With National Science Foundation support, the California State University, Los Angeles Center for Energy and Sustainability will engage in research on energy and energy-related materials and technologies. The overarching purpose of the Center is the development and production of novel materials with renewable energy applications. Center researchers plan to develop a novel fuel cell and assess its efficiency; address several key issues that have precluded development of more efficient solar cells to harvest solar power for electricity generation; and help reduce energy loss in power transmission. Center activities include the establishment of core materials and characterization facilities as well as a Master's degree program in Materials Science and Engineering. The Center will increase the number of student participants; as well as the number of CREST trained underrepresented minority students accepted into doctoral programs.
The Center's research agenda addresses both fundamental and applied problems in energy science and technology. The "Microfluidic-based Fuel Cells and Optimization" subproject will develop chip-based fuel cells and efficient catalysts for powering portable devices. Research focuses on developing and accessing paper microfluidic fuel cells. Paper-based devices have attracted widespread attention due to their low cost, portability, and minimal sample and reagent volume requirement. Research also focuses on the development of formic acid, methanol, and hydrogen fuel cells on polydimethysiloxane platforms using Nafion membranes. In the subproject on "Advanced Materials for Photovoltaic Cells," new inorganic and organic nanomaterials are integrated into photovoltaic cells so that electricity can be generated in an efficient and environmentally friendly manner. Research focuses on ruthenium dye-sensitized cells, as well as on perovskite cells. The subproject, "Properties and Applications of Overdoped High-Temperature Superconductors," correlates the structures to functions of both low- and high-temperature superconductors. The goal is to discover superconductivity at temperatures high enough to revolutionize energy related technologies. This subproject also involves applied research on high-temperature superconducting tapes to enhance their critical densities and irreversibility fields for high-current applications such as power cables and high-field magnets. Synergy among the three subprojects stems from their thematic overlap and complementarity.
