Nanotechnological energy

Nanoscience and nanotechnology represent a new paradigm in the knowledge generation in which the traditional barriers between scientific disciplines have become blurred and, as a result, they have become a new tool, knowledge-intensive and with a capacity to radically transform a wide variety of technological sectors. The ones that are best known, and which enjoy the greatest media coverage, are perhaps nanoelectronics and nanomedicine. In spite of this, the new environmental challenges and the need to move towards a neutral sustainable energy model with respect to the climate represent an extraordinary catalyst for the birth of a new scenario in which nanostructured materials may become, over the medium-term, of key importance in making different emerging technologies viable. Examples include hydrogen economy, the new concepts for generating electricity and photovoltaic electrochemistry, efficient solid-state lighting, high-density electricity storage, efficient, reliable electrical energy superconductors, or even the development of fusion reactors employing magnetic confinement and high-temperature superconductor coils.

With all these promising technologies, the most important challenge is to develop nanostructured materials that are functional, efficient and at the same time low-cost. That is why the extraordinary range of new nanomanufacturing methods based on a bottom-up approach represents a true technological revolution that is opening the door to what could become known as “nanotechnological energy”.

During the presentation the speaker will be giving examples of recent progress in nanoscience and nanotechnology and showing how these two fields could influence one of the most urgent challenges currently facing humanity: the development of a new energy paradigm that is valid for the 21st century.