electrochemical through-mask etching of stainless steel parts. Finally, G. Botte revisits industrial electrochemical processes used to synthesize both organic and inorganic chemicals and introduces new opportunities in electrochemical manufacturing.