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Kyung-Seok Jin

Korea University · Energy

About the Lab

Professor Kyung-Seok Jin's research lab specializes in the design and development of advanced functional nanomaterials for sustainable energy conversion and storage. The lab focuses on understanding and engineering the electronic and structural properties of transition metal oxides and phosphates to enhance their catalytic performance in key reactions such as water oxidation, oxygen evolution, and electrochemical nitrogen fixation. By integrating in situ spectroscopy, electrokinetic analysis, and computational modeling, the lab aims to uncover fundamental mechanisms governing catalytic activity and stability at the nanoscale. Their work emphasizes the creation of efficient, earth-abundant, and environmentally benign catalysts for green hydrogen production and carbon-neutral energy cycles.

water oxidationelectrocatalysisnanomaterialsoxygen evolution reactionnitrogen fixation

Research Overview

Papers
106
Total Citations
4,950
Papers (5y)
41
Primary Field
Energy

Research Output Trend

Figures are computed from collected data and may differ slightly.

Publications per year (5y)
41total
2022
2023
2024
2025
2026
Citations per year (5y)
574total
20222023202420252026

Selected Papers

15
1
Article|440 citations·2015
Coordination tuning of cobalt phosphates towards efficient water oxidation catalyst
Hyun Ah Kim, Jimin Park, Inchul Park, Kyoungsuk Jin, Sung Eun Jerng, Sun Hee Kim, Ki Tae Nam, Kisuk Kang
SJR Q1Nature CommunicationsOA

The development of efficient and stable water oxidation catalysts is necessary for the realization of practically viable water-splitting systems. Although extensive studies have focused on the metal-oxide catalysts, the effect of metal coordination on the catalytic ability remains still elusive. Here we select four cobalt-based phosphate catalysts with various cobalt- and phosphate-group coordination as a platform to better understand the catalytic activity of cobalt-based materials. Although th

Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the EnvironmentEnergy
2
Article|370 citations·2014
Hydrated Manganese(II) Phosphate (Mn3(PO4)2·3H2O) as a Water Oxidation Catalyst
Kyoungsuk Jin, Jimin Park, Joohee Lee, Ki Dong Yang, Gajendra Kumar Pradhan, Uk Sim, Donghyuk Jeong, Hae Lin Jang, Sangbaek Park, Dong-Hun Kim, Nark-Eon Sung, Sun Hee Kim
SJR Q1Journal of the American Chemical Society

The development of a water oxidation catalyst has been a demanding challenge in realizing water splitting systems. The asymmetric geometry and flexible ligation of the biological Mn4CaO5 cluster are important properties for the function of photosystem II, and these properties can be applied to the design of new inorganic water oxidation catalysts. We identified a new crystal structure, Mn3(PO4)2·3H2O, that precipitates spontaneously in aqueous solution at room temperature and demonstrated its hi

Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the EnvironmentEnergy
3
Article|179 citations·2019
Epoxidation of Cyclooctene Using Water as the Oxygen Atom Source at Manganese Oxide Electrocatalysts
Kyoungsuk Jin, Joseph Maalouf, Nikifar Lazouski, Nathan Corbin, Deng‐Tao Yang, Karthish Manthiram
SJR Q1Journal of the American Chemical Society

Epoxides are useful intermediates for the manufacture of a diverse set of chemical products. Current routes of olefin epoxidation either involve hazardous reagents or generate stoichiometric side products, leading to challenges in separation and significant waste streams. Here, we demonstrate a sustainable and safe route to epoxidize olefin substrates using water as the oxygen atom source at room temperature and ambient pressure. Manganese oxide nanoparticles (NPs) are shown to catalyze cyclooct

Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the EnvironmentEnergy
4
Article|165 citations·2016
Mechanistic Investigation of Water Oxidation Catalyzed by Uniform, Assembled MnO Nanoparticles
Kyoungsuk Jin, Hongmin Seo, Toru Hayashi, Mani Balamurugan, Donghyuk Jeong, Yoo Kyung Go, Jung Sug Hong, Kang Hee Cho, Hirotaka Kakizaki, Nadège Bonnet‐Mercier, Min Gyu Kim, Sun Hee Kim
SJR Q1Journal of the American Chemical Society

