Materials and Energy ‐ New Directions for the “Energiewende”

“Energy” and “Materials” have an overarching importance for the future development of our society. They are coupled in multiple ways ranging from fundamental science to real-world applications. Analyzing their intricate relationship as energy–materials nexus, however, is a new approach. On the fundamental physics side, the control of quantum processes in real time under non-equilibrium conditions will have practical implications for bringing the understanding and discovery of materials and the development of process design concepts to the next level. In the field of materials science, novel functional materials for energy conversion and storage and their processing towards usable devices (batteries, water splitting, fuel cells, catalysis) aims at efficient pathways for energy conversion and storage. This field benefits from a combination of fundamental understanding as well as combinatorial materials discovery and informatics to find new materials that combine application-related efficacy with availability on the level of raw materials.
Sustainability aspects require considering the entire chain of synthesis, processing, and application and thus finding optimum solutions through techno-economical multi-criteria analysis. In this context, novel energy- and resource-efficient materials processes are highly relevant for industry such as steel manufacturing, smelting, chemical industries as well as for the targeted production of high-performance materials by reduction of the number of processing steps, e.g., through additive manufacturing, and recycling. Novel high-performance materials, finally, play an enabling role for the engineering of energy-efficient technologies, such as through lightweight high-strength materials for mobility and civil engineering, high-temperature materials for turbine blades, and corrosion-resistant materials for operation under extreme conditions.

This WE-Heraeus Seminar aims at connecting “Energy” and “Materials” in a new way and steering thinking and research in new directions.

The conference language will be English. The Wilhelm and Else Heraeus-Foundation bears the cost of full-board accommodation for all participants.