April 10 - 14, 2023
San Francisco, California
2023 MRS Spring Meeting & Exhibit

Symposium CH03-Neutron Scattering-Enabled Energy Materials Design

Neutron scattering provides insight into the structure and dynamics driving material properties through a wide range of different techniques. It is a non-destructive and highly penetrating probe, which can be combined with complex sample environment enabling in situ and in operando measurements. This symposium will explore how different neutron scattering techniques can be used to explore energy materials, with the aim of understanding the structures and processes to accelerate materials development. Neutron scattering is used to understand the structure and properties of all forms of condensed matter, and is exceptionally-well suited to studying how the transport and binding of energy and charge-carrying species relate to their dynamics and the material's crystal structure. H2, H+, and Li+ are key to a range of leading energy technologies, and are excellent neutron scatterers, making neutron-based analysis ideal for in situ and in operando studies of hydrogen storage, fuel-cell, catalytic, and battery materials. Similar research into the functionality of solar-cell, thermoelectric, caloric, nuclear, and CO2 capture/storage materials rely on other unique aspects of neutron scattering and can be used to showcase how their structure and dynamics provide an understanding of the material stability and the binding and mobility of species of interest. This symposium, focussing on advances and developments in neutron scattering for the characterization of energy materials, will be of interest to new and expert users alike. Attendees with little or no experience of neutron scattering who are working on energy materials will discover how powerful neutron scattering is as a characterization method, while those with more experience will find this an invaluable networking opportunity, fostering interactions and advancing knowledge in the field.

Topics will include:

  • Battery materials, fuel cells and capacitors
  • Gas storage/separation
  • Catalysis
  • Thermoelectrics
  • Baro/magneto/elasto-calorics
  • Solar cells
  • Nuclear industry

Invited Speakers:

  • Aritra Banerjee (University of Calcutta, India)
  • Craig Brown (National Institute of Standards and Technology, USA)
  • Karena Chapman (Stony Brook University, The State University of New York, USA)
  • Serena Cussen (The University of Sheffield, United Kingdom)
  • Olivier Delaire (Duke University, USA)
  • Ivana Evans (Durham University, United Kingdom)
  • Karen Friese (Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Germany)
  • Masahi Harada (Toyota Central R&D Labs., Inc., Japan)
  • Maths Karlsson (Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden)
  • Bing Li (Institute of Metals Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China)
  • Xiangfeng Liu (The University of the Chinese Academy of SciencesSciences, China)
  • Martin Mansson (KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden)
  • Mahmoud Mostafavi (University of Bristol, United Kingdom)
  • Xavier Moya (University of Cambridge, United Kingdom)
  • Alex O'Malley (University of Bath, United Kingdom)
  • Katharine Page (University of Tennessee, USA)
  • Andrea Piovano (Institut Laue-Langevin, France)
  • Yang Ren (City University of Hong Kong, China)
  • Danas Ridikas (International Atomic Energy Authority, Austria)
  • Efrain Rodriguez (University of Maryland, USA)
  • Paul Shearing (University College London, United Kingdom)
  • Nicholas Weadock (University of Colorado Boulder, USA)
  • Claire White (Princeton University, USA)
  • Sihai Yang (The University of Manchester, United Kingdom)

Symposium Organizers

Helen Walker
Science and Technology Facilities Council
United Kingdom

Ke An
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Spallation Neutron Source
USA

Vanessa Peterson
Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation
ANSTO-Sydney
Australia

Valeska Ting
University of Bristol
Mechanical Engineering
United Kingdom

Topics

catalytic energy generation energy storage neutron scattering thermoelectric