WIN Distinguished Lecture Series: Materials Innovations for Emerging Energy Technologies

Thursday, October 22, 2020 1:30 pm - 3:00 pm EDT (GMT -04:00)

The Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology (WIN) is pleased to present a Distinguished Lecture Series talk by Professor Liangbing (Bing) Hu, a distinguished professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Maryland. 

Materials Innovations for Emerging Energy Technologies

Abstract

In this seminar, Professor Hu will briefly discuss his group’s motivations, research overview, and selective achievements in the following two topics: (1) High energy density, low-cost, and safe solid-state batteries made with ceramic electrolytes, covering topics from fundamentals, diagnostics,  and the design/fabrication of high energy density batteries using 3D structures; (2) Extreme high temperature (2000–3000 K) as a disruptive platform to design/synthesize novel materials, from single atom, high entropy nanoparticles (Science 2018, 359, 1489, Cover) to bulk ceramics/metals for energy technologies and other applications in extreme conditions (Science 2020).

Professor Hu will then devote most of the time to wood nanocellulose as a material platform for designing new structures to manipulate ion, phonon, photon, and mechanical properties, with end applications in lightweight, energy-efficient transportation (super wood, Nature 2018, 554, 224), energy-efficient green buildings (cooling wood, Science 2019, 364, 760), and high-performance membranes for the water-energy nexus (ionic wood, Nature Materials 2019, 18, 608).

Registration is required. If you have any questions or issues registering, please contact win-office@uwaterloo.ca 

Biography

Liangbing (Bing) Hu
Liangbing Hu received his B.S. in physics from the University of Science and Technology of China in 2002, where he worked on colossal magnetoresistance (CMR) materials for three years. He did his Ph.D. (2002–2007) at UCLA, focusing on carbon-nanotube-based nanoelectronics. In 2006, he joined Unidym, Inc. as a co-founding scientist, leading the development of roll-to-roll printed carbon nanotube films and device integration in touch screens, LCDs, flexible OLEDs, and solar cells. With a strong interest in research, he transitioned back to academia and did his postdoc at Stanford University from 2009–2011, where he worked on various energy storage technologies using nanomaterials/nanostructures. Currently, he is a Herbert Rabin Distinguished Professor at the University of Maryland, College Park. His research group focuses on materials innovations, device integrations, and manufacturing in general, with ongoing research actives on wood nanotechnologies, 3000 K extreme materials, and beyond Li-ion batteries.

Hu has published over 350 research papers (including Science and Nature) and given more than 150 invited talks. He has received many awards, including: Highly Cited Researchers list by Clarivate Analytics (2016, 2017, 2018, 2019), Young Innovator Award (2019, Wiley-Small Journal); Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists (2019 Finalist); TAPPI Nano Middle Career Award (2019); 2019 Exemplary Research Recognition, 2018 R&D 100 Winner, 2018 HIVE 50 Innovator,  the Nano Letters Young Investigator Lectureship (2017), Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Award (2016), ACS Division of Energy and Fuel Emerging Investigator Award (2016), SME Outstanding Young Manufacturing Engineer Award (2016), University of Maryland Junior Faculty Award (School of Engineering, 2015), 3M Non-tenured Faculty Award (2015), Maryland Outstanding Young Engineer (2014), University of Maryland Invention of the Year (2019, 2014), Campus Star of the American Society for Engineering Education (2014), Air Force Young Investigator Award (AFOSR YIP, 2013). For more information, please visit www.bingnano.umd.edu. Dr. Hu is the founding director of the Center for Materials Innovation at the University of Maryland, College Park (www.cmi.umd.edu). He is also the Co-Founder of Inventwood, LLC (www.inventwood.com) and HighT-Tech (www.hight-tech.com).