NREL, LBNL and DOE Lead Workshop Focused on Acceleration of Advanced Building Materials Development Through the Materials Genome Initiative

By Robert Tenent

Earlier this summer, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory  (NREL) in conjunction with the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) and the Department of Energy Buildings Technologies Office (BTO) hosted a discussion and workshop focused on application of the Materials Genome Initiative (MGI) ­ to the development of next generation building materials. The MGI approach is based on the application of high throughput screening techniques using computational, experimental and analytical tools to accelerate new materials development and seeks “to double the speed at which we discover, develop and manufacture new materials.”

The MGI addresses four key challenges consisting of:
  1. Leading a culture shift in materials science research to encourage and facilitate an integrated team approach, including close cooperation between the national laboratories, academia, and industry
  2. Integrating experiment, computation, and theory and equipping the materials community with advanced tools and techniques to rapidly bring new material solutions and products to market
  3. Making digital data accessible
  4. Creating a world­class materials science and engineering workforce that is trained for careers in academia or industry.

The aforementioned workshop was attended by a broad range of participants including thought leaders from industry, universities as well as the national laboratories. Discussions and presentations focused on the fundamentals of the MGI approach as well as unique elements of building materials development that may necessitate adoption of additional approaches to accelerate new materials development. Breakout discussions focused on identification of key materials development needs as well as mapping those needs to key elements of the MGI approach in areas of building envelope (including fenestration), HVAC systems and advanced lighting technologies. Several important follow on discussions also focused on identifying ways in which the MGI approach may be augmented to understand the implications of new materials development. This included discussions on considering the integrated building system rather than materials development in isolation as well as how to better engage industry to rapidly transition new materials to high technical readiness.

Currently, NREL and LBNL are preparing a joint report from information gathered during the workshop as well as earlier research to help detail how a MGI approach may be most beneficial to the development of next generation building materials. It is anticipated that appropriate application of MGI tools in conjunction with existing methods for gaining insight into integrated building systems has the potential to dramatically reduce time and expense in development of advanced building materials products. NREL and LBNL are still actively seeking input, especially from industrial partners, interested in MGI and the application of these techniques to advanced building materials design, development and manufacturing. Interested parties are encouraged to reach out to Robert Tenent at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory at robert.tenent@nrel.gov.

Opinions expressed represent the views of the individual authors and not the American Physical Society or authors’ employers.