{"id":186,"date":"2018-03-09T14:08:13","date_gmt":"2018-03-09T14:08:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/clemson.world\/research\/?p=186"},"modified":"2020-02-04T20:13:38","modified_gmt":"2020-02-04T20:13:38","slug":"powering-our-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/clemson.world\/research\/powering-our-future\/","title":{"rendered":"Powering Our Future"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id='fullscreen_slider_1'  class='avia-fullscreen-slider main_color   avia-builder-el-0  el_before_av_one_full  avia-builder-el-first   container_wrap sidebar_right' style=' '  ><a href='#next-section' title='' class='scroll-down-link av-control-default' aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue877' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'><\/a><div   data-size='extra_large'  data-lightbox_size='large'  data-animation='slide'  data-conditional_play=''  data-ids='167'  data-video_counter='0'  data-autoplay='false'  data-bg_slider='true'  data-slide_height='100'  data-handle='av_fullscreen'  data-interval='5'  data-class=' '  data-el_id=''  data-css_id='fullscreen_slider_1'  data-scroll_down='aviaTBscroll_down'  data-control_layout='av-control-default'  data-custom_markup=''  data-perma_caption=''  data-autoplay_stopper=''  data-image_attachment='scroll'  data-min_height='0px'  data-stretch=''  data-default-height='100'  class='avia-slideshow avia-slideshow-1 av-slider-scroll-down-active av-control-default av-default-height-applied avia-slideshow-extra_large av_fullscreen   avia-slide-slider '  itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" ><ul class='avia-slideshow-inner ' style='padding-bottom: 66.6666666667%;' ><li style='background-position:center right;' data-img-url='https:\/\/clemson.world\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2018\/03\/Energy_Introduction-1500x1000.jpg' class=' av-single-slide slide-1 ' ><div data-rel='slideshow-1' class='avia-slide-wrap '   ><div class = \"caption_fullwidth av-slideshow-caption caption_center\"><div class = \"container caption_container\"><div class = \"slideshow_caption\"><div class = \"slideshow_inner_caption\"><div class = \"slideshow_align_caption\"><h2  style='font-size:74px; color:#ffffff; ' class='avia-caption-title  '  itemprop=\"name\" >POWERING OUR FUTURE<\/h2><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class='av-section-color-overlay' style='opacity: 0.3; background-color: #000000; '><\/div><\/div><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div><div id='after_full_slider_1'  class='main_color av_default_container_wrap container_wrap sidebar_right' style=' '  ><div class='container' ><div class='template-page content  av-content-small alpha units'><div class='post-entry post-entry-type-page post-entry-186'><div class='entry-content-wrapper clearfix'>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_full  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-1  el_after_av_fullscreen  el_before_av_one_fifth  avia-builder-el-first  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock  av_inherit_color '  style='font-size:13px; color:#000000; '  itemprop=\"text\" ><p style=\"text-align: center;\">By <strong>Kelley Freund<\/strong><br \/>\nPhotography by <strong>Craig Mahaffey \u201998<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-3  el_after_av_one_full  el_before_av_three_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_three_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-4  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><div   class='hr hr-default   avia-builder-el-5  avia-builder-el-no-sibling '><span class='hr-inner ' ><span class='hr-inner-style'><\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-6  el_after_av_three_fifth  el_before_av_one_full  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_full  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-7  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock  av_inherit_color '  style='font-size:19px; color:#bcc628; '  itemprop=\"text\" ><p>Like other research universities, Clemson grapples with how to help provide the world sustainable energy that is clean, efficient, scalable and portable. Reaching that goal will require expertise and innovation from across a number of disciplines, solving problems from their respective perspectives and a collective gaze. It also depends on preparing the next generation of sustainable engineers. Fortunately, Clemson has a collection of veteran faculty who lead their fields \u2014 and bright graduate students ready to carry the torch further.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-9  el_after_av_one_full  el_before_av_three_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_three_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-10  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><div   class='hr hr-default   avia-builder-el-11  avia-builder-el-no-sibling '><span class='hr-inner ' ><span class='hr-inner-style'><\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-12  el_after_av_three_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-13  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_three_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_three_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-14  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock  '  style='font-size:16px; '  itemprop=\"text\" ><p>Clemson is not alone. With an increasing global population, climate change and the environmental impact of fossil fuel, the world is looking more and more toward sustainable power sources \u2014 and solving the challenges that come with using them. We know we can use the wind or solar power, but we need energy when the sun doesn\u2019t shine or the wind doesn\u2019t blow. So where do we store it? What other sources of power can we usea? How do we make this energy more efficient? From simple generators to batteries to waste heat, Clemson researchers are looking for the answers and working to create new cost-effective technology that will power our future.