Group news.

Young In, Hyung Rae, and Jihyun presented their research. Keep up the good work!

Huge congratulations to Young In on this award! This is a wonderful recognition of his hard work. We are already excited to see what he takes on next. Well deserved!

Together with Dr. Eui Tae Kim and colleagues at LG Chem, we publish in Nature Communications, “Dual-Interface Stabilization of Low-Iridium Anodes for Durable Proton Exchange Membrane Water Electrolysis.” We report a dual-interface stabilization strategy, based on atomic layer deposition of TiO₂ onto IrO₂ catalysts, that keeps iridium-based anodes durable at industrially relevant current densities while cutting their iridium loading.

Our sincere congratulations and thanks to first author Dr. Eui Tae Kim, to co-corresponding author Dr. Kihwan Kim, and to the wonderful LG Chem team behind this study. It was a privilege to be part of this collaboration.

Congratulations to Jisoo Park on successfully defending her M.S. thesis, entitled “Poly(biphenyl piperidine)-Based Anion-Exchange Membranes with Transport-Effective Hydration for Zero-Gap CO₂ Electrolysis.” We wish her all the best in her future endeavors!

Young In Song and colleagues publish in ACS Catalysis, “Ionomer Charge Density Modulates Interfacial Water and Reaction Intermediates for CO₂ Electrolysis to C₂ Products.” We show that tuning ionomer charge density shapes interfacial water structure and key reaction intermediates, thereby enhancing selectivity and activity for electrochemical CO₂ reduction to C₂ products and advancing design principles for catalyst–ionomer interfaces.

A huge thank you to the lead authors, Young In Song and Shedrack Akpe, and to our collaborators, Bohak Yoon, Hyo Sang Jeon, and Jung Kyu Kim, for this joint work.

Young In and Jihyun gave excellent presentations on ionomeric materials for electrochemical CO₂ reduction. Keep up the good work!

Congratulations on this recognition of your dedication and effort. Wishing her continued success in future research pursuits. Very much well-deserved! 🥳

Jihyun Park and colleagues publish in ACS Catalysis, “Ionomer Side Chains Modulate Interfacial Microenvironments for Selective CO₂ Electrolysis.” We demonstrate how imidazolium ionomers with varied linear alkyl side chains reshape catalyst–electrolyte interfaces to suppress hydrogen evolution and enhance CO₂ electrolysis performance, linking side-chain structure to activity and selectivity in electrocatalytic systems.

Congratulations to Jihyun for receiving the Best Poster Presentation Award at the Nano Convergence Conference (NCC) 2025! Your hard work and commitment have been recognized. Wishing you even greater achievements in your research journey ahead! 🎉👏✨

Your dedication has truly paid off. Congratulations! Special thanks to his thesis advisor, Prof. Jung Kyu Kim, and collaborators, Prof. Bohak Yoon, Chanwoo Lee, and Dr. Hyo Sang Jeon. Wishing you continued success in your future research endeavors. 🎉🥳👏

Young In Song and colleagues publish in Advanced Science, “Impact of Side Chains in 1-n-Alkylimidazolium Ionomers on Cu-Catalyzed Electrochemical CO₂ Reduction.” We report that tailoring the alkyl side chain lengths in 1-n-alkylimidazolium ionomers modulates product selectivity in Cu-catalyzed electrochemical CO₂ reduction. This strategy suppresses H₂ and CH₄ formation and enhances C₂H₄ selectivity with industrial-relevant metrics, providing design insights for ionomer-mediated CO₂ conversion.

The Koh Group attended the 16th Korea-China Bilateral Symposium on Polymer Materials in Yeosu, organized by KIChE. Dr. Koh presented our work on the design and synthesis of ionomeric binders for electrochemical CO₂ reduction.

Young In did an excellent job presenting his very first poster! Many more to come!

박지수, 김형래, 정인수 학생이 저희 그룹에서 연구를 시작합니다. 환영합니다!

이찬우 학생의 UST 에너지공학 석사 학위를 취득을 진심으로 축하합니다! 앞으로도 항상 행복하게 지내길 바랍니다 🥳

Hard work pays off. We are so proud of you. Congratulations! We would also like to thank our collaborators, Dr. Da Hye Won and Younghyun Chae. We wish you all the best in your future research. 🎉🥳👏

이찬우 학생이 2023년 한국고분자학회 춘계 학술대회에서 개최한 대학원생 영어 구두발표 부문에서 최우수논문발표상을 수상하였습니다! 열심히 준비해 이룬 성과를 진심으로 축하합니다. 공동연구를 해주신 원다혜 박사님, 채영현 학생에게도 감사의 말씀을 드립니다. 앞으로도 좋은 연구하시길 바랍니다.

박지현, 송영인 학생이 저희 그룹에서 연구를 시작합니다. 환영합니다!

We received the “2022 Top 10 Nano Technology Award” from the Korean government. The award recognizes our work on e-chemical technology that converts CO₂ to valuable chemicals and fuels.

저희 팀이 연구한 나노 촉매 기반 e-Chemical 제조기술이 2022년도 10대 나노기술로 선정되었습니다. 본 상은 과학기술정보통신부와 산업통상자원부에서 수여받았습니다.

Chanwoo presented a poster on developing ionomer binders for electrochemical CO₂ reduction. Good work!

탄소중립 기술의 상용화를 위해 LG화학–KIST 공동연구실을 개소하였습니다.

제주에서 열린 2022년도 한국화학공학회 봄 학술대회에 참석했습니다. 함께 참석한 이찬우 학생은 첫 포스터 발표를 성공적으로 마쳤습니다! 앞으로도 화이팅 🙂

권경진 학생이 저희 그룹에서 연구를 시작합니다. 환영합니다!

강민주 학생이 저희 그룹에서 연구를 시작합니다. 환영합니다!

이찬우, 전관우 학생이 저희 그룹에서 연구를 시작합니다. 환영합니다!

저희 팀이 K-Lab에 선정되었습니다! – 오형석, 정광덕, 이웅, 이동기, 원다혜, 고재현

저희 팀이 2021년 KIST 우수연구개발팀상을 수상했습니다! – 정광덕, 황윤정, 오형석, 이웅, 이동기, 원다혜, 고재현

2020년 저희 팀 성과가 과학기술정보통신부와 한국과학기술기획평가원(KISTEP)에서 주관한 2020년 국가연구개발 우수성과 100선에 선정되었습니다! – 황윤정, 민병권, 오형석, 이웅, 이동기, 고재현