The Argonne-Northwestern Solar Energy Research (ANSER) Center works to develop the fundamental understanding of molecules, materials and method necessary to create dramatically more efficient technologies for solar fuels and energy production.
The ANSER Center, founded in 2007, is a joint research effort between Northwestern University and Argonne National Laboratory that works to develop the fundamental understanding of molecules, materials and method necessary to create dramatically more efficient technologies for solar fuels and energy production. ANSER’s research aligns with the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Basic Energy Systems research in the fields of solar photochemistry, catalysis, condensed-phase and interfacial molecular science, computational and theoretical chemistry, and materials chemistry.
In June 2014, DOE renewed ANSER’s original 2009 Energy Frontier Research Center (EFRC) grant ($19.0 million, 5-years) for an additional $15.2 million, 4-year term. ANSER is one of 22 (of 46) 2009 EFRCs to be renewed, and among 16% of cumulative 2014 applicants to received funding.
ANSER’s success depends on an integrated systems approach that comes from focused, team-oriented interdisciplinary research with close communication and coordination among member partners. These collective institutions offer a critical mass of world-class researchers with unique capabilities and facilities in materials synthesis, characterization, and theory.
