Solar Thermochemical Hydrogen Production Using Redox Active Materials

Date: October 31, 2025; Time: 2:30 PM Location: PWEB 175

Abstract: Hydrogen is a valuable widely used chemical and an essential component in renewable fuels. Steam-methane reforming is currently used to produce low-cost “grey” hydrogen, that can be turned “blue” by capturing and storing CO2 at extra cost. “Green” hydrogen can be produced via electrolysis at much higher cost. Efforts are underway to advance photosynthesis.  Thermochemical methods, in which high temperature non-stoichiometric reduction of metal oxides is followed by lower temperature oxidation using steam, have the potential to reduce the cost and operate at high-capacity factor. The same technology can also reduce CO2 and produce syngas; an essential feedstock for SAF and efuels. This however requires innovations in redox materials, reactor design and system’s integration. I will introduce the technology and our recent advancements. Ceria is the gold standard because of its stability, but its reduction temperature is high and oxygen carrying capacity is low. Effort to develop alternatives, mostly pervoskites, are underway. Significant reduction-oxidation temperature swing makes it necessary to recover most of the sensible heat. We have designed systems employing multiple reactors that circulate between the two stages to maximize regenerative heat recovery. Generating deep vacuum for reduction, a costly endeavor, can be accomplished by staged oxygen evacuation and novel thermochemical or electrochemical pumping technologies. System level analysis shows that: separation energy should be minimized using, e.g., membrane systems; and waste heat recovery on the exothermic oxidation side should be used to produce electricity to power auxiliary components. To enable continuous operations with optimally sized units, specially designed indirectly heated reactors should operate while communicating with thermal energy storage units. A novel system invented at MIT integrates these ideas and is currently undergoing derisking and validation.

Biographical Sketch: Ahmed F. Ghoniem is the Ronald C. Crane Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Director of the Center for Energy and Propulsion Research and the Reacting Gas Dynamics Laboratory. He received his B.Sc. and M.Sc. degree from Cairo University, and Ph.D. at the University of California, Berkeley. His research covers computational engineering, turbulence and combustion, multiphase flow, clean energy technologies with focus on oxy-combustion for CO2 capture, renewable energy, biofuel and solar fuel production. He supervised more than 120 graduate students and post-doctoral students; published more than 500 articles in leading journals and conferences; and consulted for the aerospace, automotive and energy industry. He is fellow of the ASME, the APS, and the Combustion Institute. He received several awards including the ASME James Harry Potter Award in Thermodynamics, the AIAA Propellant and Combustion Award, the KAUST Investigator Award, the “Committed to Caring Professor” at MIT and the Combustion Institute Bernard Lewis Gold Medal.

Cryogenic Fluid Management Technologies at Creare

Date: October 3, 2025; Time: 2:30 PM Location: PWEB 175

Abstract: Creare LLC is a small business of 190 employees in Hanover, New Hampshire.  The company has been in operation since 1961 focusing on research and development of highly engineered technologies and products.  Creare has a broad technology portfolio but a consistent business area since inception has been thermal and fluid management systems.  During the last 4 decades, we have worked on space-borne cryocoolers and cryogenic fluid/thermal management to support NASA’s space science and exploration initiatives.  More recently, we have worked on cryogenic cooling systems for detectors in proliferated space architectures for earth science and missile defense.  In today’s presentation, Dr. Zagarola will provide an overview of Creare’s work on cryocoolers and cryogenic fluid management devices, and the associated technical challenges with making these devices for space.

Biographical Sketch: Dr. Zagarola is a Principal Engineer and Partner at Creare LLC.  Since joining Creare in 1995, he has focused his efforts on the development of cryocoolers, advanced space-flight thermal management hardware, and cryocooler control electronics. He currently leads Creare’s cryocooler business area. During his tenure, he has provided programmatic and technical leadership to many cryocooler development activities including turbo-Brayton and J-T cryocoolers, the development of turbo-Brayton technologies such as advanced recuperators and gas bearing turbomachines, and development of cryocooler drive electronics.  He was chairman of the 20th International Cryocooler Conference (ICC), served on the boards of the ICC and Cryogenic Society of America, and was a technical editor for several volumes of Advances in Cryogenic Engineering. In 2024, he received the ICC Exceptional Service Award for his long-time contributions to the ICC and the cryogenic community.  Mark has authored or coauthored over 80 papers documenting his work in the field of cryogenics.