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-16  el_after_av_three_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-17  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_three_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_three_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-18  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock  av_inherit_color '   itemprop=\"text\" ><h4 style=\"color: #bcc628;\">IN THE BEEHIVE<\/h4>\n<p>The more we rely on renewable energy,\u00a0the more important that simplicity and cost effectiveness become. What if you could harness waste mechanical energy that comes from routine activities such as walking or typing to power more than 300 LEDs with a device that costs 60 cents to produce in a matter of five minutes?<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s what researchers at the Clemson Nanomaterials Institute (CNI) did when they developed an ultra-simple triboelectric nanogenerator (U-TENG), which transforms mechanical motion into electricity to power lights or electronic devices. Unlike existing technologies, Clemson\u2019s U-TENG is made up of materials that are commercially available and easily mass produced, like the plastic that makes up water bottles and high-temperature tape.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe focus our attention on new materials development at the nanoscale,\u201d says CNI director Apparao Rao. \u201cIf we have a good material, then we try to make that a better material. If you can tune its properties, then you can get the material to do more things and better things for humanity. That is the driving force of what we do at CNI.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The team made the U-TENG electrically conductive by adding a layer of indium tin oxide so that current could flow through. By applying a repetitive motion, like tapping your foot, to bring the two materials into contact, it transforms mechanical energy into electricity. When you tap your foot, the plastic comes into contact with the tape. When you lift your foot, the force is released and the electrons in the plastic and the tape redistribute between the two materials, but not evenly. The plastic becomes more positive than it was and the tape more negative, and this generates voltage.<\/p>\n<p>With no battery, the U-TENG can\u2019t run out of power. Put it on your shoes, and the LEDs embedded in the shoes light up if you\u2019re running or walking in the dark, increasing safety. Put it under a walkway and harvest energy as people walk by. You can even monitor traffic flow as a car drives over a U-TENG.<\/p>\n<p>According to Sriparna Bhattacharya, a research assistant professor in astronomy and physics, the broad spectrum of research performed at CNI is based not only on renewable energy conversion materials, but also on batteries and supercapacitors to store the energy. Researchers at CNI are interested in bringing new types of carbon to battery research to make a product that can charge quickly, last more cycles and won\u2019t catch fire.<\/p>\n<p>The team at CNI is trying to develop techniques or devices that will eventually be used by the general public. With that in mind, Rao explains that one has to be very conscious about the cost, and in that sense, Clemson is unique.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLet\u2019s go back to the battery example,\u201d Rao says. \u201cWe make these new nanostructured forms of carbon, but can we come up with a scalable manufacturing process for such nanocarbons? For many people, scalable production is very challenging. Often, academic labs make just enough material to do the research development for a thesis. But we developed these blueprints. One can scale these up if we want to take that to the consumer market. You don\u2019t see that happening in most places. It\u2019s a win-win situation for us. We do great fundamental science, plus we have a product that\u2019s very appealing to industry collaborators.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-20  el_after_av_three_fifth  el_before_av_image  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div>\n<div  class='avia-image-container  av-styling-    avia-builder-el-21  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_hr  avia-align-center '  itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"  ><div class='avia-image-container-inner'><div class='avia-image-overlay-wrap'><img class='avia_image' src='https:\/\/clemson.world\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2018\/03\/Rao_Callout-1.png' alt='' title='Rao_Callout' height=\"550\" width=\"1000\"  itemprop=\"thumbnailUrl\"  \/><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<div  style='height:50px' class='hr hr-invisible   avia-builder-el-22  el_after_av_image  el_before_av_one_fifth '><span class='hr-inner ' ><span class='hr-inner-style'><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-23  el_after_av_hr  el_before_av_three_fifth  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_three_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-24  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock  '   itemprop=\"text\" ><h4 style=\"color: #bcc628;\">BUILDING A BETTER BATTERY<\/h4>\n<p>Batteries and their storage ability have major implications for renewable energy, which is why Rao and his team at CNI aren\u2019t the only ones at Clemson researching them.