Solar and beyond: Multidisciplinary engineering graduate named patent co-inventor for solar energy harvesting concept

From Egypt to Qatar to College Station, one man's Aggie journey has led him far and wide. Moustafa Raslan '19 was recently named a co-inventor on a patent for a shape-memory alloy actuated switch that enables the stable switching between two separate electrical circuits.

Raslan received a Master of Science in Interdisciplinary Engineering from the Department of Multidisciplinary Engineering at Texas A&M University, where he studied microfabrication techniques, electrical engineering and industrial engineering.

As an interdisciplinary engineering graduate student, he worked as a research assistant at the Renewable Energy & Advanced Power Electronics Research Lab (REAPERLab). He began working on a patent for the SmartPVSkin project with Dr. Robert S. Balog, professor in the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, and Dr. Ibrahaim Karaman, professor and department head in the Department of Materials Science Engineering.

SmartPVSkin is a concept developed by Dr. Balog for solar energy harvesting. Photovoltaic (PV) cells, which convert sunlight into electricity, are embedded into a flexible “skin” that can be used to wrap plane wings, car roofs, a helmet or any other object. Unlike the traditional flat solar module, the SmartPVSkin opens new opportunities for solar energy harvesting.

After attending a workshop on shape memory alloys, Balog thought the technology had merit and began collaborating with Karaman. The concept for the patent focused on a switch activated by a shape-memory alloy, allowing switching between two separate electrical circuits.

When Raslan joined the team, he took the high-level concept and created several design concepts to bring the vision to life.

"During the last year of my mechanical engineering master’s degree, my capstone project focused on making an electromechanical device, which I’d found very interesting,” Raslan said. “Dr. Balog was looking for someone with a mechanical background and electrical engineering experience, so it was a good fit."

Identical, or nearly identical, PV cells are interconnected in the flexible skin to create a pixel that extracts maximum electrical power. As the cells’ position changes relative to the sun, the interconnections need to be reconfigured to optimize the pixels and continue extracting maximum electrical energy.

The researchers identified that shape memory alloys could provide the actuation force for the switches to reconfigure the optimal pixels. Raslan made several key contributions to the patent by identifying ways to move the electrical power connection from one locked position into another, known as bi-stable switching. His discovery was critical in achieving a more efficient electrical actuation of the switch compared to semiconductor-based switches.

Balog, Karaman and Raslan were awarded U.S. Patent 11, 515, 101 "Shape memory alloy actuated switch." This work was funded through the National Priorities Research Program (NPRP) grant #7-299-2-124 from the Qatar National Research Fund.

“Many people speak about multidisciplinary collaboration,” Balog said. “Moustafa made several key contributions to the patent by identifying ways to move the electrical contacts from one locked position into another, known as bi-stable switching. His participation was an outstanding example of an organic collaboration that led to a highly successful outcome that wouldn’t have been possible in a conventional siloed research paradigm.”

The Road To Texas A&M

Raslan, who hails from a town north of Cairo, Egypt, always knew he wanted to study engineering in the United States one day. However, when the time came to attend university, he wished to remain near family and transferred to Texas A&M University Qatar.
 
He graduated in 2017 with a degree in mechanical engineering and wanted to continue his studies. At that time, Texas A&M-Qatar only offered a master's degree in chemical engineering; nevertheless, Raslan dove into his graduate coursework while working full-time as a project engineer. Mid-program, he heard about the graduate interdisciplinary engineering degree that Texas A&M offered.

"It was the perfect match at that moment because my research at TAMUQ was multidisciplinary in nature and a bit of a niche," said Raslan. "My research advisors included faculty from materials science, electrical and mechanical engineering, so a multidisciplinary aspect was already present."

After finishing his work on the patent and receiving his master's degree in interdisciplinary engineering, Raslan moved back to Qatar. He now works as a prototype engineer at Qatar Development Bank supporting enterprises and startups within the manufacturing sector in new product development and production enhancement. He looks back on his experience in the multidisciplinary engineering department with enthusiasm and gratitude.

"Multidisciplinary engineering teaches you to become a 'T-shaped person' with exposure to multiple disciplines and research areas rather than just your field," Raslan said. "That’s a fantastic outcome of the multidisciplinary program. You learn to manage the work even if it's not in your field. You can say to someone, 'I know that I'm not going to be the expert in this, but I know what I need to do and learn to accomplish the goal.’ That’s the first step in research." 

By Grace Dalton, Texas A&M Engineering