Advancing Hydrogen Generation and Energy Storage Through Next-Generation Electrolyzers |
Used globally in transportation, industrial processes and energy storage systems, hydrogen is emerging as a critical fossil fuel alternative to meet rising energy demands. With global demand for green hydrogen projected to increase more than twenty-fold to a $230 billion industry by 2035, improving efficiency and reducing production costs is becoming increasingly urgent.
To meet growing demand, the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK), Tickle College of Engineering’s Feng-Yuan Zhang, Ph.D., Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, and Research Assistant Professor Weitian Wang are re-engineering the proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzer to its electrode core.
The gap between laboratory performance and commercial utilization is where Zhang’s decades of research is focused, with more than 15 disclosures and 3 pending U.S. utility patents. “UTRF has been a tremendous partner; they’ve provided input on research and discussed disclosures and intellectual property protection strategies. They’ve also provided lots of guidance for commercialization.”
His cost-reduction approach is multi-faceted, focusing on enhancing performance and stability while lowering the use of expensive rare earth metals, reducing manufacturing time and processes.
“We are trying to improve performance and stability, and reduce costs at the same time,” Zhang said. “Those things usually work against each other."
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Fiscal Year 2026 Statistics |
*Numbers reflect information 07/01/2025 - 01/31/2026 and are subject to change
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| Innovation Disclosures |
U.S. Patents Filed | U.S. Patents Issued | Licenses |
Startups |
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| 121
| 59 | 8 | 14 | 1 |
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| Innovations being Marketed | Companies Contacted |
Companies Responded | Company Discussions |
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| 44 | 465 |
57 | 28 |
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| | Interim UTRF Vice President, James Parrett recently gave a talk on how working with UTRF may help you find greater opportunities and impact for your research through commercialization, industry partnerships and additional grant opportunities.
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Attended the 2026 Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM) annual meeting in Seattle.
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| | - Networked at Life Science Tennessee's Beer and Biotech event.
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Interviewed 1L students from UTK's Winston College of Law for UTRF's annual commercialization analyst internship program.
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UT Innovators with newly opened disclosures in January 2026.
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Joshua Rosenberg
College of Education, Dept. of Theory and Practice in Teacher Education
Uday Vaidya
Tickle College of Engineering, Dept. of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Xueping Li
Tickle College of Engineering, Dept. of Industrial and Systems Engineering
Brian Good
Tickle College of Engineering, Dept. of Biomedical Engineering
Gene Rible
Tickle College of Engineering, Dept. of Biomedical Engineering
Heidi Goodrich-Blair
College of Arts & Sciences, Dept. of Microbiology
Nicole McFarlane
Tickle College of Engineering, Min H. Kao Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Bradley Thomson
College of Arts & Sciences, Dept. of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences
Saifuddin Ahmed
College of Arts & Sciences, Dept. of Chemistry
Akan Geroge
College of Arts & Sciences, Dept. of Chemistry
Roo Walker
Tickle College of Engineering, Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering
Jacob Fischer
Tickle College of Engineering, Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering
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Umesh Marathe
UT-Oak Ridge Innovation Institute, Bredsen Center for Interdisciplinary Research and Graduate Education
Menisha Mahappu Koralalage
Tickle College of Engineering, Dept. of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Jared McGuirt
College of Education, Health and Human Sciences, Dept. of Nutrition
Jindong Tan
Tickle College of Engineering, Dept. of Biomedical Engineering
Chandra Raskoti
Tickle College of Engineering, Min H. Kao Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Shelby Watson
College of Arts & Sciences, Dept. of Chemistry
Mark Dadmun
College of Arts & Sciences, Dept. of Chemistry
Bing Yao
Tickle College of Engineering, Dept. of Industrial and Systems Engineering
Doug Coatsworth
College of Social Work
Mary Held
College of Social Work
Fei Liu
Tickle College of Engineering, Min H. Kao Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Kevin Caballero
Tickle College of Engineering, Dept. of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
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UT Institute of Agriculture |
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Benjamin Colgrove
Dept. of Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science
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Subhash Tadiparthi
Dept. of Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science
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Chetan Badgujar
Dept. of Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science
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Dustin Gilmer
Material Science Program
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Peng Zhao
Material Science Program
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Han Yu
Propulsion Research
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James Dale
Division of Infectious Diseases
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Amritha Trikkur Madom Seetharaman
Hamilton Eye Institute, Dept. of Ophthalmology
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Wei Li
College of Pharmacy, Dept. of Pharmaceutical Sciences
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Kelli Adeleye
College of Pharmacy, Dept. of Pharmaceutical Sciences
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Rajashekhar Gangaraju
Hamilton Eye Institute, Dept. of Ophthalmology
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Jiawang Liu
Medicinal Chemistry Core
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Duane Miller
College of Pharmacy, Dept. of Pharmaceutical Sciences
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Satyanarayana Pochampally
College of Pharmacy, Dept. of Pharmaceutical Sciences
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UTHSC College of Medicine – Knoxville |
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Gregory Mancini
Knoxville Surgery
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Shaunta' Chamberlin
University Family Physicians
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Jonathan DeLong
Knoxville Surgery
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William Dabbs
University Family Physicians
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U.S. Patents issued to UT Innovators in January 2026
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12,523,200 | Micro Scalable Thrusters for Adaptive Mission Profiles in Space -- UStamps
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Have an Idea? Let's Talk! |
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