University of Colorado- Boulder  
   
 
 
Dr. Miao Yu
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Assistant Research Professor

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E-mail: Miao.Yu@colorado.edu

Education:

  • Assistant Research Professor , Chemical Engineering, University of Colorado at Boulder, 6/2010-current, Topics: solar cells, advanced nanostructures for separations, nanostructured catalysts, and aligned carbon nanotube synthesis and novel applications
  • Postdoctoral training, Chemical Engineering, University of Colorado at Boulder, 8/2007-5/2010, Topic: synthesis and applications of vertically-aligned carbon nanotubes
  • Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering, University of Colorado at Boulder, 8/2004-4/2007 Thesis: Adsorption and Diffusion in Zeolites and Zeolite Membranes
  • Ph. D Candidate in Chemical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, 1/2004- 5/2004
  • M.S. in Chemical Engineering, Tianjin University, China, 9/1999-6/2002 Thesis: Experimental Studies on Removing Minor Content of H2S in Natural Gas by Chromatography Method
  • B.S. in Chemical Engineering, Tianjin University, China, 9/1994-7/1998 Thesis: Water Purification by Mesoporous Molecular Sieves with Functionalized Film

Awards:

-Colorado Center of Biorefining and Biofuels (C2B2) Postdoctoral Fellowship (2009)

-American Institute of Chemists Postdoctoral Award, University of Colorado (2008)

-American Institute of Chemists Graduate Award, University of Colorado (2007)

-North American Membrane Society (NAMS) Annual Meeting Student Travel Award (2007)

-GAANN fellowship, University of Colorado at Boulder, 2004-2007

-3rd place award for Student Annual Research Symposium (StARS), 2006

-University fellowship, Graduate school, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, 2004

-Outstanding Graduate Student Scholarship, Tianjin University, 1999-2001

-Outstanding Undergraduate Student Scholarship, Tianjin University, 1997-1998 (1st in class)

-Hua-Chang Scholarship, Tianjin Scientific Community, 1997

-Tianjin University People’s Scholarship, Tianjin University, 1995-1996 (1st in class)

Research Summary:

Assistant Research Professor: 2010-Current

Solar cells, advanced nanostructures for separations, nanostructured catalysts, and aligned carbon nanotube synthesis and novel applications

Ph.D. Research: 2004 to 2007

Current studies focus on the adsorption of liquid mixtures on zeolites and diffusion through zeolite membranes. This includes synthesizing and characterizing zeolite crystals using XRD, FTIR, SEM, EDX, measuring liquid mixture adsorption on zeolites by a volumetric/gravimetric method, gas/vapor permeation measurements through zeolite membranes, transient diffusion through zeolite membranes, in situ FTIR measurements for adsorbed species in zeolites, pervaporation separation with zeolite membranes, characterization of zeolite membrane microstructure. These studies not only deepened fundamental understanding of separation mechanisms with zeolite membranes by adsorption and diffusion, but also introduced originally new factors that influence zeolite membrane separation mechanisms, such as zeolite membrane microstructure, microstructure change upon adsorption and temperature, and strong molecular interactions in zeolite pores.

M.S. Research: 1999 to 2002

  • Modifying porous materials by coating liquid films for removing minor amount H2S in natural gas.
  • Feasibility studies on pressure swing sorption for removing H2S from natural gas by fixed bed dynamic adsorption and desorption, including H2S sorption and desorption study on modified porous material, stability study for modified porous material etc.
  • Preliminary study for removing H2S in CH4 by PSA technique.

