Energy and environment

Experts in the Department of Mechanical Engineering 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, Allen Robinson, Venkat Viswanathan, 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, Venkat Viswanathan

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, Allen Robinson, 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, Ed Rubin, 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

Natural gas engineering

Our experts seek to minimize environmental impact by exploring ways to design safer, more efficient drilling and extraction technologies, create a portable scale for liquid fuel conversion, and develop clean combustion technologies utilizing alternative fuel for transportation.

Faculty involved: Jeremy Michalek, Allen Robinson, Satbir Singh

Related news

Nov 30

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

A new policy brief series examines how Uber and Lyft have redefined mobility, affecting travel patterns, car ownership, congestion, the economy, the environment, and equity in our cities.

Research paper Opens in new window

Oct 14

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.

Sep 20

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.

Jul 25

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.

Jul 08

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.

Watch the Video Opens in new window

Jun 21

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.

Mar 29

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.

Jan 28

Research on eVTOL aircraft takes flight Opens in new window

Mechanical Engineering researchers are exploring the potential of rechargeable batteries in electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, which could transform transportation in metropolitan areas and battle emissions, congestion, and air pollution.

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Jan 21

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.

Nov 19

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.

Oct 04

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

Researchers have published a new study quantifying the societal costs and benefits of an Uber or Lyft trip.

Research paper Opens in new window

Sep 16

An EV-olution for charging stations

INCEPTS software is one of the first tools that uses real-world data to consider traffic-centric, environmental, and geographical effects on electric vehicle batteries.

Sep 02

Releasing the heat

Researchers develop a universal model to predict the thermal boundary conductance of a multilayered-metal-dielectric interface. This model will help to streamline the development of thermally efficient devices.

Jul 16

Tantalizing tantalum actuators and sensors Opens in new window

Can this refractory metal be an efficient substitute material in microelectromechanical system (MEMS) thermal actuators?

Jun 09

An atomic look at lithium-rich batteries Opens in new window

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.

Research paper Opens in new window

Apr 09

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.

Jan 06

Uber and Lyft increase average vehicle ownership in urban areas Opens in new window

On average, transportation network company entry into an urban area increases per-capita vehicle registrations by 0.7%, compared to what they would have been otherwise.

Dec 18

AI-fueled batteries Opens in new window

A team of CMU mechanical engineering and materials science and engineering researchers are using AI to optimize battery electrolyte designs, and they found new electrolytes that researchers hadn’t thought of.

Dec 01

Making mechanical skin Opens in new window

These 3D printed circuits are self-healing, re-writable, and energy-harvesting, thanks to liquid metal.

Research paper Opens in new window

Research paper Opens in new window

Nov 06

The surprising strength of liquid crystals Opens in new window

In the quest for safer and longer-lasting batteries for electric cars, trucks, and planes, researchers explore a new class of materials to suppress the formation of dendrites.

Sep 28

Hot Stuff: Unusual thermal diode rectifies heat in both directions Opens in new window

Dual-mode thermal rectification could be a game changer for a range of industrial and medical applications.

Research paper Opens in new window

Sep 01

Wildfires produce minerals that freeze clouds Opens in new window

Why do some biomass fuels create ice nucleating particles when they combust while others do not? Researchers at the Center for Atmospheric Particle Studies make an unexpected discovery.

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Aug 17

Viswanathan named an Innovator Under 35

Venkat Viswanathan has been named one of MIT Technology Review’s Innovators Under 35, recognized for his work to develop a new type of battery that could make electric vehicles cheaper and more energy efficient.

Jul 09

COVID and pollution Opens in new window

A team of Carnegie Mellon researchers found that Pittsburgh’s air pollution levels decreased during the stay-at-home order—but the overall impact remains small.

Research paper Opens in new window

Watch the Video Opens in new window

Jun 29

The electric future of autonomous vehicles Opens in new window

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

Research paper Opens in new window

May 12

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.

May 05

A new law for metamaterials

Sheng Shen and his student Jiayu Li have created a new scale law to describe the thermal emission from metasurfaces and metamaterials.

Mar 23

Engineering faculty win Carnegie Science Awards Opens in new window

Carmel Majidi and Ryan Sullivan have won Carnegie Science Awards from the Carnegie Science Center for their incredible contributions to science.

Jan 16

Study verifies a missing piece to urban air quality puzzle Opens in new window

CMU researchers get closer to solving a long-standing air quality mystery.

Jan 13

Evolution in the air Opens in new window

Two new studies show how aerosol optical tweezing can allow scientists to scrutinize the components of the atmosphere with new precision.

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Dec 18

A more efficient way to turn saltwater into drinking water Opens in new window

Researchers are working on a way to transform seawater into fresh drinking water with a new, honeycombed-patterned membrane—only a few atoms thick—that uses less energy than existing methods.

Research paper Opens in new window

Aug 02

Leading the fuel cell charge

Shawn Litster earns recognition from the Department of Energy for his leadership in developing clean, efficient, and cost-effective energy alternatives.

Jul 24

Saving lives with cleaner air Opens in new window

More than 30,000 U.S. lives could be saved by reducing air pollution levels below the current air quality standard, two studies from the Center for Air Quality, Climate, and Energy Solutions find.

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Jul 19

Untangling electric car policies Opens in new window

A recent study analyzing federal and state policies on electric cars reveals the peculiar relationship between the policies that leads to counterintuitive effects.

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Jul 05

The root of the matter Opens in new window

A team from the College of Engineering has used the natural architecture of the mangrove tree to unlock a better method of desalination.

Jun 18

Securing the energy grid with blockchains Opens in new window

The US Department of Energy has awarded two Carnegie Mellon researchers a $400,000 grant to strengthen grid security using blockchain technology.

May 28

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.

Apr 11

Waste not, watt not

With a National Science Foundation award, Jonathan Malen is collaborating to develop a thermoelectric semiconductor to convert waste heat into energy.

Mar 04

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.

Feb 25

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

In the quest for alternatives to gas-powered vehicles, experts believe one new method shows great promise: Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells.

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Dec 18

Eating out, breathing in Opens in new window

Ellis Robinson casts new light on an under-scrutinized source of urban air pollution.

Sep 04

How reducing CO2 benefits water use Opens in new window

During droughts and water shortages, power plants can put a strain on the entire water system.

Aug 20

Taking down the heat Opens in new window

Far from kilns or furnaces, Edgar Mendoza researches how to 3D print ceramics.

Jun 21

The great escape: super emitters

Allen Robinson and collaborators working with the Environmental Defense Fund find more methane is leaking from natural gas production than previously measured.

Sep 06

Fuel regulations: lower costs, higher benefits Opens in new window

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.

Watch the Video Opens in new window

Jun 27

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.

Watch the Video Opens in new window

Mar 06

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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