Skip to main content

Sustainable Energy and Materials

Good for humans and for the planet

A small chip on the tip of a gloved finger

A powerful, ultra-tiny spectrometer that fits on a microchip and is operated using artificial intelligence made use of a new class of super-thin materials known as two-dimensional semiconductors – a collaboration between physicist Ethan Minot and Finland’s Aalto University.

Researchers in the College of Science at Oregon State recognize that sustainable energy and materials research are critical to meeting society’s ever-increasing energy needs — and to fulfilling our responsibility to protect and steward our planet’s resources. In many ways, human ingenuity and technological development have been drivers of increasing waste, carbon emissions and fossil fuel usage, but technological development can also be the key to reversing these trends. Harnessing the potential of new materials can contribute significantly to a generation of more sustainable energy and tech.

Our highly collaborative environment and research funding attracts expertise across disciplines in science and engineering, pursuing safer and more sustainable batteries, exploring new materials for semiconductors and lower-energy electronics, and repurposing waste heat and carbon dioxide generated by industrial processes into usable energy.

“To get the whole energy storage crisis fixed, we need chemists, engineers and entrepreneurs. It’s going to be a collective effort for everyone.”

Xiulei "David" Ji

Bert & Emelyn Christensen Professor of Chemistry

Bridging science and society

Components of Thin Film Transistor displays laid out in a workshop
David Ji holds a test battery focused in the foreground
YInMn blue crayons on top of blue pigment texture

Collaboration between chemistry, physics and engineering faculty and Hewlett Packard ultimately led to the development of IGZO, an alternative to traditional silicon-based transistors in displays (like the Apple 5k monitor) that can provide better resolution and pixel density at significantly lower energy consumption.

In the pursuit of large-scale, reliable, safe, environmentally sustainable and affordable electricity storage, chemist Xiulei “David” Ji is part of Aqueous Battery Consortium (ABC), a collaborative, interdisciplinary team funded by the U.S. Department of Energy.

YInMn blue is a high-performance IR-reflective pigment, meaning that as a commercial product it can keep buildings cooler–reducing operating costs and increasing energy efficiency, good for humans and for the planet. Crayola launched a new crayon inspired by YInMn Blue in summer 2017: Bluetiful. The Shepherd Color Company has manufactured the pigment for commercial use.

Powering a cleaner future

Related centers and facilities

  • Materials Synthesis and Characterization Facility
    The Materials Synthesis and Characterization Facility is a comprehensive innovation center that provides researchers with deep experience in thin-film deposition, device fabrication, and materials analysis. The Facility serves as a premier hub for materials and device development at OSU, and partners with industry to foster novel technologies and products.
  • Advanced Technology and Manufacturing Institute (ATAMI)
    ATAMI drives research and innovation by connecting industry and high growth technology and manufacturing startups with Oregon State University resources.
  • Jen-Hsun Huang and Lori Mills Huang Collaborative Innovation Complex
    The Jen-Hsun Huang and Lori Mills Huang Collaborative Innovation Complex will be a dynamic home for team-based transdisciplinary research and teaching. The complex will support innovation, entrepreneurship and partnerships with industry and other higher education institutions, while helping to prepare graduates for Oregon’s workforce and beyond.

Materials Science opens the door to myriad careers.

Graduates in with materials science experience increasingly find jobs in the renewable energy and energy storage and conversion sectors, Department of Energy National Laboratories, academic institutions and private industry, including ceramic, superconductor, paints and coatings, and plastics manufacturers and biomedical industries, among many others.