September 18th-19th, 2024
Bath hosts the 1st Conference on Engineering Porous Materials at Multiple Scales (EPoMM)
Location
University of Bath
Estimate Time
Date
September 18th-19th, 2024
About Event
The 1st Conference on Engineering Porous Materials at Multiple Scales (EPoMM) took place on September 18th-19th, 2024, at the University of Bath, bringing together over 70 researchers from around the world to present their innovative work in the field of porous materials with over 50 oral and poster presentations!
Funded by EPSRC, the EPoMM network (headed up by Prof Chris Bowen and Dr Alex O’Malley) aspires to position the UK as a global leader in multiscale porous materials research – and to understand these materials across their scales of use, study, and porosity. This was showcased at the conference which featured an impressive array of research studies spanning the entire spectrum of micro-, meso-, and macro-porous materials. Attendees engaged in lively discussions, where one in particularly tackling the critical question of how to enhance the current classification process for porous materials.
Presentations not only explored the intricacies of pore dimensions but also delved into the mass production of these materials and their evolution and usage over time—some timescales spanning thousands of years!
The diversity of materials showcased was vast, encompassing porous carbons,
zeolites, metal-organic frameworks, polymers of intrinsic microporosity, semiconductors, porous liquids, fibrous materials, and even diamond-based materials. Such materials hold promise for a myriad of applications, including water treatment, hydrogen storage, LED lighting, biomedical uses, acoustics, separations, sensing, virus removal, vaccine storage, and geological storage.
In addition to inspiring talks from early-career researchers and esteemed academic keynote speakers, there were representatives from major organisations such as Johnson Matthey and Nuclear Waste Services. Earlier stage commercial innovators also spoke with novel spin-outs such as Ensilitech discussing their pathways to commercialisation—connecting cutting-edge research with real-world impact.
The conference also highlighted an array of advanced characterisation methods, emphasising the strong relationship between material properties and their porosity.
We also celebrated the achievements of our early-career researchers, awarding prizes for outstanding oral and poster presentations, recognising the next generation of innovators in this exciting field.
Save the Date! The excitement continues as we prepare for the 2nd Conference on Engineering Porous Materials at Multiple Scales (EPoMM), set to take place on September 17th-18th, 2025, at the University of Bath. This upcoming conference promises to be a vibrant forum for sharing the diverse range of work on porous materials, transcending scales of pore dimensions, production techniques, and even time. We can’t wait to see you there!