Advanced Materials

Energy materials 

Definition

Energy materials comprise all materials that facilitate the storage of (sustainably generated) energy, transport it, efficiently capture and transform it into another form of stored energy.

Keywords (selection)

Batteries, Heat batteries, Electrochemical cells, Fuel cells, Flywheel, , Solar fuels, Hydrogen storage and transport, Power to Hydrogen, Power to Gas, Power to Heat, Power to Chemicals, Wind to electricity, gas or hydrogen, Molten salt, Electrolysis, Carbon Capture materials, magneto- and electro-caloric materials, Phase change materials.

Optical, electronic, magnetic and nanomechanical materials

Definition

Optical, electronic, magnetic and nanomechanical materials comprise materials which are at the heart of integrated circuit and sensor technology. The materials provide functionality to communication applications and data processing and storage. Further miniaturisation and integration with reduced energy consumption is central to this. Applications have a wide frequency range from DC, through acoustic, IR, visible light to X-ray applications in Radar and lithography.

Keywords (selection)

Transistors, transistor materials, dielectrics, conductors and isolators, electrical and magnetic data storage and processing, superconductors for sensing and computing, Optical sensing, Transducers and computing, IR optics, X-ray and EUV optics.

Metamaterials

Definition

Metamaterials are artificially designed materials that have different properties from the constituent parts due to their spatial structure. Metamaterials are distinguished by a functionality given by a hierarchical structure with different length scales. This provides metamaterials with their optical or mechanical properties linked to their macrostructure.

Keywords (selection)

Opals, Shells, Colloid-crystals, Cloaking devices, Radar absorbers, Stealth technology, Mechanical materials for static or dynamical properties, Mechatronics.

Soft/bio materials

Definition

Soft/biomaterials comprise organic and polymer components with a diverse number of functionalities due to fibres, coatings and cellular forms. They are applied, inter alia, in biological and biomedical systems for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes.

Keywords (selection)

Organic and bio-polymer materials, Polymers, Plastics, Colloids, Emulsions, Nanocarriers, Tissue engineering, Bio-inspired materials, Bio-degradable materials.

Thin films and coatings

Definition

Thin films and coatings are thin layers of material, ranging from nano- to microscale, which are applied to various surfaces and substrates. By applying one or more such layers or thin films to other materials or surfaces, additional functionalities can be given to products, such as protective, self-cleaning, self-healing, reflective (for all radiation), absorbing, electrical, optical or magnetic properties.

Keywords (selection)

Paints, Chemical or optical protective layers (e.g. for corrosion protection), Low-friction coatings, Low-wear coatings, Low-adhesion coatings, Biocompatible coatings, Food preservation, Active and passive materials in the IC technology, Coatings for optical functionality (such as antireflection, compound mirrors), Deposition technologies including various evaporation/vapor deposition techniques, Electro spraying, Atomic Layer Deposition, Pulsed Laser Deposition.

Construction and structural materials

Definition

Construction and structural materials comprise materials that provide bearing capacity or strength under mechanical, chemical, physical or thermal pressure. This includes composites consisting of composite materials with glass, ceramics, wood or polymers.

Keywords (selection)

Concrete, Steel and other metallic alloys and compounds, Green steel, Wood-based composites, Cross-laminated timber, Lightweight composites (metal and polymer), Ceramics alloys, Ceramic foams, Glass ceramics, Green steel, Service life design, Sustainable and circular materials design, Recyclability.

Smart materials

Definition

Smart materials respond to changes in the environment, such as light, heat, moisture, pressure or bacteria. These materials can change or repair themselves under external influences.

Keywords (selection)

Responsive material, Molecular recognition, Artificial receptors, Reversible bonding, Self-assembly, Self-repair material, Supramolecular Chemistry, Stimuli responsive material, Switchable materials, self-sensing materials, Smart delivery, Shape memory materials, Self-repair materials, self-healing materials, Membranes.