New Materials for Tomorrows Energy Industry

Many of my posts start with a new material that accelerates an application. This is one of those posts. However, this post started by an Editorial in the May 17 issue of Science pointing out the need for new materials, so that is where we will start.

The decreasing cost of electricity worldwide from wind and solar energy, as well as that of end-use technologies such as electric vehicles, reflect substantial progress made toward replacing fossil fuels with alternative energy sources. But a full transition to clean energy can only be realized if numerous challenges are overcome. Many problems can be addressed through the discovery of new materials that improve the efficiency of energy production and consumption; reduce the need for scarce mineral resources; and support the production of green hydrogen, clean ammonia, and carbon-neutral hydrocarbon fuels. However, research and development of new energy-materials are not as aggressive as they should be to meet the demands of climate change.