Seed Grant Program Publications 

A list of the publications resulting from the Energy Institute's seed grant programs, by program and project. 

Discovery of modified phosphate solid electrolytes for all-solid-state sodium batteries  

Principal Investigators: David Mitlin, Donald Siegel 

Callum J. Campbell, Scott Monismith, Vikalp Raj, Yixian Wang, Qianqian Yan, Cole D. Fincher, Rohit Raj, Yet-Ming Chiang, John Watt, Josefine D. McBrayer, David Mitlin, “Reactive Carbide-Based Synthesis and Microstructure of NASICON Sodium Metal All Solid-State Electrolyte,” Advanced Materials, 2025, Article e12961, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202512961 


De-risking carbon capture with amine solvents using high resolution mass spectrometer methods 

Principal Investigators: Fred Closmann, Pawel Misztal, Ian Riddington 

Fred Closmann, Cameron S. Carter, Gary T. Rochelle, Fahad Alshehri, “Amino Acids: Critical Oxidation Products in CO₂ Capture by Aqueous Piperazine,” Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, Vol. 64/Issue 40, 2025, pp. 19661–19675, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.iecr.4c03927 

Cameron Carter, Fred Closmann, Gary Rochelle, “Amino Acids Developing in Degraded Piperazine,” SSRN Electronic Journal (preprint for the Proceedings of the 17th Greenhouse Gas Control Technologies Conference, GHGT-17), 2024, DOI: https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.5024875 

Fred Closmann, “Safeguarding Amines from Oxidation by Enabling Technologies,” DOE Carbon Management Project Review Meeting (DOE Contractors Meeting), National Energy Technology Laboratory, U.S. Department of Energy, 2022, 56 pp., link: https://netl.doe.gov/sites/default/files/netl-file/22CM_PSC16_Closman.pdf 


Mitigating voltage sag disturbances for electrified industrial process loads 

Principal Investigators: Surya Santoso, Brian Johnson 

Hyeonseong Mun, Damjan Zechevikj, Surya Santoso, Lei Jiang, "Improving power quality of industrial plants using dynamic voltage restorers," in Proc. IEEE Power & Energy Society General Meeting (PESGM), Austin, TX, USA, Jul. 2025. 

H. Mun, “Optimal placement of dynamic voltage restorers and static synchronous compensators for enhancing power quality,” Master’s thesis, The University of Texas at Austin, 2025, link: https://repositories.lib.utexas.edu/items/c9c80e46-907d-42ba-9ada-5f2033a9d423 


Evaluation of a novel integrated ceramic membrane/hollow fiber membrane contactor process for produced water reuse 

Principal Investigators: Lynn Katz, Frank Seibert 

Katz, L.E., McGuire, J., and Seibert A.F., Evaluation of a Novel Hollow Fiber Membrane Contactor/Ceramic Membrane/Process for Produced Water Reuse, In preparation. 

Abdalrahman Alsulaili, Sarah Alshawish, Carolyn M. Cooper, Lynn E. Katz, A. Frank Seibert, “Advancing Produced Water Treatment: Hollow-Fiber Membrane Efficiency in Oil-Water Separation,” Proceedings of the 10th World Congress on New Technologies (NewTech’24), ICEPR 2024 – 9th International Conference on Environmental Pollution and Remediation, 2024, Paper ICEPR 126, 6 pp., DOI: https://doi.org/10.11159/icepr24.126 


Technical and techno-economic analysis of produced water treatment for green and blue hydrogen production in Texas 

Principal Investigators: Vaibhav Bahadur, Michael Lewis, Michael Webber 

V. S. S. Katakam, G. L. Childers, M. Lewis, Y.R. Glazer, E. Beagle, M.E. Webber, and V. Bahadur. Thermo-economic analysis of excess natural gas-powered produced water treatment techniques for clean hydrogen production, manuscript in preparation for submission to Journal of Cleaner Production. 

Vishnu Sree Shanthanu Katakam, Vaibhav Bahadur, “Heat-mass transfer analogy-based design method for osmotically assisted reverse osmosis membrane mass exchangers,” Desalination, 2025, Article 119567, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.desal.2025.119567 

Banda, S., et al. Regulatory Framework and Policy Outlook for Produced Water Reuse for Hydrogen Production in Texas. Texas Water Research Network 12th Meeting. Austin, Tx, 2025. 