Dr. Zagarola received his B.S.M.E degree from Rutgers University and his M.S.M.E and Ph.D. degrees from Princeton University.  While at Princeton University, Dr. Zagarola designed, planned, and implemented a unique, 28 ton, pipe flow facility that provided accurate data at Reynolds number over one order of magnitude larger than previous experiments. Data that he acquired and theories that he proposed provided new insights into the scaling of wall-bounded shear flows.

Time series based robust damage and fault diagnosis for engineering structures and systems under uncertainty

Date: September 26, 2025; Time: 2:30 PM Location: PWEB 175

Abstract: The problem of damage and fault diagnosis for structures and engineering systems operating under uncertainty is addressed via statistical time series based methods. A critical overview of the main principles, underlying assumptions, and available approaches is presented. The issue of robustness, arising from the need for counteracting the effects of uncertainty, including that due to varying Environmental and Operational Conditions (EOCs) and populations of similar structures and systems, is demonstrated. The main approaches for achieving robustness are presented, with emphasis on conceptual and practical simplicity, ease of use, operation with a low number of sensors and limited numbers of training signals, physical interpretability, and the achievement of high-performance even for early faults. The novel holistic Functional Model (FM) based method, within which the subproblems of damage/fault detection, precise localization, and level estimation may be seamlessly integrated, is then introduced and its various forms are discussed. Application case studies, pertaining to damage diagnosis for engineering structures and systems under uncertainty are presented, with diagnostic performance systematically assessed. The presentation concludes with remarks on the status of the technology and future perspectives.

Biographical Sketch: Spilios Fassois is Professor and Founding Director of the Stochastic Mechanical Systems and Automation (SMSA) Laboratory at the University of Patras, Greece. He previously served on the faculty of the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor. His research interests include stochastic mechanical and aeronautical systems, statistical time series methods, data-based modeling, diagnostics, Structural Health Monitoring, and Machine Learning with applications on structural, vehicular, aeronautical, and other engineering systems. He is the recipient of the 2023 `Evangelos Papanoutsos Excellence in Teaching Award’ at the University of Patras, the 1990 `Excellence in Teaching Award of the College of Engineering’ at the University of Michigan, and various other awards and distinctions. He is Editor-in-Chief for the Journal of Mechanical Systems and Signal Processing (MSSP), Board Member for additional international journals, and Scientific Committee member for numerous international conferences. He has given numerous Keynote and other invited presentations, has organized 5 Thematic Issues for esteemed international journals, and published over 320 articles in technical journals, conference proceedings, and encyclopedias, with his work being supported by industry and national/international funding agencies.

Hybrid-Electric Propulsion System For Commercial And Military Aircrafts

Date: September 19, 2025; Time: 2:30 PM Location: PWEB 175

Abstract: Decarbonizing long-haul air travel is essential to climate change mitigation but remains difficult because present alternatives to fossil fuels are constrained by energy density, mass, packaging, infrastructure, manufacturing readiness, and entrenched operating practices. Hybrid-electric propulsion offers a pragmatic near term pathway by pairing high-specific-energy liquid fuels with electric machines and power electronics to cut fuel burn and emissions while enabling novel engine airframe integration. Our discussions examines how the aerospace and defense start-up Marc-Antoni is developing a hybrid-electric propulsion system for single-aisle aircraft and evaluate its commercial viability across performance, weight, safety, certification, maintainability, and cost. The analysis focuses on core technologies, high efficiency generators and motors, propulsion system configurations, energy storage, and outlines a maturation roadmap. Our discussions also assesses defense applications. Confronted by growing threats from unmanned aerial systems and advanced missiles, the U.S. military is increasing its demand for non-kinetic, high-speed effects such as directed-energy weapons. These systems are limited by onboard power generation, power quality, and heat rejection. We will explore hybrid-electric architectures which could be adapted to combat aircrafts to provide higher continuous and pulsed electrical power with improved thermal margins, thereby enabling advanced electronic warfare and directed-energy capabilities.

