Education

Ph.D., Materials Science & Engineering, University of California, Berkeley
M.S., Materials Science & Engineering, University of California, Berkeley
B.S., Materials Science & Engineering, South China University of Technology.

Appointment

1992- present Regents’ Professor (2008-present), Professor (2000-2008), Associate Professor (1996-2000), Assistant Professor (1992-1996), School of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE), Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia
Fundamental investigations into the effect of defects and nanostructure on transport, catalytic, and electrochemical properties of surfaces and interfaces; development of new materials and novel structures for chemical and energy transformation.
2021-present Hightower Endowed Chair, School of MSE, Georgia Tech
2015-2021 B. Mifflin Hood Endowed Chair, School of MSE, Georgia Tech
2012-2022 Associate Chair, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Georgia Tech
2010-2015 Associate Director, DOE Energy Frontier Research Center (EFRC) on HeteroFoam at University of South Carolina (USC)
2006-2008 Director, NSF Industry/University Cooperative Research Center for Fuel Cells
2001-2016 Co-Director, Center for Innovative Fuel Cell and Battery Technologies (FCBT) at Georgia Institute of Technology
1989-1992 Research Scientist, Ceramatec, Salt Lake City, Utah
Development of novel materials for sensors, oxygen separation, hydrogen production, contaminants removal, and lithium batteries
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Selected Awards and Honors

2024 - Fellow, European Academy of Sciences ( EurASc )
2024 - Research.com Materials Science in United States Leader Award
2024 - Research.com Chemistry in United States Leader Award
2023 - Highly Cited Researcher in the field of Materials Science
2023 - Research.com Materials Science in United States Leader Award
2023 - Research.com Chemistry in United States Leader Award
2022 - Highly Cited Researcher in the field of Materials Science
2022 - Highly Cited Researcher in the field of Environment and Ecology
2021 - Hightower Endowed Chair Professor
2021 - Fellow, International Association of Advanced Materials (IAAM)
2021 - Highly Cited Researcher in the field of Materials Science
2020 - Highly Cited Researcher in the field of Materials Science
2020 - Highly Cited Researcher in the field of Chemistry
2019 - Highly Cited Researcher in the field of Materials Science
2018 - HTM Outstanding Achievement Award (Electrochemical Society)
2018 - Charles Hatchett Award (Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining, UK)
2018 - Highly Cited Researcher in the field of Cross-Field
2017 - Kolon Faculty Fellow (Kolon Industries)
2017 - Member, EU Academy of Sciences (EUAS)
2015 - B. Mifflin Hood Endowed Chair
2013 - Outstanding Faculty Research Author Award (Georgia Tech)
2012 - Fellow, Electrochemical Society (ECS)
2011 - Fellow, American Ceramic Society (ACerS)
2010 - Ross Coffin Purdy Award (American Ceramic Society)
2009 - World Class University Professor, Ulsan National Inst. of Science & Technology, South Korea
2008 - Regents' Professor
2007 - NASA Tech Brief Award
2007 - Invited participant, US-Japan Frontiers of Engineering (National Academy of Engineering)
2005 - Crystal Flame Innovation Award in Research (FuelCell South)
2003 - Outstanding Achievement in Research Program Development Award (Georgia Tech)
2003 - Sustained Research Award (Sigma Xi)
2002 - Senior Teaching Fellow (Georgia Tech)
2001 - Best Faculty Paper Award (Sigma Xi)
1999 - Outstanding Faculty Research Author Award (Georgia Tech)
1997 - Invited participant, Frontiers of Engineering (National Academy of Engineering)
1996 - Best MS Thesis Advisor Award (Sigma Xi)
1993 - National Young Investigator (NYI) Award (National Science Foundation)
1986 - Scholastic Achievement Award (Golden Gate Chapter of ASM)
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Teaching

One of Dr. Liu's primary efforts has been to inspire students' interest in materials for energy storage and conversion through the development of basic and advanced courses in the area and by providing students with a modern laboratory for cutting edge research in the area. Dr. Liu has developed several undergraduate and graduate courses to bring his significant research experience to the classroom.

