Prof. Michel Barsoum is a distinguished professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is a foreign member of the Royal Swedish Society of Engineering Sciences, a fellow of the American Ceramics Society, and a member of the World Academy of Ceramics and National Academy of Inventors. Dr. Barsoum is a widely recognized leader in the area of MAX phases, which were first fabricated in bulk by his group in 1996. His pioneering work on MAX phases has sparked wide interest in this class of atomically layered carbides and nitrides, as they combine some of the best attributes of metals and ceramics. In 2011, his PhD student M. Naguib at the time discovered MXenes, a new family of 2D transition metal carbides and nitrides synthesized by the selective etching of MAX phases in 2011. This groundbreaking work has revolutionized research on 2D materials due to the wide range of MXene compositions that can be tailored for various applications. These applications span from energy conversion and storage, through EMI shielding and water purification, to catalysis. Dr. Barsoum has also made strong contribution in the field of alkali activated cementitious materials, and more recently his group introduced a new class of 1D oxides that can be self-assembled into 2D layers.
Prof. Michel Barsoum authored and co-authored over 550 peer-reviewed publications that have been cited over 106,000 times (Google h index > 138). He has appeared on Web of Science's highly cited researchers list since 2018. Dr. Barsoum is the recipient of numerous honors and awards, including the Chair of Excellence from the Nanosciences Foundation in Grenoble, France, in 2017. In 2000 he was awarded an Alexander von Humboldt-Max Planck Society Prize for Senior US Scientists. In 2008 he spent a sabbatical year at Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, as the prestigious Wheatly Scholar. In 2020, he was honored with the International Ceramics Prize for basic science by the World Academy of Ceramics. This prize is awarded quadrennially and is one of the most prestigious in his field. The prize was awarded for “… outstanding contribution in opening new horizons in material research and specifically for pioneering work in MAX phases and their derivatives.” In addition to these accolades, he is the author of two books: “MAX Phases: Properties of Machinable Carbides and Nitrides” (2013), and “Fundamentals of Ceramics, 2nd Ed” (2020) one of the few textbooks in the field that is used globally for teaching the subject.
This symposium include talks in following areas:
1. Synthesis, properties and applications of MAX and MAB phases
2. 2D derivatives of MAX and MAB phases and their applications
3. Synthesis and applications of 1D titania and other low dimensional oxides
4. Ripplocations and the deformation of layered solids