Breaking the Hydrocarbon Cascade in Electric Process Heating: Strategies for Upgrading Fuel Gas Streams 

Principal Investigators: Michael Baldea, Thomas C. Underwood, Buddie Mullins 

Charan R. Nallapareddy, Thomas C. Underwood, “What is ‘efficiency’ in plasma chemical processes?,” ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, Vol. 12/Issue 24, 2024, pp. 9144–9155, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acssuschemeng.4c01595 

Varanasi Sai Subhankar, Jiefeng Diao, Caroline C. Leung, Zachary D. Feng, Sophia Gershman, Jonathan Steele, Michael Baldea, Graeme Henkelman, Charles B. Mullins, Thomas Carlton Underwood, “Plasma Activated Co-reactants Enable Liquid Fuel Selectivity Control in CH₄–CO₂ Conversion Across Metal–Adsorbate Binding Regimes,” Gaseous Electronics Conference (GEC) 2025, Plasma Catalysis and Chemical Conversion I, oral presentation abstract, Oct. 15, 2025, 4:15–4:30 PM, link: https://archive.aps.org/gec/2025/gw4/10/ 


Modernizing Brownfield Electric Power System Reliability and Quality to Support the Electrification of Industrial Processes 

Principal Investigators: Surya Santoso, Brian Johnson 

Moises Antonio Chong, “Modeling of industrial power distribution circuits for voltage sag and fault analysis,” Master’s thesis, The University of Texas at Austin, 2024, 68 pp., link: https://repositories.lib.utexas.edu/items/0713b92e-b556-4dd9-adc4-899d209cad16 

Damjan Zechevikj, “Modeling of the Dynamic Voltage Restorer in EMTP,” Master’s thesis, The University of Texas at Austin, 2024, 68 pp., link: https://repositories.lib.utexas.edu/items/6cafbdae-f158-4005-86ad-457aee137d27 


Long-term Surveillance of Plugged and Abandoned Wells for Immediate Detection of CO2 Leakage in Geologic Carbon Storage Sites 

Principal Investigators: Sahar Bakhshian, Susan Hovorka, Michael H. Young 

Real-Time CO2 Leakage Detection Using Probabilistic Machine Learning and Soil Moisture Sensor Data Integration. (In preparation) 


Enabling Zero Carbon Emission by Electrochemical CO2 Reduction Technology 

Principal Investigators: Guihua Yu, Jamie Warner 

Yuyang Wang, Peng Zhu, Ruoyu Wang, Kevin C. Matthews, Minghao Xie, Maoyu Wang, Chang Qiu, Yijin Liu, Hua Zhou, Jamie H. Warner, Yuanyue Liu, Haotian Wang, Guihua Yu, “Fluorine-Tuned Carbon-Based Nickel Single-Atom Catalysts for Scalable and Highly Efficient CO₂ Electrocatalytic Reduction,” ACS Nano, Vol. 18/Issue 21, 2024, pp. 26751–26761, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.4c06923 


The Effects of Surfactants, Salt Concentration and Suspended Solids on Selective Oil Permeation 

Principal Investigators: Lynn Katz, Frank Seibert 

Carolyn M. Cooper, You Wu, Sara Alshawish, Abdalrahman Alsulaili, Kerry A. Kinney, Lynn E. Katz, A. Frank Seibert, “Oil Recovery from Produced Water via Selective Oil Permeation,” AIChE Annual Meeting, Conference Proceedings, Vol. 2022-November, 2022, American Institute of Chemical Engineers, link: https://pure.kfas.org.kw/en/publications/oil-recovery-from-produced-water-via-selective-oil-permeation/ 


A Modular and Flexible DC-AC Converter Cell for Future Grid Systems 

Principal Investigators: Brian Johnson, Alex Hanson 

Design and Control of an Input-Series Output-Series Modular Converter for Direct Drive Wind ApplicationsR. Mallik, G. Seo, D. Maksimovic, and B. Johnson 


Manufacturing of High-Strength Nanolattice Coating for Cryogenic Liquid Hydrogen Fuel Storage 

Principal Investigators: ChihHao Chang, Li Shi 

I-te Chen, Vijay Anirudh Premnath, Chih-Hao Chang, “Multilayer dielectric reflector using low-index nanolattices,” Optics Letters, Vol. 49/Issue 4, 2024, pp. 1093–1096, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1364/OL.516147 

Vijay Anirudh Premnath, Chih-Hao Chang, “Precise control of the optical refractive index in nanolattices,” Optics Letters, Vol. 48/Issue 24, 2023, pp. 6356–6359, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1364/OL.507274 


Analysis of Permian Basin Clean Ammonia Production, Distribution, and Market Demand 

Principal Investigators: Z Michael Lewis, Ning Lin, Vaibhav Bahadur 

Haoying Wang, Ning Lin, Mariam Arzumanyan, “The Market for Low-Carbon-Intensity Ammonia,” Gases, Vol. 4/Issue 3, 2024, pp. 224–235, DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/gases4030013 

Ning Lin, Haoying Wang, “The dual role of low-carbon ammonia in climate-smart agriculture and energy transitions,” Journal of Cleaner Production, Vol. 470, 2024, Article 143103, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2024.143103 


Microbial Reactions during Underground Hydrogen Storage 

Principal Investigators: Kishore Mohanty, Wen Song 

Study of Geochemical Reactions During Geological Hydrogen Storage (In preparation)   

Leveraging Permian Basin Assets for the Emerging Clean Hydrogen 

Principal Investigators: Michael C. Lewis, Ning Lin 

Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation Final Report for co-funded project listed below 

Potential Paper on wind/solar energy pathways for renewable hydrogen out of the Permian Basin.  Authors: Emily Beagle, Grace Childers, Andrea Kowal, Michael Lewis 


Combining Quantitative Leakage Risk Assessment with Financial Liability for CO2 Geologic Storage 

Principal Investigators: Sahar Bakhshian, Susan Hovorka, James Dyer 

Sahar Bakhshian, Ali Farhadina, Zahra Bajalan, Susan D. Hovorka, “Reactive transport modeling of the potential impacts of CO₂ and brine leakage on groundwater quality in the southern High Plains Aquifer,” AGU 2023 Fall Meeting, GC43E-1359 (Abstract), 2023, https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2023AGUFMGC43E1359B/abstract 


Impacts of Geochemistry on Carbon Dioxide Adsorption in Organic-Rich Mudrocks 

Principal Investigators: Zoya Heidari, Nicholas Espinoza  

Ibrahim Gomaa, Zoya Heidari, D. Nicolas Espinoza, “Molecular Simulation Study of the Competitive Adsorption of Methane and Carbon Dioxide on Organic-Rich Mudrocks,” SPE/AAPG/SEG Unconventional Resources Technology Conference (URTeC) 2023 Proceedings, 2023, Paper URTeC-3720298, DOI: https://onepetro.org/URTECONF/proceedings/23URTC/1-23URTC/D011S019R001/520518 

Ibrahim Gomaa, Zoya Heidari, D. Nicolas Espinoza, “Molecular-Scale Quantitative Evaluation of the Competitive Sorption of Methane and Carbon Dioxide on the Different Constituents of Organic-Rich Mudrocks,” SPWLA 64th Annual Logging Symposium Proceedings, 2023, Paper SPWLA-2023-0057, DOI: https://doi.org/10.30632/SPWLA-2023-0057 


Laboratory experiments and modeling to accurately evaluate critical CO2 saturation for geologic carbon storage 

Principal Investigators: Timothy "Tip" A. Meckel, Sahar Bakhshian, David DiCarlo 

Jose Ubillus, Hailun Ni, Sahar Bakhshian, David DiCarlo, Tip Meckel, “Impact of small-scale heterogeneity on field-scale CO₂ migration and trapping,” Proceedings of the 17th Greenhouse Gas Control Technologies Conference (GHGT-17), 2024, 6 pp., DOI: https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.5034892 


Uncertainty Qualification for Circular Economies and Supply Chains 

Principal Investigators: Michael Baldea, Erhan Kutanoglu 

Raymond Park, Erhan Katanoglu, Michael Baldea, “Dynamics, uncertainty and control in circular supply chains,” Computers & Chemical Engineering, Vol. 187, 2024, Article 108631, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compchemeng.2023.108631 


Developing a Network of Ecological Sensors for Analysis of Long-Term Acoustic and Environmental Data 

Principal Investigators: Timothy Keitt, Andrea Contina 

Andrea Contina, Eric Abelson, Brendan Allison, Brian Stokes, Kenedy F. Sanchez, Henry M. Hernandez, Anna M. Kepple, Quynhmai Tran, Isabella Kazen, Katherine A. Brown, Je’aime H. Powell, Timothy H. Keitt, “BioSense: An automated sensing node for organismal and environmental biology,” HardwareX, Vol. 20, 2024, Article e00584, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ohx.2024.e00584 

Timothy H. Keitt, Eric S. Abelson, “Ecology in the age of automation,” Science, Vol. 373/Issue 6557, 2021, pp. 858–859, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abi4692 


Smart Charging (and Discharging) of BEVs for Lower Grid Emissions and Better Grid Performance 

Principal Investigators: Kara Kockelman, Benjamin Leibowicz 

Balasubramanian Sambasivam, Kara M. Kockelman, and Benjamin D. Leibowicz ”Economic and Environmental Impacts of Electric Vehicle Smart-Charging Programs on the U.S. Power Sector.” (Under preparation for journal submission) 


Toward Equitable Transportation Electrification in Austin, TX 

Principal Investigators: Junfeng Jiao, Kijin Seong, Abigail Johnson 

Junfeng Jiao, Seung Jun Choi, Chris Nguyen, “Toward an equitable transportation electrification plan: Measuring public electric vehicle charging station access disparities in Austin, Texas,” PLOS ONE, Vol. 19/Issue 9, 2024, e0309302, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0309302 