<\/p>\n<p>When we pull up to a gas station, we fill our tank up in less than five minutes and are able to drive for more than five hours. Someday Rajendra Bordia, chair of the materials science and engineering department, hopes to replicate the same results with a lithium ion battery.<\/p>\n<p>Lithium ion batteries are used in a variety of devices from cell phones to computers to electric cars. They are very light, which makes them a popular choice, but their energy density (the amount of energy you can store per unit of weight) is still on the low side. The other problem is they take a long time to charge.<\/p>\n<p>Bordia\u2019s group is working on addressing these two problems, creating strategies to increase the energy density of the batteries and design tweaks to make them faster charging, all the while maintaining the safety of the batteries.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s a crowded field,\u201d Bordia says. \u201cThere are a lot of people, all the way from fundamental researchers to automobile companies working on this particular topic. The thing we bring to the table that\u2019s unique is that we work on microstructure design.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>While most scientists are developing new materials to improve battery performances, Bordia and his team focus on the design of the microstructure of the material: the electrodes of the battery. Chemistry Professor Stephen Creager and Bordia have teamed up to work on battery electrodes that have an exotic architecture. The electrodes are made from a slurry that gets frozen, which is known as a freeze casting technique. The slurry has water as a solvent, and it makes ice crystals that the scientists remove by freeze drying. This leaves behind big holes that fill up with electrolytes and allows the battery to be charged faster.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe think that this is a unique niche for us because if somebody else comes up with the next best material, then we can still use our microstructure design concepts,\u201d Bordia says.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-26  el_after_av_three_fifth  el_before_av_image  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div>\n<div  class='avia-image-container  av-styling-    avia-builder-el-27  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_hr  avia-align-center '  itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"  ><div class='avia-image-container-inner'><div class='avia-image-overlay-wrap'><img class='avia_image' src='https:\/\/clemson.world\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2018\/03\/Bordia_Callout.png' alt='' title='Bordia_Callout' height=\"550\" width=\"1000\"  itemprop=\"thumbnailUrl\"  \/><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<div  style='height:50px' class='hr hr-invisible   avia-builder-el-28  el_after_av_image  el_before_av_one_fifth '><span class='hr-inner ' ><span class='hr-inner-style'><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-29  el_after_av_hr  el_before_av_three_fifth  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_three_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-30  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock  '   itemprop=\"text\" ><h4 style=\"color: #bcc628;\">IS IT HOT IN HERE?<\/h4>\n<p>But even if scientists can come up with innovative methods and materials\u00a0for speeding up the process to charge a battery, you still have to have energy available to charge it. For example, let\u2019s say you\u2019re camping and your cellphone battery dies. You can use the waste heat from your campfire and a thermoelectric charger to power your phone.<\/p>\n<p>Any heat source such as geothermal heat, ocean heat, solar heat and even body heat can be used for creating electricity in thermoelectric chargers or generators \u2014 it\u2019s known as thermoelectric energy conversion. These chargers and generators are mostly used for remote areas or unmanned sites and are reliable sources of power in these situations because they can work day and night, perform under all weather conditions and can work without battery backup.<\/p>\n<p>Terry Tritt, a Clemson alumnus and current chair of the department of physics and astronomy, has been conducting research on thermoelectric energy conversion for more than 20 years. The idea behind the concept is to recycle waste heat and utilize it for electrical energy. NASA has been using this concept for decades on missions like Voyager and Cassini, and will use it again with the next Mars rover in 2020. Since these probes are too far away to use solar energy, and they\u2019re out in space too long to use any sort of chemical energy, Tritt says NASA clads a plutonium core with thermoelectric materials and that serves as the power source.