The Renewable Energy Materials Research Science and Engineering Center at the Colorado School of Mines is focused on transformative materials innovation and educational directions that will significantly impact the emerging renewable energy technologies. The Center is organized around two interdisciplinary research groups. The first concentrates on harnessing unique properties of nanostructured materials to significantly enhance the performance of photovoltaic devices. Special emphasis is placed on understanding and controlling defect structure and passivation in engineered nanostructures, unique quantum mechanical phenomena that can enhance the collection of solar radiation, and novel computational and characterization schemes to improve fundamental understanding of nanostructured photovoltaic materials. The second interdisciplinary research group explores advanced composite membranes for renewable energy applications. Membrane technologies are central to many energy utilization processes, and ionic transport is often a weak link. This group aims to fabricate novel ion conducting materials by synergistically combining materials with dramatically different ionic transport characteristics and then explore the fundamental mechanisms behind ionic transport in these systems. The Center includes a seed program designed to stimulate innovative directions and to integrate into the center research portfolio those approaches that show promise. The initial seed project involves the evaluation of clathrate structures as potential materials for hydrogen storage. Center educational and outreach activities directly expose students to renewable energy concepts at a young age and prepare them, throughout their K-12 education and into college and graduate school, for potential careers in this field. Activities include: development of a renewable energy minor for undergraduate students and a renewable energy elective course sequence for graduate students, creation of a Research Experience for Undergraduates summer program, expansion of an existing program of K-12 outreach to address renewable concepts, and a broadening of the participation of under-represented groups in science and engineering at all levels. A strategic partnership with scientists and engineers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory allows sharing of students, research associates, equipment and facilities between the two organizations. In addition, the Center collaborates with companies that are actively involved in alternative energy and with internationally institutions, particularly the University of New South Wales and Imperial College, University of London. Center members, partner organizations, and outside users will profit from a broad array of user facilities maintained by the center.
