The first in the series of ‘Technical briefings’ saw Professor Emile Greenhalgh, Professor of Composite Materials at Imperial College London and a Chair in Emerging Technologies, talk in technical detail about his work in structural power composites.
The event was chaired by Professor Raffaella Ocone OBE FREng FRSE, Professor of Chemical Engineering, School of Engineering and Physical Sciences, Heriot-Watt University.
Professor Emile Greenhalgh
Professor Emile Greenhalgh joined Imperial College London in February 2003. He is Head of the Composite Centre and lectures in material selection, composite design, testing, characterisation and failure analysis. Over the last 33 years, Professor Greenhalgh has built up a respected international reputation in composites. In particular, his research has focused on two areas: damage tolerance and failure analysis (fractography) of composites, and multifunctional composites (structural power). He sits on the IOM3 British Composites Society Executive Committee and has been Chair of the London Materials Society. He is currently working on a diverse range of composites research, including damage formation and growth, composite structural failure, crack arrest, multifunctional composites, and hierarchical nanocomposites. Since 2020, he has held a Royal Academy of Engineering Chair in Emerging Technologies. Professor Greenhalgh’s Chair will develop structural power composites, which are mechanically load-bearing materials that can also store and deliver electrical energy. These multifunctional composites are a completely new way of using structural materials, heralding an emerging technology that could revolutionise sectors such as aerospace, automotive, portable electronics, and infrastructure. If successful, such ‘massless energy’ could ultimately consign conventional batteries to history.