Materials for chemical and electrochemical energy storage

Materials for chemical and electrochemical energy storage are the key for a diverse range of applications including batteries, hydrogen storage, sunlight conversion into fuels and thermal energy storage. The goal is to provide efficient solutions for a future energy scenario based on renewable energy sources.

Scope:

The urgent need for energy storage materials for a sustainable and carbon-free society is the main stimulant for the new dawn in the development of functional material for energy storage and conversion. For example hydride based all-solid-state batteries or batteries based on alternative cations including Na+ and Mg2+, which are considered as safer, cheaper, and more abundant, while potentially higher energy density compared to Li-ion batteries are achievable. New reactive hydride composite systems (RHCs) for hydrogen storage application with operating conditions near room temperature are nowadays at the reach of a hand. New solutions to address the issue of intermittent supply from renewable energy sources through the synthesis of energy carriers such as H2, CH4, CH3OH etc. (e.g. through sunlight-driven processes) to provide an uninterrupted sustainable supply of energy for stationary systems and zero-emission vehicles are being developed. The proposed symposium will be chemistry neutral; it will not be limited to a certain class of materials. Materials covered in this symposium comprise  (i) active materials for energy storage that require a certain structural and chemical flexibility, for instance as intercalation compounds for hydrogen storage or as cathode materials (ii) novel catalysts that combine high (electro-)chemical stability and selectivity, and (iii) solid state ionic conductors for batteries and fuel cells. Renewable energies combined with efficient storage systems will be the key enabler of the development of the human society in the incoming decades. The proposed symposium is therefore interdisciplinary and aspires to bring together ambitious young and established scientists from around the world to not only present the latest advances of the intense worldwide research but also exchange ideas as well as identify major challenges and hot-topics for future developments towards efficient solutions. 

Hot topics to be covered by the symposium:

• Hydrogen storage material development
• Fundamental hydride structures, reaction mechanisms and thermodynamics
• Conduction mechanism of solid-state ion conductors
• Stable interfaces and structural transitions in solid-state batteries
• Materials for solar thermal energy storage
• Materials for sunlight conversion into chemical fuels
• Development of material and systems for thermal energy storage
• Computational methods for energy materials
• Towards application: engineering challenges