WPI Research Publication

FALL 2012

WPI Research is the research magazine of Worcester Polytechnic Institute. It contains news and features about graduate research in the arts and sciences, business, and engineering, along with notes about new grants, books, and faculty achievements.

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are based on water, they're safer than electrolyte solu- tions that rely on flammable organic solvents, like the ones that occasionally cause lithium-ion batteries to explode. Wang and his students are building a prototype and working to improve the electrochemical perfor- mance of the suspensions. And while he has his eye on grid storage, Wang also envisions a day when cheap, clean, compact flow batteries might trickle down to other appli- cations — like electric cars. Imagine, for example, a vehicle whose fuel tank holds Worcester crude instead of gasoline. Never mind plugging into an outlet and waiting to recharge the battery once it runs down; thanks to Wang, a driver could simply pump out the depleted suspension and pump in a fresh load, "just like pumping gas." Bridging a Knowledge Gap Like Wang, Diana Lados is interested in saving energy. But she comes at it from a very different angle. She recently received a five-year, $525,000 CAREER Award from the National Science Foundation to boost vehicle energy effi- ciency (and decrease greenhouse gas emissions) by replacing heavy structural materials like steel and cast iron with lighter metals such as aluminum, magnesium, and titanium. "Each 10 percent reduction in vehicle weight results in a 5 to 8 percent increase in fuel economy, and corresponding reduc- tions in CO2 emissions," says Lados, who founded and directs WPI's Integrative Materials Design Center (iMdc). Before those lighter materials can be widely adopted, however, engineers first need a better understanding of what causes them to fatigue, or break under repeated stress — a process that begins with microscopic cracks and ends with large fractures. Replace, Reduce, Recover…Sustain "Sustainable development is, perhaps, the most pressing issue of the 21st century," says Diran Apelian, Alcoa-Howmet Professor of Mechanical Engineering and director of the Metal Processing Institute. "At the same time, it is a remarkable opportunity for practitioners of materials science and engineering, as many of the approaches that can address the challenges we face are materials-centric." Two years ago, WPI took a bold step toward elevat- ing the role of materials research and education in sustainably. With a major award from the National Science Foundation, the university, in partnership with the Colorado School of Mines and Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium, established the Center for Resource Recovery and Recycling (CR3 ). Under the direction of Apelian, the center has set itself the goal of becoming "the premiere industry-university collaborative dedicated to the sustainable stewardship of our Earth's resourc- es." Its focus is new technologies for maximizing the recovery and recycling of metals used in manufactured products and structures. "This is a global issue," Apelian says. "It is significant that this is the first NSF-funded research center that includes a Euro- pean university. In many ways, European nations are ahead of the United States when it comes to the recovery and reuse of materials. We have a lot to learn from their experience." With its 38 members, including major materials producers, manufacturers, and leaders in recycling technology, CR3 's researchers are engaged in a wide range of projects, from developing ways to recover indium, rare earths, and ruthenium from plasma displays to pioneering real-time sensors for ana- lyzing melts to boost the recovery of aluminum from scrap. "The challenges of sustainable development are enormous," Apelian says. "It will take our collective ingenuity and collabo- ration across disciplines and national borders to achieve success. Through the CR3 , I believe we have established a model for collaborative, interdisciplinary research that can help point the way toward a more sustainable future." Learn more: "Materials science and engineering's pivotal role in sustain- able development for the 21st century," Diran Apelian, MRS Bulletin, April 2012; wpi.edu/academics/Research/CR3/2012pu035.html

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