Advance Materials RESEARCH GROUP

CONCEPT NOTE  FOR ADVANCE MATERIALS RESEARCH GROUP FACULTY OF PHYSICAL SCIENCES

Introduction

We intend to form a Physical science based Advance Materials research group with the view develop new materials to tackle the challenges on energy and other related areas. The group will be drawn from scientists of physical sciences including Physics and Astronomy, Pure and Industrial Chemistry and Mathematics. The multidisciplinary research approaches expected will lead to new discoveries which will put the university in the global world map of the new technology.

 

 

  1. Name:  Advance Materials RESEARCH GROUP
  2.  Research focus: Basic research as well as applied research in functional Materials in the areas of applications of energy.
  3. Composition of the Group and brief CVs of the members. To be sent later as wider consultation with members is required.
  4.   Coordinator of the Research Group : this will be coordinated for now by Dr. Fabian I. Ezema, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Faculty of Physical Sciences, University of Nigeria, Nsukka

Members of the group include but not limited to:

  1. Prof R.U. Osuji, Department of Physics and Astronomy
  2. Prof P.O. Ukoha, Department of Pure and Industrial Chemistry
  3. Prof C.M.I. Okoye, Department of Physics and Astronomy
  4. F.I. Ezema, Department of Physics and Astronomy
  5. P.M. Ejikeme, Department of Pure and Industrial Chemistry
  6. Dr, A.B.C. Ekwealor, Department of Physics and Astronomy
  7. P.U. Asogwa, Department of Physics and Astronomy
  8. B.A. Ezekoye, Department of Physics and Astronomy
  9. James Ezema, Department of Physics and Astronomy
  10. O. Ugwoke, Department of Pure and Industrial Chemistry
  11. Ezema, Department of Pure and Industrial Chemistry
  12. C. Timothy, Department of Physics and Astronomy
  13. Chinwe Nwanya, Department of Physics and Astronomy
  14. Solomon Offiah, Department of Physics and Astronomy

 

The scientific merit

Traditionally solar cells are made from either silicon or a ruthenium compound. Unfortunately, ruthenium is relatively rare (a rare Earth element) and will not ‘scale’ to produce the enormous quantities needed for solar energy production. Silicon is what is used now, but silicon is relatively expensive to manufacture, so scientists have been looking for alternatives. Such alternatives include DSSC and thin film solar cells. Though the efficiencies achieved so far with DSSC and thin film solar cells are lower than what is obtainable using silicon based solar cell but they are cheaper and easier to fabricate. Energy storage in super capacitors traditional uses carbon electrodes due to its porosity. Research has shown that other porous thin film materials can replace carbon electrodes and give similar or even better results hence the need to explore other materials that can be applied as electrodes in super capacitors. Electrochromic devices are important for energy savings in buildings and cars while gas sensors are important to avoid environmental hazards due to gas leakages.

 

Proposed Sub-Research Groups

 

  • Renewable Energy
  • Gas Sensing & Sensors
  • Supercapacitor
  • Battery
  • Fuel Cells
  • Photoelectrochemical (Water splitting)
  • Functional Materials
  • Biomaterials
  • Computation