Designing sustainable materials and chemistries for the hydrogen economy

Hydrogen (H2) is an energy carrier that can power our electricity grid, transportation, and chemical industry, supporting society’s growing need for clean energy. However, currently employed materials for the Hydrogen Economy in (electro)chemical conversion devices— electrolyzers that split water to produce hydrogen, liquid carriers that store hydrogen, and fuel cells that convert hydrogen back to electricity—are derived from unsustainable sources including critical minerals and carbon sources, hindering their scalability and environmental benefits.

This project will develop the science and engineering foundations to co-design materials for both performance and sustainability, utilizing inexpensive, earth-abundant metals and carbon sources from abundant biomass feedstocks.

The project’s interdisciplinary team brings together world-leading expertise in chemical reactions, polymers and electrochemistry, combining computational and experimental approaches. This project is highly aligned with UW–Madison’s RISE-EARTH initiative and multi-billion dollar investments in advanced energy technologies, enabling us to pursue center-level federal funding opportunities through this project.

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Manos Mavrikakis, professor of chemical and biological engineering

CO-PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATORS

Siddarth Krishna, assistant professor of chemical and biological engineering

Whitney Loo, assistant professor of chemical and biological engineering

Luca Mastropasqua, assistant professor of mechanical engineering

CO-INVESTIGATORS

Styliani Avraamidou, assistant professor of chemical and biological engineering

Kyoung-Shin Choi, professor of chemistry

Sage Kokjohn, professor of mechanical engineering

Mohan Qin, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering