Dr. Liu's primary interests lie in fundamental understanding of the effect of structure, defects, and microstructure on transport and electrical properties of surfaces and interfaces. In particular, he is interested in developing new materials for energy storage and conversion, for chemical sensing, and for hydrogen production and separation In addition, he is interested in mathematical modeling of mass and charge transport in solid electrochemical systems and polarization at interfaces.

Dr. Liu's current research activities include:
In-situ characterization of gas-solid interactions using FTIR/Raman spectromicroscopy, impedance spectroscopy, and mass spectrometry.
Dtudy of transport phenomena and kinetics in ionic and electronic conductors and the effect of imperfections on electrophysical and electrochemical properties.
Fabrication and characterization of ceramic membranes, thin films, and coatings; mesoporous and nanostructured electrodes and interfaces; and solid-state ionic devices.
Development of new materials for high-selectivity gas sensors, for high-energy-density batteries, for low-temperature solid-state fuel cells, and for high temperature PEM fuel cells.