Biographical Sketch: Ric Duncanson, a serial tech entrepreneur, is the founder of Marc-Antoni, an aerospace & defense start-up developing hybrid electric propulsion systems for civil and military aviation applications. Ric is an expert in technology transfer and the evaluation of intellectual property for commercialization, as evidenced by his acquisition of over 10 patents, ranging from lithium-ion cell components to a novel turbofan design. From 2017 to 2020, Ric was a member of the New York Institute of Technology (NYIT) Entrepreneurship and Technology Innovation Center (ETIC) program where he developed a robotic steering system for high-performance autonomous vehicles, as well as a four-motor full-torque vectoring all-wheel-drive system for high-performance electric race cars. Currently, Marc-Antoni is a member of the University of Connecticut (UConn) Technology Incubator Program (TIP), where the company is developing several research & development projects, including Titanium Niobium Oxide (TNO) lithium-ion cell, partially superconducting machines, and a superconducting turbofan. Although not a formally trained engineer or scientist, Ric considers himself an autodidact, having cultivated profound expertise in the engineering and scientific principles of the various subject matters associated with his innovations.

Protective Nanocoatings from Polyelectrolytes: Flame Retardancy, Gas Barrier, and High Voltage Insulation

Date: October 24, 2025; Time: 2:30 PM Location: PWEB 175

Abstract: Layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly is a conformal coating technology capable of imparting a multiplicity of functionalities on nearly any type of surface in a relatively environmentally friendly way. At its core, LbL is a solution deposition technique in which layers of cationic and anionic materials (e.g. nanoparticles, polymers and even biological molecules) are built up via electrostatic attractions in an alternating fashion, while controlling process variables such as pH, coating time, and concentration. Here we are producing nanocomposite multilayers (50 – 1000 nm thick), having 10 – 96 wt% clay, that can be completely transparent, stop gas permeation, and impart extreme heat shielding to carbon fiber reinforced polymer composites. Similar multilayer coatings exhibit very high dielectric breakdown strength and good thermal conductivity, for protection of high voltage electronics. In an effort to impart flame retardant behavior to fabric using fewer processing steps, a water-soluble polyelectrolyte complex (PEC) was developed. This nanocoating is comprised of polyethylenimine and poly(sodium phosphate) and imparts self-extinguishing behavior to cotton fabric in just a single coating step. Adding a melamine solution to the coating procedure as a second step renders nylon-cotton blends self-extinguishing. A PEC of PEI and polyacrylic acid is able to achieve an oxygen transmission rate below 0.005 cm³/m²/day at 100%RH and a thickness of just 2 m. This is an all-polymer foil replacement technology. Examples of bio-based polyelectrolytes (e.g., chitosan and phytic acid), being used for these same applications, will be shown. These coating techniques can be deposited using roll-to-roll processing (e.g., flexographic printing, dip-coating, or spray-coating). Opportunities and challenges will be discussed. Our work in these areas has been highlighted in C&EN, ScienceNews, Nature, Smithsonian Magazine, Chemistry World and various scientific news outlets worldwide.  For more information, please visit my website: https://grunlan-nanocomposites.com/

Biographical Sketch: Dr. Jaime Grunlan is the Leland T. Jordan ’29 Chair of Mechanical Engineering at Texas A&M University, where he has worked for more than 20 years. He holds joint appointments in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and the Department of Chemistry. He is a world leader in organic thermoelectric materials, super gas barrier layers, and environmentally-benign, flame retardant nanocoatings. He holds 17 issued U.S. patents and several EU patents. He has published more than 230 journal papers, with more than 29,000 citations. His work has been highlighted in Smithsonian Magazine, Nature, and the New York Times. He is an Editor of the Journal of Materials Science and Progress in Organic Coatings, and Associate Editor of Green Materials. In 2018, Prof. Grunlan became a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (FASME) and was awarded a doctorate honoris causa (i.e. honorary doctorate) from the University of South Brittany (Lorient, France). In 2023, he became a Fellow of the American Chemical Society (FACS). In 2024, he became Fellow of the Polymer Chemistry (POLY) and Polymeric Materials: Science and Engineering (PMSE) Divisions of ACS. He also became a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (FNAI) in 2024.

