Pictured (L-R): Giulio Siciliano, Elvin Montes, Felipe Williams

Students may discover a passion for research during their undergraduate years. But few enter higher education knowing that research will be a significant part of their collegiate experiences and beyond.

South Carolina Honors College chemical engineering sophomore Giulio Siciliano has already found his passion in research and is currently working with next generation batteries thanks to a NASA-funded project.

Siciliano began as an undergraduate research assistant in his first year under chemical engineering faculty Ralph White and Paul Coman. Last summer, Coman suggested Siciliano apply for the NASA University Student Research Challenge (USRC) Awards, which offers undergraduate students the opportunity to propose new ideas and concepts relevant to NASA aeronautics. Siciliano proposed his Advanced Sodium Technology for Robust Aerospace Structures (A.S.T.R.A.) project, which was one of the six proposals selected by NASA. 

“We thought it would be a great way to have my research funded by a federal government grant,” Siciliano says. “Since our research has aerospace and drone technology applications, we thought it would be of interest to NASA.”

The one-year A.S.T.R.A. project began this past December and is a continuation of work that Siciliano began as a freshman. His work focuses on developing a new, multifunctional structural battery that can store energy and serve as part of a vehicle’s structure. The battery uses carbon fiber to integrate itself into the vehicle design and help make future electric vehicles and airplanes. He is the team leader on the project, along with fellow chemical engineering undergrad Felipe Williams and mechanical engineering undergrad Elvin Montes.

Siciliano plans to develop his structural battery with fewer parts, allowing for less weight and improved efficiency. He will use solid-state separators instead of flammable liquid electrolytes, while also utilizing sodium, a more environmental-friendly element, instead of lithium. 

“I chose chemical engineering because I wanted to be involved in newer energy production or storage,” Siciliano says. 

Structural batteries use carbon fiber as the electrodes and current collectors, removing passive components such as aluminum or copper, while also providing mechanical properties. Structural batteries have not yet fully been implemented, but NASA and other aerospace organizations currently use carbon fibers for structural composites. 

“Since we’re constructing a battery and coating coding on carbon fiber, theoretically you can integrate it directly into the body of a vehicle or a drone rather than using a traditional battery pack,” Siciliano says. “It simplifies the architecture and it provides multiple functions rather than just storing energy.”

Coman wrote a recommendation letter for the NASA USRC, including an overview of the project and research objectives. As supervisor of the project alongside White, Coman has been impressed with how Siciliano immediately took ownership of the project, his maturity and self-motivation, and the progress over the first two months. 

According to Coman, Siciliano already made the sodium-ion batteries work within the structural battery framework, which is not an easy task. And because of his progress, Siciliano was the lead author for an article related to the project. 

“Being selected to the NASA USRC as a sophomore really reflects the level Giulio’s already operating at,” Coman says. “He’s driven, technically strong, and fully committed to his work. It’s hard to fake quality, and it’s not common to see this kind of performance so early in a student’s academic career.”

Siciliano is also fortunate for Coman’s mentorship and for helping him grow as a researcher. 

“I came to USC knowing that I wanted to pursue research but not knowing anything about it,” Siciliano says. “He’s taught me many things and given me space to grow on my own. He's great with feedback and makes sure I understand what I'm doing rather than just assigning tasks.”

There is also a required fundraising aspect to the project. Siciliano is required to raise $2,000 through crowdfunding to unlock the full NASA grant of $58,550 to support a full year of research. The crowdfunding is designed to help undergraduate students learn how to raise awareness of their work and build science communication skills. The funds raised will support materials and lab equipment.

“It's a way of developing these skills early and teaching undergraduates how to raise money on their own rather than relying solely on the grant,” Siciliano says. “Right now, we have access to 50% of the grant until we raise the $2,000, which then opens the rest of the grant.”

Siciliano intends to pursue a career in research and development, whether in academia or for a private startup company. Even though he may have a head start in research compared to his peers, there are still plenty of learning experiences remaining. 

“I'm interested in research and developing those skills,” Siciliano says. “While I want to increase my understanding of structural batteries and solid-state separators, I also want to become better at understanding, performing and talking about the research.”

Give to the Chemical Department Fund in support of the A.S.T.R.A. project: ASTRA - University of South Carolina