The EU aims to meet 20% of its energy needs from renewable sources by 2020. Organic photovoltaics — solar cells made from plastics — could be one promising avenue. They take the form of a flexible, light film that can be easily attached to other materials and adapted to different colours and designs. This has led to potential commercial applications in the construction industry, where plastic cells could be used as a thin film on roofs, windows and facades. Moreover, they could feature in foldable chargers for mobile phones and other gadgets on car roofs, or in clothes.

Spintronics has made a major impact on daily life by driving increases in hard drive information storage density over the last decade. However, the discipline has not yet influenced traditional information processing, where circuits of silicon transistors dominate.

A new family of Diamond-Silicon Carbide composites (Skeleton Cemented Diamond) creates low-cost materials with improved thermal and mechanical properties.