Seung Jun Choi, Junfeng Jiao, “Uncovering electric vehicle ownership disparities using K-means clustering analysis: A case study of Austin, Texas,” Journal of Computational Social Science, Vol. 7/Issue 3, 2024, pp. 2403–2456, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42001-024-00310-6 

 Seung Jun Choi, Junfeng Jiao, “Measurement of Regional Electric Vehicle Adoption Using Multiagent Deep Reinforcement Learning,” Applied Sciences, Vol. 14/Issue 5, 2024, Article 1826, DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/app14051826 

Assuring Long-term Storage of Captured CO2: Technical-Legal-Policy-Business Models 

Principal Investigators: Susan Hovorka, Lee Ann Kahlor 

Sahar Bakhshian, Seyyed Abolfazl Hosseini, “Predicting the CO₂ Footprint in Saline Aquifers: A Numerical-Analytical Hybrid Model,” Proceedings of the 15th Greenhouse Gas Control Technologies Conference (GHGT-15), 2021, 7 pp., DOI: https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3816595 

Lee Ann Kahlor, Janet Yang, Xiaoshan Li, Wan Wang, Hilary Clement Olson, Lucy Atkinson, “Environmental Risk (and Benefit) Information Seeking Intentions: The Case of Carbon Capture and Storage in Southeast Texas,” Environmental Communication, Vol. 14/Issue 4, 2020, pp. 555–572, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/17524032.2019.1699136 (ACS Publications) 

Sahar Bakhshian, “Dynamics of Dissolution Trapping in Geological Carbon Storage,” International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control, Vol. 112, 2021, pp. Article 103520, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijggc.2021.103520 (ScienceDirect) 

Won-Ki Moon, Lee Ann Kahlor, Hilary Clement Olson, “Understanding Public Support for Carbon Capture and Storage Policy: The Roles of Social Capital, Stakeholder Perceptions, and Perceived Risk/Benefit of Technology,” Energy Policy, Vol. 139, 2020, pp. Article 111312, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2020.111312 (IDEAS/RePEc) 

Prerna Shah, Wan Wang, Z. Janet Yang, LeeAnn Kahlor, Joshua T. L. Anderson, “Framing Climate Change Mitigation Technology: The Impact of Risk versus Benefit Messaging on Support for Carbon Capture and Storage,” International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control, Vol. 119/Issue 6, 2022, pp. Article 103737, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijggc.2022.103737 (ResearchGate) 

Prerna Shah, Janet Z. Yang, LeeAnn Kahlor, “Psychological Distance, Risk Perception, and Affect: Texas Residents’ Support for Carbon Capture and Storage,” Journal of Risk Research, Vol. 26/Issue 2, 2023, pp. 184–198, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13669877.2022.2116084 (IDEAS/RePEc) 


Defending the Electricity Infrastructure Against Extreme Weather Events, Now and in the Future 

Principal Investigators: Erhan Kutanoglu, Surya Santoso 

Kyoung Yoon Kim, Wen-Ying Wu, Erhan Kutanoglu, John J. Hasenbein, Zong-Liang Yang, “Hurricane Scenario Generation for Uncertainty Modeling of Coastal and Inland Flooding,” Frontiers in Climate, Vol. 3, 2021, Article 610680, DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fclim.2021.610680 

Laiz Souto, Joshua Yip, Wen-Yong Wu, Brent Austgen, Erhan Kutanoglu, John Hasenbein, Zong-Liang Yang, Carey W. King, Surya Santoso, “Power system resilience to floods: Modeling, impact assessment, and mid-term mitigation strategies,” International Journal of Electrical Power & Energy Systems, Vol. 135, 2022, Article 107545, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijepes.2021.107545 


Decarbonizing the City – Financing and Policy Solutions for Transportation 

Principal Investigators: Andrew Waxman, Gian-Claudia Sciara 

Newsha K. Ajami, Alex Berke, Rushaine Goulbourne, Noah Kazis, Elizabeth Kneebone, Anika Singh Lemar, Blair Levin, Robert Puentes, Gian Claudia Sciara, Evan Siddall, Christopher Severen, Jan Whittington, “Around the halls: Built environment issues that could define 2022,” Brookings Institution – The Avenue (Blog), December 21, 2021, https://www.brookings.edu/articles/around-the-halls-built-environment-issues-that-could-define-2022/ 

Gian Claudia Sciara, Andrew Waxman, Ross Buchanan, “State legislator views on funding 21st century transportation: Important problems, missed connections,” Transport Policy, Vol. 150, 2024, pp. 206–218, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tranpol.2024.02.021 


