Nethika Suraweera-Task 2 Team Member

Primary Research Advisor: Dr. David Keffer, UT
Co-Advisor: Dr. Don Nicholson, Joint Institute for Computational Sciences, ORNL
Primary Research Task: Discovery of New Materials for Storage of Hydrogen as a Potential Fuel

Use of sustainable technology is becoming more and more important in the modern world. My interested in this area was stimulated by the studies I did as an undergraduate student on utilizing renewable energy sources like solar power, hydropower and bio-energy.

The STAIR program offers me a great opportunity to be involved in the study of another renewable energy source, hydrogen, during my graduate studies. My research is on developing molecular simulations for gas adsorption in porous materials and characterization. I have done hydrogen adsorption in Metal Organic Frameworks (MOFs), which is important as a solution for storage of hydrogen as a fuel. Currently I am working on gas adsorption simulations in porous materials made up with silsesquioxane units and metal catalytic sites.

I like traveling, camping, hiking, photography and playing badminton.

I completed my Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical and Process Engineering at University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka in 2006.

E-mail: Nethika Suraweera

Additional information on each of the three research areas can be found in the links below.

• Task 1: Production of hydrogen through biological pathways
• Task 2: Discovery of nanoporous materials for hydrogen storage
• Task 3: Identifying structure/property relationships in hydrogen-based fuel cells