Midday Science Cafe- Alchemy in the 21st Century: New materials to combat the energy crisis

As scientists continuously hunt for novel approaches to combat our energy crisis, the field of materials science has secured a spot in the fight, furthering our understanding of the properties and applications of matter. “Materials discovery” is at the heart of this research. In this month’s Midday Science Cafe, Berkeley Lab’s Dr. Matt Horton will walk us through the process of discovering materials, how computing has given us new tools to examine crystals in ways we never thought possible, and how researchers have embraced the open-data, open-source revolution. We’ll then zoom in on one of these applications with UC Berkeley’s Dr. Rachel Woods-Robinson. She will take us on a journey to understand solar cells, starting from the sun, down to nanoscale proportions, and into the tiny crystals that convert sunlight into electricity. She’ll highlight the most important material challenges that scientists face in making solar a viable energy alternative—more efficient, reliable, and sustainable.

Featuring:
Dr. Rachel Woods-Robinson
Applied Science and Technology Graduate Group
UC Berkeley

Dr. Matthew K Horton
Materials Project Staff
Materials Science Division
Berkeley Lab

Thursday, August 18, 2022 | 12 PM

Brought to you by UC Berkeley’s Science at Cal and Berkeley Lab’s Government & Community Relations Office, “Midday Science Cafe” is a virtual series that highlights compelling and complementary scientific research from both institutions.