Design of Next-Generation Battery Packs for a Sustainable Future 

Principal Investigators: Arumugam Manthiram, Venkat Subramanian 

S. S. Sharma, A. Manthiram, “Towards more environmentally and socially responsible batteries,” Energy & Environmental Science, Vol. 13, 2020, pp. 4087–4097, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1039/D0EE02511A 

Krishna Shah, Akshay Subramaniam, Lubhani Mishra, Taejin Jang, Martin Z. Bazant, Richard D. Braatz, Venkat R. Subramanian, “Editors’ Choice—Perspective—Challenges in Moving to Multiscale Battery Models: Where Electrochemistry Meets and Demands More from Math,” Journal of The Electrochemical Society, Vol. 167/Issue 13, 2020, Article 133501, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1149/1945-7111/abb37b  

Brian T. Heligman, Arumugam Manthiram, “Elemental Foil Anodes for Lithium-Ion Batteries,” ACS Energy Letters, Vol. 6/Issue 8, 2021, pp. 2666–2672, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acsenergylett.1c01145 

Brian T. Heligman, Kevin P. Scanlan, Arumugam Manthiram, “An In-Depth Analysis of the Transformation of Tin Foil Anodes during Electrochemical Cycling in Lithium-Ion Batteries,” Journal of The Electrochemical Society, Vol. 168/Issue 12, 2021, pp. 120544, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1149/1945-7111/ac42f0 

Shyam S. Sharma, Patrick J. Crowley, Arumugam Manthiram, “Aluminum–Silicon Alloy Foils as Low-Cost, Environmentally Friendly Anodes for Lithium-Ion Batteries,” ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, Vol. 9/Issue 43, 2021, pp. 14515–14524, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acssuschemeng.1c05168 

Brian T. Heligman, Kevin P. Scanlan, Arumugam Manthiram, “Nanostructured Composite Foils Produced Via Accumulative Roll Bonding as Lithium-Ion Battery Anodes,” ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, Vol. 14/Issue 9, 2022, pp. 11408–11414, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.1c23529 

Jiwon Yu, Tsung-Hsuan Yang, Wei Hao, Myungsuk Lee, Gyeong S. Hwang, “First-Principles Prediction on Antimony-Doping Effects on the Cyclic Stability of Tin Anodes for Lithium-Ion Batteries,” Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, Vol. 24/Issue 29, 2022, pp. 17542–17546, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1039/D2CP01859D 

Taejin Jang, Lubhani Mishra, Scott A. Roberts, Brady Planden, Akshay Subramaniam, Maitri Uppaluri, David Linder, Mogadalai P. Gururajan, Ji-Guang Zhang, Venkat R. Subramanian, “BattPhase—A Convergent, Non-Oscillatory, Efficient Algorithm and Code for Predicting Shape Changes in Lithium Metal Batteries Using Phase-Field Models: Part I. Secondary Current Distribution,” Journal of The Electrochemical Society, Vol. 169/Issue 8, 2022, pp. Article 080516, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1149/1945-7111/ac86a7 


Driving Natural Gas Systems to Reduced Greenhouse Gas Emissions 

Principal Investigators: David Allen, Paul Navratil 

Felipe J. Cardoso-Saldaña, Kelly Pierce, Qining Chen, Yosuke Kimura, David T. Allen, “A Searchable Database for Prediction of Emission Compositions from Upstream Oil and Gas Sources,” Environmental Science & Technology, Vol. 55/Issue 6, 2021, pp. 3210–3218, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.0c05925 

David T. Allen, Felipe J. Cardoso-Saldaña, Yosuke Kimura, Qining Chen, Zhanhong Xiang, Daniel Zimmerle, Clay Bell, Chris Lute, Jerry Duggan, Matthew Harrison, “A Methane Emission Estimation Tool (MEET) for predictions of emissions from upstream oil and gas well sites with fine scale temporal and spatial resolution: Model structure and applications,” Science of The Total Environment, Vol. 829, 2022, pp. Article 154277, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.154277 

Qining Chen, Mrinali Modi, Gary McGaughey, Yosuke Kimura, Elena McDonald-Buller, David T. Allen, “Simulated Methane Emission Detection Capabilities of Continuous Monitoring Networks in an Oil and Gas Production Region,” Atmosphere, Vol. 13/Issue 4, 2022, pp. Article 510, DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos13040510 

Daniel Zimmerle, Gerald Duggan, Timothy Vaughn, Clay Bell, Christopher Lute, Kristine Bennett, Yosuke Kimura, Felipe J. Cardoso-Saldaña, David T. Allen, “Modeling Air Emissions from Complex Facilities at Detailed Temporal and Spatial Resolution: The Methane Emission Estimation Tool (MEET),” Science of The Total Environment, Vol. 824, 2022, pp. Article 153653, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.153653 


