Energy and environment

We are developing new materials and processes for efficient energy conversion and storage devices, exploring ways to minimize global climate change, and more.

Energy and environment

Advanced vehicle systems and technologies

Researchers investigate the economic, environment, and social implications of current and future vehicle technologies. How can we build better technologies—ones that are cleaner, more efficient, affordable, and sustainable?

Fuel cell, advanced lithium batteries, electric aviation, autonomous vehicles, and the policies surrounding these technologies, are some of the areas we are exploring.

Faculty involved: B. Reeja Jayan, Shawn Litster, Jeremy Michalek, Katie Whitefoot, Ding Zhao

Materials for energy efficiency

Our researchers are engineering new materials to improve energy conversion and storage efficiency as well as dramatically reduce energy consumption of products like electronics, lighting, and other widely-used appliances. Some recent examples take advantage of 3D printing to produce ceramics and battery electrodes.

Faculty involved: Amir Barati Farimani, B. Reeja Jayan, Shawn Litster, Jonathan Malen, Alan McGaughey, Rahul Panat, Sheng Shen,

Energy and air quality

Our experts investigate the air pollutants that are emitted by the production and use of energy and how these pollutants evolve in the atmosphere. They explore ways to minimize the impact on human health and global climate change.

Faculty involved: Jeremy Michalek, Albert Presto, Satbir Singh, Ryan Sullivan

Clean power systems

Faculty members explore how to minimize emissions of greenhouse gases and other pollutants through reliable, safe, and economic operation of electric power plants and other energy conversion systems. They examine how to best utilize renewable energy sources.

Faculty involved: Jeremy Michalek, Satbir Singh

Renewable energy

Our faculty aim to provide clean, renewable sources of energy that serve to de-carbonize the environment, advance sustainable solar power, and develop bio-energy technologies from photosynthetic microorganisms like algae. Polymer solar cells and solar thermal energy conversion are two examples of research areas.

Faculty involved: Amir Barati Farimani, B. Reeja Jayan, Philip LeDuc, Jeremy Michalek, Sheng Shen

People

Learn who in Mechanical Engineering is working in energy and the environment.

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Domestic, circular supply chain for EV batteries Opens in new window

SeaLion Energy, a CMU-led startup, received funding from the U.S. Department of Energy ARPA-E to extend EV battery life and facilitate repair and reuse to reduce waste.

Engineering entrepreneurs find their way Opens in new window

When faculty and students in the College of Engineering create intellectual property, our culture supports their efforts to form startups.

Robotics for environmental innovation Opens in new window

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US industrial policy may strengthen EV battery supply chain Opens in new window

The Inflation Reduction Act offers incentives for diversifying the EV battery supply chain and reducing US dependence on China, but the potential impact of loopholes remains to be seen.

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Democratizing air quality data at nearly no cost Opens in new window

Using existing filter tapes collected by U.S. embassies in Africa, mechanical engineering researchers have found a way to measure black carbon concentrations in fine particulate matter with only a reference card and their cell phones.

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Litster sub-awardee on $50M of new DOE hydrogen projects Opens in new window

The U.S. Department of Energy has awarded 52 projects $750 million to dramatically reduce the cost of clean hydrogen and reinforce American leadership in the growing hydrogen industry.

Anticipating and reducing EV battery supply disruptions Opens in new window

A recent study analyzes the relationship between EV battery chemistry and supply chain vulnerability for four critical minerals across particular countries that are key contributors to production.

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Shifting gears in the transition to electric vehicles Opens in new window

Electric vehicle emissions costs are anticpated to continue to decline through 2025, after which they will be affected by key factors such as the evolution of the power grid, battery technology, and public policy.

In a world run by catalysts, why is optimizing them still so tough?

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Albert Presto named director of CAPS Opens in new window

Albert Presto has been named the director of the Center for Atmospheric Particle Studies (CAPS) at Carnegie Mellon University.

More MOFs, less problems

CMU researchers introduce MOFormer, a machine learning model that can achieve higher accuracy on prediction tasks than leading models without explicitly relying on 3D atomic structures.

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Researchers investigated the impacts of online grocery delivery on energy use, emissions, and traffic congestion.

Now printing: seaweed-based, biodegradable actuators Opens in new window

We are one step closer to naturally compostable robots now that researchers at Carnegie Mellon can print actuators using a bio-ink made from seaweed.

