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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><img width="599" height="171" style="width:6.2395in;height:1.7812in" id="Picture_x0020_2" src="cid:image001.png@01DBAD3F.43184310" alt="Dissertation Defense Announcement at the Cullen College of Engineering"></span><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<b><span style="font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:#C8102E;mso-ligatures:none">Functional Material for High-Capacity Hydrogen Storage</span></b><span style="font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:#C8102E;mso-ligatures:none"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<b><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none">Rojan Firuznia</span></b><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;mso-ligatures:none"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none">April 25, 2025, 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (CST)<br>
Location: Engineering Building 1, Large Conference Room</span><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<b><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none">Committee Chair:</span></b><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none"><br>
Hadi Ghasemi, Ph.D.</span><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<b><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none">Committee Members:</span></b><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none"><br>
Dong Liu, Ph.D. | Alamgir Karim, Ph.D. | Di Yang, Ph.D. | <br>
Ben XU, Ph.D. </span><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<b><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#C8102E;mso-ligatures:none">Abstract</span></b><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#C8102E;mso-ligatures:none"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none">In the context of sustainable energy and climate mitigation, hydrogen has emerged as a vital energy carrier for both stationary and mobile applications. However, the
development of high-capacity, safe, and cost-effective hydrogen storage systems remains a significant barrier to advancing the hydrogen economy. Traditional storage materials—including metal hydrides, metal-organic frameworks, and two-dimensional materials—often
suffer from drawbacks such as high operating pressures, slow kinetics, and energy-intensive hydrogen release processes.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none">This dissertation explores an alternative approach by investigating hydrogen solubility and hydrate formation under confinement. First, we examine how nanoscale confinement
affects hydrogen solubility in water, revealing that pore size and geometry critically influence molecular interactions and hydrate stability. We then employ a modified zeolite platform, termed Z3, featuring rationally tuned pore dimensions and tailored surface
chemistry. This structure enhances hydrogen solubility by restructuring water molecules and facilitating double donor–acceptor (DDAA) hydrogen bonding, enabling hydrogen storage in the form of hydrates at pressures as low as 8 –10 bar, two orders of magnitude
lower than conventional systems.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none">Building upon these findings, we introduce a novel solid–liquid hybrid platform: the Solid–Liquid Storage Material (SLSM). SLSM consists of tiny porous silica materials
filled with water-based solutions and covered by liquid layers. This architecture promotes water molecule reorganization and DDAA bonding within confined domains, significantly enhancing hydrogen solubility. Notably, SLSM generates internal pressures of approximately
500 bar under ambient conditions, eliminating the need for external compression.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none">The SLSM achieves a hydrogen storage capacity of 0.043 kg H2 per liter of system volume, meeting the U.S. Department of Energy’s 2025 volumetric storage target. By
integrating low-pressure operation, fast kinetics, and high storage density, this work presents a promising pathway for next-generation hydrogen storage technologies to enable a clean and efficient energy transition. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
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