MSE 2001 Principles & Applications of Engineering Materials
MSE 3020 Materials Laboratory (Characterization of Electronic Materials)
MSE 4021 Design with Materials II
MSE 6010 Fundamentals of Functional Materials
MSE 6210 Defects
MSE 6402 Structure and Defects
MSE 6412 Structures of Materials
MSE 7010 Electroceramics
MSE 8801A Point Defects
MSE 8803E Materials for Energy Storage and Conversion

Before 1999 - Quarter System

MatE 2001 Introduction to Materials Science and Engineering
MatE 3312 Physical and Electronic Properties of Materials I
MatE 3313 Physical and Electronic Properties of Materials II
MatE 3703 Materials Engineering for Optical and Magnetic Systems
MatE 4801 Magnetic and Optical Properties
MatE 8001 Technical Communication (Seminar)
MatE 8103A Electroceramics I : Principles and Properties
MatE 8103B Electroceramics II : Materials and Applications
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Editorial Board Membership

Nano Energy (ISSN: 2211-2855, ELSEVIER) 2022 Impact Factor: 17.88
Nature Publishing Group Asia Materials (ISSN: 1884-4057, NPG) 2022 Impact Factor: 10.76
Solid State Ionics (ISSN: 0167-2738, ELSEVIER) 2021 Impact Factor: 3.69
Raer Metals (ISSN: 1867-7185, Springer) 2022 Impact Factor: 8.8
Batteries (ISSN: 2313-0105, MDPI) 2022 Impact Factor: 5.938

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Symposia/Workshops Co-organized

Co-organized eleven (11) international symposia/workshops, chaired or co-chaired numerous technical sessions, and co-edited four (7) proceedings volumes in the area of new materials for fuel cells, batteries, sensors, and other electrochemical applications.

  1. Ceramic Conductors for Solid-State Electrochemical Devices, EPRI/GRI Workshop, Snowbird, Utah, May 12-15, 1991
  2. High Temperature Sensors I, Electrochemical Society Meeting, St. Louis, Missouri, May 1992
  3. Solid Electrolyte Sensors II, Electrochemical Society Meeting, Miami Beach, Florida, October 1994
  4. The 1st International Symposium on Ceramic Membranes, Electrochemical Society Meeting, Chicago, October 1995
  5. Ceramic Sensors III, Electrochemical Society Meeting, San Antonio, Texas, October 6-11, 1996
  6. Ceramic Sensors IV, Electrochemical Society Meeting, San Diego, CA, May 1998
  7. Solid State Ionic Devices, Electrochemical Society Meeting, Seattle, WA, May 1999
  8. Symposium on Solid State Ionic Devices II, The Electrochemical Society Meeting, Phoenix, Arizona, October 23, 2000
  9. Symposium on Chemical Sensors for Hostile Environments, The American Ceramic Society 103rd Annual Meeting, Indianapolis, Indiana, April 22-25, 2001
  10. Symposium on Solid State Ionic Devices III, Electrochemical Society Meeting, Salt Lake City, Utah, October 2002
  11. Symposium on Fuel Cells/Energy Conversion, MS&T 2011, Columbus, OH, October 16-20, 2011
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Proceedings Volumes Co-edited

