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Center for Energy Harvesting Materials and System (CEHMS)

Center Overview

The Center for Energy Harvesting Materials and Systems (CEHMS) aims to develop interdisciplinary strengths in science and technology issues related to the sustainable development of energy solutions. Power sources are an important problem faced by the sensor networks, wireless communications, and microelectronics industries. CEHMS's research provides integrated solutions for obstacles in energy efficiency, storage, and distribution.

CEHMS' mission is to provide integrated solutions to microelectronics, mobile, and wireless technology problems through modeling, analysis, fabrication, and demonstration of intelligent systems.

CEHMS' vision is to lead global research and development in the area of energy harvesting by providing comprehensive expertise in materials, components, system design, analysis, characterization, and prototyping.

Universities

Pennsylvania State University
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Columbia University

View Center Website

Center Personnel

Huiming Yin
Center Staff
+1 212 854 6851
yin@civil.columbia.edu

Christopher Rahn
Center Staff
+1 814 865 1372
cdr10@psu.edu

Lei Zuo
Center Staff
+1 540 231 5281
leizuo@vt.edu

Research Focus

At CEHMS, research advances are being made in the fields of materials, structural dynamics, electronics, and storage media to develop self-powered systems and open a pathway for distributed power sources and grid integration. Focus areas are:

Energy harvesting for sensors and wireless communication.
Energy harvesting in transportation.
Ocean energy harvesting.
Solar and thermal energy harvesting.

Awards

1738802

Phase II IUCRC Columbia University: Center for Energy Harvesting Materials and Systems (CEHMS)

The Center for Energy Harvesting Materials and Systems (CEHMS) has an overarching goal to develop integrated solutions for challenging energy harvesting, efficiency, and storage and distribution problems. The research effort of the Columbia University Site aims at industry/university cooperative research to harvest energy through modern structural materials and designs of civil infrastructure systems. Given the intensive material and energy requirements in the building and transportation sectors, working toward energy harvesting through building envelopes and infrastructure surfaces is critical for sustainable development. The general framework within the Site Center is to work on materials development, system integration tools, and modeling to optimize the performance of energy harvesting technologies and devices. Because most energy is used in civil infrastructure, directly harvesting energy through the infrastructure will reduce costs of energy storage and transmission, produce synergistic life cycle benefits to the infrastructure system, and enhance the national energy security and safety. Columbia's research program is nurtured by the dynamic enterprise industry and large market of the NYC metropolitan area, and will offer excellent opportunities for us to recruit and engage underrepresented students in the research and education activities, providing interdisciplinary study experience to young scientists and engineers.

The multidisciplinary research team will perform research on industry-driven projects with the objective of translating laboratory prototypes into commercial products; build on interdisciplinary strengths in science and technology, and; develop strong collaborations with industry. We will use a holistic approach to design and develop multifunctional building envelopes and infrastructure surfaces, through which the interactions and potential synergies between the various material and structural behaviors, energy harvesting and efficiency performance, and human behaviors are properly understood, modeled, and exploited, while eliminating or minimizing any potentially detrimental consequences or interactions. In addition, we will also develop effective sensing and monitoring systems and accelerated testing methods for maximized energy harvesting efficiency and life cycle cost performance. As the first step to make a transformative change for energy harvesting through civil engineering infrastructure through the following five research thrusts: 1) Multifunctional advanced materials and structures for energy harvesting and efficiency; 2) Energy converting devices for solar, geothermal, and mechanics energy harvesting and storage, such as battery and fuel cells; 3) Roadway energy harvesting systems with infrastructure protection; 4) Energy efficient buildings with energy harvesting and wireless sensing; and 5) Life cycle analysis and testing of energy harvesting materials and systems. Read More >

Member Organizations

IUCRC affiliated member organizations are displayed as submitted by the Center. Non-federal organizations are not selected, approved, or otherwise endorsed by the U.S. National Science Foundation.

Aesthetic Green Power Corp.
ARMDEC
Army
DTP Thermoelectrics
e-Wave
Flibe Energy
Ford
Laird Thermal Systems
Microvast
Sandia National Laboratories
Schuco USA
Shenzhen Qiangyan
Siemens
Solar Mobility
Sustainable Product Development Lab
Toshiba

The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed are those of the Center author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. National Science Foundation.