NSF Workshop: Emerging Opportunities of Nanoscience to Energy
Conversion and Storage
The Key
Bridge Marriott. 1401 Lee Hwy, Arlington VI
November
21-22, 2005
Chair: John Reif
coChair: John Monahan
Workshop
Report:
http://www.cs.duke.edu/~reif/NSF.NanoEnergy/Report
NSF Workshop Description
The main
sessions of the workshop ran two days, Monday Nov. 21 - Tuesday Nov. 22, 2005.
Location of Workshop
The Key
Bridge Marriott. 1401 Lee Hwy, Arlington VI (Directions
and Maps)
Phone: 1-703-524-6400 Fax: 1-703-524-8964
SCHEDULE: Dates: November 21-22, 2005
For a detailed schedule, see: Schedule
at http://www.cs.duke.edu/~reif/NSF.NanoEnergy/Schedule.html
Sponsor: National Science Foundation
NSF Workshop Overview
Summary:
This multi-disciplinary workshop facilitated the advance of
scientific research and commercial development in this area and provide the
scientific basis for new funding programs in Energy Applications of
Nanoscience..
Brief Overview of Workshop:
This workshop is to explore the most promising emerging
applications of Nanoscience to energy conversion and storage. This workshop
considered possible methods for improved efficiency in the following tasks: (i)
conversion to electricity of solar energy and/or heat (photo-voltaics and thermocouplers), and (ii) storage and
release of energy (e.g., fuel cell and battery technology). Invited speakers
and other conference participants discussed research challenges, applications,
and opportunities to NSF. To this end, this was a limited scope NSF workshop on
this topic, in the style of other NSF workshops in targeted areas of emerging
interdisciplinary research. The
Workshop was be jointly co-Chaired by John Reif (Duke University) and John Monahan(previous
CEO of Avigen, Inc.).
The workshop brought together for the first time leading
scientists with expertise in the relevant sub areas (e.g., self-assembly, quantum dots, nano-optics,
DNA-metallic hybrids, etc.) to consider this topic. These experts \ranged over
multiple disciplines including computer science, electrical engineering,
chemistry, and physics. The workshop also invited a number of leading relevant
energy technology experts (in photo-voltaics, thermocouplers, fuel cell and
battery technology) who provided expertise on current the energy technologies
and limitations.
The workshop also invited leading relevant energy technology
experts in the topics:
(i)
photo-voltaics,
(ii)
thermocouplers,
(iii)
fuel
cell and
(iv)
battery
technology
These speakers provided expertise on current the energy
technologies and limitations.
For a detailed list, see: list of
invited speakers
http://www.cs.duke.edu/~reif/NSF.NanoEnergy/Invitees.html .
In
addition, there were attendees from US government research agencies and government
labs including DOE, NSF, DARPA, AFSOR, ONR, etc.
Motivation.
Nanoscience is a highly dynamic area of basic research. In
involves the study (including computational theory, computational modeling, and
experimental construction) of nanostructures of size under 100 nanometers.
Recent research breakthroughs in nanoscience is providing capabilities to
organize materials at the molecular scale into complex patterns using various
methodologies including self-assembly of viral, peptide and DNA nanostructures.
Furthermore, attachment chemistries allow for the attachment of a wide variety
of distinct materials to these nanostructures at chosen sites. These attached
materials include metallic particles, proteins, and other inorganic and organic
particles and compounds. To further drive the field of Nanoscience, there is an
acute need to provide high impact applications beyond a limited number of known
applications to nanoelectronics and medical science.
Emerging Applications of
Nanoscience to Energy Conversion and Storage
This workshop explored the most promising emerging applications of
Nanoscience to energy conversion and storage. This Workshop considered possible
methods for improved efficiency in the following tasks:
(i)
conversion
to electricity of solar energy and/or heat; this includes photo-voltaics and
thermo-couplers.
(ii)
storage and release of energy; this includes fuel cell and battery technology.
This workshop
explored feasible methods for exploiting recent self-assembly results in
nanoscience to improving the efficiency of these energy conversion and storage
devices.
For example, the ability to position quantum dots and other
metallic nanoparticles at regular positions at molecular scales seems likely to have
applications to photo-voltaic and thermo-couple devices of improved efficiency.
As another example, the ability to position reactive and/or catalytic
nanoparticles in close proximity at molecular scales seems likely to have
applications to improving the efficiency of various chemical energy storage
devices, for example for improving the catalytic efficiency of fuel cells and
chemical batteries.
There were discussions of methods for study and engineering of
nanostructures for these applications, including computational theory, modeling, simulation,
experimental demonstration of basic capabilities, and construction of entire
full-scale architectures.
Broader Impact
This
NSF workshop was highly interdisciplinary, with participants from various areas
including Computer Scienc(who have expertise in the combinatorial design and
computer simulation of the nano-devices to be considered), various Engineering
disciplines (Electrical, Mechanical and Material) related to energy and
nano-technologies, as well as Chemistry, Biochemistry, and Physics. It impacted
both the research community in Nanoscience as well as other disciplines engaged
in the study of energy technologies. To insure involvement by graduate
students, a number of their travel and local expenses were supported. . The workshop also benefited
the NSF to allow for the identification of targeted research opportunities and
challenges in applications of key importance to US economy and industry.
Benefits to Funding Organizations.
It also benefited the NSF and
other funding organizations to allow for the identification of targeted
research opportunities and challenges in applications of key importance to US
economy and industry.