  1. Ceramic Conductors for Solid State Electrochemical Devices (EPRI/GRI Workshop, May 13-16, 1991, Snowbird, UT), Edited by A. Khandkar, M. Liu & W. Weppner, Elsevier Science Publishers B. V., North Holland (1992)
  2. Ceramic Membranes I (ECS Meeting, Chicago, IL, October 1995) , Edited by H. U. Anderson, A. Khandkar, and M. Liu, ECS PV 95-24, 1996.
  3. Ceramic Sensors III (ECS Meeting, San Antonio, Texas, October 6-11, 1996), Edited by H. Anderson, M. Liu, and N. Yamazoe, ECS PV 96-27, 1997.
  4. Solid State Ionic Devices (ECS Meeting, Seattle, WA, May 1-6, 1999), Edited by E. Wachman, J. Arkgradge, M. Liu, and N. Yamazoe, ECS PV 99-13, 1999.
  5. Solid State Ionic Devices II , Proceedings of the Symposium on Solid State Ionic Devices II (Phoenix, AZ, October 2000), Edited by E. Wachman, W, Weppner, E. Traversa, P. Vanysek, M. Liu, and B.V. Ratnakumar, The Electrochemical Society, Pennington, NJ, 2000.
  6. Chemical Sensors for Hostile Environments , Ceramic Transitions, Volume 130, Edited by G. M. Kale, A. Akbar, and M. Liu, The American Ceramic Society, 2001
  7. Solid State Ionic Devices III , Proceedings of the Symposium on Solid State Ionic Devices III (Salt Lake City, Utah, October 2002), Edited by E. Wachman, K. Swider-Lyons, M. F. Carolan, F.H. Garzon, M. Liu, and J. R. Stetter, The Electrochemical Society, Pennington, NJ, PV 2002-26 (2003).
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Other Professional Services

Dr. Liu has been active in providing technical services to Georgia Tech, other universities, state and federal agencies, professional societies, US industries, and international organizations.

He has served on numerous review panels and provided technical reviews for various organizations, such as the U.S. NSF, NASA, Departments of Energy, Defense, and Commerce; U.S. Civilian Research and Development Foundation (CRDF); professional societies (ECS, ACerS, ACS-PRF); the NSF of China, South Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Japan; the European Science Foundation and similar organizations in European member countries; the Australian Research Council, Qatar National Research Fund; Canadian agencies and Institutions; and various states in the U.S. (e.g., Connecticut, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, and West Virginia).

He have served as technical reviewer for more than 30 journals, including Nature, Science, Nature Materials, Nature Comms., Advanced Materials, Advanced Energy Materials, Angewandte Chemie, Int. Ed., Energy Environ. Sci., Nano Today, Nano Letters, Nano Energy, ACS Nano, Journal of American Chemical Society, Advanced Functional Materials, Scientific Reports, Chemistry of Materials, Journal of Physical Chemistry, ChemSusChem, Journal of Power Sources, Solid State Ionics, Journal of the Electrochemical Society, Electrochimica Acta, Int. J. Hydrogen Energy, and so forth.

He has held offices in several professional organizations, including the Electrochemical Society (ECS) Student Award Committee, The High-Temperature Materials Division of ECS (Executive Committee Member), the Georgia Section of ECS (Secretary, Vice President, and President), and the Georgia Tech Chapter of Sigma Xi - An International Honor Society on Scientific Research (Secretary, Vice President, and President).
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Invited Presentations

2014

1. "Surface Modification and In Situ Characterization of Electrodes in Solid Oxide Fuel Cells", MSE Colloquium Speaker, University of Texas at Austin, April 10, 2014.
2. "Toward a Clean and Secure Energy Future: Challenges and Opportunities", School of Environment and Energy, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China, May 8, 2014.
3. "Enhancing SOFC Electrode Performance by Surface Modification", presented to International Conference on Clean Energy, Taiyuan, China, May 12-14, 2014.
4. "Toward a New Generation of Solid Oxide Fuel Cells: Challenges and Perspectives", Harbin Institute of Technology, May 17, 2014.
5. "Enhancing SOFC Electrode Performance by Surface Modification", Ulsan National Institute of Technology, South Korea, May 28, 2014.
6. "In Operando surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy study of energy materials", presented to the Symposium on In Situ Studies of Fuel Cell Materials and Devices, the 247th ACS National Meeting, Dallas, TX, March 16-19, 2014.
7. "Probing and Mapping Electrode Properties Using in Situ/Operando Raman Spectroscopy", presented to the Workshop on Challenges and Opportunities in In Situ Studies of Solid Oxide Electrodes, Technical University of Denmark (Riso Campus), Denmark, June 26-27, 2014.
8. "Recent Advances in Materials Development for Solid Oxide Fuel Cells", TOPSOE Fuel Cells, June 28, 2014.
9. "Strategies to mitigate the degradation of LSCF cathodes against contaminants (Cr, H2O, and CO2)", The 15th DOE-SECA Workshop, Pittsburgh, PA, July 21-23, 2014.
10. "Recent advances in modeling and characterization of surfaces and interfaces in SOFCs", MSE Colloquium Speaker, Clemson University, South Carolina, October 9-10, 2014.
11. "An Innovative Intermediate Temperature Fuel Cells Tailored for Efficient Utilization of Methane", presented to DOE ARPA-E REBELS Kickoff Meeting, New Orleans, LA, October 28-29, 2014.
12. "Government Commitment to Energy Science and Technology", South China University of Technology, New Energy Research Institute, China, November 10, 2014.
13. "Surface Modification and In Situ/Operando Characterization of Electrodes in Solid Oxide Fuel Cells", MSE Colloquium Speaker, Stanford University, December 5, 2014.
14. "Operando Study of Electrode Materials Using Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy and Synchrotron-Enabled X-Ray Analysis", Beijing China, the First International Conference on Nanoenergy and Nanosystems (NENS2014), Beijing, China, December 8-10, 2014
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2013

1. "Recent advances in modeling and characterization of surfaces and interfaces in SOFCs", American Ceramic Society (ACerS) Meeting, Daytona Beach, Florida, January 28-30, 2013.
2. "Multiscale modeling and in situ characterization of surfaces and interfaces in electrochemical systems", Fuel Cell Review Meeting, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China, May 15-16, 2013.
3. "Electrochemical Energy Storage and Conversion: Challenges and Opportunities", International Symposium on Fuel Cells and Clean Energy, DICP, Chinese Academy of Science, Dalian, China, June 13-15, 2013.
4. "Critical Needs for Low-Temperature Solid Oxide Fuel Cells", NSF Symposium on Solid Oxide Fuel Cells, Arlington, VA, July 10-12, 2013
5. "Recent Advances in Raman Spectroscopy Study of Surfaces and Interfaces", DOE-EFRC Review Meeting, Washington DC, July 17-19, 2013.
6. "Enhancing Fuel Cell Performance through Infiltration", the 14th DOE-SECA Workshop, Pittsburgh, PA, July 22-24, 2013.
7. "Challenges and Opportunities for a New Generation of Low-Temperature SOFCs", International Symposium on SOFCs, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), South Korea, August 18-20, 2013.
8. "Challenges and Opportunities for a New Generation of Fuel Cells", presented to the Georgia Section of the Electrochemical Society, October 8, 2013.
9. "Recent Progress in Enhancing Cathode Performance through Infiltration", DOE Workshop on Cathode Development, University of Conn, November 13-14, 2013.
10."Understanding Surface and Interfaces in Electrochemical Energy Conversion and Storage Systems", Southeast American Chemical Society Meeting, Atlanta, GA, November 16, 2013.
11."In situ characterization and multi-scale simulation of electrode processes in fuel cells", Xian Jiao Tong University, China, December 6-7, 2013
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2012

1. "Nanomaterials for clean energy: Challenges and Opportunities" (Plenary Lecture), Opening Ceramony, The 1st World Congress on Advanced Materials, Beijing, June 6, 2012.
2. "Rational Design of Surfaces and Interfaces for Energy Storage and Conversion (Keynote Lecture), The 1st World Congress on Advanced Materials, Beijing, China, June 8, 2012
3. "Understanding surfaces and interfaces in electrochemical energy storage and conversion systems", UNIST-UK Workshop, Seoul, South Korea, June 26, 2012.
4. "Enhancing Cathode Performance through Infiltration of Catalysts", DOE SECA Workshop. July 24, 2012.
5. "Nanoporous Electrodes for Fuel Cells and Supercapacitors: Synthesis, In Situ Characterization, and Modeling", Gordon Research Conference on Electro-deposition, University of New England, August 2, 2012.
6. "Modeling, Simulation, and Characterization of Cermet Membranes and Catalysts for Hydrogen Separation", Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology, Siwen, South Korea, June 29, 2012.
7. "Modeling and In Situ Characterization of Electrode Processes", Ningbo Institute of Materials Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Science, Ningbo, China, December 17-19, 2012.
8. "Understanding Surface and Interfaces in Batteries and Fuel Cells", Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China, December 20, 2012.
9. "Rational Design of Electrode Materials for Electrochemical Energy Storage and Conversion", University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, December 24, 2012.
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2011

