On May 24 in Institute of Solid State Physics (ISSP) was organized introductory meeting between ISSF LU and Brightlands Materials Centre. Participants got to know each other’s fields of activity and current research, and considered possible future cooperation opportunities.
Meeting was organized in collaboration with Materize and Investment and Development Agency of Latvia (LIAA) representative Jēkabs Groskaufmanis, and was organized with ISSP Thin Film laboratory and Brightlands Materials Center (Netherlands).
People in the meeting.
From ISSP:
Juris Purāns, Boriss Poļakovs, Ilze Aulika, Timurs Safiuļins, Mārtiņš Zubkins, Smagul Karazhanov, Dāvis Kalniņš, Ainārs Ozols
From LIAA:
Jēkabs Groskaufmanis
From Brightlands Materials Center:
Koen Janssen – Managing Director Brightlands Materials Center
Pascal Buskens – Principal scientist, professor
Mr Koen Janssen is an experienced innovation executive with 30+ years of material-related verticals behind him thus leading him to the role of Managing Director of the Brightlands Materials Center. Having strong roots in DSM, a Dutch multinational life sciences and materials sciences company, he also knows the Chemelot campus thoroughly having witnessed its growth and evolving.
Professor Pascal Buskens is an experienced scientist at TNO and the Brightlands Materials Center. His research interests lie in functional coatings, nanoparticles and nanocomposites. Application domains: sustainable energy (nanomaterials that improve the efficiency and/or aesthetics of (BI-)photovoltaics), energy efficiency (nanomaterials and nanostructured coatings for smart glazing), energy conversion & storage (nanocatalysts for sunlight-powered chemical processes).
Brightlands Materials Center expressed interest in finding out more about ISSP capabilities in thin-films and coatings. Additionally, due to one of their main research areas – smart windows – they were especially interested to find out more about our SWEB project.
Prof. Purāns gave a presentation about SWEB project and Thin Film laboratory capabilities and current research areas. He emphasized that they are interested to collaborate with specialists of thermochromic and photochromic materials as part of the SWEB project.
While we focus more on PVD and CVD methods, Prof. Buskens stated that they mainly employ wet chemistry methods when fabricating their thermochromic films. The main components are doped VO2 pigments that are integrated into polymer films. This material can be coated on glass and other substrates. They are already performing pilot field tests (1 m2 films), accelerated aging tests, switch tests for VO2. Buskens stated that their solution is relatively cheap. They are targeting the renovation market – old windows would be refurbished with the new smart window coating. They expect that such a system would have a payback period of 5-7 years for Dutch citizens.
Boriss Poļakovs stated that there could be a potential research topic about using a combination of Photo- and Thermochromic particles (inorganic or organic doped particles) to make such coatings more efficient. There does not seem to be a good reason as to why such research has not been done yet.
Buskens mentioned that there could collaboration by using their scientific and testing equipment, such as their spectrometer (can measure material transparency during the heating process), or even their Test buildings for pilot projects. He mentions that they do not have high-temperature XRD equipment and are interested in such a tool for their tests.
Purāns stated that, as part of the SWEB project, they must organize monthly (?) meetings with industry and scientific experts. Due to this, he invites Pascal Buskens to visit ISSP UL as one of the speakers (and perhaps any other relevant people from TNO). Buskens states that such meeting could be possible. Purāns also mentioned that recruitment of new people for the SWEB (or other) project would be necessary, and this might be a way to collaborate with Brightlands Materials Center / TNO as well.
Smagul Karazhanov also invites Buskens to participate in his organized symposium about chromogenic materials.
Pascals Buskens ask us to share relevant EU calls where we are participating in. This way he can see if there is some potential collaboration possible between us and TNO.