Nine new research projects have been selected for funding by the Energy Center in its eighteenth annual grant competition that started on January 1, 2024. The overall goal of NCESR is to foster research and education in energy sciences by providing funding to support innovative research and collaboration among UNL faculty and other public and private-sector organizations and businesses.
NCESR provides major funding for two-year research projects to UNL faculty through collaboration with NPPD. The NCESR funds enable UNL faculty to conduct innovative research to develop or enhance energy science and technologies and educate undergraduate and graduate students on various energy-related aspects. Faculty are expected to use NCESR’s funding as a seed to pursue major external funding. NPPD provides several letters of support for UNL faculty each year as they bid on federal grants (e.g., Department of Energy, Department of Defense, etc.). NCESR also awards annual summer internships for UNL undergraduates.
Low Cost and Clean Energy Storage Based on Molecular Ferroelectrics and Antiferroelectrics
Principal Investigator (PI) – Dr. Xiaoshan Xu, Associate Professor of Physics and Astronomy, College of Art and Sciences
Co-Principal Investigator (Co-PI) – Dr. Xia Hong, Professor of Physics and Astronomy, College of Art and Sciences
Co-PI – Dr. Takashi Komesu, Research Associate Professor of Physics and Astronomy, College of Art and Sciences
- To meet the challenge of ever-increasing energy needs, new materials, and technology are in demand to boost energy production and storage. More importantly, a diverse portfolio of energy storage is required to mitigate the mismatched timing of renewable energy production and consumption, which is also critical for the resilience of energy infrastructure. In this project, we study high-power-density energy storage in the form of electrostatic capacitors, focusing on exploiting recently discovered molecular ferroelectric and antiferroelectric materials to realize low cost, environmental friendliness, and high energy density.
Principal Investigator (PI) – Dr. Eric Markvicka, Assistant Professor of Mechanical & Materials Engineering, College of Engineering
Co-PI – Dr. Lucia Fernandez-Ballester, Assistant Professor of Mechanical & Materials Engineering, College of Engineering
- This project aims to address a key challenge in heat dissipation for high-power energy systems: under extreme weather conditions and because of time-worn electrical infrastructure, rapid changes in power result in extreme temperatures and temperature spikes that can cause catastrophic failure. The proposed approach is to create a novel thermal interface material that can efficiently transfer heat from heat-generating components to the heatsink of an electronic device and is also capable of storing and releasing heat as needed to passively regulate device temperature. Previous materials exhibiting good heat storage properties suffered from poor thermal conductivity, limiting their use.
Principal Investigator (PI) – Dr. Jian Wang, Professor of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, College of Engineering
Co-PI – Dr. Bai Cui, Associate Professor of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, College of Engineering
- The degradation of mechanical properties of materials in the presence of hydrogen is known as hydrogen embrittlement (HE). HE failure occurs at low- stress levels with brittle fractures, causing huge economic losses or catastrophes. This project selects a three-element alloy (FeCrAl alloys) as the primary testing material due to increased interests in the nuclear community. Along with its wide applications and excellent properties, understanding the HE mechanisms of FeCrAl alloys discovering and designing the chemistries and microstructures of FeCrAl alloys for preventing HE are urgently demanded. The developed methods through this project are applicable to other multiple-element alloys (MEAs).
Principal Investigator (PI) – Dr. Siamak Nejati, Associate Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, College of Engineering
Co-PI – Dr. Alexander Sinitskii, Professor of Chemistry, College of Arts and Sciences
- Green Hydrogen production requires enhanced efficiency and sustainable resource use. To that end, the electrochemical society has been searching for more abundant electrocatalysts. Inspired by metal-carbide chemistry, this project aims to utilize MXene to design cheap, stable, efficient, and abundant electrocatalysts for water splitting. The MXene-containing electrodes can enable the study of surfaces that are designed with atomic precision. Considering the remarkable performances and the significantly large design space for fine-tuning MXenes’ performance, a major breakthrough is anticipated. With that on the horizon, a new synthetic approach is leveraged to synthesize cost-effective electrodes for water splitting.
Principal Investigator (PI) – Dr. Joseph Turner, Robert W. Brightfelt Professor of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, College of Engineering
Co-PI – Dr. Shubhendu Bhardwaj, Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of Engineering
- The goal of this project is to design, manufacture, and test a bearing roller that serves as an embedded wireless sensor within a wind turbine gearbox. This ‘smart roller’ will be created using advanced metal 3D printing with a specific material organization to support an internal sensor. Current monitoring of wind turbines relies on sensors placed outside the main turbine gearbox such that models are required to interpret the data. This new embedded sensor would transform the safety and maintenance of wind turbines using direct measurements internal to the most critical part of the power generation system.
Principal Investigator (PI) – Dr. Moe Alahmad, Associate Professor of Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction, College of Engineering
Co-PI – Dr. Xiaoqi Liu, Assistant Professor of Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction, College of Engineering
Co-PI – Dr. Hamid Sharif, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of Engineering
- This project proposes to develop and demonstrate a framework for integrating Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) in buildings. This integration will contribute to the reliability of the power supply and enable buildings to contribute to transforming the electric grid toward sustainability. The framework seeks to optimize the design and operation of novel battery systems, proposes MEMS sensor technology to improve battery life span and performance, and applies machine learning tools to operate the BESS as a resource for the building, the grid, or both.
Principal Investigator (PI) – F. John Hay, Extension Educator (Energy) of Biological Systems Engineering, Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources and College of Engineering
Co-PI – Dr. Jennifer Keshwani, Associate Professor and Extension Specialist of Biological Systems Engineering, Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources and College of Engineering
- Games can be an educational teaching tool. We want students to learn about the form and function of the electric grid while participating in a collaborative game (a game played by the classroom as a whole). The game and kit will be accessible to a broad audience due to the low price of materials.
Principal Investigator (PI) – Dr. Seunghee Kim, Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering
Co-PI – Dr. Karrie A. Weber, Director of Microbiology Program, Associate Professor of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, School of Biological Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences
Co-PI – Dr. Hyun-Seob Song, Associate Professor and Computational Biologist of Biological Systems Engineering, Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources and College of Engineering
- Hydrogen has been identified as a “green” carbon-free energy alternative, and there is an emerging interest in producing geological natural hydrogen. Reliable and safe storage is imperative for success as an alternative fuel and energy source. Thus, it is critical to understand the interaction of hydrogen with in-situ fluids, solid minerals, and microorganisms for the success of geological hydrogen production and storage. The objective of the proposed project is to advance our fundamental understanding of the generation, migration, and reactions for the primary lithological, hydrological, and biogeochemical conditions related to Eastern Nebraska near the Midcontinent Rift.
Principal Investigator (PI) – Dr. Wei Niu, Associate Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, College of Engineering
Co-PI – Dr. Chi Zhang, Professor of Biochemistry, School of Biological Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences
- Lignin is the second most abundant organic polymer and the dominant aromatic heteropolymer in nature. Processes that can efficiently convert lignin into value-added chemicals will substantially boost the profit margin of lignocellulosic bioenergy production. The goal of this project is to engineer a bacterial strain, Pseudomonas putida KT2440, for the bioproduction of five C6 chemicals from aromatics that can be derived from lignin degradation. This group of C6 chemicals is essential in the current production of thermoplastics such as nylon 6,6, and the success of the project is built upon promising preliminary data. The study also provides insights into fundamental microbial physiology.