Sarah E. Baker

(she/her)

Portrait of  Sarah E. Baker
  • Title
    Group Leader, Materials for Energy and Climate Security; Associate Program Leader for Carbon Dioxide Conversion
  • Email
    baker74@llnl.gov
  • Phone
    (925) 422-3811
  • Organization
    PLS-MSD-MATERIALS SCIENCE DIVISION

Research Interests

Industrial Decarbonization; Carbon Dioxide Removal pathways and technologies; Science of Scaleup; carbon dioxide capture and conversion; Biomass Carbon Removal and Storage; Measurement, Reporting, and Verification for Carbon Dioxide Removal

 

Career path

I have worked toward developing materials for climate change mitigation since 2010.  Early work was focused on using advances in manufacturing to realize improved mass transport in carbon capture and conversion materials.  Recently, my research has broadened in scope and includes systems level analysis to identify opportunities for carbon removal, as well as developing scientific capabilities to de-risk scaleup for promising climate change mitigation technologies. I currently enjoy a fulfilling mix of management/mentorship, program development and scientific /individual contributor roles at LLNL.

 

Highlights

I am the lead author of Getting to Neutral: Options for Negative Carbon Emissions in California, the first comprehensive analysis of carbon dioxide removal pathways, impacts and opportunities in California. The report won the DOE Secretary’s Achievement Award in 2021.

 

Subject Matter Expertise

Materials and surface chemistry, especially pertaining to carbon dioxide capture and conversion materials

Ph.D. Materials Chemistry, University Wisconsin-Madison, 2006

B.A. Chemistry, Grinnell College, 2001

Selected Publications

Freyman, M. C.; Huang, Z.; Ravikumar, D.; Duoss, E. B.; Li, Y.; Baker, S. E.; Pang, S. H.; Schaidle, J. A. Reactive CO2 Capture: A Path Forward for Process Integration in Carbon Management. Joule 2023, 7 (4), 631–651. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joule.2023.03.013.

Moore, T.; Oyarzun, D. I.; Li, W.; Lin, T. Y.; Goldman, M.; Wong, A. A.; Jaffer, S. A.; Sarkar, A.; Baker, S. E.; Duoss, E. B.; Hahn, C. Electrolyzer Energy Dominates Separation Costs in State-of-the-Art CO2 Electrolyzers: Implications for Single-Pass CO2 Utilization. Joule 2023, 7 (4), 782–796. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joule.2023.03.015.

 

Hawks, S. A.; Ehlinger, V. M.; Moore, T.; Duoss, E. B.; Beck, V. A.; Weber, A. Z.; Baker, S. E. Analyzing Production Rate and Carbon Utilization Trade-Offs in CO2 RR Electrolyzers. ACS Energy Lett. 2022, 7 (8), 2685–2693. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsenergylett.2c01106

Jayathilake, B. S.; Chandrasekaran, S.; Freyman, M. C.; Deutzmann, J. S.; Kracke, F.; Spormann, A. M.; Huang, Z.; Tao, L.; Pang, S. H.; Baker, S. E. Developing Reactors for Electrifying Bio-Methanation: A Perspective from Bio-Electrochemistry. Sustainable Energy Fuels 2022, 6 (5), 1249–1263. https://doi.org/10.1039/d1se02041b.

Corral, D.; Feaster, J. T.; Sobhani, S.; DeOtte, J. R.; Lee, D. U.; Wong, A. A.; Hamilton, J.; Beck, V. A.; Sarkar, A.; Hahn, C.; Jaramillo, T. F.; Baker, S. E.; Duoss, E. B. Advanced Manufacturing for Electrosynthesis of Fuels and Chemicals from CO2. Energy Environ. Sci. 2021, 14 (5), 3064–3074. https://doi.org/10.1039/d0ee03679j.

Kracke, F.; Deutzmann, J. S.; Jayathilake, B. S.; Pang, S. H.; Chandrasekaran, S.; Baker, S. E.; Spormann, A. M. Efficient Hydrogen Delivery for Microbial Electrosynthesis via 3D-Printed Cathodes. Front Microbiol 2021, 12, 696473. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2021.696473.

Dudukovic, N. A.; Fong, E. J.; Gemeda, H. B.; DeOtte, J. R.; Ceron, M. R.; Moran, B. D.; Davis, J. T.; Baker, S. E.; Duoss, E. B. Cellular Fluidics. Nature (London, U. K.) 2021, 595 (7865), 58–65. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-021-03603-2.

Murialdo, M.; Goldstein, H. M.; Stolaroff, J. K.; Nguyen, D. T.; McCoy, S. T.; Bourcier, W. L.; Ceron, M. R.; Knipe, J. M.; Worthington, M. A.; Smith, M. M.; Aines, R. D.; Baker, S. E. Three-Dimensional Printable Sodium Carbonate Composite Sorbents for Efficient Biogas Upgrading. Environ. Sci. Technol. 2020, 54 (11), 6900–6907. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.0c01755.

Vericella, J. J.; Baker, S. E.; Stolaroff, J. K.; Duoss, E. B.; Hardin, J. O. I.; Lewicki, J.; Glogowski, E.; Floyd, W. C.; Valdez, C. A.; Smith, W. L.; Satcher, J. H. Jr.; Bourcier, W. L.; Spadaccini, C. M.; Lewis, J. A.; Aines, R. D. Encapsulated Liquid Sorbents for Carbon Dioxide Capture. Nat. Commun. 2015, 6 , 6124. https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms7124

University of California Office of the President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship, 2007

Department of Energy Secretary’s Achievement Award 2021

LLNL Early and Mid-Career Recognition Program 2022

 

 

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4695-3918

Scopus Author ID:7403308008