New research strategy shared by Honda and Ohio State advancing energy innovation
In its first year, a jointly held research strategy between The Ohio State University and Honda has blossomed into multiple projects advancing next-generation energy systems research.
Ohio State’s Institute for Materials Research (IMR) worked with Honda to focus the research direction for multiple projects and shape the overall strategy to advance energy experimentation.
The relationship grew from an energy agreement signed last year by Ohio State and Honda that secured nearly half a million dollars in financial support to further experimental energy systems research at the university.
“This mutually beneficial agreement with Honda will further efforts at Ohio State that explore new energy storage and conversion devices capable of helping create a sustainable future through research, education and collaboration,” said IMR Director of Innovation Jay Sayre.
The strategy supports new, collaborative R&D, testing and services projects that include faculty, staff and students. So far, it has helped launch more than a dozen new research projects that focus on topics ranging from advanced battery development to advanced joining.
“IMR is the first point of entry I look to when wanting to do research related to materials with Ohio State. They help put together interdisciplinary teams to solve multi-faceted problems, within or outside energy,” said Chris Brooks, chief scientist at Honda Development & Manufacturing of America and project director of 99P Labs, a Honda and Ohio State-backed collaborative space for mobility and energy innovators.
“I see this relationship as an important direction toward longer-term research which will realize a push toward electrification and reduced CO2 emissions in the near- and long-term future.”
The agreement also included funding for the hire of a new research scientist at Ohio State. Qingmin Xu is IMR’s newest technical staff member working at IMR’s Energy Innovation Lab at Nanotech West Laboratory, on West Campus.
There, Xu performs fundamental and applied energy systems research in conjunction with Honda. She works with a network of Ohio State faculty, staff, and graduate students in areas related to energy storage and conversion, including battery development research.
Xu comes to Ohio State with more than 15 years of experience in renewable energy. Xu was previously a scientist and project leader at Honda Research Institute USA, Inc., where she headed projects focusing on next-generation batteries.
Accelerating research pertaining to advanced materials and technologies for sustainability is a key goal of the Materials and Manufacturing for Sustainability (M&MS) Discovery Theme, operated by IMR. This work will be performed in conjunction with Honda’s 2030 Vision.
The Honda-Ohio State Partnership is a collaboration between the university and Honda that dates back to 1988. IMR’s strategic partnership with Honda has grown through multiple collaborations, including IMR innovation events joining Ohio State and Honda researchers, and M&MS faculty research receiving funding from Honda.
by Mike Huson, Institute for Materials Research
