Dr. Yu Lei

Department Chair, CME Associate Professor, CME

Contact

301 Sparkman Drive
Engineering Building
Room 117
Huntsville, AL 35899
Campus Map

256.824.6527
yu.lei@uah.edu

Biography

Yu Lei is an associate professor in the Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. His research focuses on heterogeneous catalysis and atomic layer deposition (ALD), with applications in catalysis, energy storage, environmental technologies, and optics. He has been recognized with several honors, including the Fulbright U.S. Scholar award, for his contributions to developing nanomaterials that integrate surface chemistry, kinetics, and reaction engineering to address complex challenges.

Education

  • Ph.D., Chemical Engineering, University of Illinois at Chicago, 2010
  • B.S., Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, 2004

Honors & Awards

  • Brian Landrum College of Engineering Faculty Service Award, 2024
  • Fulbright U.S. Scholar, 2023
  • 糖心原创出品 of Engineering Outstanding Junior Faculty Award, 2018
  • 糖心原创出品 of Engineering Outstanding Faculty Award, 2016
  • ACS-PRF New Doctoral Investigator Award, 2015
  • ORAU Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award, 2015

Expertise

  • Heterogeneous catalysis
  • Atomic layer deposition
  • Surface chemistry, kinetics and reaction engineering
  • Energy and environmental applications

Recent Publications

  • Z. Gan, Z. Lu, M. Bunian, L. B. Lagria, C. L. Marshall, R. M. Banish, S. Lee, Y. Lei, Synthesis of Pt3Zn1 and Pt1Zn1 intermetallic nanocatalysts for dehydrogenation of ethane, Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 25 (2023) 7144-7153

  • W. Yang, M. Bunian, X. Chen, S. Heald, L. Yu, J Wen, Y. Lei, T. Wu, Plasmon-enhanced Catalytic Ozonation for Efficient Removal of Recalcitrant Water Pollutants, ACS ES&T Engineering, 5 (2021) 874-883

  • M.-H. Jang, Y. Lei, Ultrasonic Atomization of Titanium Isopropoxide at Room Temperature for TiO2 Atomic Layer Deposition, Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology A, 38 (2020) 062405

  • M.-H. Jang, O. Kizilkaya, A. J. Kropf, R. L. Kurtz, J. W. Elam, Y. Lei, Synergetic Effect on Catalytic Activity and Charge Transfer in Pt-Pd Bimetallic Model Catalysts Prepared by Atomic Layer Deposition, Journal of Chemical Physics, 152 (2020) 024710

  • Z. Lu, X. Liu, B. Zhang, Z. Gan, S. Tang, L. Ma, T. Wu, G. J. Nelson, Y. Qin, C. H Turner, Y. Lei, Structure and Reactivity of Single Site Ti Catalysts for Propylene Epoxidation, Journal of Catalysis, 377 (2019) 419-428

Faculty and staff can be reached at the numbers shown here. The department number is 256.824.6810 and the departmental fax number is 256.824.6839.