Nobel laureates visit Copenhagen

8 September 2009

The Nano-Science Center at the University of Copenhagen is hosting the European Conference on Molecular Electronics 2009 on 9-12 September. The conference, which is world leading within this field of research, is gathering top scientists and students from across the globe and includes several Nobel laureates among the speakers.

- We are proud to attract about 300 top scientists and students to Copenhagen, and we look forward to opening the conference on Wednesday, 9 September, says conference host professor Thomas Bjørnholm, head of the Nano-Science Center at the Department of Chemistry, University of Copenhagen.

A field of opportunity

Molecular electronics is an active research area, where scientists worldwide are developing new ways to utilise the electronic properties of molecular materials, such as conducting plastic fibres and thin films.

The research area has a wide range of possible applications, ranging from ultra-flat displays manufactured using ink-jet printers to plastic electronics, polymer solar cells and novel ways to interface electronics with nanotechnology, biotechnology and medicine. The research field is therefore attracting the interest of industrial companies, several of which will be present at the conference.

Prominent research

Three special guests will be present at the conference. These are professor Jean-Marie Lehn from Université de Strasbourg, professor Michael Grätzel from Ecole Polytechnique de Lausanne and Sir Richard Friend from University of Cambridge. Jean-Marie Lehn received the 1987 Nobel Prize in chemistry for his pioneering research within supramolecular chemistry, i.e. molecular systems built from smaller molecules. Michael Grätzel is the inventor of the Grätzel solar cell, which is one of the most promising technologies for solar cells of the future. Sir Richard Friend is known as the frontrunner in the field of organic polymers. He has revolutionized the understanding of the electronic properties of molecular semi-conductors, which are used today in e.g. OLED displays.

All three scientists will be available for interviews during the conference.