MSE Graduate Student Tackles the Future of Energy Innovation
By Katie Nejati, Student Written Communications Assistant
Third-year MSE doctoral student, Amir Soleymani, working alongside members of Assistant Professor Jasna Jankovic’s Research Group, is conducting research at the forefront of energy innovation.
Soleymani began his research career working on ways to reduce the emission of carbon dioxide during the processing of engineering materials. In the course of his studies on this topic, he began to question if his efforts should instead focus on reducing the main source of greenhouse gases—fossil fuels. His subsequent investigations into this challenging problem convinced him to enter the field of renewable energy research.
Soleymani is currently working on the characterization of materials used in clean energy devices, with a focus on polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEMFC). His research seeks to develop structure-property-performance relationships using analytical techniques such as ex-situ and in-situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray computed tomography (XCT), and electron tomography (ET). His main goal is to determine how the structure of a material influences its function in real-world devices. “In materials science it is essential to understand the structure of any material, as it is the bedrock for designing new materials and improving the performance of any device” said Soleymani. Jankovic’s Research Group actively works with both academic researcher and industrial partners to advance clean energy technology. As part of an ongoing collaboration, Soleymani participated in an internship at Ford Motor Company during the summer of 2020. This experience sparked his interest in pursuing a path in the automotive industry. “Fuel cells are the future of energy for stationary power plants and transportation; the heart of the fuel cell is the catalyst layer, and we are looking at the catalyst material to understand its behavior through the structure” he stated.
