Xian Shi Named ARPA-E IGNIITE 2025 Awardee for Novel Battery Manufacturing Technology

January 28, 2026 - Xian Shi, UCI assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, has been selected as an awardee of the 2025 Inspiring Generations of New Innovators to Impact Technologies in Energy (IGNIITE) program from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy (ARPA-E). The program supports early-career scientists and engineers with ideas that have the potential to transform the nation’s energy landscape.

Shi’s funded project, “Natural Gas to Battery Electrodes via Plasma Reforming and Cold Spray,” aims to revolutionize battery manufacturing by converting natural gas directly into high-value nano-graphene electrode materials. This will be accomplished by combining two manufacturing steps into one, replacing old processes that are energy intensive. If successful, it will make it easier and cheaper to produce the materials needed for batteries and other energy storage technologies. Shi’s project has been awarded $500,000.

As demand for electric vehicles and grid-scale storage continues to grow, the United States faces an urgent need for affordable, domestically produced battery materials. Conventional graphite anode manufacturing is energy-intensive, dependent on complex global supply chains, and often involves toxic chemical solvents. Shi’s proposed hot-plasma, cold-spray technology offers a streamlined, continuous alternative.

“Our goal is to demonstrate a one-step, low- to zero-emission process that is scalable and free of toxic chemicals,” Shi said. “By integrating high-temperature plasma reforming with cold spray deposition, we can convert carbon from natural gas into solid battery electrodes while simultaneously producing clean hydrogen as a byproduct. This approach could create a new pathway for utilizing natural gas that supports U.S. energy resilience and strengthens domestic supply chains for critical materials.”

The ARPA-E IGNIITE program is designed to empower early-career researchers to pursue bold, disruptive energy innovations. Awardees receive funding and mentorship to help transition breakthrough concepts from the laboratory toward real-world impact.