Description
This passage discusses the importance of energy generation and distribution in society and the need for new materials to improve the efficiency of everyday devices. The MRS volume, published in 2002, focuses on materials issues related to small-scale energy generation, storage, and transport, including lithium batteries, hydrogen fuel cells, solar energy, and thermoelectrics. The limitations of these technologies are also addressed.
Recent events highlight the importance of energy generation and distribution of power in today's society. It is clear that while additional large-scale power generation will have to address long-term societal issues such as safety and environmental impact, enhancing the efficiency of our day-to-day devices (transport, heating/refrigeration, home electronics, etc.) requires mainly the development of new materials with improved properties. This MRS volume, first published in 2002, focuses on materials issues in the low-scale generation, storage and transport of energy-photovoltaics, batteries, fuel cells and other small-scale devices. Materials limitations of these technologies are also addressed. Topics include: lithium batteries; hydrogen fuel cells and hydrogen storage; materials for solar energy; solid oxide fuel cells; materials for power in space; disordered and nanoscale materials for energy applications; and thermoelectrics.