The supply of clean sustainable energy is one of the greatest challenges of our time. Better batteries for electric cars and solar power for homes require advances in new materials and underpinning science.

The talk, “Making a Material Difference to Green Energy (Batteries Included)”, was given by Professor Saiful Islam from the University’s Department of Chemistry to a sold out audience in the Faraday Theatre at the Royal Institution in London on 25th January 2019.

The Royal Institution Friday Evening Discourses are one of the Ri’s oldest and most prestigious series of talks given by a wide range of scientists and authors. Since 1825, audiences have witnessed countless mind-expanding moments, including the first public liquefaction of air by James Dewar, the announcement of the electron by J.J. Thomson and over 100 lectures by Michael Faraday.

In his Discourse, Professor Islam used 3D glasses to show how atomic-scale modelling and structural chemistry are helping us explore and understand the fundamentals of new energy materials for lithium batteries and perovskite solar cells.

Professor Islam said:

New materials hold the key to high energy density lithium batteries for electric cars, which will help cut carbon emissions and improve air quality.

I use 3D images to illustrate the crystal structures of compounds, and to show that chemistry can reveal the intricacy of matter at the atomic level, which can be as visually aesthetic as the arts.

Professor Islam also presented the 2016 Royal Institution Christmas Lectures for BBC TV and has received multiple awards for his research including the 2017 Royal Society of Chemistry Peter Day Award for Materials Chemistry.