Abstract: Water and energy are two of the world’s most valuable resources. In the near future, as the industrial sector expands, demand for water and energy will be even greater than it is today. Recently, advanced materials have been widely implemented in energy and water areas. Hybrid and hierarchical structures could give scientists the ability to create specifically tailored nanocomposites that combine the advantages of each material constituent to enhance functionality. This talk summarizes current efforts on design, synthesis, and characterization of hybrid and hierarchical materials and their applications in energy and water treatment areas.

Bio: Pei Dong is an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at George Mason University. She obtained her B.S. in microelectronics from Nankai University and her Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Rice University. She then did her postdoctoral research in the Department of Materials Science and NanoEngineering at Rice University before joining George Mason University. Her current research interests include design, synthesis, characterization and applications of advanced materials in energy and water treatment areas.