<\/p>\n<p>But a broader application of thermoelectrics requires developing higher-performance, eco-friendly materials. Tritt and his Clemson colleague Jian He recently published an invited review on the state of thermoelectric energy in the journal <i>Science<\/i>, discussing what makes a good thermoelectric material and the \u201ctuning knobs\u201d (like charge or composition of electrons) that one can vary to manipulate a material\u2019s properties and maximize its performance. The measure of this performance is called a ZT. An inexpensive bulk material with a ZT between 2.5 and 3 is what Tritt calls the \u201choly grail of thermoelectrics.\u201d ZTs above 2.5 have been found in many nanomaterials, but Tritt says these can\u2019t carry much heat load, nor are they available in bulk.<\/p>\n<p>But several years ago, Tritt and his colleagues teamed up with a group in China to use nanocomposites (they put nanomaterials within bulk materials) and saw improved performance \u2014 the compound not only exhibited good thermoelectric properties, but it also comprises non-toxic and abundantly available elements with high chemical and thermal stability. These kinds of developments could eventually turn out more efficient and cost effective thermoelectric energy devices to provide clean energy technology. Tritt says his students, both graduates and undergraduates, are instrumental to this type of research coming out of his lab.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are needing more and more energy every day,\u201d Tritt says. \u201cBecause of the applications and the importance, students are excited to be working on this. What\u2019s more exciting than giving them a project that they feel is going to make a difference?\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-32  el_after_av_three_fifth  el_before_av_fullscreen  avia-builder-el-last  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><!-- close content main div --><\/div><\/div><div id='fullscreen_slider_2'  class='avia-fullscreen-slider main_color   avia-builder-el-33  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth   slider-not-first container_wrap sidebar_right' style=' '  ><div   data-size='extra_large'  data-lightbox_size='large'  data-animation='slide'  data-conditional_play=''  data-ids=''  data-video_counter='1'  data-autoplay='false'  data-bg_slider='true'  data-slide_height='100'  data-handle='av_fullscreen'  data-interval='5'  data-class=' '  data-el_id=''  data-css_id='fullscreen_slider_2'  data-scroll_down=''  data-control_layout='av-control-default'  data-custom_markup=''  data-perma_caption=''  data-autoplay_stopper=''  data-image_attachment='scroll'  data-min_height='0px'  data-stretch=''  data-default-height='100'  class='avia-slideshow avia-slideshow-2  av-control-default av-default-height-applied avia-slideshow-extra_large av_fullscreen   avia-slide-slider '  itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" ><ul class='avia-slideshow-inner ' style='padding-bottom: 100%;' ><li  data-controls='' data-mute='' data-loop='' data-disable-autoplay='aviaTBaviaTBvideo_autoplay'  data-mobile-img='https:\/\/clemson.world\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2018\/03\/Energy_Rao-Lab-1500x1000.jpg' class=' av-video-slide  av-video-service-youtube  av-mobile-fallback-image av-single-slide slide-1 ' ><div data-rel='slideshow-2' class='avia-slide-wrap ' style='background-image:url(\"https:\/\/clemson.world\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2018\/03\/Energy_Rao-Lab-1500x1000.jpg\");'  ><div class='av-click-overlay'><\/div><div class='mejs-mediaelement'><div height='1600' width='900' class='av_youtube_frame' id='player_186_1977496019_1160444715'  data-autoplay='0'  data-videoid='lAbG3KyGufE'  data-hd='1'  data-rel='0'  data-wmode='opaque'  data-playlist='player_186_1977496019_1160444715'  data-loop='0'  data-version='3'  data-autohide='1'  data-color='white'  data-controls='1'  data-showinfo='0'  data-iv_load_policy='3'  data-original_url='https:\/\/youtu.be\/lAbG3KyGufE' ><\/div><\/div><div class='av-click-to-play-overlay'><div class=\"avia_playpause_icon\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div><div id='after_full_slider_2'  class='main_color av_default_container_wrap container_wrap sidebar_right' style=' '  ><div class='container' ><div class='template-page content  av-content-small alpha units'><div class='post-entry post-entry-type-page post-entry-186'><div class='entry-content-wrapper clearfix'>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-34  el_after_av_fullscreen  el_before_av_three_fifth  avia-builder-el-first  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_three_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-35  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock  '   itemprop=\"text\" ><h4 style=\"color: #bcc628;\">CLEANING THE WATER<\/h4>\n<p>Nuclear power also uses heat to generate electricity. A clean energy resource, nuclear energy originates from the splitting of uranium atoms in a process called fission. This generates heat to produce steam, which a turbine generator converts to electricity. While some consider nuclear power to be a sustainable energy source that reduces carbon emissions, others remember Chernobyl or the 2011 earthquake that shook Okuma, Japan, and caused a meltdown of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, leaving millions of gallons of contaminated water and no viable way to clean it up.