DMSE Fall 2026 Seminar Series

Liangbing Hu, a professor of electrical and computer engineering and materials science at Yale University, will give a talk titled "From Superwood to Artificial Sun: Inventing Materials through Scalable Innovation" Department of Materials Science and Engineering. Abstract Hu's group focuses on inventing new classes of materials through disruptive yet scalable processes, with the goal of enabling practical applications. In this talk, Hu will highlight several recent material innovations that open pathways toward emerging technologies: Superwood: Nanostructure-engineered wood for next-generation sustainable buildings \(Nature, 2018\). Molecular-scale wood nanofibers: Engineered fibers as solid-state battery electrolytes \(Nature, 2021\). High-entropy catalysts: Designed via shock synthesis for energy and chemical transformations \(Science, 2018\). Ultrafast high-temperature sintering: Rapid processing of oxide-based ion conductors for batteries and solid oxide electrolysis cells \(Science, 2020\). Ultrahigh-temperature stable plasma \(also known as "artificial sun"\): A platform for extreme materials synthesis \(Nature, 2023\). Dynamic heating strategies: Conversion of waste plastics into jet fuel, and methane pyrolysis for high value products \(Nature, 2022; Nature Chemical Engineering, 2025\). Together, these advances illustrate how nanoscale design, extreme processing conditions, and unconventional approaches can converge to create disruptive materials solutions for energy, sustainability, and advanced manufacturing. Bio Liangbing Hu also serves as the founding director of the Yale Center for Materials Innovation. He joined Yale's faculty in July 2024 after serving as a distinguished university professor at the University of Maryland, College Park. Hu's research group specializes in materials innovation, device integration, and advanced manufacturing, with current projects in electrified ultrahigh-temperature synthesis, next-generation energy storage beyond lithium-ion, and novel wood nanotechnologies. He has authored approximately 500 peer-reviewed publications, including more than 10 articles in Science and Nature, with an h-index of 200. His work has been recognized with several prestigious awards, including the American Chemical Society's \(ACS\) Anselme Payen Award, the Materials Research Society \(MRS\) Medal, five RandD 100 Awards, and the Nature Spinoff Prize. He is an MRS and ACS fellow. Hu earned a Bachelor of Science in physics from the University of Science and Technology of China in 2002 and a doctorate in physics from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2007. Based on his doctoral research on carbon nanotube thin films, he became a founding scientist at Unidym, a Silicon Valley startup specializing in printed electronics. From 2009 to 2011, Hu completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Stanford University. In 2011, he joined the University of Maryland, where he launched his independent academic career.