100 Years of Innovation: The Past, Present, and Future of Aircraft Propulsion

Date: October 10, 2025; Time: 2:30 PM Location: PWEB 175

Abstract: Projected demand growth in the aviation sector over the next quarter century is driving the need for greater aircraft fuel efficiency and lower noise footprint.  This presentation will provide a brief overview of Pratt & Whitney’s approach to powering the future of flight, including geared turbofans, hybrid-electric propulsion, technical evaluations of synthetic aviation fuels, and supporting industry collaborations through ASTM on rigorous standards that would enable the commercial use of 100% synthetic aviation fuels.

Biographical Sketch: Dr. Sean Bradshaw is a senior technical fellow at Pratt & Whitney, where his primary focus is the development of advanced propulsion technologies that will power the future of flight. Pratt & Whitney is a world leader in the design, manufacture, and service of aircraft engines and auxiliary power units. He also provides strategic and technical leadership to the aviation industry by serving as: the chair of the ASME Committee on Sustainability, an associate editor of the ASME Journal of Engineering for Gas Turbines and Power, a member of the ASME Heat Transfer Committee, and a member of the Aeronautics & Space Engineering Board of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Sean earned a B.S., an M.S., and a Ph.D. in Aeronautics & Astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Topological Elastic Metamaterials: An introduction and application to the analog Quantum Spin Hall Effect

Date: April 25, 2025; Time: 2:30 PM Location: PWEB 175

Abstract: Inspired by recent discoveries of topological phases of matter in quantum physics, there has been a rapidly growing research effort to uncover analog mechanisms in classical wave physics, including acoustics and elastodynamics. By properly acting on time reversal, chiral, and particle-hole symmetries, material systems obeying the laws of classical mechanics can deliver dispersion properties reminiscent of selected quantum mechanical systems. Among the many remarkable characteristics of these materials, their ability to support unidirectional propagating waves is particularly significant and it could serve as a foundational property to achieve waveguides that are robust even in presence of disorder and defects. This talk will discuss the general concept of a topological elastic metamaterial, the foundational role played by the geometric phase, and finally present a selected example of a topological elastic metamaterial from recent works conducted in Prof. Semperlotti’s group. More specifically, a topological elastic waveguide inspired by a mechanism analog to the quantum Spin Hall effect will be discussed. A combination of theoretical, numerical, and experimental results will be presented to illustrate how unidirectional propagating guided modes can be achieved at the interface between elastic material phases having different topological order. These so-called edge states are topologically protected against backscattering, hence allowing efficient elastic energy transmission even in presence of defects and disorder. Such unique propagation properties could have a profound impact on the development of many real-world applications and on the performance of practical devices whose operating mechanism is rooted in the physics of acoustic and elastic waves.

Biographical Sketch: Dr. Fabio Semperlotti is a Professor in the School of Mechanical Engineering and the Perry Academic Excellence Scholar at Purdue University; he also holds a courtesy appointment in the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics Engineering. He directs the Structural Health Monitoring and Dynamics laboratory (SHMD) where he conducts, together with his group, research on several aspects of structures and materials design including structural dynamics and wave propagation, elastic metamaterials, structural health monitoring, and computational and experimental mechanics. His research has received financial support from a variety of sources including the National Science Foundation, the Department of Defense, the Department of Energy, and industrial sponsors. Dr. Semperlotti was the recipient of the National Science Foundation CAREER award (2015), the Air Force Office of Scientific Research Young Investigator Program (YIP) (2015), the DARPA Young Faculty Award (YFA) 2019, and the ASME C.D. Mote Jr. Early Career Award 2019. Dr. Semperlotti received a M.S. in Aerospace Engineering (2000), and a M.S. in Astronautic Engineering (2002) both from the University of Rome “La Sapienza” (Italy), and a Ph.D. in Aerospace engineering (2009) from the Pennsylvania State University (USA). In 2010, he was a postdoctoral research associate in the Mechanical Engineering department at the University of Michigan. Prior to joining Penn State, Dr. Semperlotti served as a structural engineer for a few European aerospace industries, including the French Space Agency (CNES), working on the structural design of space launch systems and satellite platforms.