<\/p>\n<p>But chemistry professor Stephen Creager, along with the Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL), is working on a way to fix that.<\/p>\n<p>The SRNL is one of two facilities in the United States that stores the majority of the country\u2019s nuclear waste. The lab is part of the Department of Energy and seeks to understand how to dispose of or repurpose tritium \u2014 an unstable, radioactive form of hydrogen that is a byproduct of nuclear reactors \u2014 by separating tritium ions from hydrogen ions. The answer may be a thin material called graphene.<\/p>\n<p>The 2010 Nobel Prize for Physics was awarded for graphene, which has exceptional properties as a result of its being so thin.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPeople had been saying for years that graphene was an impenetrable barrier and that the only way you could use it was to put holes in it,\u201d says Creager. \u201cBut in 2014, this group out of England, one of the co-awardees of the 2010 Nobel Prize, reported that graphene was permeable to protons, which was a bombshell kind of report.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>When it was conveyed two years later that protons go through graphene 10 times faster than deuterons (the nuclei of deuterium, another form of hydrogen), Creager and SRNL decided to test it out for their purposes of separating tritium.<\/p>\n<p>The team plans to build an electrochemical cell that can clean tritium out of contaminated water using water electrolysis. Contaminated water would flow in one side, and an added graphene layer would collect deuterium and tritium on the water side of the cell, allowing only pure hydrogen on the other side.<\/p>\n<p>This process could also potentially be significant for energy conversion in fuel cells, which converts hydrogen and oxygen into water, and in the process, produces electricity. Fuel cells consist of an anode, a cathode and a membrane that allows protons to move between the two sides of the fuel cell. At the anode, a catalyst causes the fuel to undergo oxidation reactions that generate protons (positively charged hydrogen ions) and electrons. The protons flow from the anode to the cathode through the membrane. At the same time, electrons are drawn from the anode to the cathode through an external circuit, producing electricity. At the cathode, another catalyst causes hydrogen ions, electrons and oxygen to react, forming water.<\/p>\n<p>These cells contain a membrane that must not only keep the hydrogen and oxygen separate, but also must allow protons to go through very fast. \u201cThat\u2019s difficult,\u201d Creager says. \u201cPart of what\u2019s exciting about these results is that the graphene should do this. It should allow protons to go through at really high rates without any impediment, but it will completely block everything else.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Cassandra Hager is currently working with Creager as a doctoral student in the chemistry department, focusing on synthesizing polymeric materials, or plastics, for application in many different fields. Some of her research involves the improvement of fuel cell technology that operates with a proton exchange membrane. This type of fuel cell uses hydrogen as fuel and creates water as a by-product.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe idea of utilizing a technology that decreases carbon emissions, with an output of simply water, was fascinating to me,\u201d Hager says. \u201cThis type of research can be applied as a more eco-friendly option to the gasoline-fueled cars of today, and this is phenomenal because of the current problems with carbon emissions. But the application doesn\u2019t stop there. Fuel cells can be utilized as an energy source for buildings, homes and even industry. The wide range of types of fuel cells allows for this to be possible. The versatility of the work and how helpful it could be draws me into the research.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ph.D. student and research assistant Bukola Saheed has also worked alongside Creager in fuel cell research. Saheed was recently awarded first place at Clemson\u2019s fourth annual Graduate Research and Discovery Symposium for a poster presentation on miniaturized electrochemical cells. These cells are unique because they have a variety of practical and economical applications.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMost of these kinds of studies are done by big industry,\u201d Saheed says. \u201cBut we\u2019ve made our research available to any electrochemistry lab. We\u2019ve been able to come up with a new, miniaturized cell that will be relatively simple to produce and also cost effective.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For Saheed, the best part of working on energy issues is developing new technology that\u2019s applicable to the real world. \u201cWe can contribute to life positively, we can make our environment cleaner,\u201d says Saheed. \u201cAn understanding of basic science can be applied to some of the challenges we see.