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In 1884, marine engineer Charles Parson used coal to power his groundbreaking invention, the multi-stage steam turbine, to produce electricity. This technological revolution marked a new dawn of power generation and consumption around the world. Today, humanity's increasing electricity and power needs require more efficient turbines and environmentally friendly fuels.

To meet the energy needs of the near future through breakthrough materials technology, engineers at Texas A&M aim to develop a materials system for gas turbines that can operate using hydrogen fuel instead of natural gas. This will include high-performance alloys, protective coatings and cooling systems.

"The United States has set an ambitious goal to decarbonize energy by 2035," said Dr. Don Lipkin, professor in the materials science and engineering department and principal investigator on the grant.

"We need materials solutions for advanced gas turbines that are both cleaner and more efficient; that is, the turbines can work at much hotter temperatures and use hydrogen gas instead of natural gas so as not to produce carbon dioxide."

Turbines convert mechanical energy to electrical energy. Within these machines, blades attach to a central shaft. When these blades rotate, like the blades of a fan, the shaft spins, turning a generator and producing electricity. In Parson's turbine, the blades were set in motion by the steam produced by coal-heated water.

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