Innovating Materials & Chemistry for Decarbonized Future: Iwnetim Abate

Conference Video|Duration: 35:45
January 24, 2025
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    Innovating Materials and Chemistry for a Decarbonized Future
    Iwnetim Abate
    Chipman Career Development Professor, Assistant Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, MIT Department of Materials Science and Engineering

    Decarbonizing transportation, the grid, and heavy industries depends on the success of both short- and long-duration energy storage solutions. Through novel material design and chemistry, my lab addresses critical challenges in developing affordable, sustainable, and reliable energy storage technologies. For short (to medium)-duration storage, we design and develop new cathode materials for sodium-ion batteries rich in manganese and iron. Our goal is to achieve energy densities comparable to lithium-ion batteries but at lower costs, without relying on critical minerals, thereby accelerating the transition to more sustainable energy storage. For long-duration storage, we have developed groundbreaking pathways for producing hydrogen (H₂) and ammonia (NH₃) using subsurface chemistry. By harnessing redox reactions on Fe-rich rocks and utilizing the Earth's natural heat and pressure, we demonstrate the potential for stimulated geological H₂ and NH₃ production. These methods achieve near-zero CO₂ emissions while remaining cost-competitive with existing technologies. Our work integrates advanced materials design with sustainable chemistry to provide scalable, impactful solutions for a decarbonized future.

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  • Video details
     
    Innovating Materials and Chemistry for a Decarbonized Future
    Iwnetim Abate
    Chipman Career Development Professor, Assistant Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, MIT Department of Materials Science and Engineering

    Decarbonizing transportation, the grid, and heavy industries depends on the success of both short- and long-duration energy storage solutions. Through novel material design and chemistry, my lab addresses critical challenges in developing affordable, sustainable, and reliable energy storage technologies. For short (to medium)-duration storage, we design and develop new cathode materials for sodium-ion batteries rich in manganese and iron. Our goal is to achieve energy densities comparable to lithium-ion batteries but at lower costs, without relying on critical minerals, thereby accelerating the transition to more sustainable energy storage. For long-duration storage, we have developed groundbreaking pathways for producing hydrogen (H₂) and ammonia (NH₃) using subsurface chemistry. By harnessing redox reactions on Fe-rich rocks and utilizing the Earth's natural heat and pressure, we demonstrate the potential for stimulated geological H₂ and NH₃ production. These methods achieve near-zero CO₂ emissions while remaining cost-competitive with existing technologies. Our work integrates advanced materials design with sustainable chemistry to provide scalable, impactful solutions for a decarbonized future.

Locked Interactive transcript