Nico Hotz

Nico Hotz specializes in interfacial transport phenomena and thermodynamics in energy technology. His research focuses on heat, mass, and charge transfer on nano-scale surfaces for solar thermal applications, catalytic fuel reforming, hydrogen generation, fuel cells, and electrolysis.

Current Appointments & Affiliations

Associate Professor of the Practice in the Thomas Lord Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science · 2019 - Present Thomas Lord Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, Pratt School of Engineering

Associate of the Duke Initiative for Science & Society · 2018 - Present Duke Science & Society, University Initiatives & Academic Support Units

In the News

Published August 7, 2023

Purposeful Partnerships: Duke Units Collaborate to Lead Climate Policy in DC

Published April 28, 2017

Energy Initiative Awards Seven New Seed Grants

Published April 16, 2014

Energy Initiative Provides First Round of Research Seed Funding

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Recent Publications

Soliquidy: a descriptor for atomic geometrical confusion

Journal Article Npj Computational Materials · December 1, 2025 Tailoring material properties often requires understanding the solidification process. Herein, we introduce the geometric descriptor Soliquidy, which numerically captures the Euclidean transport cost between the translationally disordered versus ordered st ... Full text Cite

A priori procedure to establish spinodal decomposition in alloys

Journal Article Acta Materialia · March 1, 2024 Spinodal decomposition can improve a number of essential properties in materials, especially hardness. Yet, the theoretical prediction of the onset of this phenomenon (e.g., temperature) and its microstructure (e.g., wavelength) often requires input parame ... Full text Cite

Inducing Deep Sweeps and Vortex Ejections on Patterned Membrane Surfaces to Mitigate Surface Fouling.

Journal Article Membranes · January 2024 Patterned membrane surfaces offer a hydrodynamic approach to mitigating concentration polarization and subsequent surface fouling. However, when subjected to steady crossflow conditions, surface patterns promote particle accumulation in the recirculation z ... Full text Cite

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Recent Grants

Novel Flexible Quantum Dot Solar Cell for Space Applications

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Space Grant · 2013 - 2014

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Education, Training & Certifications

Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (Switzerland) · 2008 Ph.D.

External Links

http://www.duke.edu/~nh66/