10. "Microanalysis of Surface and Interfaces of LSM-Infiltrated LSCF Cathodes in SOFCs", American Ceramic Society Meeting, Daytona Beach, FL, January 25, 2011.
11. "In Situ Characterization and Modeling of Porous Electrodes in Fuel Cells", International Conference on Computational Chemistry, Wen-Hua University, Taiwan, March 15, 2011.
12. "Modeling and Simulation of Energy Storage and Conversion: Challenges and Perspectives", presented to National Computational Center, Taiwan, March 16, 2011.
13. "Understanding Surface and Interfaces in Energy Systems", Energy Frontier Research Center (EFRC) Summit, Washington DC, May 26-27, 2011.
14. "In Situ Characterization and Modeling of Surface and Interfaces in Fuel Cells", Lehigh University, Sept 14, 2011.
15. "Surfaces and Interfaces in Heterogeneous Electrodes for Chemical and Energy Transformations", Symposium on Fuel Cells/Energy Conversion, MS&T2011, Columbus, OH, Oct. 18, 2011.
16. "Mixed-Valent Transition Metal Oxides for Supercapacitors", Symposium on Materials for Energy Storage, MS&T2011, Columbus, OH, Oct. 19, 2011.
17. "Rational Design of SOFC Materials", Plenary Lecture presented to The Annual Meeting of Korean Ceramic Society, Gwangju, South Korea, October 24-25, 2011.
18. "Raman Spectroscopy Study of SOFC Electrode Surfaces", Presented to the Symposium on In Situ Characterization of Fuel Cell Electrodes, MRS Fall Meeting, Boston, November 28-30, 2011.
19. "Rational Design of Materials for Energy Storage and Conversion", presented to The 4th World Class University Symposium, Seoul National University, South Korea, December 5, 2011.
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2010

20. "Modeling, Simulation, and Characterization of LSM-Infiltrated LSCF Cathodes for SOFCs" Presented to SECA Cathode Review Meeting, Atlanta, GA, February 24-25, 2010.
21. "Raman Spectroscopy, Synchrotron-Based XRA, and Microscopy of Electrode Materials", DOE EFRC Review Meeting, Atlanta, GA, April 10, 2010.
22. "Determination of Catalytic Properties of SOFC Electrode Materials", Plenary Lecture presented to The Annual Meeting of the Korean Electrochemical Society (KECS), Jeju Island, South Korea, April 22-24, 2010.
23. "Understanding the Surfaces and Interfaces in Fuel Cells", Xi'an Jiao Tong University, China, April 25-26, 2010.
24. "Novel Materials for Electrochemical Energy Storage and Conversion", Presented to The Korea Institute of Energy Research (KIER), Daejeon, South Korea, May 19, 2010.
25. "Toward a New Generation of Solid Oxide Fuel Cells: Recent Progress, Challenges, and Opportunities", A 4-Hour Educational Lecture presented to the graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in the Canadian SOFC Strategic Research Network, Calgary, Canada, May 27-28, 2010.
26. "Understanding the Surfaces and Interfaces in SOFCs", presented to the Annual Meeting of the Canadian SOFC Strategic Research Network, Calgary, Canada, May 28, 2010.
27. "Modeling and Simulation of SOFC Electrode Processes" Presented to the CIMTEC Conference - 12th International Ceramics Congress, Florence, Italy, June 6-11, 2010.
28. "LSM-Infiltrated LSCF for Enhanced Activity and Stability", DOE SECA 10th Annual Workshop, Pittsburgh, PA, July 26-28, 2010.
29. "Recent Progress in Development of Sulfur and Coking Tolerant Anodes" Gordon Research Conference on Solid Studies, Colby College, New Hampshire, August 14-18, 2010.
30. "Understanding the Surface and Interfaces in Energy Conversion Systems", 2010 MS&T Meeting in Houston, TX, October 18-21, 2010.
31. "Recent Progress in Probing and Mapping Electrode Properties", DOE EFRC Review Meeting, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, Oct. 22-23, 2010.
32. "Introduction to Fuel Cells and Other Energy Technologies", 3-hour lecture to US Naval War College (USNWC), New Port, RI, October 27-28, 2010.
33. "Ceramic Membranes for Hydrogen Separation", Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology (SAIT), Suwon, December 7, 2010.
34. "Sulfur-Tolerant Anodes for SOFCs", Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS), Changwon, South Korea, December 16, 2010.
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2009

