Energy Solutions

Innovations in Batteries and Renewables

woman in lab coat works in a lab Our investigators pioneer materials for durable batteries, renewable energy, and carbon capture. They recover rare Earth metals from electronics, engineer solid-state and aqueous electrolytes, assess CO2 in seawater and mafic rock formations, and push the current understanding of green energy for a safer future. Below is a rotating selection of our standout investigators in these areas.

Selected Publications

Bashash, S. (2023). . Precision Engineering, 84.

Garcia, T., Juneja, P. K., Lee, S. J., Oh, D., and Lee, M. H. (2026). . ACS Applied Energy Materials, 9(10).

Kazemifar, F. (2022). . Greenhouse Gases: Science and Technology, 12(12).

Pietrzyk, K., Soares, J., Ohara, B., Lee, H. (2016). . Applied Energy, 183.

Vu, H., Subuyuj, G., Crisostomo, R, & Skovran, E., (2021). . Methods in Enzymology, 650.

Award Highlights

Kazemifar, Han, Bashash, 鈥淚ndustrial Assessment Centers 鈥� Regional Centers of Excellence鈥� 鈥� Department of Energy, 2023

Kazemifar, 鈥淓stablishing 91暗网 Industrial Assessment Center鈥� 鈥� Department of Energy, 2022

Oh, 鈥淏iomedical, Chemical & Materials Engineering Center for High Precision Patterning Science (CHiPPS)鈥� 鈥� Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 2022

Lee, Oh, "Effect of Cyclic Mechanical Stress on Ionic Conduction in Composite Polymer Electrolytes for Solid-State Batteries" 鈥� NSF, 2021

Skovran, "Efficient Recovery of Rare Earth using Methylobacterium Extorquens" 鈥� UC Berkeley, 2022-23

Innovations

Genetically engineering bacteria to eat rare earth metals in electronic waste; recovering them for power solutions.

Star-Powered Osmosis Solutions [pdf]
A novel approach to improve thin film composite forward osmosis membranes for seawater desalination, wastewater treatment, and other applications.

Affiliates

Featured Faculty

kazemifar
Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering
Energy Systems; Energy Efficiency in Industrial and Commercial Buildings
ORCID: 0000-0001-6260-9119

Hohyun Lee
Professor of Mechanical Engineering
Sustainable Energy Generation and Management, Grid Interactive Building, Resilient Community, Equitable Power Distribution
ORCID: 0000-0002-2691-9360

Associate Professor of Chemical and Materials Engineering
Energy Storage, Nanomaterials, Material Design, Green Technology, Sustainability, Lithium Batteries, Nanofabrication, Biomaterials, Bioinspired Materials Synthesis, Nanopatterning
ORCID: 0000-0003-1390-8440

Professor of Biological Sciences
Rare Earth Metals, Biorecycling, Electronic Waste, Lanthanides, Bacteria, Methylotroph, CRISPR, Genetic Engineering, Molecular Biology, Bacterial Genetics, Gacterial Physiology
ORCID: 0000-0002-1737-5621

Potential collaborators and members of the media may contact us at officeofresearch@sjsu.edu.