March 19, 2024 UMD Home FabLab AIMLab



Liangbing Hu, Herbert Rabin Distinguished Professor in the University of Maryland (UMD) Department of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) and Director of the Center for Materials Innovation with ties to the Maryland Energy Innovation Institute , has been named a 2021-2022 Distinguished Scholar-Teacher.

Hu, a self-described 'wood nanotechnologist,' has made a name for himself developing alternative technologies out of natural resources. He's made batteries from wood, a blade of grass and even a leafSuper wood, a light-weight, sustainable alternative to steel or carbon fiber, has received a plethora of media attention, in addition to several awards. In 2019, the Hu research group won the UMD Invention of the Year Award for their development of high-performance graphite paper composites. Hu also developed transparent wood composites as a replacement for glass, photonic paper for future electronics display technologies, and a host of other wood-derived technologies.

Hu has published more than 150 papers on nanotechnologies using cellulose nanomaterials, with a focus on assembly and functionalization strategies of wood nanocellulose geared towards high-impact applications including energy, electronics, building materials and water treatment. Other areas of interest include nano-manufacturing and light management in transparent nanopaper for optoelectronics (plastic alternative); mechanical properties of densely packed nanocellulose for lightweight structural materials; artificial tree for high-performance water desalination and solar steam generations; mesoporous, 3D carbon derived from wood for advanced batteries; nano-ionic thermoelectrics and radiation cooling.

Current projects for the Hu Research Group include synthesis and nanomanufacturing; and the structure, properties and applications of materials. The group has also been working on extremely high temperature (2000–3000 K) as a disruptive platform to design/synthesize novel materials, from single-atom, high entropy nanoparticles to bulk ceramics and metals for energy technologies (e.g., batteries, fuel cells), and other applications that can be used in extreme environments. The design of energy-related devices including investigations of sodium-ion batteries, garnet-based solid state batteries, lithium-sulfur dioxide batteries, and nano-batteries continue as well.

Hu, recently elected to the 2021 class of MRS Fellows, has been ranked in the top 2% of world scientists by Stanford University.

The UMD Distinguished Scholar-Teacher Program, established in 1978, honors a small number of faculty members every year who have demonstrated exceptional success in both scholarship and teaching. Awardees are expected to make a public presentation on a topic within their expertise, and receive an honorarium of $5,000 to support their professional activities.



May 12, 2021


«Previous Story  

 

 

Current Headlines

Paid Internships Available for Summer 2024

Alumna Blasts Into Space

Former FabLab Director, Jim O'Connor, passed away

$15M Federal Grant Awarded to Support Maryland Electric Vehicle Charging Network

UMD Start-Up Ionic Devices Wins Microbattery Design Prize

CALCE Welcomes Dr. Lingxi Kong: New Member of the Battery Research Team

Liangbing Hu Is Key PI of New Energy Earthshot Research Center

New, Innovative UMD Course Teaches In-Demand Skills

Celebrating LGBTQ+ History Month: Resources and Events

Horiuchi is PI for NSF 'ExLENT' experiential learning project

 

Colleges A. James Clark School of Engineering
The College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences

Communicate Join Email List
Contact Us
Follow us on TwitterTwitter logo

Links Privacy Policy
Sitemap
RSS

Copyright The University of Maryland University of Maryland
2004-2024