Energy Production and Storage
Energy research will prove to be the most prosperous growth area for the department, the college and the university. The inevitability of an energy crisis and global climate change has intensified efforts in alternative energy research around the world. The excitement building around this sector is reminiscent of the early years of the information technology revolution. Among the many possible sources of alternative energy, the following areas are particularly aligned with the current materials research at Cornell as they play to our existing strengths: photocatalysis, photovoltaics, thermoelectrics, phononics, batteries and supercapacitors.