Fuel Cell-Enabled CO2-to-CO Conversion Using Ultra-Selective Membrane Technology
TS-072615 — The Need
Efficient carbon dioxide (CO₂) utilization and separation remain critical challenges in energy, chemical, and environmental sectors. Existing processes for CO₂ conversion to carbon monoxide (CO) and for separating CO₂/CO mixtures are energy-intensive, costly, and often lack selectivit…
- College: College
of
Engineering
(COE)
- Inventors: Ho, W.S. Winston; Han, Yang
- Licensing Officer: Ashouripashaki, Mandana
Sustainable Ammonia and Hydrogen Production via Biomass-Fueled Chemical Looping
TS-072583 — The Need
The ammonia industry is a major contributor to global CO₂ emissions, primarily due to its reliance on fossil fuels for hydrogen production and the energy-intensive air separation process for nitrogen. With over 500 million tons of CO₂ emitted annually from ammonia synthesis, there is a …
- College: College
of
Engineering
(COE)
- Inventors: Fan, Liang-Shih; Joshi, Rushikesh Kishor; Kudva, Ishani Karki; Shinde, Shekhar
- Licensing Officer: Ashouripashaki, Mandana
Method to Identify Optimal Conditions for Continuous Fixed-Bed Chemical Looping
TS-072582 — The Need
Current hydrogen production methods, such as steam methane reforming, are energy-intensive and emit significant CO₂, posing challenges for industries seeking low-carbon solutions. There is a critical need for scalable, efficient processes that enable continuous hydrogen generation while a…
- College: College
of
Engineering
(COE)
- Inventors: Fan, Liang-Shih; Akulwar, Falguni; Jawdekar, Tanay
- Licensing Officer: Ashouripashaki, Mandana
Carbon Dioxide Capture and Silica Generation via Silicate Looping
TS-072580 — The Need
Rising atmospheric CO₂ levels from fossil fuel combustion pose urgent climate and regulatory challenges. Existing carbon capture and sequestration technologies are often costly, energy-intensive, or limited in scalability. There is a critical need for economically viable solutions that no…
- College: College
of
Engineering
(COE)
- Inventors: Zhai, Shang; Cole, David; Fan, Liang-Shih; Shank, Kyle
- Licensing Officer: Ashouripashaki, Mandana
Integrated Chemical Looping System for CO2 Capture and High-Purity Syngas Generation
TS-072579 — The Need
Industrial processes that utilize syngas (hydrogen and carbon monoxide) often generate tail gas streams rich in CO₂ and other byproducts. Conventional carbon capture methods, such as acid gas removal units, are highly energy-intensive and reduce overall plant efficiency. There is a critic…
- College: College
of
Engineering
(COE)
- Inventors: Fan, Liang-Shih; Joshi, Rushikesh Kishor; Kudva, Ishani Karki; Shinde, Shekhar
- Licensing Officer: Ashouripashaki, Mandana
Advanced Chemical Looping Strategies for Efficient Solid Fuel Utilization and Hydrogen Production
TS-072577 — The Need
The transition to sustainable energy is hindered by the limitations of current hydrogen production methods, which rely heavily on fossil fuels and struggle with efficient, low-emission processing of solid fuels like biomass and coal. Existing chemical looping systems face challenges such as…
- College: College
of
Engineering
(COE)
- Inventors: Fan, Liang-Shih; Joshi, Rushikesh Kishor; Kudva, Ishani Karki; Shinde, Shekhar; Wang, Dawei
- Licensing Officer: Ashouripashaki, Mandana
Transforming Alum Sludge into a Sustainable Solution for Organic Contaminant Removal
TS-072576 — The Need
Drinking water utilities face mounting challenges in managing alum sludge, a byproduct of water treatment, as landfill options dwindle and disposal costs rise. Simultaneously, utilities must address increasingly stringent regulations for organic contaminants such as disinfection byproducts …
- College: College
of
Engineering
(COE)
- Inventors: Elliott, Dane; MacKay, Allison
- Licensing Officer: Randhawa, Davinder
Propagation-Based Fault Detection and Sensor Optimization for Complex Industrial Systems
TS-072175 — The Need
Modern industrial and energy systems are increasingly complex, making timely fault detection and discrimination critical for safety, reliability, and cost control. Existing fault diagnosis methods often struggle with transient states, require extensive historical data, or lack interpretabil…
- College: College
of
Engineering
(COE)
- Inventors: Smidts, Carol; Diao, Xiaoxu; Li, Boyuan
- Licensing Officer: Giles, David
Next-Gen InGaN Quantum Wells for High-Efficiency Amber LEDs
TS-071961 — The Need
Despite near-perfect external quantum efficiency in blue InGaN LEDs, devices emitting green, amber, and longer visible wavelengths remain inefficient. This is due to internal electric fields and charge separation in conventional quantum wells, which worsen with higher indium content and wid…
- College: College
of
Engineering
(COE)
- Inventors: Zhao, Hongping; Zhang, Kaitian
- Licensing Officer: Randhawa, Davinder
Novel Bayonet Seatbelt Connector for Enhanced Vehicle Safety Systems
TS-071941 — The Need
Current automotive seatbelt systems, especially standard 3-point belts, often fall short in protecting occupants during complex side impacts and in emerging autonomous vehicle seating configurations. Existing solutions like inflatable belts and safety vests can be uncomfortable and are not …
- College: College
of
Engineering
(COE)
- Inventors: Dapino, Marcelo; Headings, Leon; Srinivas, Vivek
- Licensing Officer: Sharick, Joe
