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# 2023 Solar Methane Decomposition |
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Solar Methane Decomposition employs concentrated solar energy for methane pyrolysis, producing hydrogen gas and premium cylindrical graphite without relying on water or grid electricity. Currently, hydrogen production largely depends on electrolysis, which consumes significant electricity and nine kilograms of water per kilogram of hydrogen, stressing both power grids and dwindling water supplies. This solar-driven solution addresses these challenges, and the graphite produced meets the surging demand from the battery industry, particularly for electric vehicles and grid storage, heralding a sustainable future in hydrogen and battery-grade graphite production.
Timothy S. Fisher (PhD Mechanical Engineering, Cornell 1998) joined UCLA in 2017 as Professor of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering (MAE) after 15 years at Purdue University, and several previous years at Vanderbilt. In 2018 he was received the Schauerman Endowed Chair in Engineering and the ASME Heat Transfer Memorial Award. He has mentored more than 40 doctoral advisees to candidacy and completion, and in 2012 he received the McDonald Mentoring Award from ASME. He has authored more than 275 papers in peer-reviewed journals and made a similar number of contributions to conference proceedings and presentations. more
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Dr. Mitchell Spearrin is an Associate Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at UCLA. Prof. Spearrin’s research focuses on high-temperature gas dynamics, chemical kinetics, spectroscopy and optical sensors, with applications to advanced energy and propulsion systems as well as planetary sciences. Dr. Spearrin is also a co-founder of SolGrapH Inc., which aims to leverage solar-thermal synthesis technology towards more sustainable fuels and materials. Dr. Spearrin completed his Ph.D. at Stanford University and his undergraduate studies at Harvard University. Prior to his academic career, Dr. Spearrin worked for Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne as a chemical propulsion development engineer. more
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Yves Rubin is a Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at UCLA. He received his Diploma in Chemistry in 1987 from the University of Fribourg in Switzerland with Professors Albert Gossauer and Alexander von Zelewski as diploma thesis advisors. He received his Ph.D. degree at UCLA in 1991 under the guidance of Professor François Diederich. From 1991 to 1992, he was a postdoctoral fellow with Professor Ronald Breslow at Columbia University. In 1992, he joined UCLA as an Assistant Professor, and in July 1998 he was promoted to Associate Professor with tenure. He is currently a Full Professor since 2001. His research focuses on the design, synthesis, and investigation of novel π-conjugated organic molecules with curved or flat surfaces for molecular electronics. In particular, he has initiated a number of collaborative projects centered on the synthetic functionalization of fullerenes, along with the targeted opening of fullerene cages for the insertion of transition metals inside the cage (“molecular surgery”), as well as the design and synthesis of self-assembling fullerene derivatives for achieving optimal control over the phase-segregation of organic donor-acceptor systems in bulk-heterojunction organic solar cells, and most recently, a novel bottom-up synthesis of graphene nanoribbons using the topochemical polymerization of 1,4-diaryl-1,3-butadiyne derivatives. He has published ca. 114 publications, along with 2 patents, and has given over 155 invited and keynote lectures. Yves Rubin is the recipient of several awards including the UCLA AAP Faculty Appreciation Award (2008), the UCLA Glenn T. Seaborg Award (2002), the Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship (1998), the Ruzicka Prize (1997), the NSF Young Investigator Award (1994), the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Young Investigator Award (1994), and the Camille and Henry Dreyfus New Faculty Award (1992). more
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Mark Seneker is a Co-Founder and CEO of SolGrapH Inc. Prior to SolGrapH, he was an executive at Nike, Inc. where he had over 20 years’ experience in the consumer goods industry developing & delivering innovative growth solutions, driving large scale strategic and organizational transformations, and building high-performing world-class teams. Mr. Seneker started his professional career as a corporate attorney at Cooley Godward LLC. more
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Abdalla Alghfeli, a Ph.D. graduate from UCLA in Mechanical Engineering, specializes in solar energy applications, material synthesis, and fuel production. His work, supported by a fellowship from UAEU, contributes significantly to the field of renewable energy technologies. Abdalla is dedicated to exploring innovative applications of solar energy, aiming to create a more sustainable future for everyone. more
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Mostafa is currently a Senior Test Engineer at Tesla, focusing on thermal failures and propagating thermal runaway events in Tesla's battery packs and products to be the safest in the world. Prior to joining Tesla, he earned his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering (with a focus on thermal science and engineering) from University of California Los Angeles in 2022. His Ph.D. thesis focused on a novel approach to solar-thermal production of hydrogen and graphite via methane decomposition. Prior to his Ph.D., Mostafa received his M.S. and B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from University of Minnesota (2019) and Tesla, he earned his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering (with a focus on thermal science and engineering) from University of California Los Angeles in 2022. His Ph.D. thesis focused on a novel approach to solar-thermal production of hydrogen and graphite via methane decomposition. Prior to his Ph.D., Mostafa received his M.S. and B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from University of Minnesota (2019) and Texas A&M University (2015), respectively. more
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Julia is a graduate student in the chemistry department at UCLA studying under the mentorship of Professor Yves Rubin. She specializes in the bottom-up synthesis and characterization of organic materials. Before coming to UCLA, she graduated from Johns Hopkins university and synthesized boron-based aromatics and polymers under the mentorship of Professor J.D. Tovar. more
Barathan Jeevaretanam is a PhD candidate in the laser spectroscopy and gas dynamics laboratory at UCLA. His research involves leveraging laser absorption spectroscopy techniques for emissions analysis, sustainable energy production and characterization of chemically reacting flows. At present, he is applying these techniques to further understanding of natural gas decomposition in a solar-driven pyrolysis reactor. Barathan obtained his B.S. in Aerospace Engineering at UC San Diego and his M.S. in Mechanical Engineering at UCLA. more
Min Jong joined the NTRG in the Fall of 2021 as a Ph.D. student in Mechanical Engineering at UCLA. In NTRG, he works on solar-thermal graphitization as the heat spreader on electronics substrates and thermal interface materials for electronics cooling. Also, he works on developing thermal property measurements such as thermal diffusivity by Ångström’s method and thermal interface resistances. more
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Hengrui Xu is a Mechanical Engineering graduate student in the Nano Transport Research Group at University of California Los Angeles . He earned his Bachelors degree with honors in Energy and Power Engineering from Xi’an Jiaotong University in 2022. At UCLA, Hengrui Xu is working on the project titled Direct Solar Conversion of Biogas to Hydrogen and Graphite. more
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Benjamin Heronimus is an Aerospace Engineering graduate student working under Professor Tim Fisher in the Nanoscale Transport Research Group at the University of California, Los Angeles. He received his bachelors in Astrophysics and Engineering Physics from the University of California, Berkeley. At Berkeley he worked on applications of carbon nanotube based technologies with applications including electron beam lithography, COVID-19 detection, and E-field emission. Within NTRG, Ben works as a part of the Solar Processing Team where he focuses on the multifunctional properties of carbon fibers and developing carbon fibers from natural sources like cellulose. more
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