Decarbonization: Climate change is personal now Opens in new window

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says carbon capture deployment is lagging if we want to meet global mitigation targets. With the stakes so high, why is this the case?

Tech advances will drive the transition to electric vehicles Opens in new window

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Machine learning fights global warming Opens in new window

Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have introduced a machine learning model to identify ionic liquid molecules to make identifying candidates for CO2 storage easier.

Improving air quality in Africa Opens in new window

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How Uber and Lyft affect U.S. cities Opens in new window

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Jon Cagan named head of Mechanical Engineering Opens in new window

Jon Cagan will be the new head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, effective November 1, 2022.

Engineering faculty featured in events at GCEAF Opens in new window

Many faculty from across the College of Engineering will be featured at events during this year’s Global Clean Energy Action Forum.

Jayan project awarded $7.5 million

Jayan will lead the CMU team to learn about the effects of various types of energy radiation on electronic materials to potentially identify ways to engineer radiation hardened materials for use in space exploration vehicles.

A cooler side to soft robotics Opens in new window

Researchers combined liquid crystal elastomers with a thermoelectric device to develop a stretchable transducer for soft robotics.

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Modeling light for solar panel placement in urban settings Opens in new window

Solar panel installation in cities requires setups tailored to the complex geometry of urban spaces that provide the most direct sunlight to each panel. Among the processes for designing the most efficient setup for solar panels is shadow modeling.

A disruptive approach to fuel cell tech Opens in new window

A research collaboration led by Shawn Litster receives $3.2M from ARPA-E’s OPEN 2021 program to develop ionomer-free electrodes for ultra-high power density fuel cells.

Research on eVTOL aircraft takes flight Opens in new window

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When biology influences technology: using bread to desalinate water Opens in new window

Though water covers two-thirds of our planet’s surface, water scarcity remains a persistent issue. Mechanical Engineering’s Philip LeDuc and Adam Wood have an unconventional solution: bread.

Making environmental science accessible to all students Opens in new window

New Mechanical Engineering course dives into the connections between Earth’s water, air, land, and life.

Who’s paying for your Uber? Opens in new window

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An EV-olution for charging stations

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Releasing the heat

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An international collaboration explored the workings of a lithium-rich battery at the atomic scale. The research opens up pathways for improving existing battery cathodes—and designing new ones.

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Virtually awarded

MechE graduate students earned accolades at the department’s annual research symposium poster sessions. This year's events were virtual through Gather Town, an interactive, video-chat world.

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AI-fueled batteries Opens in new window

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Making mechanical skin Opens in new window

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The surprising strength of liquid crystals Opens in new window

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Wildfires produce minerals that freeze clouds Opens in new window

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Viswanathan named an Innovator Under 35

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A team of CMU Engineering researchers has shown that autonomous vehicles can be electric—despite the decreased driving range.

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Solid-ion conductors for safer batteries

Venkat Viswanathan and collaborators at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory investigate how a solid-ion conductor—a component that can be used as a separator between the anode and the electrolyte in a battery—can prevent dendrites.

A new law for metamaterials

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Engineering faculty win Carnegie Science Awards Opens in new window

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Leading the fuel cell charge

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The root of the matter Opens in new window

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Securing the energy grid with blockchains Opens in new window

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Viswanathan receives Navy award for battery research Opens in new window

Venkat Viswanathan received a 2019 Young Investigator Award from the Office of Naval Research to research how to improve battery safety in low temperatures.

Waste not, watt not

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A path to the future, paved with ceramics Opens in new window

Reeja Jayan investigates how electromagnetic fields speed up ceramic fabrication, finding both challenges and great potential.

How long until efficient fuel cells? Ask the experts. Opens in new window

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Eating out, breathing in Opens in new window

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Taking down the heat Opens in new window

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The great escape: super emitters

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The regulations that set fuel-economy and greenhouse-gas emission goals for cars and trucks have lower costs and higher benefits than previous analyses report.

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Researchers find vehicle emissions deceptively clean Opens in new window

Researchers in the College of Engineering found that newer gasoline vehicles emit less particulate matter, but vapors in the “cleaner” exhaust form particulate matter in the atmosphere long after exiting the tailpipe.

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Life after tailpipe Opens in new window

Researchers from Carnegie Mellon’s Center for Atmospheric Particle took a closer look at the stuff coming out of your tailpipe.

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Center for Air, Climate, and Energy Solutions

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