Academic, industry collaborators leverage emerging technology to accelerate energy transition

Emerging technologies, like artificial intelligence and quantum computing, are key to accelerating the energy transition. The Energy Transition Network (ETN), a program of the Energy Technologies Initiative (ETI), recently hosted a symposium that brought together industry leaders and academic researchers working in these fields to push them forward for energy applications.

“This year’s annual symposium explored how artificial intelligence and quantum computing can accelerate scientific discovery and innovation, helping us build a more affordable, reliable and secure energy future,” said Laura Gagliardi, ETN Co-Director and Richard and Kathy Leventhal Professor in the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering (UChicago PME) and Chemistry.

ETN connects fundamental research to early-stage startups and major corporations that can translate knowledge and innovations into energy solutions and well-paid jobs. The symposium was attended by ETN members and collaborators, including IBM, PsiQuantum, Agilent, Gotion, UL Research Institutes and Shell.

“Our partners are the main reason that our ecosystem is so strong,” said Y. Shirley Meng, ETN Co-Director and Liew Family Professor at UChicago PME. “That’s why I say thank you to all our collaborators. To build something from ground zero is not easy, and it’s only through our members and partners that we’ve been able to accomplish what we have.”

The event included updates from ETN leadership and scholars, two industry panels and a technical program with research presentations as well as a tour of the Hyde Park Labs. ETN scholars showcased quantum materials engineering, transmission electron microscopy capabilities and organic battery development work at UChicago.

With AI and quantum technologies still in stages of development, the time is right for the kind of basic academic research that will lay the foundation for commercial applications that can solve real-world energy sector issues.

“Quantum materials offer energy solutions,” said Shuolong Yang, Assistant Professor at UChicago PME. “Already, we have good-quality quantum materials, but we need supreme-quality materials that can function at room temperature. That’s what my work is focused on.”

Shrayesh Patel, Associate Professor at UChicago PME and deputy director of ETI, provided updates on the progress of recent research developments in promising new batteries that replace critical metals with earth-abundant organic materials.

“Organic-based battery chemistries can have applications for long-duration energy storage in the near future,” said Patel. “The most promising applications include grid-level storage, powering data centers and wearables. And while there are questions still to answer around scale, these are inherently accessible and cost-effective materials.”

The symposium also featured the ribbon-cutting of the new Agilent Center of Excellence (CoE) for Energy Materials Research. The Agilent CoE is based at UChicago PME and will support ETI. The CoE will use Agilent instrumentation, including mass spectrometry and atomic spectroscopy, to help researchers investigate the materials and systems behind next-generation batteries, including batteries for electric vehicles and connected devices as well as grid-scale energy storage.

“AI relies on data, and data relies on instrumentation,” said Nadya Mason, UChicago Vice President for Research. “If we want to make progress in addressing our pressing energy-sector challenges, we must have better instruments. With this new center of excellence, that’s what we’re getting.”