Sustainability news

Sustainability programs and research at U of T Engineering are at the forefront of alternative technologies that can mitigate the impact of climate change.

Tandem perovskite solar cell

International research collaboration produces all-perovskite tandem solar cell with high efficiency, record voltage

Emerging solar technology could overcome key limitations inherent to today’s industry standard silicon-based photovoltaics

Purolator Urban Quick Stop

Urban Quick Stop provides a living laboratory to study the challenges of last-mile delivery

A multidisciplinary collaboration between academia, industry and government will explore the potential of new modes of transport, such as zero-emission e-bikes, to reduce emissions, traffic congestion and more

A woman and man both wearing lab coats, man holds a vial with pink solution.

This new, more sustainable method for recycling lithium-ion batteries could help meet electric vehicle demand

U of T Engineering researchers are using supercritical carbon dioxide to recover lithium, cobalt, nickel and manganese from end-of-life lithium-ion batteries

Professor David Sinton (MIE) is regarded as a pioneer in the area of microfluidics for energy applications. (Photo: Pam Walls)

Professor David Sinton elected to the Royal Society of Canada

Fellowship in the RSC is one of the highest honours a Canadian scholar can achieve

A rendering of an electric vehicle prototype shows the conduits that carry fluid to cool different internal components, such as the battery, motor and other electronics. (Image: U of T Electrification Hub)

New CREATE grant powers training and innovation in thermal management to enhance performance of electric vehicles and battery systems

Multidisciplinary team led by Alumni Distinguished Professor Cristina Amon (MIE) includes 10 professors and 21 industry, academia, and government collaborators from across Canada and international

Researchers at U of T Engineering and the University of Waterloo used wood-derived materials to construct this device, about the size of a credit card, which can be used to harvest electrical energy from everyday movements via the triboelectric effect. (Photo: Md Masud Rana, University of Waterloo)

Wood-derived prototype could lead to self-powered biosensors

Biodegradable device uses lignin-containing nanomaterials to create electrical energy from movement

Graduate research assistant Weiwu Chen (CivMin) counts microplastics using a microscope in the lab of Professor Elodie Passeport (CivMin, ChemE). (Photo: Shuyao Tan)

U of T Engineering researchers use machine learning to enhance environmental monitoring of microplastics

More accurate measurements are critical to preventing microplastics from entering the environment — or removing those that are already there

Postdoctoral fellow Dr. Hao Chen shows off a prototype inverted perovskite solar cell created in the lab of Professor Ted Sargent (ECE). The team leveraged quantum mechanics to improve both the stability and efficiency of this alternative solar technology. (Photo: Bin Chen)

Quantum innovation advances low-cost alternative solar technology

New manufacturing technique for inverted perovskite solar cells increases both stability and power conversion efficiency

Professor Gisele Azimi (ChemE, MSE) and her lab group have received a 2022 Connaught Innovation Award for their work on high-performance and cost-effective aluminum batteries for electric transportation and renewable energy storage. (Photo: Roberta Baker).

Beyond lithium-ion: New battery technologies among nine projects supported by 2022 Connaught Innovation Awards

Professor Gisele Azimi (ChemE, MSE) is exploring aluminum as an alternative to lithium and cobalt to develop more cost-effective and reliable components for next-generation batteries