Su Ha
Assistant professor of chemical engineering Su Ha investigates ways to generate energy from alternative fuels. His research group focuses most specifically on generating hydrogen gas from biofuels, bio-ethanol, glycerol, and abundant natural gases to develop a liquid organic fuel cell that directly converts the chemical energy of small organic molecules to electrical power.
In liquid organic fuel cell research, Dr. Ha's group has been developing fuel cells that produce electrical power from simple organic molecules. Recent advances in micro-electromechanical systems technology have led to development of significantly reduced sizes and increased functionality for portable electronic devices with both consumer and military applications. Mobile phones, PDAs, and laptop computers, for example, reflect this trend. In all of these devices, Dr. Ha's research helps to address issues such as battery size and longevity.