Director:
Dr. Turki Nabieh Baroud
Location: Building 75, Room 405
Tel: 013-860-2630
Contact Person: Mr. Faheemuddin Patel
Email: faheemmp@kfupm.edu.sa
Phone: 860-7819
Introduction:
The Materials for Energy and Water lab (MEW) was established in 2020 in Mechanical Engineering Department at KFUPM. The MEW lab fosters interdisciplinary research at the forefront of materials science by bringing together faculty, researchers, students, and industry in materials science, materials chemistry, energy generation and storage, water desalination and treatment in a highly-collaborative, progressive research environment. The Research at MEW spans from synthesis and characterization of advanced materials to fundamental understanding of the phenomena and roles of materials used for energy and water applications. The MEW lab houses cutting-edge facility to empower researchers to conduct impactful and high-quality research. The lab focuses on rationally designing and developing advanced functional materials for:
- Converting renewable resources to energy
- Mitigating the energy's impact on the environment
- Water desalination and treatment.
Representative of Ongoing Research Projects:
- Development of Highly Efficient Membranes for Desalination of Produced Water.
- Synthesis and Functionalization of Porous Materials for Electrochemical Conversion of CO2 to Useful Chemicals.
Courses Supported:
- ME 411 / ME 412 / ME 414 / ME 416: Senior Design Projects
- ME 574 Advanced Materials Science
- MSE 503 Engineering Nanomaterials
- MSE 531 Materials Characterization
- ME 606: Independent Research
- ME 610: MS Thesis
- ME 701 / ME 702 : Directed Research
- ME 710 / ME 712 : PhD Dissertation
Equipment and Applications
| S. No. | Equipment | Applications |
| MAJOR EQUIPMENT | | |
| 1 | Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) | For high resolution nano-scale imaging of materials |
| 2 | Raman Microscope | For chemical composition and structure of materials |
| 3 | FTIR spectrometer | For identification of qualitative and quantitative information materials |
| 4 | Porometer | To measure pore size and pore distribution in porous materials with open pores |
| 5 | Electrospinning system | To perform electrospinning of materials and fibers |
| 6 | Microwave reaction system | To perform microwave synthesis of materials |
| 7 | High Pressure Reaction Systems (Autoclaves) | To perform chemical reactions at high pressures |
| 8 | Contact angle measuring instrument (Goniometer) | For measuring water contact angles of the surfaces |
| 9 | Dip Coater | To coat samples with thin coatings with single or multiple layers |
| 10 | Optical microscope | For optical imaging in reflection and transmission modes |
| 11 | Automatic Grinder and Polisher | For grinding polishing of hard materials |
| 12 | Automatic Uniaxial Press | For high pressure Uniaxial compaction of powder materials |
| 13 | High Temperature Tube Furnace | For high temperature sintering under vacuum or inert atmosphere |
| MINOR EQUIPMENT AND SETUPS | | |
| 14 | Membrane distillation setup | To perform membrane distillation experiments |
| 15 | Water purification system | To prepare pure/distilled water for experimental use |
| 16 | Vacuum Ovens | |
| 17 | Rotational Viscometer | To measure shear viscosity of solutions |
| 18 | Centrifuge | To mix and homogenize solutions and dispersants |
| 19 | PH, Conductivity and Ion Analyzer | To measure PH, conductivity and ionic state of solutions and dispersants |
| 20 | Probe Ultra-Sonicator | For ultra-sonication of solutions containing nanoparticles and dispersants to obtain a homogeneous solution |
| 21 | Densimeter | To measure density using Archimedes Principle |
| 22 | Magnetic stirrers with hot plates | For stirring solutions and dispersants with controlled speed and temperature |
| 23 | Micro Balances | For precise weight measurement up to micrograms
|
Pictures of Major Equipment:
