Challenges Around Transport and Reactivity in Ceramics

The Gordon Research conference on Solid State Studies in Ceramics has been held for over 50 years, initially exploring sintering and deformation, evolving to a wider range of ceramic materials and applications, and now embracing challenges of ceramic materials, their fundamentals, performance and applications, especially relative to energy conversion and storage, high temperature and structural applications, electroceramics etc. The ceramic materials considered can be bulk, thin film or nano-sized.

The 2014 conference will feature transport- and reactivity-related challenges in ceramic materials and keystone components. Phenomena related to ionic and charge carrier transport under driving forces (electric, temperature, strain fields) coupled with complex boundary conditions at interfaces and surfaces in multicomponent and often reactive systems will constitute the core topic of the conference. Related challenges at system level will be emphasized, including applications, for instance membranes, fuel cells, membrane reactors, batteries, supercapacitors, thermoelectric generators, electroresistive or memresistive switches, or electronic storage devices. Presentations and discussions will include novel materials, modeling, in-situ and/or nanoscale probing of transport and electrochemical properties and device performance/durability.

The conference provides an opportunity for investigators at all stages of their careers to meet a diverse and international group at the forefront of the field, take part in stimulating discussions on the latest breakthroughs and brainstorm remaining challenges. An extended poster session will serve as additional support for exchange. All participants are asked to bring posters, as an effective way to promote interaction and foster interdisciplinary collaborations. A small number of abstracts will be selected for short oral session presentations throughout the meeting.