The development of active water oxidation catalysts is critical to achieve high efficiency in overall water splitting. Recently, sub-10 nm-sized monodispersed partially oxidized manganese oxide nanoparticles were shown to exhibit not only superior catalytic performance for oxygen evolution, but also unique electrokinetics, as compared to their bulk counterparts. In the present work, the water-oxidizing mechanism of partially oxidized MnO nanoparticles was investigated using integrated in situ sp

Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the EnvironmentEnergy
5
Article|111 citations·2015
Partially Oxidized Sub-10 nm MnO Nanocrystals with High Activity for Water Oxidation Catalysis
Kyoungsuk Jin, Arim Chu, Jimin Park, Donghyuk Jeong, Sung Eun Jerng, Uk Sim, Hui‐Yun Jeong, Chan Woo Lee, Yong-Sun Park, Ki Dong Yang, Gajendra Kumar Pradhan, Dong-Hun Kim
SJR Q1Scientific ReportsOA

The oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is considered a major bottleneck in the overall water electrolysis process. In this work, highly active manganese oxide nano-catalysts were synthesized via hot injection. Facile surface treatment generated Mn(III) species on monodisperse 10 nm MnO nanocrystals (NCs). Size dependency of MnO NCs on OER activity was also investigated. Surprisingly, the partially oxidized MnO NCs only required 530 mV @ 5 mA cm(-2) under near neutral conditions.

Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the EnvironmentEnergy
6
Review|62 citations·2023
Electrochemical Nitrogen Fixation for Green Ammonia: Recent Progress and Challenges
Haneul Jin, Suyeon S. Kim, Sandhya Venkateshalu, Jeseok Lee, Kwangyeol Lee, Kyoungsuk Jin
SJR Q1Advanced ScienceOA

Abstract Ammonia, a key feedstock used in various industries, has been considered a sustainable fuel and energy storage option. However, NH 3 production via the conventional Haber–Bosch process is costly, energy‐intensive, and significantly contributing to a massive carbon footprint. An electrochemical synthetic pathway for nitrogen fixation has recently gained considerable attention as NH 3 can be produced through a green process without generating harmful pollutants. This review discusses the

CatalysisChemical Engineering
7
Article|35 citations·2022
Electrosynthesis of Low Pt‐Loaded High Entropy Catalysts for Effective Hydrogen Evolution with Improved Acidic Durability
Dohun Kim, Subramani Surendran, Yujin Jeong, Yoongu Lim, Sejin Im, Sungtae Park, Joon Young Kim, Suyeon Kim, Tae‐Hoon Kim, Byungjin Koo, Kyoungsuk Jin, Uk Sim
SJR Q1Advanced Materials Technologies

The synergistic effect in multi‐metal electrocatalysts has gained attention as an efficient strategy for enhancing intrinsic electrocatalytic activities. In this study, a facile electrodeposition technique is used to synthesize a multi‐metal high entropy catalyst (HEC) for efficient electrocatalytic hydrogen production. To boost the synergistic effect between noble metals and transition metals, the Pt ratio is controlled in a multi‐metal electrocatalyst system. The prepared Pt‐involved HEC (Pt‐H

Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the EnvironmentEnergy
8
Article|24 citations·2023
Biomimetic Fe7S8/Carbon electrocatalyst from [FeFe]‐Hydrogenase for improving pH‐Universal electrocatalytic hydrogen production
Dohun Kim, Subramani Surendran, Sejin Im, Jaehyoung Lim, Kyoungsuk Jin, Ki Tae Nam, Uk Sim
SJR Q1AggregateOA

Abstract Efficient and cost‐effective electrocatalysts that can operate across a wide range of pH conditions are essential for green hydrogen production. Inspired by biological systems, Fe 7 S 8 nanoparticles incorporated on polydopamine matrix electrocatalyst were synthesized by co‐precipitation and annealing process. The resulting Fe 7 S 8 /C electrocatalyst possesses a three‐dimensional structure and exhibits enhanced electrocatalytic performance for hydrogen production across various pH cond

Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the EnvironmentEnergy
9
Review|24 citations·2021
Directing transition metal-based oxygen-functionalization catalysis
Gracita M. Tomboc, Yeji Park, Kwangyeol Lee, Kyoungsuk Jin
SJR Q1Chemical ScienceOA

This review presents the recent progress of oxygen functionalization reactions based on non-electrochemical (conventional organic synthesis) and electrochemical methods. Although both methods have their advantages and limitations, the former approach has been used to synthesize a broader range of organic substances as the latter is limited by several factors, such as poor selectivity and high energy cost. However, because electrochemical methods can replace harmful terminal oxidizers with extern

Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the EnvironmentEnergy
10
Article|19 citations·2025
Electrochemically Driven Selective Olefin Epoxidation by Cobalt–TAML Catalyst
Suyeon S. Kim, Suyeon S. Kim, Sugyeong Hong, Adarsh Koovakattil Surendran, Avishek Roy, Deesha D. Malik, Dohyun Chun, Sojin Kim, Sojin Kim, Yumin Kim, Yong‐Min Lee, Yong Ho Lee
SJR Q1Journal of the American Chemical SocietyOA

Epoxides are versatile chemical intermediates that are used in the manufacture of diversified industrial products. For decades, thermochemical conversion has long been employed as the primary synthetic route. However, it has several drawbacks, such as harsh and explosive operating conditions, as well as a significant greenhouse gas emissions problem. In this study, we propose an alternative electrocatalytic epoxidation reaction, using [Co III (TAML)] − (TAML = tetraamido macrocyclic ligand) as a

Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the EnvironmentEnergy
11
Review|16 citations·2025
Understanding the Engineering Tactics to Achieve the Stabilized Anode in Next‐Generation Zn‐Air Batteries
Subramani Surendran, Yoongu Lim, Seona Lee, Sebastian Cyril Jesudass, Gnanaprakasam Janani, Heechae Choi, Gibum Kwon, Kyoungsuk Jin, Uk Sim
SJR Q1ExplorationOA

The modern technical era demands sustainable and green energy production and storage methods that overcome the limitations of conventional fuel resources. Electrochemical energy storage (ECS) technologies are widely anticipated to store and release energy on repeated cycles for domestic and commercial utilization. Several ECS devices were developed over the years to achieve higher energy density and energy sustainability. Zn-air batteries are developed to deliver higher energy density and their

Electrical and Electronic EngineeringEngineering
12
Review|14 citations·2024
Pulsed electrolysis for CO2 reduction: Techno-economic perspectives
You Lim Chung, Sojin Kim, Youngwon Lee, Devina Thasia Wijaya, Chan Woo Lee, Kyoungsuk Jin, Jonggeol Na
SJR Q1iScienceOA

Pulsed electrolysis has emerged as a promising approach to CO<sub>2</sub> reduction, offering a simple method to adjust product selectivity and enhance operational stability. However, conceptually applying the dynamic pulse operation process on a large scale highlights its differences when compared to conventional electrolysis processes, impacting the economic feasibility of the process. We discuss the influence of pulsed electrolysis on surface reaction mechanisms and the simulation of changes

Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the EnvironmentEnergy
13
Article|12 citations·2016
Recent advances in heterogeneous Mn-based electrocatalysts toward biological photosynthetic Mn4Ca cluster
Kyoungsuk Jin, Hongmin Seo, Heonjin Ha, Younghye Kim, Kang Hee Cho, Jung Sug Hong, Ki Tae Nam
SJR Q1Catalysis Today
Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the EnvironmentEnergy
14
Article|12 citations·2021
Directing electrochemical asymmetric synthesis at heterogeneous interfaces: Past, present, and challenges
Dong Il Park, Sangmin Jung, Hyo Jae Yoon, Kyoungsuk Jin
SJR Q1Electrochimica Acta
ElectrochemistryChemistry
15
Article|12 citations·2023
Mechanistic investigation of electrocatalytic reductive amination at copper electrode
Taemin Kim, Dong Il Park, Sojin Kim, Dibya Yadav, Sugyeong Hong, Sun Hee Kim, Hyo Jae Yoon, Kyoungsuk Jin
SJR Q1Chemical Communications

Reductive amination has been widely used for manufacturing carbon-nitrogen-containing building blocks. Despite its versatility, the need for a chemical reductant or harmful hydrogen gas has limited its further utilization in modern chemical applications. Here, we report electrochemical reductive amination (ERA) to pursue sustainable synthetic routes. Faradaic efficiencies of about 83% are achieved using Cu metal electrodes. In-depth electrokinetic studies reveal the rate-determining step and ove

CatalysisChemical Engineering

Research Areas

Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the EnvironmentMaterials ChemistryBiomedical EngineeringElectrical and Electronic EngineeringCatalysisElectrochemistry

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