Liming Dai, the Kent Hale Smith Professor in the Department of Macromolecular Science and Engineering, received the Somiya Award from the International Union of Materials Research Societies.

Dai led the winning research team, which included Jian-Feng Chen, a professor at the Beijing University of Chemical Technology, and Zhenhai Xia, a professor at the University of North Texas.

The team was honored for its work using carbon nanomaterials as metal-free catalysts for renewable energy and storage applications.

They accepted the award May 29 in Nice, France.