Today, the most important issues we need to address are the scarcity of energy and climate change. The goal for the future is to find new ways to power our life without adding to global warming. The most abundant and long-lasting source of energy is the sun. Electrons in semiconductor can be excited by sunlight, which can turn them into electricity via a solar cell. Additionally, sunlight can produce heat which can be converted to electricity by thermoelectric materials. Hydrogen is the purest form of energy, that can be produced when sunlight interacts with seawater.

Our primary goal is to learn how various energy material systems, such as solar hydrogen materials, thermoelectric materials, smart materials, and nanocatalyst systems, convert, store, and conserve energy. Without understanding the fundamental properties of these energy material systems, such as their electronic and atomic structures, it is difficult to design and develop them for use in the real world. Synchrotron-based x-ray spectroscopy will be utilized to ascertain the electronic and atomic structure of various energy materials. In particular, in situ/operando x-ray spectroscopies aid in monitoring the changes of atomic and electronic structures during the conversion, storage and conservation of energy.