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-37  el_after_av_three_fifth  el_before_av_image  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div>\n<div  class='avia-image-container  av-styling-    avia-builder-el-38  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_hr  avia-align-center '  itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"  ><div class='avia-image-container-inner'><div class='avia-image-overlay-wrap'><img class='avia_image' src='https:\/\/clemson.world\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2018\/03\/Tritt_Callout.png' alt='' title='Tritt_Callout' height=\"550\" width=\"1000\"  itemprop=\"thumbnailUrl\"  \/><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<div  style='height:50px' class='hr hr-invisible   avia-builder-el-39  el_after_av_image  el_before_av_one_fifth '><span class='hr-inner ' ><span class='hr-inner-style'><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-40  el_after_av_hr  el_before_av_three_fifth  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_three_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-41  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock  '   itemprop=\"text\" ><h4 style=\"color: #bcc628;\">THE FUTURE<\/h4>\n<p>Clemson isn\u2019t the only university working on renewable energy issues. But there are things that set Clemson\u2019s researchers apart from those at other institutions. One of those is the collaboration that exists across the different fields of study on campus.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t want to be bound by these invisible lines of being in a specific subfield of a discipline,\u201d says Ramakrishna Podila, an assistant professor of physics who is an integral part of CNI. \u201cAt the end of the day, I\u2019m a scientist, and I\u2019m training students to be scientists, and we want to solve problems that can help society in some way. Our teams at CNI work so closely with each other that there are no boundaries, which can otherwise be a big hindrance to discovering something new. Clemson has gone beyond this traditional thinking.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Podila, who began his time at Clemson as a student of Rao\u2019s, says his former professor taught him something he thinks about daily: \u201cWhatever we do, it is ultimately for the students, for the greater good, for training the next generation. The legacy that I leave behind is not my papers, not my awards, but my students.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a philosophy that also separates academic research from industry, and it\u2019s shared by the other faculty at Clemson. Both undergraduates and graduate students are seen as collaborators, serving as authors on papers, being included on patents and attending meetings with industry partners. And when they leave Clemson, they have the hands-on experience to help further solve the world\u2019s energy problems. Like alumnus James Gibert. The assistant professor in the College of Engineering at Purdue University has teamed up with Clemson Professor Gregory Batt to work on technology for developing smart packages that can harvest their own power. Gibert says his Clemson education was invaluable in teaching him to think critically and set him up for success with the new research he\u2019s doing.<\/p>\n<p>Of course, there\u2019s still more to be done. But Clemson is working on it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLooking into the future, energy is going to be a big problem, water is going to be a big problem, air is going to be a bigger problem,\u201d Rao says. \u201cWe work on these hot topics. We are not qualified to do all of it ourselves, but we have great partners we work with \u2014 young minds and seasoned researchers, not only at Clemson, but at other top universities. Energy is a very vast landscape, and there\u2019s a long road ahead of us. But I think we will succeed given our track record and how far we have come already.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-43  el_after_av_three_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-44  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_three_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_three_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-45  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><div   class='hr hr-default   avia-builder-el-46  avia-builder-el-no-sibling '><span class='hr-inner ' ><span class='hr-inner-style'><\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-47  el_after_av_three_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-48  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_three_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_three_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-49  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock  av_inherit_color '  style='color:#000000; '  itemprop=\"text\" ><p><span style=\"color: #000000; font-size: 13px;\"><strong>Kelley Freund<\/strong> is a freelance writer who lives\u00a0in Newport News, Virginia.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-51  el_after_av_three_fifth  el_before_av_hr  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div>\n<div  style='height:200px' class='hr hr-invisible   avia-builder-el-52  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_video '><span class='hr-inner ' ><span class='hr-inner-style'><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div  class='avia-video avia-video-16-9   av-lazyload-immediate  av-lazyload-video-embed  '   itemprop=\"video\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/VideoObject\"  data-original_url='https:\/\/vimeo.com\/384807661' ><script type='text\/html' class='av-video-tmpl'><div class='avia-iframe-wrap'><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Powering the Future | 2020\" src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/384807661?dnt=1&amp;app_id=122963\" width=\"1500\" height=\"638\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\"><\/iframe><\/div><\/script><div class='av-click-to-play-overlay'><div class=\"avia_playpause_icon\"><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock  '   itemprop=\"text\" ><p>https:\/\/youtu.be\/lAbG3KyGufE&#8217; format=&#8217;16-9&#8242; width=&#8217;16&#8217; height=&#8217;9&#8242;]<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><!