Stuttgart NanoDays 2010

The Stuttgart NanoDays 2010 conference has been held in Stuttgart from 27 to 28 September 2010. Dr Bojan Boskovic from Cambridge Nanomaterials Technology has given a presentation as an invited speaker at the conference.

The conference scope covers four focus sessions: carbon nanotube actuators, transparent conductive films, lightweight materials and advanced composites:

Nano Carbon Materials

Carbon nanomaterials are major keystones of modern nanoscience, starting from fullerenes discovered in 1985, through carbon nanotubes (1991), and ending at the recent discovery from 2004 – graphene, a two-dimensional honeycomb lattice of carbon atoms. The field of graphene-related research has grown at a spectacular pace since single-layer flakes were first isolated. What began as an exciting material for fundamental physics has now become the focus of efforts by scientists in a wide range of disciplines. Materials scientists are busily working on new synthesis routes, while engineers are designing novel devices to exploit graphene’s extraordinary properties. In light of such collaborations, it is difficult to believe that the future for graphene is anything but bright.

Low Voltage Actuators

Since the original pioneering work in carbon nanotube actuators several years ago, major strides have been made in our understanding of the processes involved in nanotube actuation. Today, the field is quickly filling the gap between demonstration and application. This session will give today’s perspective of the challenges faced by commercialization of nanotube-based actuators and where they may play a role within the marketplace.

Lightweight Materials

In industries such as aircraft and automotive, breakthrough technologies in high-strength, lightweight materials will result in fuel efficiency, a lower carbon footprint and carbon dioxide emission. A novel new approach to metal matrix materials with higher mechanical, tensile strength and higher thermal conductivity involves using carbon nanotubes incorporated directly into metal structures. This session will address the advances in this field and the potential for realizing meaningful improvements to structural material properties.

Flexible Electronics

Transparent conductive oxides (TCOs) such as Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) currently provide the only available approach to flexible organic optoelectronic devices such as polymer photovoltaics, organic light emitting diodes, and transparent transistors for head-up display technologies. TCOs face many challenges including rapidly increasing costs, poor adherence to plastic substrates and significant near-infrared absorption. Recent advances in the transparency and conductivity of heterogeneous carbon nanotube films make them an excellent alternative material for TCOs. This session will present the carbon nanotube qualities that outperform TCOs in the context of synthesis and processing.

Please follow the link to the Stuttgart NanoDays 2010 programme for more information:

http://www.ipa.fraunhofer.de/fileadmin/www.ipa.fhg.de/pdf/Veranstaltungen/Flyer_Nanodays_2010.pdf