Linking Plant Strategies to Subsurface Hydrology to Predict Ecosystem CO2 Storage Across Texas 

Principal Investigators: Caroline Farrior, Daniella Rempe 

Erica L. McCormick, David N. Dralle, W. Jesse Hahm, Alison K. Tune, Logan M. Schmidt, K. Dana Chadwick, Daniella M. Rempe, “Widespread woody plant use of water stored in bedrock,” Nature, Vol. 597/Issue 7875, 2021, pp. 225–229, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-021-03761-3 


Enabling Solar-Powered Water Purification Technology 

Principal Investigators: Guihua Yu, Lynn Katz 

Fei Zhao, Youhong Guo, Xingyi Zhou, Wen Shi, Guihua Yu, “Materials for solar-powered water evaporation,” Nature Reviews Materials, Vol. 5/Issue 5, 2020, pp. 388–401, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41578-020-0182-4 

Youhong Guo, Jiwoong Bae, Zhiwei Fang, Panpan Li, Fei Zhao, Guihua Yu, “Hydrogels and Hydrogel-Derived Materials for Energy and Water Sustainability,” Chemical Reviews, Vol. 120/Issue 15, 2020, pp. 7642–7707, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.chemrev.0c00345  

Xingyi Zhou, Youhong Guo, Fei Zhao, Wen Shi, Guihua Yu, “Topology-Controlled Hydration of Polymer Network in Hydrogels for Solar-Driven Wastewater Treatment,” Advanced Materials, Vol. 32/Issue 52, 2020, pp. Article 2007012, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202007012 PubMed 

Youhong Guo, Christopher M. Dundas, Xingyi Zhou, Keith P. Johnston, Guihua Yu, “Molecular Engineering of Hydrogels for Rapid Water Disinfection and Sustainable Solar Vapor Generation,” Advanced Materials, Vol. 33/Issue 35, 2021, pp. Article 2102994, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202102994 PubMed 

Youhong Guo, Guihua Yu, “Engineering Hydrogels for Efficient Solar Desalination and Water Purification,” Accounts of Materials Research, Vol. 2/Issue 5, 2021, pp. 374–384, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/accountsmr.1c00057 ACS Publications+1 

Youhong Guo, Luize Scalco de Vasconcelos, Neha Manohar, Jiafeng Geng, Keith P. Johnston, Guihua Yu, “Highly Elastic Interconnected Porous Hydrogels through Self-Assembled Templating for Solar Water Purification,” Angewandte Chemie International Edition, Vol. 61/Issue 3, 2022, pp. Article 202114074, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202114074 PubMed 

Panpan Zhang, Fei Zhao, Wen Shi, Hengyi Lu, Xingyi Zhou, Youhong Guo, Guihua Yu, “Super Water-Extracting Gels for Solar-Powered Volatile Organic Compounds Management in the Hydrological Cycle,” Advanced Materials, Vol. 34/Issue 12, 2022, pp. Article 2110548, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202110548 


Sectoral Feasibility of Greenhouse Gas Mitigation and Clean Energy Transitions 

Principal Investigators: Joshua Busby, Benjamin Leibowicz 

Qianru Zhu; Benjamin D. Leibowicz; Joshua W. Busby; Sarang Shidore; David E. Adelman; Sheila M. Olmstead, “Enhancing policy realism in energy system optimization models: Politically feasible decarbonization pathways for the United States,” Energy Policy, Vol. 161, 2022, pp. Article 112754, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2021.112754 

Sarang Shidore, Joshua W. Busby, “Assessing the Political Feasibility of Decarbonizing the US Electricity Sector,” UT Energy Institute Working Paper, October 2020, The University of Texas at Austin, URL: https://energy.utexas.edu/sites/default/files/Polit-Feasibility-Decarb-US-Electricity.pdf 

Sarang Shidore, Joshua W. Busby, “Assessing the Political Feasibility of Decarbonizing the US Transport Sector,” UT Energy Institute Working Paper, October 2020, The University of Texas at Austin, URL: https://energy.utexas.edu/sites/default/files/Polit-Feasibility-Decarb-US-Transport.pdf  

Sarang Shidore, Joshua W. Busby, “Assessing the Political Feasibility of Decarbonizing the US Buildings Sector,” UT Energy Institute Working Paper, 2021, The University of Texas at Austin, URL: http://energy.utexas.edu/sites/default/files/Polit-Feasib-Decarb-US-Buildings.pdf 

Dustin Mulvaney, Joshua Busby, Morgan D. Bazilian, “Pandemic Disruptions in Energy and the Environment,” Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene, Vol. 8/Issue 1, 2020, Article 052, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1525/elementa.052 

