NIA Member Solvay has partnered with the National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) MARVEL at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland, to help scientists better understand how quantum modelling can be effective when developing innovative materials.
The project is an industry-academic collaboration aimed to help scientists to better understand the physical and chemical phenomena that can occur within nanomaterials, bulk materials and composites; and how these modelling approaches can be used to predict how new materials will behave.
Two professors involved with the project, Michele Ceriotti and Clémence Corminboeuf, believe that “By working together and pooling our expertise in chemistry, quantum modelling and machine learning, we will be able to study complex chemical reactions from a whole new angle,”
From an industry perspective, the Scientific Director at Solvay, Patrick Maestro, has stated that “a modelling-based approach is of twofold interest for industry, as it filters out the best potential composites in silico prior to the experimental phase, and costs can be managed more effectively.”
The project is funded for two years and has only come about because both parties have an interest in tech transfer and innovation and want to better understand how to predict how these new innovations will work.
Source: Solvay
