Rodney S. Ruoff, Director of the Center for Multidimensional Carbon Materials (CMCM) at the Institute for Basic Science (IBS), and Distinguished Professor at the Ulsan National Institute of Science & Technology (UNIST) in Korea will be awarded the SGL Carbon (Skakel) Award for his outstanding and many contributions to the field of carbon materials. The SGL Carbon Award, sponsored by SGL Carbon Group and the American Carbon Society, is an international award given every 3 years to an individual whose overall contributions and achievements have significantly influenced the progress of the science and/or technology of carbon materials.

▲ A beaming Director Ruoff, accepting SGL Carbon Award 2016 form Dr. Marcus Franz, SGL Group

Director Ruoff has made pioneering discoveries in carbon science for more than 20 years, including discoveries leading to a deeper understanding of nanostructures and 2D materials, especially novel carbon materials (fullerenes, nanotubes, diamond nanorods, graphite oxide, graphene oxide, graphene, among others). His fundamental research efforts on (i) the solubility phenomena of fullerenes, carbon nanotubes (CNTs), and graphene platelets, and of (ii) studies of graphene platelets including for use in electrodes for electrical energy storage, as well as his work on (iii) the mechanics of carbon nanotubes and (iv) the chemical vapor deposition of graphene, have had the additional impact of greatly accelerating industrial developments.

More recently, Ruoff has published a series of studies on graphene-based materials, developing new synthesis techniques and improving our understanding of the physical, chemical, and biological properties of these materials. His extensive studies of the growth of graphene by chemical vapor deposition and of the chemistry and uses of graphene oxide (such as in polymer composites, in electrodes, in thin films, in 'paper-like' materials) and for use in electrical energy storage triggered an extraordinary surge in research studies worldwide. As one example, his work with his team on graphene-based ultracapacitors, published in Nano Letters in 2008, has initiated a worldwide effort on the use of graphene materials in electrodes in electrical energy storage systems.

Ruoff said of receiving the SGL Carbon Award:"I am honored to have been chosen for this award for my scientific contributions on a variety of carbon materials,, and also note the hard work and dedication from many students and postdocs who have worked in my group, as well as from the colleagues that I have been fortunate to collaborate with. Looking to the future—I feel my best work is ahead of me!"

Ruoff was awarded the 2014 David Turnbull Lectureship Award, one of most significant awards from the Materials Research Society, which honors a scientist's significant contributions to understanding fundamental materials phenomena and properties. He has co-authored over 440 peer-reviewed publications related to chemistry, physics, materials science, mechanics, and biomedical science, and is a Fellow of the Materials Research Society (MRS), the American Physical Society, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Prior to joining IBS, Ruoff was the Cockrell Family Regents Endowed Chair Professor at the University of Texas at Austin from September, 2007 to December 31, 2013 He earned his Ph.D. in Chemical Physics from the University of Illinois-Urbana in 1988, and he was a Fulbright Fellow in 1988-89 at the Max Planck Institute für Strömungsforschung in Göttingen, Germany. He was at Northwestern University from January 2000 to August 2007, where he was the John Evans Professor of Nanoengineering and director of NU's Biologically Inspired Materials Institute.

Founded in 1957, the American Carbon Society promotes interdisciplinary research on the fundamentals and applications of carbon materials. The Society organizes and/or sponsors the International Conference on Carbon, a meeting of researchers in all areas of carbon science and technology. As part of its efforts to recognize excellence in carbon research, the Society presents the SGL Carbon (Skakel) Award, among a few honors, to an individual for their excellent contribution to carbon materials science.

The award will be given at the Carbon 2016, World Conference on Carbon, which will be held at the Pennsylvania State University in the United States on July 10-15, 2016.

For further background on some of Rodney S. Ruoff's research, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rodney_S._Ruoff.