Dr. Liu's primary interests lie in the design, fabrication, in situ/operando characterization, and simulation of materials for energy storage and conversion. This includes electrolyte, electrode, and catalyst materials in the forms of membranes, thin films, coatings, and porous architectures with heterogeneous surfaces and interfaces, as well as devices such as fuel cells, batteries, electrolyzers, and membrane reactors for chemical transformation. The primary focus is on understanding how the structure, composition, and morphology of materials influence their electrical, chemical, catalytic, and electrochemical properties, particularly regarding charge and mass transfer along surfaces, across interfaces, and through complex porous structures. The overarching objective is to develop innovative strategies and materials aimed at enhancing efficiency while reducing the cost of chemical and energy transformation processes.

Dr. Liu's current research activities include:

• Studying transport phenomena in ionic, electronic, and mixed conductors and the effect of materials microscopic features on electro-physical and electro-chemical properties
• Controlled fabrication and characterization of membranes, thin films, and coatings; mesoporous and nanostructured electrodes and interfaces; and solid-state ionic devices
• Performing in situ/operando characterization of surfaces and interfaces under realistic operating conditions using simultaneous Raman spectroscopy, impedance spectroscopy, and other complementary techniques
• Developing new materials for high-power batteries, reversible solid oxide cells, and membrane reactors for chemical and energy transformation

Dr. Liu has published 20 review articles, 7 book chapters, and over 680 refereed papers in reputed journals such as Science (1), Nature (1), Nature Energy (1), Nature Communications (8), Energy & Environmental Science (25), Advanced Materials (20), Advanced Energy Materials (23), Advanced Functional Materials (24), Joule (2), Angewandte Chemie International Edition (8), Applied Catalysis B Environmental (5), Nano Letters (11), ACS Nano (14), Journal of the American Chemical Society (2), Chemical Society Reviews (1), ACS Energy Letters (5), Materials Science and Engineering: R (2), Materials Today (4), Nano Energy (31), ACS Catalysis (7), Energy Storage Materials (11), Advanced Science (6), Chemistry of Materials (13), and Journal of Materials Chemistry A (32).

Since 2018, he has been recognized as a Highly Cited Researcher in the fields of Materials Science, Chemistry, and/or Environment and Ecology. His work has garnered over 80,000 citations, with an h-index of 156 (according to Google Scholar as of July 27, 2024).

Dr. Liu holds 33 U.S. patents, co-founded a battery technology company PolyPlus Battery, and has delivered approximately 200 plenary, keynote, or invited lectures at conferences, workshops, universities, national labs, and industries around the world.

He has mentored around 100 postdoctoral and Ph.D. students, with approximately 30 of his former students now holding faculty positions at universities across China, the U.S., Taiwan, South Korea, Australia, and Spain.

Google Scholar Citations: ~80,000; h-index: 155 Highly Cited Researcher (2018 to present)

Recent Awards

• 2024 – Elected Fellow, European Academy of Sciences (EurASc)
• 2018 to 2023 - Highly Cited Researcher in materials science, chemistry
• 2021 – Hightower Endowed Chair in MSE