35. "A Platform for Characterization of Surfaces of New Electrode Materials", American Ceramic Society Meeting, Daytona Beach, FL, January 20-24, 2009.
36. "Modeling and Simulation of Electrode Materials for SOFC" Boston University, February 26, 2009
37. "LSM Infiltrated LSCF Cathode" Carnegie Melon University, DOE-SECA Meeting, March 23-24, 2009
38. "Novel Anode Materials with High Tolerance to Sulfur and Coking for SOFCs", South China University of Technology, Guang-Zhou, China, June 28, 2009
39. "In-Situ Characterization of Electrode Processes Using Raman Spectroscopy", Zhong-Shan University, Guang-Zhou, China, June 29, 2009
40. "Modeling and Simulation of New Electrode Materials for SOFCs", Xi'an Jiaotong University, China, June 27, 2009
41. "In-Situ Characterization of Electrode Processes Using Raman Spectroscopy", presented to International Conference on Advanced Materials For Energy Applications, Singapore, July 1, 2009
42. "Rational Design of New Materials for Energy Storage and Conversion", Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), South Korea, November 11, 2009
43. "Modeling, Simulation, and In-Situ Characterization of Electrode Processes in SOFCs", Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology (SAID), South Korea, November 12, 2009
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2008

44. "Modeling and Simulation of Electrode Materials for SOFC", Presented to International Conference on Clean Energy, NRC, Vancouver, Canada, March 15, 2008
45. "Recent Development in New Materials for Solid Oxide Fuel Cells", Presented to the International Symposium on Renewable Energies", South Korea, December 2-6, 2008
46. "Modeling, Simulation, and In-situ Characterization of Electrode Materials for Solid Oxide Fuel Cells", Columbia University, New York, April 18, 2008
47. "Functional Materials for Energy Storage and Conversion", Presented to the First International Symposium on Functional Metal Oxides, Ningbo Materials Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, China, December 16-20, 2008
48. "Probing and Mapping Electrode Reactions using Raman Spectroscopy", University of West Virginia, Morgantown, WV, June 12, 2008.
49. "International Conference on Fuel Cells", in Dalian Institute of Physical Chemistry - Chinese Academy of Sciences, May 26-27, 2008.
50. "Raman Spectroscopy of Electrode Materials", Dalian University of Science and Technology, Dalian, China, May 28, 2008.
51. "Recent Advancements in SOFCs", Department of Electrical Engineering, Tsinghua University, May 29, 2008.
52. "New Materials for Energy Storage and Conversion", Zhejiang University, China, June 2, 2008.
53. "Modeling and Simulation of Composite Electrodes for SOFCs", Presented to International Conference on Heterogeneous Materials, in Huang-Shan, China, June 3-4, 2008.
54. "Probing and Mapping Electrode Reactions using Raman Spectroscopy", University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China, June 5, 2008.
55. "Recent Advancements in SOFCs" Shanghai Institute of Ceramics - Academy of Sciences, June 6, 2008.
56. "Electronic and Catalytic Properties of Cathode Materials", Presented to the Program Review Meeting, DoE University Coal Research, Pittsburgh, June 10-11, 2008.
57. "LSM Infiltrated LSCF cathodes for Improved Performance and Long-Term Stability", DOE 8th Annual SECA Symposium, Pittsburgh, PA, August 5-8, 2008.
58. "DFT Calculations of SOFC Materials", DOE SECA Workshop on Cathode Materials for SOFCs, Boston, MA, August 23, 2008.


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