Magic of Materials

Based at the Maxwell Centre, Royce@Cambridge is the centrepiece for industrial engagement with the scientists and engineers working across the materials sciences on the West Cambridge Science and Technology Campus.

Through an initial £12M capital investment in research facilities, they support research and innovation through an inter-departmental network of 18 open access deposition, fabrication and characterisation facilities. Their focus is on supporting the development of materials for energy efficient devices as part of the Royce AtomsToDevices research theme.

Without the protection of our atmosphere and magnetosphere, solar cells on satellites and space exploration payloads are exposed to space radiation like high energy particles, which will degrade their power generation performance. Radiation tolerant solar cells made of ultra-thin III-V materials are desired for extended missions in highly damaging environments, along with their advantages of high specific power, weight/cost reduction and flexible form factors.

To limit the future global warming to 1.5°, we need to transition to an industry that uses abundant and non-polluting resources to provide us with energy, food and medicines without the use of fossil fuels. To design an alternative system scientist are inspired by nature, where for example, leaves on a plant use solar power to convert simple molecules into the building blocks of life. In this seminar Tessel will explain what we can learn from nature to develop artificial photosynthetic systems to achieve sustainable pathways for the production of solar fuels and pharmaceuticals.