Wu Wins Sidhu Award

Dr. Hui Wu.

Department of Materials Science and Engineering Assistant Research Scientist Hui Wu has received the Pittsburgh Diffraction Society's 2010 Sidhu Award. The award, established in memory of Professor Surhain Sidhu, is presented biannually to scientists who are within six years of having earned a Ph.D. or its equivalent, and who have made outstanding contributions to the fields of crystallography and diffraction. Winners receive a cash prize of $2000 and are invited to present the Sidhu Award Lecture at the Pittsburgh Diffraction Conference.

Wu studies the relationship between the structure and properties of new materials for hydrogen energy storage, including chemical hydrides and metal-organic framework materials. The lack of effective and efficient hydrogen storage materials has been one of the main obstacles in the development of fuel cell technology that could replace gasoline engines in cars and other vehicles.

The Pittsburgh Diffraction Society cited Wu for her "outstanding expertise [in] neutron and x-ray diffraction to solve key structural problems which are central [to] the understanding and development of novel…porous framework materials for hydrogen storage." Her work has resulted in over 40 publications in high-impact journals spanning multiple disciplines including chemistry, materials science, and physics.

Wu's research is supported by a cooperative agreement between the National Institute of Standards and Technology's (NIST) Center for Neutron Research, where she is a guest researcher, and the University of Maryland.

For more information on Dr. Hui Wu's research, see:

1. Wu, H.; Zhou, W.; Pinkerton, F. E.; Meyer, M. S.; Srinivas, G.; Yildirim, T.; Udovic, T. J.; Rush, J. J., "A New Family of Metal Borohydride Ammonia Borane Complexes: Synthesis, Structures, and Hydrogen Storage Properties", Journal of Materials Chemistry 2010, 20, (31), 6550-6556.
2. Wu, H.; Simmons, J. M.; Srinivas, G.; Zhou, W.; Yildirim, T., "Adsorption Sites and Binding Nature of Co₂ in Prototypical Metal-Organic Frameworks: A Combined Neutron Diffraction and First-Principles Study", Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters 2010, 1, (13), 1946-1951.
3. Wu, H.; Simmons, J. M.; Liu, Y.; Brown, C. M.; Wang, X. S.; Ma, S.; Peterson, V. K.; Southon, P. D.; Kepert, C. J.; Zhou, H. C.; Yildirim, T.; Zhou, W., "Metal-Organic Frameworks with Exceptionally High Methane Uptake: Where and How Is Methane Stored?", Chemistry-a European Journal 2010, 16, (17), 5205-5214.
4. Wu, H.; Zhou, W.; Yildirim, T., "High-Capacity Methane Storage in Metal-Organic Frameworks M-2(Dhtp): The Important Role of Open Metal Sites", Journal of the American Chemical Society 2009, 131, (13), 4995-5000.
5. Wu, H.; Zhou, W.; Yildirim, T., "Alkali and Alkaline-Earth Metal Amidoboranes: Structure, Crystal Chemistry, and Hydrogen Storage Properties", Journal of the American Chemical Society 2008, 130, (44), 14834-14839.
6. Wu, H.; Zhou, W.; Udovic, T. J.; Rush, J. J.; Yildirim, T., "Structures and Crystal Chemistry of Li2bnh6 and Li4bn3h10", Chemistry of Materials 2008, 20, (4), 1245-1247.
7. Wu, H.; Zhou, W.; Udovic, T. J.; Rush, J. J.; Yildirim, T., "Crystal Chemistry of Perovskite-Type Hydride Namgh3: Implications for Hydrogen Storage", Chemistry of Materials 2008, 20, (6), 2335-2342.

October 14, 2010