About

Liangbing Hu is the Carol and Douglas Melamed Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering & Materials Science at Yale University. His research focuses on wood nanoscience and nanotechnologies, including engineered wood such as super wood, transparent wood, moldable wood, and insulating wood. He is also involved in ultrahigh temperature processes for non-equilibrium synthesis, high entropy catalysts, ionic materials and technologies, solid state batteries, and roll-to-roll printed electronics and flexible electronics. Hu has made significant contributions to the development of high-performance materials and innovative synthesis techniques, earning numerous awards and honors such as the MRS Medal, Fellow of ACS, and the ACS Anselme Payen Award. His work is characterized by pioneering efforts in nanomaterials synthesis, energy storage, and advanced manufacturing, establishing him as a leading figure in his field.

Research topics

• Materials science
• Chemistry
• Nanotechnology
• Chemical engineering
• Composite material
• Organic chemistry
• Computer Science
• Engineering
• Thermodynamics
• Political Science
• Physics
• Chemical physics
• Metallurgy
• Polymer science
• Optoelectronics
• Optics
• Environmental science
• Biochemical engineering
• Data science
• Engineering physics
• Waste management
• Biology
• Pulp and paper industry
• Meteorology

Selected publications

• Methane pyrolysis-enabled production of high-value carbon fibres

  Nature Sustainability · 2026-04-16

  articleSenior authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• First-Principles Microkinetic Model for Ammonia Synthesis on Fe(110) under Non-Equilibrium Programmable Heating and Quenching Operation

  ChemRxiv · 2026-05-21

  articleOpen access

  Traditional thermochemical processes typically operate under relatively static conditions, where conventional reactors restrict the time scales over which key reaction parameters (such as temperature) can be varied. Electrification via Joule heating offers a way to overcome this limitation by producing pulsed temperature profiles with millisecond time resolution via programmable electric currents through a lightweight resistive catalyst support. The programmable heating and quenching (PHQ) approach enables access to nontraditional reaction dynamics and may significantly enhance product yield and selectivity with improved energy efficiency. Ammonia (NH 3 ), produced by the Haber-Bosch (HB) process, plays a critical role in fertilizer production and is gaining attention as a potential hydrogen carrier. The conventional HB process requires high temperatures and pressures, limiting energy efficiency and decentralized production. Dong et al. demonstrated NH 3 synthesis from H 2 and N 2 at ambient pressures using a PHQ reactor and an Fe catalyst, with yields higher than under isothermal conditions and stable output (Dong et al. Nature, 605, 470-476 (2022)). Here, we used density-functional-theory-based microkinetic modeling under both steady-state (isothermal) and dynamic (PHQ) conditions to understand the effect of controlled thermal fluctuations on heterogeneous catalysis of NH 3 synthesis on the most stable facet of Fe, namely (110). We demonstrate how PHQ can alter reaction rates and surface species, specifically, we predict fluctuations in concentrations of adsorbed N vs. NH; we also investigate how variations in temperature pulsing, e.g., the maximum temperature allowed and cycle time, influence yield. We find that PHQ enhances NH 3 yield only when the average of the fluctuating temperature deviates from the optimal isothermal temperature (especially when lower). Furthermore, increasing the time between high-temperature pulses could dramatically improve energy efficiency due to the slow temperature decay between pulses.

  PublisherDOI

• A molecular pathway to corrosion-resistant printable copper

  Science · 2026-05-14

  articleCorresponding

  Copper's exceptional electrical and thermal conductivities make it essential for electronics and energy systems. However, oxidation and corrosion limit its long-term reliability, and existing protection strategies often involve high-temperature or multistep processing. We report a molecularly reactive strategy that converts copper precursors to metallic copper at <150°C, while generating an ultrathin carbonaceous and copper(I) surface passivation. Catechol-based ligands mediate copper reduction, enable low-temperature interparticle fusion, and impart surface passivation, yielding flexible copper with low resistivity and exceptional stability (>1000 hours in acid, >200 hours in sulfide, >240 hours at 140°C). This strategy resolves the long-standing trade-off between conductivity, corrosion resistance, and processability for next-generation flexible electronics and energy systems.

  PublisherDOI

• Pyrolyzed preceramic precursors to compositionally complex ceramics

  Matter · 2025-07-21 · 5 citations

  articleOpen access

  Compositionally tunable system enables tailored structural performance Rapid air sintering of ceramic coatings achieved in under 1 min Forms dense, oxidation-resistant ceramics via sub-minute air sintering at >1,

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Element-Specific Local Chemical Order of High-Entropy Nanoalloys

  ACS Nano · 2025-07-16 · 5 citations

  articleCorresponding

  Multielemental nanoalloys have shown significant promise in applications like catalysis, due to the structural features that arise from their complex structure. A key feature of particular interest is local chemical order (LCO) at the scale of a single neighboring bond length. LCO has proven challenging and inconclusive to identify and assess in these materials, particularly in samples containing elements with similar atomic numbers. Herein, we apply a methodology combining experimental X-ray absorption spectroscopy and computational simulations, allowing for the reliable verification and quantification of LCO in a five-element high-entropy alloy (HEA-5) on an element-specific basis. The analysis identifies the Ru-Ir bonding pair as a significant component of LCO, which correlates with HEA-5's established high catalytic performance in ammonia decomposition. The methodology is further applied to a complex 15-element HEA sample, where consistent LCO trends are observed. These results support an element-specific approach for investigating LCO, structural analysis, and the catalytic design of high-entropy nanoalloys.

