Advanced ceramics for energy and environmental applications

Clean environment is one of the most pressing issues. The ever-growing energy crisis and environmental pollution has stimulated the rapid development of catalysts for renewable and more sustainable energy conversion and storage, mitigating and valorizing CO2 emission (reducing into valuable products) and generating carbon-free energy, and for environmental remediation, degrading pollutants in air, water, and soil.

Scope:

The development of efficient, low-cost, and environmentally friendly advanced ceramics is receiving a great deal of attention by researchers from both academia and industry for a series of applications related to sustainable development and environmental remediation, including monitoring and recovery of air, water, and soil, as well for renewable energy applications. For the purpose, the involvement of multidisciplinary research fields is needed, including chemistry, materials science, engineering as well as environmental science, aspiring to improve human health and life quality.
The target is to discuss the role of advanced ceramics (including composite structures) in a broad perspective, highlighting from one side their critical role in the development of the main techniques for environmental monitoring and remediation, including physical and chemical techniques. Among the others, sensing, adsorption, filtration, catalytic and photocatalytic remediation, and electrochemical processes will be considered.
Another aim of this Symposium is to provide a roadmap for stakeholders such as industry, academia and funding agencies on research and development of ceramic materials toward more efficient, cost-effective, and reliable energy, including hydrogen production, carbon capture and storage, solar cells.
The overall focus of this Symposium is to create a platform where pioneering global experts take part in the progress discussion, exchange ideas and offer recommendations on future perspectives. At the same time, it is expected to be mutually beneficial for young researchers and students.

Hot topics to be covered by the symposium:

• Materials for water and wastewater treatment (emerging contaminants in water, adsorption, porous materials)
• Materials for photocatalytic degradation of pollutants
• Materials for biocatalysts/biomass catalysis in environmental remediation
• Materials for CO2 reduction to valuable organic products/ capture/sequestration
• Air pollution and treatment
• Sensors/biosensors for monitoring environmental pollutants in air, water, soil
• Frontiers of computation methods in designing efficient catalysts for environmental applications
• Treatment of specific pollutants (for instance, nitrogen and phosphorus)
• Materials for hydrogen production through water splitting
• Materials for hydrogen storage
• Ceramics for Fuel cells and Solar cells.