Materials For Energy

Computation, Experiment, and Data Combine to Accelerate the Rate of Developing New, Energy Efficient Materials

By Dr. Russell Chianelli, The University of Texas at El Paso, Materials Research and Technology Institute

In the December issue of MRS Bulletin “Energy Quarterly,” an article by Prachi Patel, “Materials Genome Initiative and Energy,” describes a new approach designed to accelerate the discovery of new energy efficient materials. The Materials Genome Initiative (MGI), a federal program instituted in 2011, is based on a concept called Integrated Computational Materials Engineering (ICME), which combines computational tools, experimental tools, and digital data to accelerate the discovery and design of new energy efficient materials. In this respect, it is similar to the combinatorial chemistry techniques used in the pharmaceuticals industry to accelerate the pace of drug discovery.

Ford Motor Company used a similar process to accelerate the development of materials for more energy efficient automobile engines. This system, virtual aluminum casting, saved Ford a large portion of development costs (25%) for new engine castings. The MGI encourages the development of ICME systems in other areas of materials for energy. This approach is generally applicable and is becoming crucial in the field of research and development for materials for energy.

Materials Needed to Make Wind Work!

By Dr. Russell Chianelli, The University of Texas at El Paso, Materials Research and Technology Institute

In the December issue of “Energy Quarterly” in MRS Bulletin, an article by Phillip Ball entitled “Wind on the Lakes” describes materials challenges for Great Lakes wind energy projects. Wind on the Great Lakes of the United States and Canada has a high potential for producing energy, but so far it has been ignored. One of the advantages of the freshwater Great Lakes is the absence of salt corrosion, which complicates ocean installations. Environmental issues concerning fisheries, birds, and natural habitats are also barriers to be addressed.

Better materials are also needed. This includes better rotor blades, as current plastic materials have problems with stability in the environment and poor mechanical properties. Rare earths are used in many of the energy generating and transmitting processes; finding replacement materials for these increasingly critical elements raises increasing economic and environmental issues. Finally, energy storage of produced electricity is a major sticking point for commercialization of wind energy. These are intriguing challenges for those of us working in materials for energy research.

A Global Energy Perspective

By Dr. Russell Chianelli, University of Texas at El Paso, Materials Research & Technology Institute

The “Energy Quarterly” section in the December issue of MRS Bulletin features an interview with Dr. Raymond Orbach, the founder of the Energy Institute at the University of Texas at Austin, and formerly the director of the Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy. Dr. Orbach discusses the global energy perspective in a way that few others can. He focuses on his institute’s initiatives in addressing the multiple problems that the United States faces in the future of energy, including economics, energy security, and environmental issues.

There are two issues that he believes are crucial: shale gas, which has transformed energy security concerns and has raised environmental challenges, and energy storage, which is needed to store base-load levels of electricity produced from wind power. He emphasizes that research at universities is crucial, and energy materials research is an area where students can make a difference through their career choices.