Events

The Latvian Academy of Sciences (LAS) has announced the winners of the annual Science Achievements Competition - the top twelve achievements were selected from 47 eligible proposals submitted for evaluation. In the category of “Theoretical Science – Fundamental Research,” the study titled “Tomorrow’s Energy: Unlocking the Potential of Graphene, Batteries, Superconductivity, and Photocatalysis” was recognized as one of the most significant achievements of the year in Latvian science. The authors include ISSP UL’s leading researchers Roberts Eglītis (Laboratory of Computer Modeling of Electronic Structure of Solids), Juris Purāns (Thin Films Laboratory), and Anatolijs Popovs (Laboratory of Kinetics in Self-Organizing Systems), and Dr. Ran Jia from Jilin University in China.

Between 2023 and 2024, the research group published 13 articles in prestigious scientific journals showcasing significant innovations and theoretical models in materials science and energy. Their work has significantly advanced our understanding of new materials and their potential applications in energy harvesting technologies. Notably, they developed theoretical models to predict which materials might be suitable for solar energy technologies, including borazole (BN) nanotubes formed through boron-boron (B-B) and nitrogen-nitrogen (N-N) bonds, as well as carbon nanotubes derived from Me-graphene.

The team also proposed new surface and interface structures of perovskite materials that could be utilized in catalytic processes for water splitting to produce oxygen and hydrogen—a crucial advancement in hydrogen energy development. They discovered that imino groups in the allotropic structure of carbon can regulate the material’s band gap, making graphdiyne a highly promising photocatalyst for both water splitting and carbon dioxide (CO₂) reduction.

Additionally, they developed a new cobalt-phosphorus-coated molybdenum disulfide (2D-MoS₂)-based photocatalyst (Co-P@MoS₂), which demonstrates high efficiency in photocatalytic reactions, thus opening new avenues in energy conversion technologies.

Moreover, the researchers introduced a novel method for precisely determining the superconducting transition temperature under non-equilibrium conditions, further enhancing our fundamental understanding of superconductors.

2024 marks the 23rd anniversary since the Latvian Academy of Sciences launched the annual science achievement competition. The principal aim of the competition since then has been yearly monitoring of the processes in Latvian science by assessing and naming the most significant achievements of the year. Also, the results and winners of the competition would be popularized among the wider public, thus contributing to science communication in Latvia. Since 2011, as the competition gained popularity among researchers and the academic community, the winners are awarded diplomas, and a special awarding ceremony is held. In the following years, the event’s regular and numerous attendees include its supporters, sponsors, media representatives, and other stakeholders. This annual event highlights and celebrates the excellence in Latvian science and research.