Date: September 17, 2026

Time: 12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Location: Maeder Hall Auditorium

HIGHLIGHT SEMINAR SERIES

Sustainable Energy and Electronics need… Sustainable Materials

David Cahen

Professor Emeritus in the Faculty of Chemistry at the Weizmann Institute of Science and former Head of the Department of Materials and Interfaces

Abstract

Sustainable energy depends on sustainable materials. Technologies such as solar panels, wind turbines, hydropower systems, batteries, and hydrogen fuels all rely on materials that must be durable, repairable, and responsibly sourced. Yet many of the materials used in today’s clean energy technologies fall short of these goals. One promising solution is the development of self-healing materials that can repair damage on their own, extending the lifespan of devices and reducing the need for replacement. For electronic and energy technologies, self-healing could play a key role in improving reliability and sustainability.

This talk explores self-healing behavior across a range of systems, from biological and solar energy conversion to ionic, organic, and inorganic materials. Special emphasis is placed on photovoltaic (PV) materials used in solar cells. Researchers have found that some PV materials already exhibit natural mechanisms that allow them to recover from certain defects, helping maintain performance over time. By understanding these processes and identifying the properties that enable them, scientists hope to develop new materials that are more resilient, longer lasting, and easier to sustain. Advancing self-healing materials could help transform clean energy technologies from promising solutions into truly sustainable ones.

Bio

David Cahen studied chemistry and physics at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem after moving from the Netherlands to Israel during high school. He earned a Ph.D. in Chemistry and Materials Science from Northwestern University, including research at Stanford University, and later conducted postdoctoral work in photosynthesis biophysics at the Hebrew University and the Weizmann Institute of Science (WIS). Since joining the WIS faculty in 1976, Cahen has pioneered research in solar energy, including solar cells with built-in storage and highly efficient photothermal systems. His work focuses on the chemistry and physics of optoelectronic and bioelectronic materials, with a particular interest in sustainability, self-healing materials, and proteins as electronic materials. A fellow of AVS, MRS, and the Helmholtz Association, Cahen is active in energy and sustainability research, education, and science-for-peace initiatives. He co-authored and co-edited a leading textbook on materials for energy and sustainability and led an additional research group at Bar-Ilan University from 2017 to 2022.