This workshop, held June 20-23, 2010, brought together international, Canadian and UBC experts in the critically important area of new nanomaterials development for applications in energy harvesting, generation and storage. The overarching goal of the workshop was to develop and identify promising areas of investigation, explore fundamental science and engineering of energy-related nanomaterials, and strengthen a UBC-wide research thrust in this field, while building an international collaborative network that UBC researchers can draw on and participate in. Participants included UBC experts in diverse aspects of this emerging field, along with their research groups.
Discussion topics were organized in three thematic areas:
(a) Nanomaterials for solar energy harvesting and photovoltaics,
(b) Nanomaterials for power generation and storage: supercapacitors, batteries and piezoelectric storage, and
(c) Nanomaterials for gas storage and fuel cells. A public lecture and panel discussion were part of the workshop.
Panel members included scientists and engineers as well as experts in sustainability and energy policy. Welcoming international leaders in the field to UBC and hosting this important workshop will helped to position UBC at the forefront of this emerging area. In addition, graduate students and postdocs participated in the workshop and played a critical role in the training of these individuals.
Public Lecture, Sunday June 20, 2010A Bright Future: Plastic Electronics in Solar Cells and Lighting.
Sir Richard Friend, Cavendish Professor of Physics, University of Cambridge
The public lecture was open to everyone. The remainder of the workshop wais by invitation only.
"Nanomaterials for Alternative Energy Applications" was funded by an Exploratory Workshop Grant from the Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies at the University of British Columbia awarded to Principal Investigators Michael Wolf, Chemistry, and Peyman Servati, Electrical & Computer Engineering.