When materials scientists look at the periodic table of elements, they don’t see a chart full of symbols and numbers; they see a vast molecular pantry that allows a near-infinite number of recipes. Successful raids on this pantry can benefit all of us. Take solar power. In the 113 years between the discovery of the physics behind photovoltaic solar cells and the year 2000, less than 2 gigawatts of solar power capacity was installed around the world. But recent improvements in the molecular structure of the silicon in photovoltaic panels helped bring online more than 10 gigawatts of new solar power in 2011 alone. Or consider the improvements in desalination plants, where in the past four decades the energy required to turn seawater into clean drinking water has fallen an estimated 90 percent, due largely to improvements in the filters used to remove salts. Cleaner energy and more efficient ways to use it: As the world’s population steadily demands more resources, the ingenuity of materials scientists will become increasingly vital.
To understand the innovations unfolding now—and the ones that may lie ahead—DISCOVER partnered with the Chemical Heritage Foundation in Philadelphia to bring together six experts in materials science. Thomas Connelly is chief innovation officer at DuPont; he has managed the company’s Kevlar and Teflon businesses. Solid-state materials scientist Ryan Dirkx is vice president of R & D at Arkema, where he has worked on Plexiglas acrylic. Global intermediates technology manager at ExxonMobil, Mark Doriski has led production of the molecular building blocks used to create the versatile, chainlike molecules known as polymers. Chemist Greg Nelson is chief technology officer of Eastman Chemical. Chris Pappas is president of Styron, a company that develops plastics, latex, and synthetic rubber. And A. N. Sreeram, vice president of R & D at Dow’s Advanced Materials Division, works on the application of new materials in the health-care and automotive industries. Ivan Amato, author of
Stuff: The Materials the World Is Made Of,
moderated their conversation.
