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Sossina Haile

Walter P. Murphy Professor of Materials Science and Engineering

Ph.D. Materials Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA; M.S. Materials Science, University of California, Berkeley, CA; B.S. Materials Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA

Research Interests

Overall research goal is to elucidate the relationship between structure and electrical behavior in electrochemically active solids, as a key step towards designing materials with exceptional properties and applicability in sustainable energy technologies. Courses taught include “Fundamentals of Materials Science,” “Application of Diffraction Techniques,” “Structure and Bonding in Materials,” “States of Matter,” “Solid State Electrochemistry,” and “Sustainable Energy Engineering.”

Awards (selected)

  • International Ceramics Prize (World Academy of Ceramics) 2012
  • Chemical Pioneer Award (AIC) 2010, for “establishing new classes of fuel cells…”
  • American Competitiveness Initiative Fellowship (NSF), 2008, for “timely and transformative research in the energy field and dedication to inclusive mentoring, education & outreach…”
  • Named as one of twelve people to watch in 2008 by Newsweek Magazine
  • 27th Congressional District Woman of the Year, 2002
  • J. Wagner Award (ECS) 2001, for significant contributions towards the understanding of high-temperature, ion-conducting materials
  • Coble Award (ACerS) 2000, in recognition of outstanding research in ceramic science
  • Hardy Award, (TMS) 1997, for exceptional promise of success in materials science
  • National Young Investigator (NSF), 1994-1999, to investigate solid electrolytes

Selected Publications

W Jung, K. L. Gu, Y. Choi and S. M. Haile, “Robust nanostructures with exceptionally high electrochemical reaction activity for high temperature fuel cell electrodes.”  Energy Env. Sci. 7, 1685-1692 (2014).

Y. Yamazaki, F. Blanc, Y. Okuyama, L. Buannic, J. C. Lucio-Vega, C. P. Grey, and S. M. Haile, “Evidence of proton trapping and its implications in yttrium-doped barium zirconate,” Nature Materials 12, 647-651 (2013).

W. C. Chueh and S. M. Haile, “Electrochemistry of Mixed Oxygen Ion and Electron Conducting Electrodes in Solid Oxide Fuel Cells and Electrolyzers,” Annu. Rev. Chem. Biomol. Eng. 3, 313-41 (2012).

W. C. Chueh, Y. Hao, W. Jung and S. M. Haile, “High Electrochemical Activity of the Oxide Phase in Model Ceria-Pt and Ceria-Ni Composite Anodes,” Nature Materials11, 155-161 (2012).

M. W. Louie and S. M. Haile, “Platinum Thin Film Anodes for Solid Acid Fuel Cells,”Energy Env. Sci. 4, 4230-4238 (2011).

W.C. Chueh, C. Falter, M. Abbott, D. Scipio, P. Furler, S. M. Haile and A. Steinfeld, “High-Flux Solar-Driven Thermochemical Dissociation of H2O and CO2 Using Nonstoichiometric Ceria,” Science 330, 1797-1801 (2010).

M. W. Louie, A. Hightower and S. M. Haile, “Nanoscale electrodes by conducting atomic force microscopy: Oxygen reduction kinetics at the Pt | CsHSO4 interface,”ACS Nano 4, 2811-2821 (2010).

Á. Varga, N. A. Brunelli, M. W. Louie, K. P. Giapis and S. M. Haile, “Composite Nanostructured Solid-Acid Fuel-Cell Electrodes via Electrospray Deposition,” J. Mat. Chem. 20, 2190-2196 (2010).

Y. Yamazaki, R. Hernandez-Sanchez and S. M. Haile, “High total proton conductivity in Y-doped BaZrO3,” Chem. Mater. 21, 2755-2762 (2009).

S. M. Haile, C. R.I. Chisholm, K. Sasaki, D. A. Boysen and T. Uda, “Solid acid proton conductors: From laboratory curiosities to fuel cell electrolytes,” Faraday Discussions134, 17-39 (2007).

W. Lai and S. M. Haile, “Impedance Spectroscopy as a Tool for Chemical and Electrochemical Analysis of Mixed Conductors: A Case Study of Ceria,” J. Amer. Cer. Soc. (Feature Article) 88, 2979–2997 (2005).

P. Babilo and S. M. Haile, “Enhanced Sintering of Yttrium doped Barium Zirconate by Addition of ZnO,” J. Amer. Cer. Soc. 88, 2362-2368 (2005).

Z. P. Shao, S. M. Haile, J. M. Ahn, P.D. Ronney, Z. L. Zhan and S. A. Barnett, “A thermally self-sustained micro Solid-Oxide Fuel Cell stack with high power density,”Nature 435, 795-798 (2005).

T. Uda and S. M. Haile, “Thin-Membrane Solid-Acid Fuel Cell,” Electrochem. Solid State Lett. 8, A245-A246 (2005).

Z. Shao and S. M. Haile, “A High Performance Cathode for the Next Generation Solid-Oxide Fuel Cells,” Nature 431, 170-173 (2004).

D. A. Boysen, T. Uda, C. R.I. Chisholm and S. M. Haile, “High performance Solid Acid Fuel Cells through humidity stabilization,” Science 303, 68-70 (2004).

S. M. Haile, D. A. Boysen, C. R. I. Chisholm and R. B. Merle, “Solid Acids as Fuel Cell Electrolytes,” Nature 410, 910-913 (2001)