Center for Bio-Inspired Energy Science (CBES)

Director
Samuel Stupp
Lead Institution
Northwestern University
Class
2009-2022; Known as the Non-equilibrium Energy Research Center (NERC) from 2009 - 2014.
Mission
To develop the next frontier in soft materials relevant to energy challenges by designing structures that emulate functions we see in biological systems.
Research Topics
catalysis (homogeneous), catalysis (heterogeneous), photosynthesis (natural and artificial), bio-inspired, methane and light alkanes, mesoscale science, materials and chemistry by design, mesostructured materials, synthesis (novel materials), synthesis (self-assembly), synthesis (predictive), synthesis (scalable processing)
Materials Studied
Materials: polymer, porous
Interfaces: organic/inorganic, organic/organic
Nanostructured Materials: 0D, 1D, 2D, 3D
Experimental and Theoretical Methods
X-ray diffraction and scattering, X-ray spectroscopy, electron microscopy, molecular dynamics (MD), density functional theory (DFT), dynamical mean field theory (DMFT), monte carlo (MC), finite element methods, continuum modeling, mesoscale modeling, multiscale modeling

Partner Institutions
- Columbia University
- Harvard University
- New York University
- Northwestern University
- University of Michigan
- University of Pittsburgh