SRM University-AP hosted a national conference on “Status and Opportunities in Functional Energy and Electronic Materials” (SOFEEM-2024) on March 02-03, 2024. The conference was organised by the Department of Physics and was supported by the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India. The conference brought together about 100 participants from various reputed institutions, national laboratories, and universities from India. They shared their research outcomes and discussed the various frontier energy technologies and smart electronic devices.
The main theme of the conference was to boost the development and optimal use of renewable energy and to promote sustainable energy and intelligent electronics. The conference focused on fostering collaboration among researchers and practitioners to explore cutting-edge developments in these domains and pave the way for innovative solutions. A diverse array of topics was covered, including:
- Synthesis and processing of novel energy and electronic materials
- Modelling of low-dimensional materials
- Materials and catalysts for green hydrogen production
- Electrolyte and electrode materials for high-performance batteries and fuel cells
- Functional materials for supercapacitors
- Device fabrication using novel energy materials for energy conversion and storage
- Low-dimensional materials in electronics and photonics
The conference was inaugurated by Prof. Manoj K Arora, Vice Chancellor, who welcomed the guests and the delegates and highlighted the university’s achievements and vision. He also emphasised the importance of interdisciplinary research and innovation in addressing the global energy and environment challenges.
The conference featured keynote lectures, invited talks, oral presentations, and poster sessions by experts and young researchers. Distinguished Keynote speakers from IIT Madras, along with Invited speakers from prestigious institutions such as the Indian Institute of Science (IISC) Bangalore, IIT Tirupati, IIT Hyderabad, University of Hyderabad, IISER Bhopal, and the CSIR – Central Electrochemical Research Institute (CECRI) in Tamil Nadu, among others from esteemed state universities, shared their groundbreaking research. The conference provided a good platform for the participants to interact with the eminent researchers to enrich and share their knowledge in their respective fields of research and engage in potential collaboration to develop innovative technologies in the areas of sustainable energy, advances in materials research and computational sciences. In addition, research scholars from nearby universities (such as VIT-AP, Vignan University, Acharya Nagarjuna University, and SRM-IST) participated in the conference and showcased their current research works.
The conference concluded with awards for the best poster and oral presentation by research scholars, celebrating their significant contributions to the field. The conference concluded with a valedictory session, where the best oral and poster presentations were awarded, and feedback from the participants was collected. The conference was well-received by the attendees, who appreciated the quality and diversity of the scientific discussions, as well as the university’s hospitality and facilities.
