CLIMATE CHALLENGE - Isis Innovation

Professor Peter EdwardsAcademic Speaker – Oxford Innovation Society Seminar and Dinner September 2008Professor Peter Edwards, FRS, Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory at Oxford, delivered a thoughtprovokingpresentation entitled, “Can we make a materials difference in our sustainable energyfuture?” at September’s OIS meeting.Firstly, Peter highlighted that if no action was taken thenannual carbon dioxide (CO 2) emissions would double by2056 and suggested that the UK’s future energy mix mustmove towards renewables and nuclear. For the UK, heindicated that the greatest impacts to future CO 2levelswould be found in moving to synthetic fuels and hydrogenbasedtransport.Peter’s presentation then picked up on hydrogen storage,a critical aspect of the move away from the carbon-basedeconomy. An acceptable hydrogen store needs a highstorage density, a low decomposition temperature and theability to operate in a reversible manner. Peter added thatOxford and its partners are working to satisfy these difficultrequirements through lithium-boron chemistry.Peter moved on to the challenge presented in findingnew transparent conductive oxides (TCOs) for applicationssuch as solar cells and display screens. The key propertiesdemanded from a TCO are electrical conductivity andtransparency, both of which the widely used indium tin oxide(ITO) exhibits. However, indium is becoming rapidly depletedand consequently ITO is expensive. Peter proposed newTCO materials offering physical properties close to ITO, butbased on the highly abundant and lower-cost element zinc.Throughout the presentation Peter emphasised how adeeper understanding of the elements of the Periodic Tableand their performance, properties, synthesis and structurewill be key in tackling the grand challenges that we facetoday. Finally, Peter thanked his co-researchers in the Scienceand Technology Facilities Council and the Universities ofBirmingham, Warwick and Cambridge.contactIsis Innovation LtdT 01865 280830W www.isis-innovation.comProfessor Peter EdwardsA deeper understandingof the elements of thePeriodic Table and theirperformance, properties,synthesis and structurewill be key in tacklingthe grand challengesthat we face today4