fresh funding

Houston-led research team granted $4.1M for carbon synthesis project, calls for collaboration

A Rice University team researching carbon nanotube synthesis has received $4.1 million funding from both Rice’s Carbon Hub and The Kavli Foundation. Photo by Gustavo Raskosky/Rice University

A Rice University-led team of scientists has been awarded a $4.1 million grant to optimize a synthesis process that could make carbon materials sustainable and affordable on a large scale.

Known as carbon nanotube (CNT) synthesis, the process has the ability to create hollow cylindrical nanoscale structures made from carbon atoms that are strong, lightweight and carry heat and electricity well. CNT synthesis evolved across multiple countries around the same time, according to Rice. But to scale up the process in a way that could create alternatives to materials dependent on heavy industry, Matteo Pasquali, the team's leader and the A.J. Hartsook Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, says collaboration will be required.

“We have to apply a collaborative mindset to solve this problem,” Pasquali says in a statement. “We believe that by bringing together a dedicated interdisciplinary community, this project will lead to improvements in reactor efficiency and help identify further gaps in instrumentation and modeling.”

The grant seeks to achieve that. The funds come from both Rice’s Carbon Hub, which contributed $2.2 million to the team, and The Kavli Foundation, which granted $1.9 million in the form of a Kavli Exploration Award in Nanoscience for Sustainability.

The Kavli Foundation supports research in astrophysics, nanoscience, neuroscience and theoretical physics. Winners of its Kavli Prize, which recognizes scientific breakthroughs, often go on to win the Nobel Prize.

“We are proud to partner with Rice University to support this important high-risk, high-reward research,” says Amy Bernard, director of life sciences at The Kavli Foundation, says in a statement.

Pasquali is the director and one of the creators of Rice's Carbon Hub, a collaborative group of corporations, researchers, universities and nonprofits focused on decarbonizing the economy. He says the grant will help the team develop tools to shed light on CNT formation and reaction zones.

“We are at a critical juncture in carbon research, and it is really important that we shed light on the physical and chemical processes that drive CNT synthesis,” Pasquali says. “Currently, reactors are black boxes, which prevents us from ramping up synthesis efficiency. We need to better understand the forces at play in CNT formation by developing new tools to shed light on the reaction zone and find ways to leverage it to our advantage.”

Boris Yakobson, the Karl F. Hasselmann Professor of Engineering and professor of materials science and nanoengineering at Rice, and Thomas Senftle, assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at Rice, are also involved in the project. Other collaborators hail from the UK, Italy, Korea, and Spain, as well as U.S. labs and universities, including Harvard, Stanford, MIT and others.

In October, a separate team of Rice researchers released a study on a new synthesis process with applications in developing commercially relevant solar cells.

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A View From HETI

Hobby Airport's new solar canopy is operating at 100% capacity. Photo courtesy Houston Airports.

Houston's William P. Hobby Airport is generating its own clean energy.

Houston Aiports announced that Hobby's red garage is now home to a "solar canopy" that is producing energy at 100 percent capacity to power daily operations. The photovoltaic (PV) solar system generated more than 1.1 gigawatt-hours of electricity in testing, and is expected to produce up to 1 megawatt-hour now that it's operating at full power.

“This project is proof that sustainability can be practical, visible and directly tied to the passenger experience,” Jim Szczesniak, director of aviation for Houston Airports, said in a news release. “Passengers now park under a structure that shields their cars from the Texas sun while generating clean energy that keeps airport operations running efficiently, lowering overall peak demand electrical costs during the day and our carbon footprint. It’s a win for travelers, the city and the planet.”

The project was completed by Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES) and CenterPoint Energy. It's part of Houston Airport's efforts to reduce carbon emissions by 40 percent over its 2019 baseline.

In a separate announcement, the airport system also shared that it recently reached Level 3 in the Airports Council International (ACI) Airport Carbon Accreditation program after reducing emissions by 19 percent in three years. This includes reductions at George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), Hobby and Ellington Airport/Houston Spaceport.

The reductions have come from initiatives such as adding electric vehicles to airport fleets, upgrading airfield lighting with LED bulbs, adding smarter power systems to terminals, and improving IAH's central utility plant with more efficient equipment. Additionally, the expansion to Hobby's West Concourse and renovations at IAH Terminal B incorporate cleaner equipment and technology.

According to Houston Airports, from 2019 to 2023:

  • IAH reduced emissions by 17 percent
  • Hobby reduced emissions by 32 percent
  • Ellington Airport reduced emissions by 4 percent

"I see firsthand how vital it is to link infrastructure with sustainability,” Houston City Council Member Twila Carter, chair of the council’s Resilience Committee, said in the release. “Reducing carbon emissions at our airports isn’t just about cleaner travel — it’s about smarter planning, safer communities and building a Houston that can thrive for generations to come.”

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