Titles

• Senior Global Futures Scientist, Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory
• Professor, Department of Physics, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Biography

Innovative and sustainable technologies are emerging from the proper integration of nanoscale building blocks and devices. Nanoscience and nanotechnology are expected to play a major role in providing sustainable energy to power our planet and in improving the quality of human life. Dr. Liu's group focuses on the fundamental understanding of the synthesis-structure-performance relationships of nanostructures and nanostructured systems. We develop and utilize advanced electron microscopy techniques (imaging, diffraction and spectroscopy) to help us understand the synthesis processes of nanoscale materials, their unique properties and their applications in energy harvesting and storage, heterogeneous catalysis, sensing, or delivery. For example, we are developing single atom catalysts for production of energy or chemicals; exploring the use of oxide nanostructures to improve the performance of supercapacitors and batteries, flexible solar cells, and photoelectrochemical systems for energy and environmental applications; and designing nanoscale systems for delivery or imaging applications. One of our key research goals is to understand the formation processes of nanostructures so that we can develop scalable synthesis methodologies to manufacture better controlled nanostructures for desired applications. Another research goal is to understand the charge generation and transfer processes in nanostructures and nanoarchitectured systems.

Education

• PhD, Arizona State University, 1990

Expertise

• electron microscopy
• nanotechnology
• energy