MCARE 2012 feature 1

MCARE 2014 will feature plenary and focused technical sessions as well as poster exhibits and other networking opportunities. (Both photos credit: ACerS.)

ACerS’s 2014 events calendar is front-loaded, with multiple meetings in the first quarter. These include Electronic Materials and Applications 2014, the 38th International Conference and Expo on Advanced Ceramics and Composites, and Materials Challenges in Alternative and Renewable Energy 2014, all held within a month of each other in various locales in sunny Florida.

Building off the success of MCARE 2013—the first international edition of the event, held last July in Dunhang, China—MCARE 2014 is tightly focused on emerging materials technologies aimed at the challenges of renewable and alternative energy technologies ranging from solar to energy storage, hydrogen, photonic and photovoltaic nanowires and nanocomposites, biomass, and natural gas. Conference tracks will also cover materials for nuclear and natural gas energy applications.

Designed to give attendees a multi-disciplinary approach to materials design and development for alternative and renewable energy applications, MCARE 2014 features plenary and invited talks, focused conference sessions, poster presentations, and multiple networking opportunities. Scheduled conference tracks include:

  • Hydrogen, with talks on separation; interactions and effects on materials; new storage methods and materials; and other aspects of how materials will help bring about the “hydrogen economy.”
  • Solar Fuels, focusing on energy-harvesting modules based on photonic stimulation of semiconductor materials; new structures for solar thermal, solar hydrogen, and artificial photosynthesis; and new ideas and materials for generating chemical fuels using solar energy.
  • Solar Power and Concentrators, covering the challenges and opportunities for materials and systems development for solar collectors, thermal receivers, heat transfer fluids, thermal energy storage, and power cycle components.
  • Batteries and Energy Storage, emphasizing new energy storage materials and technologies to extend battery life and storage capability.
  • Nanocomposites and Nanowires Materials for Photovoltaic and Photonic Technologies, focusing on innovative photonic concepts for light harvesting and management; plasmonic structures; graphene-based energy conversion and storage devices; and computational materials design of novel multifunctional materials.
  • Nuclear, which acknowledges that current nuclear technology is limited by the performance of current qualified materials and focuses on improved materials for fission and fusion energy.
  • Solarogenix, reporting on the European Solarogenix project that is investigating novel nanostructured photocatalysts using theoretical and experimental methods.
  • Critical Resources, which examines how material technology ties together all the alternative energy technologies under discussion and focuses on materials availability challenges and solutions for sustainable energy infrastructure.
  • Other Energy Areas, covering such energy technologies as biomass, wind, and natural gas.

As it has from its inception, the event will also include programming for students and young materials science and engineering professionals. Featured activities include a “meet the speakers” event, student networking opportunities, and poster sessions.

For more, including hotel and registration information, visit the MCARE 2014 home page.

Author

Jim Destfani

CTT Categories

  • Energy