The team will be led by Professor Ken Reifsnider, an internationally recognized researcher in solid oxide fuel cells, and director of the university’s Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Center of Excellence.

 he center will concentrate on designing and creating materials essential for engineering devices such as fuel cells, electrolyzers, electrodes, photovoltaics, combustion devices, fuel processing devices, and functional membranes and coatings. A key element of the center’s research will focus on understanding the nanostructure and functionality of such materials.

Reifsnider says the award is the culmination of a 20-year dream to find answers to fundamental questions about heterogeneous materials used in energy systems. His team includes mechanical engineers Frank Chen and Chris Xue, Hans-Conrad zur Loye from chemistry and biochemistry, and chemical engineer Andreas Heyden.