The 2017 recipient of the Albert Sauveur Achievement Award given by professional materials organization ASM International is Tsu-Wei Chou, of the University of Delaware. Chou's important work on energy storage composites is well known and is pushing the boundaries of what we understand about microstructure-property relationships in composites and nanocomposites, based on his experimental and theoretical work.
Chou's research career stretches back almost half a century during which time he has worked with a wide range of materials, including hybrid composites, textile composites, flexible composites, and in recent years nanocomposites. In the latter area, Chou and his colleagues have found unique applications for continuous fibers based on carbon nanotubes with potential as multifunctional composites and in energy storage devices.
University of Delaware magazine "UDaily" reports how Chou joined its faculty in 1969 and was one of the founding members of the university's Center for Composite Materials and has established and sustained many of the center's international collaborations through the years. Chou has written some 350 journal articles and many books, and is Editor-in-Chief of the Elsevier journal "Composites Science and Technology" a peer-reviewed journal in the field of fundamental and applied science of engineering composites.
The Albert Sauveur Achievement Award was established in 1934 and focuses on rewarding pioneering work that has led to significant developments in materials science and engineering. Chou will receive the award at MS&T '17 - Materials Science and Technology Conference and Exhibition in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Previous recipients of the award have included fluid dynamics expert Geoffrey I. Taylor (1962), George R. Irwin (1974), an expert in fracture mechanics, Merton C. Flemings (1978), known for his work on metal forming, and Frank H. Spedding (1982) renowned metal extraction work.
Chou had this to say to Materials Today: "I sincerely appreciate the support and encourage of my colleagues of the international materials community. It has been a most exciting and rewarding endeavor for nearly five decades, exploring the fascinating world of structural and functional composites. I shall continue moving forward in the study of nanocarbon based multifunctional materials."
David Bradley blogs at Sciencebase Science Blog and tweets @sciencebase, he is author of the popular science book "Deceived Wisdom".