June 30, 2010
Shinobu Fujihara, professor of engineering at Keio University (Japan), oversees a lab that has been investigating ceramic-based optical energy materials science. For example, some of the work involves the use of materials with luminescent and other electromagnetic properties that can be incorporated into a ceramic material. The idea is to build environmentally friendly multifunctional ceramic materials that don’t rely on costly rare earth elements. Fujihara’s group is also working to develop new ceramic materials with photovoltaic properties that don’t require the use of silicon.