TODAY _______________ CENTER FOR EXCITONICS SEMINAR SERIES Structuring materials on multiple length scales for energy applications Andreas Stein, Department of Chemistry, University of Minnesota THURSDAY, OCT 25, 2012 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM RLE HAUS ROOM: 36-428 Abstract Nanoporous and nanostructured materials are becoming increasingly important for advanced applications, including energy storage and conversion materials. Templating methods based on hard templates (colloidal crystal templating, nanocasting) and soft templates (surfactant systems) provide access to nanostructured porous materials in which both the internal pore architecture and the material's morphology can be controlled at a range of length scales from the subnanometer to the millimeter scale. Significant benefits of materials with structural features of nanometer and submicrometer dimensions have been demonstrated, at least at the proof-of-concept stage. Some applications profit from short diffusion paths in hierarchical nanostructures. Other applications take advantage of the relatively high surface areas of nanoporous solids and improved reactivity. Yet others benefit from the precise spacing of active materials in a periodic porous host. Using examples of porous materials for excitonics, lithium ion batteries, solar thermal energy conversion, and gas separation, this presentation will highlight methods of controlling pore architecture and materials morphology at various length scales. In particular, factors that influence structural assembly and interactions between multiple components (multiple templates, host-guest interactions) will be emphasized, as these determine the distribution and spacing of components in the porous solids, factors that control optical, electronic, and reactive properties of the materials.o Bio Professor Andreas Stein obtained his B.Sc. degree in chemistry at the University of Calgary in 1986 and carried out his graduate work with Professor Geoff Ozin at the University of Toronto, specializing in the synthesis and characterization of zeolite materials. After earning his Ph.D. degree in 1991, he joined the Advanced Inorganic Materials group at the corporate research labs of Bayer A.G. in Germany as an NSERC postdoctoral fellow, followed by postdoctoral research with Professor Tom Mallouk at both the University of Texas, Austin, and at Penn State University. In 1994 he joined the faculty at the University of Minnesota, where he is now a Distinguished McKnight University Professor of Chemistry. Professor Stein's research interests are in the field of solid state chemistry, in particular porous materials and nanocomposites targeting a wide range of applications, including membranes, solar thermal energy conversion, bioactive glasses, lithium ion batteries, ion-selective sensors, catalyst materials, polymer-clay nanocomposites, photonic crystal materials, and pigments. His program has pioneered research on the compositional and structural control of templated mesoporous and macroporous sieves, nanoparticle shaping, open-framework structures, and polymer/inorganic nanocomposites. He is the recipient of several awards, including a Merck Professorship in Chemistry, a 3M Faculty Grant, a Dupont Young Professor Grant, an NSF CAREER Award, a McKnight Land-Grant Professorship, and a David & Lucile Packard Fellowship. In 2011, he was listed among the top 100 materials scientists for impact during the decade 2000-2010 by Thomson Reuters. He is on the editorial advisory boards for Advanced Functional Materials and Particle and has been on the board for Chemistry of Materials.