Mesoporous Support-Immobilized Metal Oxide Nanoparticles for High-Purity Syngas Generation
TS-071809 — The Need
Syngas is an essential intermediate for producing high-value chemicals such as gasoline, methanol, and dimethyl ether. Current industrial methods (steam reforming, autothermal reforming, and partial oxidation) are energy-intensive, costly, and environmentally burdensome. Moreover, these met…
- College: College
of
Engineering
(COE)
- Inventors: Fan, Liang-Shih; Cheng, Zhuo; Liu, Yan; Qin, Lang
- Licensing Officer: Ashouripashaki, Mandana
Redox Chemical Looping System for CO2 Capture and Syngas Generation
TS-071808 — The Need
Industrial syngas and hydrogen production processes are highly energy-intensive and contribute significantly to carbon emissions due to reliance on fossil fuel combustion. Existing methods require multiple unit operations, resulting in low efficiency and high operational costs. There is a c…
- College: College
of
Engineering
(COE)
- Inventors: Fan, Liang-Shih; Baser, Deven Swapneshu; Cheng, Zhuo; Shah, Vedant
- Licensing Officer: Ashouripashaki, Mandana
Stable Phase Metal Oxide Syngas Generation without Molecular Oxygen
TS-071806 — The Need
Current syngas production from methane relies on energy-intensive air separation units (ASUs) to supply molecular oxygen, driving up capital and operating costs. Conventional catalysts also suffer from carbon deposition at low oxidant concentrations, limiting process flexibility and efficie…
- College: College
of
Engineering
(COE)
- Inventors: Fan, Liang-Shih; Baser, Deven; Cheng, Zhuo; Kathe, Mandar; Kong, Fanhe "Frank"; Nadgouda, Sourabh; Tong, Andrew
- Licensing Officer: Ashouripashaki, Mandana
Advanced Amine-Containing Membranes for High-Pressure Hydrogen Purification
TS-071805 — The Need
Hydrogen production from coal-derived syngas is a promising route for cleaner energy, but current CO₂/H₂ separation technologies struggle with efficiency, selectivity, and stability at high pressures. Existing membranes often suffer from reduced CO₂ permeance and compaction under indu…
- College: College
of
Engineering
(COE)
- Inventors: Ho, W.S. Winston; Han, Yang
- Licensing Officer: Ashouripashaki, Mandana
Advanced Thermomechanical Processing for Bioresorbable Magnesium Alloys
TS-071787 — The Need
Current bone fixation devices are typically made from stainless steel or titanium, which are significantly stiffer than bone and often require surgical removal. Magnesium alloys offer a promising alternative due to their bone-like mechanical properties and bioresorbability. However, commerc…
- College: College
of
Engineering
(COE)
- Inventors: Luo, Alan; Avey, Thomas
- Licensing Officer: Zinn, Ryan
Smart Drag-Reducing Surfactant Solutions with Tunable Flow Control
TS-071748 — The Need
Fluid transport systems—ranging from district heating/cooling networks to oil and gas operations—face significant energy losses due to turbulent flow. Traditional drag-reducing agents lack adaptability and often compromise heat transfer efficiency. There is a critical need for…
- College: College
of
Engineering
(COE)
- Inventors: Maxson, Andrew; Watson, Lucas; Zakin, Jacques
- Licensing Officer: Randhawa, Davinder
Reversible Shape-Changing Amorphous Polymers via Liquid Crystal Templating
TS-071745 — The Need
Current two-way shape memory polymers (SMPs) require expensive, crystalline or liquid crystalline monomers and complex synthesis, limiting their use in cost-sensitive and biocompatible applications. Widely used amorphous polymers (e.g., polystyrene, PMMA) are inexpensive and common in con…
- College: College
of
Engineering
(COE)
- Inventors: Wang, Xiaoguang "William"; Dupont, Robert; Zhang, Meng
- Licensing Officer: Randhawa, Davinder
Efficient Machine Learning Prediction of Solvation Thermodynamics
TS-071267 — The Need
Modeling solvent effects on catalytic surfaces is critical for designing industrial processes like biomass conversion, fuel synthesis, and electrocatalysis. Traditional multiscale simulations combining density functional theory (DFT) and molecular dynamics (MD) offer accuracy but are comp…
- College: College
of
Engineering
(COE)
- Inventors: Getman, Rachel; Punyapu, Rohit; Shi, Jiexin
- Licensing Officer: Randhawa, Davinder
Modular Unit for Liquid Fuel Production from Natural Gas
TS-070633 — The Need
Stranded natural gas (SNG), a by-product of crude oil extraction, is often flared due to the high cost and logistical challenges of pipeline transport. Approximately 15 tons/day of SNG is flared from one oil well. This results in significant greenhouse gas emissions and wasted energy. With …
- College: College
of
Engineering
(COE)
- Inventors: Fan, Liang-Shih; Gun, Sudeshna; Jawdekar, Tanay; Joshi, Anuj; Kumar, Sonu; Lu, Cong-Wen; Paulson, Joel
- Licensing Officer: Ashouripashaki, Mandana
Fixed-Bed Redox Chemical Looping for Clean Energy Syngas and Hydrogen
TS-070629 — The Need
Current industrial processes for hydrogen and syngas production—such as steam methane reforming and autothermal reforming—are energy-intensive, prone to catalyst coking, and economically viable only at large scales. These methods also struggle with CO₂ emissions and integratio…
- College: College
of
Engineering
(COE)
- Inventors: Fan, Liang-Shih; Joshi, Anuj; Joshi, Rushikesh Kishor; Kumar, Sonu; Sunny, Ashin
- Licensing Officer: Ashouripashaki, Mandana
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