  PublisherDOI

• Element-Specific Local Chemical Order of High-Entropy Nanoalloys

  ChemRxiv · 2025-07-09

  preprintOpen access

  Multi-elemental nanoalloys have shown significant promise in applications like catalysis, due to unique structural features that arise from their complex structure. A key feature of particular interest is local chemical order (LCO) at the scale of a single neighboring bond length. LCO has proven challenging and inconclusive to interpret and verify in these materials, particularly in samples containing elements with similar atomic numbers. Herein we present a methodology combining experimental X-ray absorption spectroscopy and computational simulations, allowing for the reliable verification and quantification of LCO in a five-element high entropy alloy (HEA-5) on a truly element-specific basis. The analysis identifies a distinctive type of LCO involving the Ru-Ir bonding pair, which correlates with the high catalytic performance of HEA-5 in the ammonia decomposition reaction. The versatility of this element-specific methodology is further demonstrated through its application to an extremely complex 15-element HEA sample, where consistent LCO trends are observed. These findings contribute to LCO theory, element-specific structural analysis, and the catalytic design of high-entropy nanoalloys.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Carbon paper anodes decorated with TiO2 nanowires and Au nanoparticles for facilitating bacterial extracellular electron transfer

  Bioprocess and Biosystems Engineering · 2025-03-11 · 4 citations

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Predictive Design of Sustainable Biobased Packaging via Machine Intelligence for Improved Postharvest Preservation

  Research Square · 2025-05-26

  preprintOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• 2024 Energy and Fuels Community Highlights: Advancing Materials and Technologies in Decarbonization and Renewable Energy Solutions

  ACS Energy Letters · 2025-08-21 · 7 citations

  articleOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Boron nitride enhanced electric insulation paper for extending transformer thermal life

  Materials & Design · 2025-05-18 · 6 citations

  articleOpen access

  • Oil-paper-boron-nitride system promises doubling of transformer thermal life. • Novel material combination has three times better through-plane thermal conductivity, 25% higher dielectric strength, 30% smaller relative permittivity, and 40% higher tensile strength than conventional oil-paper insulation. • Micrometer scale boron nitride is key to the improved thermal conductivity. • Microfibrillated and nanofibrillated cellulous help maintain mechanical strength by adding hydrogen binding sites to replace those displaced by boron nitride. Increasing the thermal conductivity of the oil-paper insulation system can significantly extend the thermal life of transformers by enabling effective heat removal, which reduces high temperature-induced insulation degradation. This research shows that the addition of nominally 25 µm diameter boron nitride particles can achieve sufficient increase in through-plane thermal conductivity of insulation paper to an extent that doubles the transformer thermal life. Importantly, the dielectric breakdown strength can also be enhanced by adding boron nitride particles to the developed insulation paper. Moreover, applying lignin containing cellulose microfibrils into the paper can compensate for the paper strength loss due to the disruption of hydrogen bonding by the addition of BN particles. Building on these findings, we outlined a pathway for a boron nitride-based enhanced insulation system with outstanding through-plane thermal conductivity, enhanced dielectric strength, an appropriate dielectric constant and the needed tensile strength. Additionally, thermal aging experiments showed that the proposed material can have a reasonable thermal life under transformer operating conditions. Overall, this research shows that the mix of thermal, mechanical, and dielectric properties can be successfully tuned to achieve a beneficial insulation system which can significantly enhance the transformer life. As the summary, the proposed material has three times better through-plane thermal conductivity (0.76 W/m·K vs. 0.2 W/m·K), 23 % higher dielectric strength (84.6 kV/mm vs. 65.3 kV/mm), 35 % greater tensile strength (71.26 N·m/g vs. 45.91 N·m/g) and 33 % smaller relative permittivity (3.7 vs. 5.5) than the commercial insulation paper with similar thermal degradation rates.

  PublisherDOI

Recent grants

• SusChEM: Collaborative Research: Holey Reduced-Graphene-Oxide Film for Na-Ion Battery Anode

  NSF · $225k · 2013–2016

• SNM: Continuous Synthesis and Stabilization of Nanoparticles in a Carbon Matrix Using Rapid Thermal Shock

  NSF · $1.3M · 2016–2022

• Stitching and Healing Graphene Flakes by Atomic-Layer-Deposition for Roll-to-Roll Printing of Transparent Conducting Electrodes

  NSF · $438k · 2013–2017

Frequent coauthors

• Jiaqi Dai

  Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures

  188 shared

• Yonggang Yao

  Huazhong University of Science and Technology

  163 shared

• Chaoji Chen

  Wuhan University

  138 shared

• Kun Fu

  University of Delaware

  84 shared

• Emily Hitz

  University of Maryland, College Park

  76 shared

• Hua Xie

  63 shared

• Shuaiming He

  University of Maryland, College Park

  61 shared

• Jiayu Wan

  Shanghai Jiao Tong University

  59 shared

Education

• Ph.D., Electrical Engineering

  University of California, Berkeley

  2006

• M.S., Electrical Engineering

  University of California, Berkeley

  2003

• B.S., Electronic Science and Technology

  University of Science and Technology of China

  1999

Awards & honors

• MRS Medal (2025)
• Fellow of ACS (2025)
• ACS Anselme Payen Award (2025)
• The HUJI Nano Center Dan Maydan Prize for Nanoscience and Na…
• Distinguished University Professor (2023)