Overview

This talk explored how advanced materials are enabling the energy transition, with a focus on three core innovations developed in the speaker’s research group: carbon capture and sequestration, hydrogen energy storage and transportation, and full-spectrum solar energy harvesting and storage. Each technology addresses a critical bottleneck in today’s energy systems—cost-effective carbon mitigation, safe and efficient hydrogen logistics, and round-the-clock solar energy availability.

Several of these technologies have progressed beyond the lab, with active commercialization efforts demonstrating their real-world potential.

 
Expert Insights & Key Takeaways

Value-generating carbon capture materials
A graphene aerogel–based sorbent integrated with ionic liquids enables efficient CO₂ capture and direct conversion into calcium carbonate, a commercially valuable product. This approach improves the economics of carbon capture and is especially well-suited for cement plants, where calcium carbonate is already a key feedstock. The technology is being commercialized through Carbon X and is designed as a retrofit to existing facilities.

Breakthrough hydrogen storage materials
Novel porous materials (Z3 and next-generation SLSM) enable hydrogen storage near ambient conditions at low external pressures while achieving high effective internal pressures. These materials offer fast charging and discharging, high storage capacity, and dramatically lower operating costs compared to liquid hydrogen, with the potential to eliminate reliance on cryogenic transport and long-distance pipelines.

Cost and safety advantages for hydrogen logistics
Compared to liquefied hydrogen, the materials-based storage approach operates near 0 °C, reduces operating costs from dollars per kilogram to cents per kilogram, and improves safety by avoiding ultra-high pressures and extreme cryogenic temperatures.

24/7 solar energy through hybrid thermal storage
A multi-layer solar energy system combining molecular solar materials (MSM) and phase-change materials (PCM) captures and stores solar energy during the day and releases it at night. The system achieves high energy density and round-trip efficiencies of 80–90%, offering a practical solution to the intermittency of solar power.

Broader materials innovation ecosystem
Complementary work in AI-driven thermal management and advanced surface coatings—including anti-icing and anti-fouling technologies—supports energy efficiency, infrastructure resilience, and electrification of high-performance systems.

Future Outlook

These materials-driven solutions demonstrate how energy transition challenges can be addressed through multifunctional, scalable, and economically viable technologies. Ongoing efforts focus on scaling production, piloting real-world deployments, and expanding commercialization pathways across carbon-intensive industries, hydrogen infrastructure, and renewable energy systems. Together, these advances position materials science as a cornerstone of next-generation clean energy technologies.
 

Guest Speaker

Hadi Ghasemi

J. Willard Gibbs Distinguished Professor

Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

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