Inventaire


Site en français

Molecular Synthesis, Materials, Energy Engineering


Contributing to economic development and improving the living conditions of our fellow citizens and mankind in general, working with a view to sustainability, respecting the planet's limited resources and taking care to bequeath to future generations a better-balanced world - these are the challenges that engineering and applied physics and chemistry are increasingly having to face up to. At the ULB, several well-endowed teams are working on developing new materials meeting up to sustainable development requirements, with a particular focus of different surface treatments, research into ''smart'' materials, organic polymers or LCD semiconductors. In the energy field, key to sustainable development, research is focused on developing such renewable energy forms as photovoltaics, wind turbines and biomass, optimising the generation of traditional energy forms, and problems associated to transport and energy consumption. The optimisation of industrial processes, in particular the study of catalysis, and the problems involved in sustainable construction are at the heart of a wide range of research efforts. One of the drivers of this research at the ULB is the collaboration with the theoretical teams, whether in physics, chemistry, nanoscience or mathematical modelling. Such research is often conducted in collaboration with companies, and benefits from substantial funding from the regional authorities of Brussels and Wallonia (in particular the GreenWin, Mecatech and Skywin Business Development Clusters), and from EU funding (framework programmes). Outcomes include the filing of patents and the creation of spin-off companies.