Pohang University of Science and Technology · Chemical Engineering
Professor Yongju Yun's research lab specializes in surface science and heterogeneous catalysis, with a focus on enantioselective adsorption and catalytic reactions on chiral and functionalized surfaces. The lab investigates the fundamental mechanisms of enantiospecific interactions between chiral molecules and chiral metal surfaces, using advanced techniques such as isotopic labeling, temperature-programmed desorption, and DFT calculations. A key research direction involves developing highly efficient, selective catalysts—particularly Ru- and Pt-based systems—for sustainable chemical transformations, including ammonia decomposition and enantioselective hydrogenation. The lab also explores strong metal-support interactions and surface engineering to enhance catalytic performance and selectivity.
Figures are computed from collected data and may differ slightly.
Unequivocal evidence of enantioselective, equilibrium separation of a racemic mixture on a naturally chiral metal surface is presented for the first time. The enantioselectivity is much higher than that of chiral molecules on mineral surfaces. Furthermore, the quantitative nature of the 13C labeling method provides the first direct measure of an enantiospecific adsorption energy difference on a chiral metal surface. As a service to our authors and readers, this journal provides supporting inform
Gas-phase equilibrium adsorption of D- and L-serine (Ser) mixtures and D- and L-phenylalanine (Phe) mixtures has been studied on the naturally chiral Cu{3,1,17}(R&S) surfaces. (13)C labeling of the l enantiomers (*L-Ser and *L-Phe) has enabled mass spectrometric enantiodiscrimination of the species desorbing from the surface following equilibrium adsorption. On the Cu{3,1,17}(R&S) surfaces, both equilibrium adsorption and the thermal decomposition kinetics of the D and *L enantiomers exhibit dia
The development of highly efficient Ru-based catalysts for NH3 decomposition is necessary to enable the utilization of NH3 as a COx-free H2 carrier. Modulation of the interactions between the basic support materials and Ru particles significantly enhances the performance of Ru-based catalysts for NH3 decomposition. In this study, the strong metal–support interaction (SMSI) interface between the BaCeO3 perovskite support and Ru particles was controlled by yttrium (Y) doping in the range of 0–20 m
Equilibrium adsorption of gas phase mixtures of d- and l-alanine (Ala) onto the naturally chiral Cu{3,1,17}R&S surfaces has been studied by both experiment and DFT-based modeling. Isotopically labeled *l-Ala (HO213CCH(NH2)CH3) and unlabeled d-Ala allow mass spectrometric enantiodifferentiation of the adsorbed species during temperature-programmed decomposition, following equilibrium adsorption. Measurements of the relative equilibrium coverages of d- and *l-Ala on the Cu{3,1,17}R&S surfaces, θD/
Heterogeneous enantioselective catalysis is considered a promising strategy for the large-scale production of enantiopure chemicals. In this work, polymer-capped Pt nanocatalysts having a uniform size were synthesized using poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP) and poly(vinyl alcohol) and supported on γ-Al2O3. After a facile heat treatment process, their catalytic performance for enantioselective hydrogenation of α-keto esters, a structure-sensitive reaction, was investigated. The presence of residual c
The enantiospecific adsorption of enantiomer mixtures on surfaces is dictated by two competing forces: the enantiospecificity of adsorption energetics and the propensity of enantiomers to aggregate into homochiral (conglomerate) or heterochiral (racemate) clusters. These phenomena have been studied by measuring the surface enantiomeric excess, ees, of chiral amino acid mixtures adsorbed on Cu single-crystal surfaces and in equilibrium with gas-phase mixtures of varying enantiomeric excess, eeg.
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