Hubert Girault on energy storage, free-thinking and interfaces. Interview by Marie Cote

Hubert Girault is a professor of physical chemistry at the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland. His research interests span analytical and physical electrochemistry, with a special emphasis on developing novel electrochemical methods and working on polarized liquid-liquid interfaces, microfluidics, miniaturization and proteomics, amongst others. He was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry in 2009.

What inspired you to become a scientist? 
I guess it was chance and curiosity. In school in France I was guided towards a scientific curriculum, so my secondary education focused on mathematics, physics, Latin and Greek. My father had a company dealing with polymers and chemicals, so chemistry was also around me throughout my childhood.

What led you to specialize in electrochemistry?
In fact, I am not a chemist by training. With a degree in engineering, I came upon electrochemistry through the 'electro' rather than via the 'chemistry' element. As far as chemistry is concerned, I am more of an autodidact!

One of the key areas you study is electrochemistry at the interface between two immiscible electrolyte solutions. What is so attractive about working at interfaces? 
The electrochemistry we do is a bit exotic as we do not use electrodes. Indeed, we are interested in electrical currents passing through an interface between two immiscible liquids, such as between water and an organic phase (organic electrolytes, ionic liquids, etc.). We can pass ions, we can do acid-base reactions, electron transfer reactions - in other words the type of reactions which occur at biomembranes. So, you could say that what we do is bio-inspired. This field of electrochemistry really started in the 1970s and has now matured to the point where it actually becomes useful. Indeed, we can reduce oxygen or produce hydrogen at liquid-liquid interfaces.

How do you see the future of electrochemistry?
Electrochemistry is crucial to any modern society aiming at a sustainable development as it is at the heart of energy storage and conversion. It is important to be able to store the energy produced from solar cells and the most efficient way to achieve this is to form chemical bonds. The prime fuel target is H2 but the electrosynthesis of larger molecules from CO2, such as methanol, is also an interesting prospect. So I believe electrochemistry will thrive through such applications. 
Electrochemistry is not only concerned with energy, it is also central to sensor technology. An example is the glucose sensor,  billions of which are sold each year. This will certainly be followed by other biomedical point-of-care applications and electrochemistry has a lot to offer in their development such as flexibility in manufacturing and cost. However, perhaps as in many fields, where the applications are thriving, a potential problem is the lack of attention to the core science as very few teams find the finance to carry out fundamental research. Furthermore, fewer universities have electrochemistry groups and as a result the subject is not taught in many places.

Your work has resulted in several spin off companies: Ecossensors and Diagnoswiss. Could you tell me more about them?
Well, Ecossensors, the first company was sold after a few years like many start-ups. Diagnoswiss is still independent but we shall soon see how small high-tech companies will be affected by the present recession. I think it is important for an analytical chemist to rub shoulders with the real world. In analytical chemistry there are too many papers on sensors or methods that are irrelevant to real life. By dealing with small companies you come into contact with real problems. That's a major advantage and I would push most analytical students to have contact with the real industry and real problems.

How important is the link between research and teaching?
I think it is paramount to combine research and education through research. I take great pride and pleasure in that 14 of my former PhD students and postdocs are now professors around the world. I think developing knowledge or a savoir faire is important, but to pass it on is perhaps more important. If I am doing science today, it's because I had the chance to meet Sir Graham Hills who was my mentor and taught me that science and education are really interlinked.

You've been working in several European countries and are currently a professor in China. What do you enjoy most about this?
I guess I was lucky. In 1979, I moved to Southampton just to carry out a master project, but after meeting my future wife I stayed for a PhD and a post-doc. A lectureship took us to Scotland, where I was given the chance to work at the University of Edinburgh. I consider it as one of the greatest advantages of the British university system (compared to continental Europe) to be able to start your own research group at the age of 28. Then, a call from EPFL took us to Switzerland in 1992 to take up a chair in physical chemistry. My research group has always been very cosmopolitan and this started my links with Asia. I was very happy to be a visiting professor at Kyoto University and to be appointed a visiting professor at Beijing University for 3 years. I am also adjunct professor at Fudan University in Shanghai in analytical chemistry. I must say that at the moment the Chinese government shows a high respect for science and invests massively in scientific education. In China, the students are very thirsty for knowledge, which is of course very rewarding for a professor.

I hear you are a keen sailor. Do you approach science the way you explore the sea and the elements? 
I like to ski in winter and I like to sail in summer. I don't like to sail when it's too cold. When skiing off-track and sailing on the ocean, you have to respect nature. That teaches you a lot of humility and respect towards the elements. I think that for research it is the same, you have to respect Mother Nature.

What would be your advice to the students who will be the next generation of scientists?
Be curious and a free thinker, never accept anything without questioning it and don't follow the fashion. In science, too many people are acting just by fashion and now that I am old enough, I can see that fashion comes and goes. Those who are really successful scientists are those who went their own way from the beginning. So, think by yourself and do not care what the crowd followers may say.

Finally, if you were not a scientist, what would you be?
A gardener - I like to be outside and to see the results of what I do.

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