Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering

Research Areas

Energy Nanomaterials & Devices

Research Interests

PHOTOELECTROCHEMICAL CELLS & PHOTOCATALYSTS FOR SOLAR FUELS
The light harvesting photochemical energy conversion including photoelectrochemical (PEC) cells and photocatalysts is the most promising solar energy storage system by producing the solar fuels such as hydrogen, methanol and carbon monoxide. We have focused on the outperforming light harvest, charge transport and charge transfer properties by tailoring the nanostructures/electronic energy states/surface catalytic kinetics simultaneously. Plasmonic metal nanostructures, heterojunction of metal oxides/nanocarbons, and various metal oxide nanostructures have been rationally designed and fabricated for the efficient energy conversions.

ELECTROCATALYSTS FOR WATER SPLITTING & CARBON CYCLE
For the sake of outstanding surface catalytic kinetics, our research interests also focus on the synthesis of heterojunction novel nanomaterials with rationally designed electronic structures or atomically modified surface properties. The electrochemical water splitting for hydrogen or hydrogen peroxide production and carbon cycle such as carbon dioxide reduction or C1 gas refinery are involved in our research scope.

ORGANIC-INORGANIC HYBRID SOLAR CELLS & OPTOELECTRONICS
Our research scope also involves the photovoltaics, photodetectors and light emitting diodes comprised of organic-inorganic hybrid nanostructures. We have designed and synthesized novel inorganic nanomaterials such as nanocarbons, graphene quantum dots, ultrathin 2D materials, and nanostructured metal oxide films to investigate their unique optoelectronic properties. Especially, various nano-process engineering techniques such as ultrafast sol-flame process, transfer-printing and nano-imprinting lithography have been extensively utilized to achieve outstanding power conversion efficiency of organic-inorganic hybrid solar cells.

Selected Publications

1. [신소재 수전해-청정 수소 에너지] Advanced Functional Materials (IF: 19.9), 2023
Electron Transfer-Induced Metal Spin-Crossover at NiCo2S4/ReS2 2D-2D Interfaces for Promoting pH-universal Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

2. [태양광 수소 에너지] Nano-Micro Letters (IF: 23.7), 2022
Nanocrystalline Iron Pyrophosphate-Regulated Amorphous Phosphate Overlayer for Enhancing Solar Water Oxidation

3. [신소재 촉매-청정 수소 에너지] Small (IF: 15.2), 2022
Interfacial Strain-modulated Nanospherical Ni2P by Heteronuclei-mediated Growth on Ti3C2Tx MXene for Efficient Hydrogen Evolution

4. [친환경 소재-신재생 에너지] Carbon Energy (IF: 21.6), 2022
A sulfur self-doped multifunctional biochar catalyst for overall water splitting and a supercapacitor from Camellia japonica flowers

5. [태양광 수소 에너지] Chemical Engineering Journal (IF: 16.7), 2022
Rational Nanopositioning of Homogeneous Amorphous Phase on Crystalline Tungsten Oxide for Boosting Solar Water Oxidation

6. [광촉매 및 광전기화학] Advanced Functional Materials (IF: 19.9), 2021
Rational Design of Metal Oxide-Based Heterostructure for Efficient Photocatalytic and Photoelectrochemical Systems

7. [태양광 청정 기술] Journal of Hazardous Materials (IF: 14.2), 2021
A Highly Activated Iron Phosphate Over-layer for Enhancing Photoelectrochemical Ammonia Decomposition

8. [신소재-태양광 수소 에너지] ACS Nano (IF: 18.0), 2020
Core-shell Structured MXene@Carbon Nanodots as Bifunctional Catalysts for Solar-assisted Water Splitting

9. [반도체-태양광 에너지] Advanced Energy Materials (IF: 29.7), 2020
Retarded Charge-Carrier Recombination in Photoelectrochemical Cells from Plasmon-induced Resonance Energy Transfer

10. [반도체-태양광 에너지] Advanced Energy Materials (IF: 29.7), 2018
Resolving Hysteresis in Perovskite Solar Cells with Rapid Flame-Processed Cobalt-Doped TiO2

Professional Experience

박사후 연구원 (Stanford University, 2015-2018)