Argonne researchers awarded $3.8 million to study clean energy

The funding is part of a $140 million package that aims to foster collaborations between universities and the national laboratory system.

A research team at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory was recently awarded $3.8 million for three years of funding as part of DOE’s clean energy and low-carbon manufacturing initiative. The project is being led by Karen Mulfort, a chemist in the Chemical Sciences and Engineering division.

“(These) research projects … will strengthen the scientific foundations needed for the United States to maintain world leadership in clean energy innovation, from renewable power to carbon management,” said DOE Secretary Jennifer Granholm.

Mulfort’s project also involves Argonne chemists Alex B.F. Martinson and Cong Liu. Their project is titled ​“Molecularly Defined Multi-Metal Clusters for Solar Energy Conversion” and will explore how clusters of certain molecular structures — for example, combinations of sulfur, cobalt, phosphorus and nitrogen — could be used to capture and convert solar energy into sustainable, carbon-neutral fuel sources.

“My team and I are very excited for this opportunity,” Mulfort said. ​“Exploring new molecular materials as a way to utilize sustainable, solar powered energy is important to meet the energy challenges we continue to face.”

More than $140 million in funding was awarded by DOE’s Chemical and Materials Sciences to Advance Clean Energy Technologies and Low-Carbon Manufacturing funding opportunity. This initiative aims to foster partnerships between 33 universities and 11 national laboratories to advance research in technologies such as solar energy and carbon storage.

More information on this funding can be found here.

Argonne National Laboratory seeks solutions to pressing national problems in science and technology. The nation’s first national laboratory, Argonne conducts leading-edge basic and applied scientific research in virtually every scientific discipline. Argonne researchers work closely with researchers from hundreds of companies, universities, and federal, state and municipal agencies to help them solve their specific problems, advance America’s scientific leadership and prepare the nation for a better future. With employees from more than 60 nations, Argonne is managed by UChicago Argonne, LLC for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, visit https://​ener​gy​.gov/​s​c​ience.