Japanese-German Joint Symposium on Advanced Characterisation of Nanostructured Materials for Energy and the Environment
Düsseldorf, 27-30 June 2016
A Japan-Germany Joint Symposium on the Advanced Characterisation of Nanostructured Materials for Energy and the Environment was held in the Hotel Mutterhaus in Düsseldorf (Germany) from 27 to 30 June 2016. The Symposium organisers were Syo Matsumura and Yasukazu Murakami from Kyushu University in Fukuoka (Japan) Rafal E Dunin-Borkowski from the Ernst Ruska-Centre for Microscopy and Spectroscopy with Electrons in Jülich and Wolfgang Jäger from the Christian-Albrechts-University in Kiel (Germany).
The symposium provided a forum for researchers interested in applying advanced experimental and theoretical methods to different future directions in materials research for energy and the environment. The primary focus was placed on research into novel functional alloyed nanoparticles, especially nanoparticles of metastable solid-solution alloys, as well as on providing a platform for further initiatives to form research collaborations and partnerships. The event attracted more than 60 participants from Japan, Germany, The Netherlands and the USA. As part of the programme, the participants took the opportunity to join a guided tour of the Ernst-Ruska-Centre for Microscopy and Spectroscopy with Electrons and of the Jülich Research Centre.
The scientific presentations addressed current topical research on (1) the synthesis of nanostructured materials: strategies for the development of novel nanomaterials, phase diagrams of binary and ternary metallic alloys, alloy nanoparticle materials and metal-organic framework composites for energy storage and energy conversion applications, (2) the characterisation and measurement of structural and physical properties: metallic nanoparticles for catalysis and energy storage, dynamics of hydrogen in metallic nanoparticles, experimental investigations by advanced and in situ transmission electron microscopy and spectroscopy methods, in situ electron holography, scanning electron microscopy, synchrotron X-ray characterisation and neutron diffraction, (3) the theoretical modelling of the stability and functional properties of the alloyed state as well as (4) applications for technology, e.g. complex metallic alloys, alloy nanomaterials in technologies for energy and the environment, catalysis, steels, hydrogen storage materials, batteries and complex oxides.
The detailed programme of the symposium is available here.
The organisers would like to thank Ms Ingrid Rische-Radloff and Ms Naoko Sasaki (Kyoto University) for their valuable support in all organisational matters. Support from the Research Centre Jülich, Kyushu University, JST-ACCEL, Hitachi, JEOL, Mel-Build, DENSsolutions, LOT Quantum Design, and Furuya Metal Co. is gratefully acknowledged.