-- close content main div --><\/div><\/div><div id='av-tab-section-1'  class='av-tab-section-container entry-content-wrapper main_color av-tab-no-transition   av-tab-above-content  avia-builder-el-55  el_after_av_textblock  avia-builder-el-last  submenu-not-first container_wrap sidebar_right' style=' '  ><div class='av-tab-section-outer-container'><div class='av-tab-section-tab-title-container avia-tab-title-padding-default ' ><a href='#tab-1' data-av-tab-section-title='1' class='av-section-tab-title av-active-tab-title no-scroll av-tab-no-icon av-tab-no-image  '><span class='av-outer-tab-title'><span class='av-inner-tab-title'>Tab 1<\/span><\/span><span class='av-tab-arrow-container'><span><\/span><\/span><\/a><a href='#tab-2' data-av-tab-section-title='2' class='av-section-tab-title  av-tab-no-icon av-tab-no-image  '><span class='av-outer-tab-title'><span class='av-inner-tab-title'>Tab 2<\/span><\/span><span class='av-tab-arrow-container'><span><\/span><\/span><\/a><a href='#tab-3' data-av-tab-section-title='3' class='av-section-tab-title  av-tab-no-icon av-tab-no-image  '><span class='av-outer-tab-title'><span class='av-inner-tab-title'>Tab 3<\/span><\/span><span class='av-tab-arrow-container'><span><\/span><\/span><\/a><a href='#tab-4' data-av-tab-section-title='4' class='av-section-tab-title  av-tab-no-icon av-tab-no-image  '><span class='av-outer-tab-title'><span class='av-inner-tab-title'>Tab 4<\/span><\/span><span class='av-tab-arrow-container'><span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div><div class='av-tab-section-inner-container avia-section-default' style='width:400vw; left:0%;'><span class='av_prev_tab_section av_tab_navigation'><\/span><span class='av_next_tab_section av_tab_navigation'><\/span>\n<div data-av-tab-section-content=\"1\" class=\"av-layout-tab av-animation-delay-container av-active-tab-content __av_init_open  avia-builder-el-56  el_before_av_tab_sub_section  avia-builder-el-first   \"   data-tab-section-id=\"av-tab-section-1-1\"><div class='av-layout-tab-inner'><div class='container'><\/div><\/div><\/div><div data-av-tab-section-content=\"2\" class=\"av-layout-tab av-animation-delay-container   avia-builder-el-57  el_after_av_tab_sub_section  el_before_av_tab_sub_section   \"   data-tab-section-id=\"av-tab-section-1-2\"><div class='av-layout-tab-inner'><div class='container'><\/div><\/div><\/div><div data-av-tab-section-content=\"3\" class=\"av-layout-tab av-animation-delay-container   avia-builder-el-58  el_after_av_tab_sub_section  el_before_av_tab_sub_section   \"   data-tab-section-id=\"av-tab-section-1-3\"><div class='av-layout-tab-inner'><div class='container'><\/div><\/div><\/div><div data-av-tab-section-content=\"4\" class=\"av-layout-tab av-animation-delay-container   avia-builder-el-59  el_after_av_tab_sub_section  avia-builder-el-last   \"   data-tab-section-id=\"av-tab-section-1-4\"><div class='av-layout-tab-inner'><div class='container'><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p> Clemson researchers are attacking the challenge of creating renewable energy that is clean, efficient, scalable and portable. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":167,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[9],"tags":[171,172],"coauthors":[13],"class_list":["post-186","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features","tag-2018-features","tag-renewable-energy"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/clemson.world\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2018\/03\/Energy_Introduction.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9IEky-30","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/clemson.world\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/186","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/clemson.world\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/clemson.world\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clemson.world\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clemson.world\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=186"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/clemson.world\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/186\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clemson.world\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/167"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/clemson.world\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=186"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clemson.world\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=186"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clemson.world\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=186"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clemson.world\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=186"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}