Sarang Shidore, Joshua W. Busby, “Solar Federalism: What Explains the Variation in Solar Capacity Additions by India’s States?,Energy Research & Social Science, Vol. 71, 2021, Article 101815, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2020.101815  

Xue Gao, Michael R. Davidson, Joshua W. Busby, Christine Shearer, Johannes Urpelainen, “The Challenges of Coal Phaseout: Coal Plant Development and Foreign Finance in Indonesia and Vietnam,” Global Environmental Politics, Vol. 21/Issue 4, 2021, pp. 110–133, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1162/glep_a_00630 

Yael R. Glazer, Darrel M. Tremaine, Jay L. Banner, Margaret Cook, Robert E. Mace, John Nielsen-Gammon, Emily Grubert, Ken Kramer, Anne M. K. Stoner, Briana M. Wyatt, Alex Mayer, Timothy Beach, Robert Correll, Michael E. Webber, “Winter Storm Uri: A Test of Texas’ Water Infrastructure and Water Resource Resilience to Extreme Winter Weather Events,” Journal of Extreme Events, Vol. 8/Issue 4, 2021, Article 2150022, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1142/S2345737621500226  

Joshua W. Busby, Kyri Baker, Morgan D. Bazilian, Alex Q. Gilbert, Emily Grubert, Varun Rai, Joshua D. Rhodes, Sarang Shidore, Caitlin A. Smith, Michael E. Webber, “Cascading Risks: Understanding the 2021 Winter Blackout in Texas,” Energy Research & Social Science, Vol. 77, 2021, Article 102106, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2021.102106 

Nada Maamoun, Puneet Chitkara, Joonseok Yang, Gireesh Shrimali, Joshua W. Busby, Sarang Shidore, Yana Jin, Johannes Urpelainen, “Identifying Coal Plants for Early Retirement in India: A Multidimensional Analysis of Technical, Economic, and Environmental Factors,” Applied Energy, Vol. 312, 2022, Article 118644, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2022.118644  

Sahand Motalebi, Trevor Barnes, Liyang Lu, Benjamin D. Leibowicz, Taco Niet, “The Role of U.S.–Canada Electricity Trade in North American Decarbonization Pathways,” Energy Strategy Reviews, Vol. 41, 2022, Article 100827, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esr.2022.100827  


Enabling the Sustainable Energy Transition: Economic Recovery of Rare Earth Elements 

Principal Investigators: Wen Song, Thomas Underwood 

James C. Hower, Allan Kolker, Heileen Hsu-Kim, Desirée L. Plata, “RARE EARTH ELEMENTS IN COAL FLY ASH AND THEIR POTENTIAL RECOVERY,” Geosciences, Vol. 15, 2024, pp. 420 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences15110420 

Juan P. Barberena Valencia, Navheen S. Murugesan and Laxminarayan L. Raja, “Modelling of an ICP torch at different flow regimes,” AIAA SCITECH 2022-0830, pp. 1-8, DOI: https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2022-0830  

Sheila Gerardo, Artur R. Davletshin, Staci L. Loewy, Wen Song, “From Ashes to Riches: Microscale Phenomena Controlling Rare Earths Recovery from Coal Fly Ash,” Environmental Science & Technology, Vol. 56/Issue 20, 2022, pp. 16200–16209, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.2c04201 


Multi-Scale Design and Optimization of Next-Generation Carbon Capture Systems 

Principal Investigators: Joan Brennecke, Michael Baldea 

Oscar Nordness, Pratik Kelkar, Yuanyuan Lyu, Michael Baldea, Mark A. Stadtherr, Joan F. Brennecke, “Predicting thermophysical properties of dialkylimidazolium ionic liquids from sigma profiles”, Journal of Molecular Liquids, Vol. 334, 2021, pp. 1-9, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molliq.2021.116019 

Kyeongjun Seo, Calvin Tsay, Thomas F. Edgar, Mark A. Stadtherr, Michael Baldea, “Economic Optimization of Carbon Capture Processes Using Ionic Liquids: Toward Flexibility in Capture Rate and Feed Composition,” ASC Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, Vol. 9/Issue 13, 2021, pp. 4823-4839, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acssuschemeng.1c00066  

Kyeongjun Seo, Calvin Tsay, Bo Hong, Thomas F. Edgar, Mark A. Stadtherr, Michael Baldea, “Rate-Based Process Optimization and Sensitivity Analysis for Ionic-Liquid-Based Post-Combustion Carbon Capture,” ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, Vol. 8/Issue 27, 2020, pp. 10242–10258, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acssuschemeng.0c03061 

