Materials Research
for sustainable energy and industry. Materials Research at Karlstad University has a long tradition as a strong research environment. The core of Materials Research are scientists in Materials Engineering, Materials Physics, Physical Chemistry and Mechanical Engineering. Collaborations and cooperations with other Universities, research institutes and companies are important and intense.
News
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2026-09-09
SOLVE Receives Continued Support to Develop Solar Energy Systems
Karlstad University has been awarded SEK 11.5 million from the Swedish Energy Agency and Region Värmland as the SOLVE research centre enters a new five-year phase. The investment will contribute to the development of future solar energy systems and support Sweden’s transition towards a more sustainable energy system.
SOLVE brings together universities, businesses and public-sector organisations in research aimed at enabling a faster expansion of solar energy in Sweden. The total budget for SOLVE’s upcoming five-year period amounts to SEK 139.4 million. At Karlstad University, the research focuses on areas including new solar cell technologies, energy communities where several households share locally generated solar electricity, and agrivoltaics, where agricultural production is combined with electricity generation from solar panels.
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2026-06-24
Karlstad University in EU project on solar-based plastic recycling
Karlstad University is participating in the new EU-funded project SPECTRA, coordinated by Ergang Wang at Chalmers University of Technology. SPECTRA aims to develop new technologies in which solar energy is used to convert plastic waste into valuable resources.
Within the project, Karlstad University will develop computational and AI-assisted tools to accelerate the discovery and optimisation of materials and processes. Moyses Araujo, Professor of Physics, is leading Karlstad University’s part of the project.
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2026-06-02
Efficient and sustainable organic solar cells
Organic solar cells are highlighted as a promising future technology. They are flexible, lightweight and can be manufactured at low cost in large volumes. In recent years, their efficiency has surpassed 20 per cent. However, despite this progress, a crucial challenge remains: lifetime.
In a new doctoral thesis at Karlstad University, Suraj Prasad shows why the materials degrade and how the problem can be addressed.
“We already have high efficiency. The main challenge now is to make the solar cells last,” says Suraj Prasad.
Light and oxygen trigger degradation
In the study, organic solar cell materials were exposed to simulated sunlight in air. The results show that degradation is driven by chemical reactions in which oxygen plays a central role.
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2026-02-17
International Exchange within Physics Education
Research and teaching environments were presented, along with good examples of teaching that promotes active learning and strengthens research‑based education.
– Between 9 and 13 February, we welcomed a delegation from the Department of Physics at the University of Bucharest, Romania, says Andrea Muntean, Senior Lecturer in Physics. They visited us within the framework of Erasmus+ and as a continuation of a visit in 2025, when our colleague Lorena Solvang travelled to Bucharest. Our guests work at the Division of Matter Structure, Atmospheric and Geophysics, and Astrophysics, where Sandra Voinea serves as Prefect.
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2025-12-19
New Dissertation on High-Quality Steel
In a study, phD student Katerina Chantziara has investigated what causes steel fatigue and what makes it break. The aim of the research is to contribute to improved durability.
– I have studied different martensitic tool steels and examined what happens inside the material when it is subjected to stress, and what ultimately causes it to fracture, says Katerina Chantziara, PhD student in physics.
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2025-12-19
New Master’s Program in Mechanical Engineering with Data-Driven Specialization
Karlstad University Launches New Master’s Program in Mechanical Engineering with Data-Driven Specialization.
The new Master’s program in Mechanical Engineering – Specialization in Data-Driven Mechanical Engineering, set to begin in August 2026. This innovative program reflects the growing importance of data analytics and computational methods in modern mechanical engineering, preparing graduates to meet the challenges of Industry 4.0 and beyond.
