Researchers at the University of Sharjah are expanding the state of the art by producing original, innovative, and groundbreaking engineering research.
A Patent to Transform Energy Storage: Professor Abdul Ghani Olabi and his team at the Research Institute of Sciences and Engineering (RISE) have filed for patent application No. US 17/583,828 of the next generation of hybrid supercapacitor that allow a more efficient and sustainable way to storage energy. These capacitors are a two-terminal electrical device that can store energy in the form of an electric charge. Hybrid supercapacitors are expected to be the next generation electrochemical energy storage systems due to their unique characteristics including high safety, low cost, and excellent electrochemical features. With this patent, the University of Sharjah places itself at the forefront of energy revolution and sustainability.
Creating Materials for A Solar Power Revolution: A team of researchers and students in the Center of Advanced Materials in RISE led by Dr. Hussain Alawadhi is developing a novel process to produce perovskite solar cells (as an alternative to silicon) of high efficiency, low cost, and enhanced stability. The team is using Machine Learning (AI) to improve perovskite’s stability in their state-of-the-art research laboratory. The research has huge implications because not only perovskites are much better at absorbing sunlight than crystalline silicon, allowing it to be manufactured in laboratories rather than mined, but its cost is lower, which can revolutionize the production and accessibility of solar panels.
Patenting a New Membrane to Make Water Desalination: A group of UOS researchers led by Professor Muataz Ali at RISE patented in the United States a new generation of RO membrane for desalination of harsh brackish water and seawater. The developed membranes show higher performance and higher stability compared to many commercial ones. This opens the potential for product development and commercialization. The patented membrane uses reverse osmosis (RO), which is a water purification process that uses a partially permeable membrane to separate ions, unwanted molecules, and larger particles from drinking water.
Nanotechnology to Solve the Big Water Problem: One of the most innovative projects at the UOS is the use of nanotechnology to create clean and drinkable water. The team led by Dr. Shorjo Bhattacharjee at RISE is using this technology to tackle a wide range of pollutants such as those from fertilizers, including phosphorus, metal pollutants like chromium and copper, and emerging contaminants like pharmaceutical compounds. The UOS researchers have also developed a unique sustainable approach to prepare high performance nanomaterials from waste date palm seeds.
Developing Technology that Produces Energy and Water: Researchers at the University of Sharjah have developed and built a photovoltaic and solar thermal collector to produce electricity and hot water at the same time. In this project, the main purpose is to explore the maximum potential of this solution under UAE conditions using different cooling strategies. This study seeks to increase the penetration of renewable energy and harness more solar energy for water heating and electricity applications. The project is led by Dr. Ahmed Amine Hachicha from the Research Institute of Sciences and Engineering at the University of Sharjah, who worked with his team to develop an installation that includes various cooling strategies, which was designed using an innovative hybrid PV-thermal collector.
Find out more about Engineering Research, see RISE:
https://www.sharjah.ac.ae/en/Research/RISE/Pages/default.aspx
