Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology · Engineering
Professor Minsoo P. Kim's research lab specializes in the design and development of advanced functional materials, with a strong focus on self-healing polymers, triboelectric nanogenerators, and block copolymer-based nanostructured materials. The lab explores innovative strategies to enhance energy harvesting efficiency through tunable dielectric and surface properties, particularly by engineering polymer architectures and incorporating nanomaterials such as gold nanoparticles. Key research directions include the creation of sustainable, wearable energy devices and stimuli-responsive materials with reversible mechanical and electrical properties.
Figures are computed from collected data and may differ slightly.
Energy harvesting devices based on the triboelectric effect have attracted great attention because of their higher output performance compared to other nanogenerators, which have been utilized in various wearable applications. Based on the working mechanism, the triboelectric performance is mainly proportional to the surface charge density of the triboelectric materials. Various approaches, such as modification of the surface functional group and dielectric composition of the triboelectric mater
Gold-decorated block copolymer microspheres (BCP-microspheres) displaying various surface morphologies were prepared by the infiltration of Au precursors into polystyrene-b-poly(4-vinylpyridine) (PS-b-P4VP) microspheres. The microspheres were fabricated by emulsifying the PS-b-P4VP polymers in chloroform into a surfactant solution in water, followed by the evaporation of chloroform. The selective swelling of the P4VP domains in the microspheres by the Au precursor under acidic conditions resulte
A crosslinked copolymer having a reversible covalent bond between a bulky amine and an isocyanate presents reshapable, repeatable, and water-adaptive self-healing properties.
The confined self-assembly of block copolymers (BCPs) can be used to generate hierarchically structured composite microspheres. In this study, microspheres of gold-cored BCP (Au-BCP) spheres were first produced from an evaporative toluene-in-water-emulsion in which polystyrene-b-poly(4-vinylpyridine) (PS-b-P4VP) BCPs incorporated with Au precursors (AuCl4–) were dissolved in toluene. Interestingly, the addition of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) into the microspheres resulted in the select
Block copolymers (BCPs) can create various morphology by self-assembly in bulk or film. Recently, using BCPs in confined geometries such as thin film (one-dimension), cylindrical template (two-dimension), or emulsion droplet (three-dimension), nanostructured BCP particles have been prepared, in which unique nanostructures of the BCP are formed via solvent annealing process and can be controlled depending on molecular weight ratio and interaction parameter of the BCPs, and droplet size. Moreover,
Recent advances in energy harvesting technologies have highlighted the development of self-healable triboelectric nanogenerators, which are capable of converting environmentally mechanical energy into electrical energy with high efficiency and sustainability. Previous research has faced limitations in enhancing the output performance of self-healable triboelectric devices, especially when utilizing soft polymers as negative triboelectric materials. In this study, we introduce a facile approach b
Introduction of a self-healable block copolymer increases the mechanical property whilst maintaining self-healing efficiency.
Flexible and stretchable electronics have emerged as a groundbreaking technology with wide-ranging applications, including wearable devices, medical implants, and environmental monitoring systems. Among their numerous applications, hydrogen sensing represents a critical area of research, particularly due to hydrogen's role as a clean energy carrier and its explosive nature at high concentrations. This review paper provides a comprehensive overview of the recent advancements in flexible and stret
With the growing demand for sustainable energy solutions and self-powered sensing devices, triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) have gained considerable attention due to their ability to efficiently convert mechanical energy into electricity with the advantages of simple structure and cost-effectiveness. Among several key factors affecting the performance of TENGs, interfacial polarization has emerged as a promising route to enhance surface charge density and triboelectric output. This perspecti
The use of plastics has increased due to the increase in population and applications in various industries. However, fossil fuel-based plastics have caused environmental issues and health hazards due to their non-degradable behavior. To resolve the on-going crisis of these non-degradable polymers, biopolymers have been considered as potential substitutes. Starch is being researched as a polymer matrix to develop bioplastics. Starch is abundant, but due to its poor water barrier and mechanical pr
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