Advanced Energy Materials Thrust
Develop molecular, nano, and bulk materials based on new science of surfaces, interfaces, and microstructures for applications involving H₂, H₂O, and CO₂.

Research Overview

The goal of the Advanced Energy Materials Thrust is to develop molecular, nano, and bulk materials based on new science of surfaces, interfaces, and microstructures for applications involving H₂, H₂O, and CO₂.

The research is directed to two classes of materials, catalytic and structural.
In the area of catalytic materials, our objective is to develop bio-inspired molecular systems for fuel and energy generation that are centered on biological and synthetic catalysts. In addition, we explore the production of fuels and materials of added-value from ubiquitous chemicals through using solar energy.
In the area of structural materials, the research focuses on the development of the fundamental science that enables optimization of the cost, performance, and safety of materials for H₂ technologies. This includes the association of basic science underlying deactivation of catalytic surfaces to industrial approaches for the mitigation of hydrogen embrittlement. In addition, we aim at advancing our mechanistic insight into the degradation of metals and alloys for technologies that operate at elevated temperatures in the presence of hydrogen.
Lastly, it is our objective to develop next-generation tribo-systems with higher efficiency and durability to conserve energy, thus contributing to CO₂ emissions reduction.

Roadmap of the Advanced Energy Materials Thrust

Bio-inspired catalyst for hydrogen activation
Schematic of a carbon-neutral energy circulation by highly selective electrocatalyses using the glycolic acid/oxalic acid redox couple. Numbers indicate product selectivity.

Researchers

Principal Investigators

  • Name

    Position

    Belong

  • KENIS, PAUL J. A.

    Professor

    University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (U.S.)

  • Kubota, Masanobu (Lead PI)

    Professor

    International Institute for Carbon-Neutral Energy Research, Kyushu University (I²CNER)

  • Ogo, Seiji

    Professor

    Kyushu University, Department of Applied Chemistry

  • Sawae, Yoshinori

    Professor

    Kyushu University, Department of Mechanical Engineering

  • Sofronis, Petros

    Professor

    University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (U.S.)

  • Tsuchiyama, Toshihiro

    Professor

    Kyushu University, Department of Materials Science and Engineering

  • Volkert, Cynthia A.

    Professor

    Universität Göttingen

  • Yamauchi, Miho

    Professor

    Institute for Materials Chemistry and Engineering, Kyushu University (IMCE)

  • Somerday, Brian P.

    Assistant Professor

    University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (U.S.)

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All Researchers

  • Name

    Position

    Belong

  • Aravas, Nikolaos

    Professor

    University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (U.S.)

  • Kirchheim, Reiner

    Professor

    Georg-August-Universität Göttingen

  • Matsunaga, Hisao

    Professor

    Kyushu University, Department of Mechanical Engineering

  • Ritchie, Robert O.

    Professor

    University of California, Berkeley

  • Sawae, Yoshinori

    Professor

    Kyushu University, Department of Mechanical Engineering

  • Tsuchiyama, Toshihiro

    Professor

    Kyushu University, Department of Materials Science and Engineering

  • Kobayashi, Hirokazu

    Associate Professor

    Research Center for Negative Emissions Technologies, Kyushu University (K-NETs)

  • Matsumoto, Takahiro

    Associate Professor

    Kyushu University, Department of Applied Chemistry

  • Ozawa, Hironobu

    Associate Professor

    School of Science, Kyushu University

  • Takahashi, Yukina

    Associate Professor

    International Institute for Carbon-Neutral Energy Research, Kyushu University (I²CNER)

  • Uchida, Tatsuya

    Associate Professor

    Kyushu University, Faculty of Arts and Science

  • Yagi, Kazuyuki

    Associate Professor

    Kyushu University, Department of Mechanical Engineering

  • Yoon, Ki-Seok

    Associate Professor

    International Institute for Carbon-Neutral Energy Research, Kyushu University (I²CNER)

  • Komoda, Ryosuke

    Visiting Associate Professor

    -

  • Macadre, Arnaud

    Visiting Associate Professor

    Yamaguchi University

  • Donoshita, Masaki

    Assistant Professor

    Institute for Materials Chemistry and Engineering, Kyushu University (IMCE)

  • Masumura, Takuro

    Assistant Professor

    Kyushu University, Department of Materials Science and Engineering

  • Morita, Takehiro

    Assistant Professor

    Kyushu University, Department of Mechanical Engineering

  • Tanaka, Hiroyoshi

    Assistant Professor

    Kyushu University, Department of Mechanical Engineering

  • Yamauchi, Kosei

    Assistant Professor

    School of Science, Kyushu University

  • Yatabe, Takeshi

    Assistant Professor

    Kyushu University, Department of Applied Chemistry

  • Noguchi, Tomohiro

    Postdoctoral Research Fellow

    Institute for Materials Chemistry and Engineering, Kyushu University (IMCE)

  • Dadfarnia, Mohsen

    Visiting Assistant Professor

    Seattle University

  • Cheng, Jiamin

    Post-doctoral Fellow

    Research Center for Negative Emissions Technologies, Kyushu University (K-NETs)

  • Kajiwara, Yu

    Post-doctoral Fellow

    Kyushu University, Department of Applied Chemistry

  • Kumazawa, Kinya

    Visiting Researcher

    -

  • Nagao, Akihide

    Visiting Researcher

    -

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