Yong Huang, Zhichao Chen, Jacob M. Crosthwaite, Sudhir N. V. K. Aki, Joan F. Brennecke, “Thermal Stability of Ionic Liquids in Nitrogen and Air Environments,” The Journal of Chemical Thermodynamics, Vol. 161, 2021, pp. Article 106560, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jct.2021.106560 

Austin N. Keller, Caitlin L. Bentley, Oscar Morales-Collazo, Joan F. Brennecke, “Design and Characterization of Aprotic N-Heterocyclic Anion Ionic Liquids for Carbon Capture,” Journal of Chemical & Engineering Data, Vol. 67/Issue 2, 2022, pp. 375–384, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jced.1c00827 

Kyeongjun Seo, Zhichao Chen, Thomas F. Edgar, Joan F. Brennecke, Mark A. Stadtherr, Michael Baldea, “Modeling and Optimization of Ionic Liquid-Based Carbon Capture Process Using a Thin-Film Unit,” Computers & Chemical Engineering, Vol. 155, 2021, pp. Article 107522, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compchemeng.2021.107522 

Kyeongjun Seo, Zhichao Chen, Thomas F. Edgar, Joan F. Brennecke, Mark A. Stadtherr, Michael Baldea, “Modeling and Optimization of Ionic-Liquid-Based Carbon Capture: Impact of Thermal Degradation Kinetics,” Computer Aided Chemical Engineering, Vol. 49, 2022, pp. 157–162, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-323-85159-6.50026-9 


Smart Decarbonization of Built Environment in Nexus of Climate Change, Growth & Technology Adoption 

Principal Investigators: Juliana Felkner, Zoltan Nagy 

Jose R. Vázquez-Canteli, Gregor Henze, Zoltan Nagy, “MARLISA: Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning with Iterative Sequential Action Selection for Load Shaping of Grid-Interactive Connected Buildings,” Proceedings of the 7th ACM International Conference on Systems for Energy-Efficient Buildings, Cities, and Transportation (BuildSys ’20), 2020, pp. 170–179, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1145/3408308.3427604 

ACM SIGMOBILE ONLINE, “BuildSys 2020 Poster, Demo & Covid-19,” YouTube, 2020, URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gP_8aGyeU-0&list=PL6jLuiS6wP5aC-mF0UWNtmFJ8JeoVxqE0&index=16 

D. Cale Reeves, Ariane Beck, Juliana M. Felkner, Zoltan Nagy, “Who Makes It in the Long Run: Estimating Equity Impacts in Policy and Land Development Scenario Projections,” Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management 43rd Annual Fall Research Conference (APPAM), 2022, Paper 41876, URL: https://appam.confex.com/appam/2021/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/41876 

Juliana M. Felkner, Benjamin Marshall, Steven M. Richter, Edward Mbata, Stephen Zigmund, Zoltan Nagy, “Linking Urban Scenarios with Energy Simulations for Dense Urban Planning under Climate Change,” Journal of Physics: Conference Series, Vol. 2042/Issue 1, 2021, Article 012054, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/2042/1/012054 

Zoltan Nagy, José R. Vázquez-Canteli, Sourav Dey, Gregor P. Henze, “The CityLearn Challenge 2021,” Proceedings of the 8th ACM International Conference on Systems for Energy-Efficient Buildings, Cities, and Transportation (BuildSys ’21), 2021, pp. 218–219, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1145/3486611.3492226 

Giuseppe Pinto, Marco Savino Piscitelli, José Ramón Vázquez-Canteli, Zoltán Nagy, Alfonso Capozzoli, “Coordinated Energy Management for a Cluster of Buildings through Deep Reinforcement Learning,” Energy, Vol. 229, 2021, Article 120725, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2021.120725 

Juliana M. Felkner, Zoltan Nagy, Ariane L. Beck, D. Cale Reeves, Steven Richter, Vivek Shastry, Eli Ramthun, Edward Mbata, Stephen Zigmund, Benjamin Marshall, Linnea Marks, Vianey Rueda, Jasmine Triplett, Sarah Domedead, Jose R. Vazquez-Canteli, Varun Rai, “IMPACT: Integrated Bottom-Up Greenhouse Gas Emission Pathways for Cities,” arXiv preprint arXiv:2202.07458, 2022, DOI: https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2202.07458 

Jose R. Vazquez-Canteli, Sourav Dey, Gregor P. Henze, Zoltan Nagy, “CityLearn: Standardizing Research in Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning for Demand Response and Urban Energy Management,” arXiv preprint arXiv:2012.10504, 2020, DOI: https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2012.10504 

Research Partnerships


To learn about research partnerships, reach out to sponsorships@energy.utexas.edu

Strategic Energy Seed Grant Program Contact:


Christa Hopkins

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