Soft Materials for Energy, Water, and Sustainability
Hi! I am an ARPA-E ORISE Fellow. At ARPA-E I help lead efforts on game-changing technologies for energy and sustainability. I research potential new programs in areas related to biomass, polymer membranes for electrochemistry, and carbon capture. Previously I graduated with my PhD from MIT working in the intersection of soft materials, transport physics, and interfacial phenomena.
I am naturally curious about the science behind materials. I then use this knowledge for sustainability-related applications.
I have been recognized as an MIT Martin Sustainability Fellow, a Rising Star in Mechanical Engineering, and the 2023 Caltech Trailblazing Young Scientist in Mechanical Engineering.
Selected work
Capturing humidity from the air with salts
News and Updates
October, 2024
Our paper predicting and experimentally validating the thermodynamic and transport properties of moisture-capturing hydrogels was published in Nature Communications!
This was a tour de force in theory development, synthesis, and experimental characterization, laying a foundation for understanding these materials and optimizing their application-level performance.
August, 2024
Our review paper, led by Lenan Zhang, just got published in Chemical Reviews. We review the multiscale physics of bubble formation during boiling and advanced metrology and draw connections to bubble physics during green hydrogen evolution.
August, 2024
I started working as an ARPA-E ORISE Fellow!
Excited to work at such an exciting agency working at the forefront of science and technology for energy.
May, 2024
Our paper predicting the dynamic capture and release of moisture by salt solutions was published in Cell Reports Physical Science. Salt solutions are used in industry (absorption chillers) and emerging applications for water production, dehumidification, and energy storage. With this work, we elucidate the physics of this process with a model that predicts the moisture capture as a function of system and salt properties.
May, 2024
I had the opportunity to give a talk at the Universidad de la Serena, Chile as part of their event "Agua para todos" (Water for everybody). I shared our work on materials and systems that produce water from ambient moisture. It was great sharing our work with researchers, companies, and government that can potentially contribute to their ongoing water scarcity challenge.
May, 2024
My colleague Chad and I visited Chile for two weeks! We field-tested our atmospheric water harvesting device in the Atacama desert (the driest place in the world!) and met with local institutions and universities exploring alternative solutions to produce water.
April, 2024
Our review paper, led by Yang Zhong and Lenan Zhang, was published in Nature Reviews Materials. We delved into atmospheric water harvesting across scales, from fundamental sorption mechanisms to device-scale optimization and global-scale impact.
April, 2024
I presented at MRS Spring in Seattle our work on thermodynamic and transport prediction of moisture capturing-hydrogel property prediction.
April, 2024
I defended my thesis! Very thankful for the support and mentorship in this process by my committee and mentors.
April, 2024
We hosted a speaker session on atmospheric water harvesting at MIT, where I had the chance to speak about our development of moisture-capturing materials.
March, 2024
Our new paper on the Intrinsic Transport of Water in Moisture-Capturing Hydrogels is published in Nano Letters!
We developed a pure vapor setup to isolate the intrinsic properties of moisture-capturing hydrogels and probed the diffusion of water in these materials.
February, 2024
I gave an online talk hosted by the Costa Rica National Academy of Sciences on my work on hydrogels for moisture water production and heat storage.
February, 2024
I attended the First International Atmospheric Water Harvesting Summit at Arizona State University I presented our work on predicting and designing properties of hydrogels for atmospheric water production and got to learn from the work done my many other groups.
January, 2024
I was interviewed by Costa Rican newspaper La Nacion on our ongoing work at MIT on water production from the air and on the Trailblazers Award!
You can read the interview here.
November, 2023
I attended the Trailblazers Symposium at Caltech. It was a huge honor to be named the Trailblazer in Mechanical and Civil Engineering and to have had the opportunity to give the weekly department colloquium!
October, 2023
I participated in the Mechanical Engineering Workshop at the University of California, Berkeley! It was a great opportunity to learn about the faculty job application process and to connect with peers.
September, 2023
I was awarded the MIT Martin Family Sustainability Fellowship! This fellowship supports my work on two critical problems in sustainability: water scarcity and building decarbonization. My work aims to contribute to these challenges by pushing the limits of water capture through the careful design of inexpensive, yet high-performance hydrogels.
August, 2023
I attended the International Heat Transfer Conference in Cape Town, South Africa! I presented our work on the effects of polymer nanostructure in the moisture capture properties of hydrogels.
Get in touch at cddiaz@mit.edu
