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Center for Energy Harvesting Materials and System (CEHMS)

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

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

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Pennsylvania 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

1916707

Phase II IUCRC at The Pennsylvania State University: Center for Energy Harvesting Materials and Systems (CEHMS)

Free, ambient energy is widely available in the environment and can be harnessed to power mobile devices. The Pennsylvania State University (PSU) site of the Center for Energy Harvesting Materials and Systems (CEHMS) develops energy harvesting and storage technologies that can provide continuous power to a wide range of wireless devices, including machinery diagnostic equipment, environmental sensors, and health-monitoring wearables. Novel power management electronics are proposed that dynamically route power to the load and maintain battery charge. This site will invent new materials, structures, and systems that dramatically increase the harvested power and the ability to store energy efficiently, enabling a new generation of self-powered wireless devices with smaller footprints and more capabilities. The PSU CEHMS site will also investigate the scale up of energy producing devices and storage systems for renewable energy support in the grid and electric vehicles. The site will also participate in the organization of tutorial sessions for students, faculty, and industry members during the annual Energy Harvesting Workshop run by the Energy Harvesting Society based at the PSU Navy Yard. CEHMS includes a broad international program with universities, government labs and industries from Germany, South Korea, Canada, Taiwan, and India. PSU CEHMS faculty will supervise senior design projects on energy harvesting and involve undergraduate students in a variety of CEHMS activities. The PSU CEHMS site has research thrusts in materials development, integration tools, and modeling to optimize the performance of energy harvesting technologies and systems. The research aims to increase the electromechanical coefficients of active materials, exploit specific phenomena to increase power density, improve the efficiency of rectifiers that transform translational motion into rotational motion and electric circuits for conversion, regulation, rectification, and storage. Research plans include the design of wireless battery management systems, multi-modal energy harvesting for wearables, and new battery and supercapacitor chemistries. Novel materials for energy storing batteries and supercapacitors will be discovered and experimentally tested. Models that predict the performance and degradation of energy storage and harvesting systems will increase understanding of these complex multiphysics problems. Model-based systems and control will provide robust and reliable performance of energy harvesting and storage systems. The addition of the Penn State Site will allow CEHMS to meet the intellectual challenges of developing hybrid power systems for a wide range of applications.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria. Read More >

1738689

Phase II IUCRC Virginia Tech: Center for Energy Harvesting Materials and Systems (CEHMS)

Transforming ambient energy, available freely from many sources (mostly as wasted energy), to electric power has attracted the interest of different industries because of growth potential and breadth of applications. The ability to generate power locally could eliminate the need to deliver power through a wire, and recharge or replace batteries. Through industry-directed research and collaborative efforts between the center sites, industry members of the Center for Energy Harvesting Materials and Systems (CEHMS) and others will be able to embed self-powered sensors within structures (buildings, aircraft, bridges, nuclear plants, etc.) to relay information about their structural integrity, power sensors for natural hazards monitoring, replenish power of portable and wearable electronic devices, and support the Internet of Things and operation of autonomous systems. 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 >

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 National Science Foundation.

Aesthetic Green Power Corp.
ARMDEC
DTP Thermoelectrics
e-Wave
Flibe Energy
Ford Motor Company
Laird Thermal Systems
Microvast
Sandia National Lab
Schuco USA
Shenzhen Qiangyan
Siemens
Solar Mobility Co
Sustainable Product Development Lab LLC
Toshiba America Research Inc.
US Army