The IASTED International Conference on
Nanotechnology and Applications
~NANA 2008~
September 29 – October 1, 2008
Crete, Greece
PANEL SESSION
Nanomaterials For Industry and Energy Compatible With Environment
Abstract
After several decades of purely scientific innovations in the area of nanomaterials, in recent years nanomaterials have finally begun to replace traditional materials. Contemporary energy issues require better everyday efficiency for devices, and new ways of energy conversion to better exploit renewable energy sources – for this reason, new materials are developed with this goal in mind. Nanostructured materials, nanotubes, nanoparticles and other revolutionary items now present many challenges in being transported from laboratory conditions into pre-existing systems based on discrete electronics, bulk materials and non-insulated environments. The interface between the micro- and the nano-world is becoming more and more critical to the introduction of recent discoveries into systems where the promising results shown in the laboratory could be applied. An analysis of the technological fields where nanotechnology-based materials could be of use will be discussed, with particular emphasis on energy compatible with environment, but also including biomedical diagnosis, information and communication, precision mechanics, and chemical applications. New considerations and constraints will become necessary in the design phase of new nanomaterials and, concomitantly, the evaluation of the real benefits and drawbacks of these materials.
Examples of topics that will be addressed by the panel
- Organic light-harvesters for Gratzel cells
- Hybrid and organic batteries
- Polymers involved in photovoltaic energy conversion
- Control of porosity of materials: mesoporous alumina and titania applications
- Inorganic nanostructuring of mechanical materials
- The role of nanoparticles in optical and pigment applications
- Circuital devices based on nanomaterials and polymers
- Nanotechnology for microarray improvements
- Efficiency improvements at the nanoscale
Invited Panelists
- Manoj Kumar Ram, Fractal Systems, Florida, USA
- Luca Giacomelli, Nanoworld Institute, Italy
- Others TBA
Biography of the Presenter
Enrico Stura, born in Genoa, Italy, 20 September 1975, received his Masters Degree in Electrical Engineering at the University of Genoa in 2001. Soon after he attended the PhD program in Biophysics, receiving his PhD in 2005. Currently he lives in Genoa, and works at the Nanoworld Institute coordinating PhD students and following different lines of research related to nanotechnology. He is also a project engineer at Siemens A&D, with commitment to automation and control systems. His main fields of research include photovoltaic organic applications, nanomaterials synthesis and characterization, organic lithium-ion batteries, biosensors based on proteins, and polymers. He is the author of 12 publications in international journals and holder of two industrial patents.
