University of Houston System

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Leland Stanford Junior University

Elemental Coatings LLC

Hadi Ghasemi

Gang Paul Chen

T Randall Lee

Varun Kashyap

Peyman Irajizad

Riddhiman Medhi

Abdullah Al-Bayati

Yi Cui

Lee A Weinstein

Evelyn N Wang

Sungwoo Yang

Svetlana Boriskina

Yuan Yang

Andrej Lenert

Nenad Miljkovic

David M Bierman

James Loomis

Xiaopeng Huang

Amy Marie Marconnet

George Ni

Kenneth McEnaney

Yanfei Xu

Jonathan Kien-Kwok Tong

Munib Hasnain

Selcuk Yerci

Seok Woo Lee

Jianjian Wang

Zixu Huang

Brian Huskinson

Siwakorn Sakunkaewkasem

Sahar Qavi

Winter icing can adversely impact transportation systems (aircrafts, drones, trains, etc.), infrastructure, and energy systems, among many other things. Existing ice-shedding coatings generally suffer from low durability under various mechanical, chemical, and environmental stresses. The polyurethane-based, stress-localized ice-shedding coatings described herein present a novel material paradigm to develop highly durable ice-shedding coatings capable of withstanding harsh aerospace and other industrial conditions. By optimizing the chemical composition and processing of the coating, a uniform, highly durable, polyurethane-based ice-shedding coating has been achieved that can be applied to a variety of surfaces. These coatings have been comprehensively tested, including ice adhesion strength measurements, ice-shedding capabilities in an icing wind tunnel, and a set of mechanical, chemical and environmental durability tests. These ice-shedding surfaces promise a feasible approach to address long-standing icing problems in aircrafts, drones, off-shore wind-turbines and other types of equipment and infrastructure.

Polyurethane-based ice-shedding coatings

A method for full spectrum solar thermal energy harvesting and collection includes storing a first heat in a phase change material in the presence of solar radiation based on absorbing full spectrum solar radiation, harvesting a second heat from the phase change material in the presence of solar radiation, storing molecular energy in a molecular storage material in the presence of solar radiation based on absorbing full spectrum solar radiation, transferring the second heat from the phase change material to the molecular storage material in the absence of solar radiation, and harvesting the molecular energy released by the molecular storage material.

Systems and methods for full spectrum solar thermal energy harvesting and storage by molecular and phase change material hybrids

A system configured to capture COand able to be washed of the captured COincludes a material including an ionic liquid configured to capture COin response to exposure to a gas comprising COand to a thermal energy source and an aerogel holding the ionic liquid therein. The system may also include a washing solution configured to wash the captured COfrom the material.

Materials, systems, and methods for CO2 capture and conversion

Durable antibacterial coatings are prepared by inter-diffusing zwitterionic polyurethane in acrylic polyurethane. Bacterial attachment is substantially eliminated from the surface of the coatings due to the hydrophilicity of the zwitterionic polyurethane. Long-term antibacterial properties were observed for both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria even when the coatings were constantly challenged by mechanical abrasion.

Scalable inter-diffused zwitterionic polyurethanes for durable antibacterial coatings

Viscoelastic icephobic surfaces of the present disclosure include organogel particle beads dispersed in an elastomer matrix. The surfaces are highly repellant to ice formation, easy and cost efficient to apply, and have long term durability for harsh outdoor applications.

Viscoelastic ice phobic surfaces

A method of capturing COand converting the captured COinto useful byproducts includes providing a material including a material matrix holding an ionic liquid, exposing the material to a source of thermal energy to capture COwithin the material, removing the material from exposure to the source of thermal energy, and washing the material with a solution to convert the captured COand wash the converted, captured COfrom the material as filtrate. Materials and systems for capturing COand converting the captured COinto useful byproducts are also provided.

Viscoelastic icephobic surfaces

Modified surfaces of the present disclosure include a surface or substrate material, a magnetic field, which may be generated through the use of a magnet placed at a distance beneath the surface or substrate, or placed above the surface or substrate, or through the use of a magnetic surface or substrate, and a magnetic fluid, such as ferrofluid or ferrogel, deposited in a layer on the top of the surface or substrate. The modified surfaces may be icephobic. In addition, a droplet of liquid placed on the modified surface can be manipulated through placement of a local heat source in proximity to the droplet, without contacting the droplet.

Magnetic surfaces and uses thereof

Process for continuous fabrication of highly aligned polymer films. A polymer-solvent solution is subjected to a high shear, high temperature, Couette flow to extrude a thin film having polymer chain disentanglement. The extruded thin film is frozen and the solvent is allowed to evaporate to form a dried film. The dried film is mechanically drawn using a constant force, adaptive-thickness drawing system to align polymer molecular chains through plastic deformation. A suitable polymer is ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene.

Continuous fabrication system and method for highly aligned polymer films

A single-stack, solar power receiver comprising both a thermal absorber layer and a photovoltaic cell layer. The stack includes an aerogel layer, that is optically transparent and thermally insulating ('OTTI'); a spectrally selective high thermal conductivity ('SSTC') thermal absorber layer; a bottom OTTI layer; and a PV cell layer. The SSTC layer includes a set of fins that substantially blocks solar radiation absorption in the band where PV cells are most sensitive. Photons with energies above or below this band block range are absorbed by the fins and the absorbed heat is conducted to pipes in the fin structure carrying a heated thermal working fluid to heat storage. Photons with energy in the band block range are reflected by the SSTC fins to the PV cell layer. The bottom OTTI aerogel layer keeps the PV cell operating near ambient temperature. The PV cell converts incident solar radiation to electrical energy.

Internally-heated thermal and externally-cool photovoltaic cascade solar energy system for full solar spectrum utilization

Electrochemical systems for harvesting heat energy, and associated electrochemical cells and methods, are generally described. The electrochemical cells can be configured, in certain cases, such that at least a portion of the regeneration of the first electrochemically active material is driven by a change in temperature of the electrochemical cell. The electrochemical cells can be configured to include a first electrochemically active material and a second electrochemically active material, and, in some cases, the absolute value of the difference between the first thermogalvanic coefficient of the first electrochemically active material and the second thermogalvanic coefficient of the second electrochemically active material is at least about 0.5 millivolts/Kelvin.

Electrochemical systems configured to harvest heat energy

A localized heating structure, and method of forming same, for use in solar systems includes a thermally insulating layer having interconnected pores, a density of less than about 3000 kg/m, and a hydrophilic surface, and an expanded carbon structure adjacent to the thermally insulating layer. The expanded carbon structure has a porosity of greater than about 80% and a hydrophilic surface.

Localized solar collectors

Growing community of inventors

Boston, MA, United States of America

Hadi Ghasemi