Nanomaterials Webinar | Solar Energy Conversion and Storage

On Friday, 25 February 2022, MDPI and the Journal Nanomaterials organised the 4^th webinar on Nanomaterials, entitled “Solar Energy Conversion and Storage”.

The introduction was held by the Chair of the webinar, Prof. Dr. Dongling Ma, a professor at Institut national del a recherche scientificque (INRS). Her main research interests consist of the development of various nanomaterials (e.g. seminconductior quantum dots, transition metal catalytic nanoparticles, plasmonic nanostructures) and different types of nanohybrids for aplications in energy, environment, catalysis and biomedical sectors.

The first speaker to commence this webinar was Prof. Dr. Bao-Lian Su, a professor at the University of Namur, with a presentation titled “Slow photons for Photocatalysis and Photovoltaics”. Prof. Su’s current research fields include the synthesis, study and the molecular engineering of bio-inspired hierarchically porous materials and bio-integrated living materials for catalysis, photocatalysis, artificial photosynthesis, nanotechnology, biotechnology, energy storage and conversion, and cell therapy.

The next presenter was Prof. Dr. Baoquan Sun, a professor at the Institute of Functional and Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Soochow University, with a presentation titled “Silicon Heterojunction for Solar Cell and Its Integrated Energy Harvesting Devices“. Prof. Sun’s main research field is dedicated to the physical characterization of semiconductor nanostructures including conductive ink, colloidal quantum dots, nanostructured silicon, and perovskite, and their application in solar cell, light-emitting diodes, and moisture-triggered electricity generation.

The final presentation was given by Prof. Dr. Quinn Qiao, a professor at Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department, Syracuse University. His presentation was titled “Efficient Solar-Rechargeable Lithium-Ion Battery Energy Storage”. He is the founder of Fastsol Power, Inc; a start-up company to commercialize batteries and their intrinsic integration with photovoltaics for sustainable energy generation and electric vehicles. He is the site director for NSF IUCRC Center for Solid State Electric Power Storage (CEPS). He has also been working on nano- and micro-fabrication for batteries, solar cells, and biosensors. His current research focuses on energy conversion (e.g., photovoltaics), energy storage (e.g., lithium metal batteries), sensors, food–energy–water (FEW) sustainability and precision agriculture technologies.

The presentations were followed by a Q+A and discussion moderated by the chair. The The webinar was offered via Zoom and required registration to attend. In order to stay updated on the next webinars on Nanomaterials, be sure to sign up for our newsletter by clicking on “Subscribe” at the top of the page.