Publications:

Yu, M., Wyss, J.C., Falconer, J.L.*, Noble, R.D., “Transient Diffusion Behaviors of Acetone Mixtures through MFI-Type Zeolite Membranes”, in preparation

Yu, M., Funke, H.H., Falconer, J.L.*, Noble, R.D., “Sensitive Water Interaction with Carbon Nanotubes”, in preparation

Yu, M., Zhang, W. *, Falconer, J.L.*, Noble, R.D., “Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells with Multi-Layered Structures”, Nano Letters, submitted (2009)

Yu, M., Funke, H.H., Falconer, J.L., Noble, R.D., “Gated Ion Transport through Dense Carbon Nanotube Membranes”, Journal of the American Chemical Society, in revision (2009) 

Liang, X.H., Lu, X.Y., Yu, M., Cavanagh, A.S., Gin, D.L., Weimer, A.W., “Modification of nanoporous supported lyotropic liquid crystal polymer membranes by atomic layer deposition”, Journal of Membrane Science, accepted (2009)

Liang, X.H., Yu, M., Li, J.H., Jiang, Y.B., Weimer, A.W., “Ultra-thin microporous/mesorporous metal oxide films prepared by molecular layer deposition (MLD)”, Chemical Communications, 7140-7142 (2009)

Yu, M., Funke, H.H., Falconer, J.L., Nobler, R.D., “High-Density, Vertically-Aligned Carbon Nanotube Membranes”, Nano Letters 9, 225-229 (2009)

Yu, M., Falconer, J.L.*, Noble, R.D., “Characterizing Non-Zeolitic Pores in MFI Membranes”, Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research 47, 3943-3948 (2008) 

Yu, M., Falconer, J.L.*, Noble, R.D., “Characterizing Non-Zeolitic Pore Volume in Zeolite Membranes by Temperature-Programmed Desorption”, Microporous & Mesoporous Materials 113, 224-230 (2008)

Yu, M., Wyss, J.C., Noble, R.D., Falconer, J.L.*, “2,2-Dimethylbutane Adsorption and Diffusion in MFI Zeolite”, Microporous & Mesoporous Materials 111, 24-31 (2008) 

Yu, M., Li, S.G., Falconer, J.L.*, Noble, R.D., “Reversible Hydrogen Storage Using A SAPO-34 Zeolite Layer”, Microporous & Mesoporous Materials 110, 579-582 (2008) 

Yu, M., Amundsen, T.J., Hong, M., Falconer, J.L.*, Noble, R.D., “A Controllable Nanometer-sized Valve”, Advanced Materials 19, 3032-3036 (2007) 

Yu, M., Falconer, J.L.*, Amundsen, T.J., Hong, M., Noble, R.D., “Flexible Nanostructure of MFI Zeolite Membranes”, Journal of Membrane Science, 298, 182-189 (2007)

Yu, M., Falconer, J.L.*, Noble, R.D., Krishna, R., “Modeling Transient Permeation of Polar Organic Mixtures through a MFI Zeolite Membrane using the Maxwell-Stefan Equations”, Journal of Membrane Science 293, 167-173 (2007) 

Yu, M., Hunter, J.T., Falconer, J.L.*, Noble, R.D., “Adsorption of Benzene Mixtures on Silicalite-1 and NaX Zeolites”, Microporous & Mesoporous Materials 96, 376-385 (2006) 

Yu, M., Falconer, J.L.*, Noble, R.D., “Adsorption of Liquid Mixtures on Silicalite-1 Zeolite: a Density-Bottle Method”, Langmuir 21, 7390-7397 (2005) 

Zhou, L.*, Yu, M., Zhong, L.M., Zhou, Y. P., “Feasibility Study on Pressure Swing Sorption for Removing H2S from Natural Gas”, Chemical Engineering Science 59, 2401-2406 (2004) 

Zhou, L.*, Zhong, L.M., Yu, M., Zhou, Y. P., “Sorption and Desorption of a Minor Amount of H2S on Silica Gel Covered with a Film of Triethanolamine”, Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research  43, 1765-1767 (2004)

Bowen, T.C., Wyss, J.C., Yu, M., Falconer, J.L.*, and Noble, R.D., “Diffusion Measurements during Pervaporation through a Zeolite Membrane”, Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Inorganic Membranes, eds. F.T. Akin and Y.S. Lin, Adams Press, Chicago 188-191 (2004).

* Corresponding author
 Last updated: 6/2010