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Changgu Lee

Sungkyunkwan University · Materials Science

About the Lab

Professor Changgu Lee's research lab specializes in the synthesis, characterization, and application of two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials, with a strong focus on graphene, transition metal dichalcogenides (such as MoS₂), and hexagonal boron nitride. The lab investigates the intrinsic mechanical, tribological, and electronic properties of these atomically thin materials using advanced nanomechanical techniques like atomic force microscopy and friction force microscopy. Key research directions include the scalable, surfactant-free exfoliation of 2D materials in water, the development of flexible and transparent electronic and sensing devices, and the exploration of their potential in nanomechanical systems and energy applications. The lab also emphasizes fundamental studies of elastic behavior, intrinsic strength, and friction at the nanoscale, aiming to bridge the gap between atomic-scale properties and macroscopic performance.

2D materialsnanomechanicsfrictionchemical vapor depositionflexible electronics

Research Overview

Papers
193
Total Citations
51,707
Papers (5y)
47
Primary Field
Materials Science

Research Output Trend

Figures are computed from collected data and may differ slightly.

Publications per year (5y)
47total
2022
2023
2024
2025
2026
Citations per year (5y)
292total
20222023202420252026

Selected Papers

15
1
Article|20,647 citations·2008
Measurement of the Elastic Properties and Intrinsic Strength of Monolayer Graphene
Changgu Lee, Xiaoding Wei, Jeffrey W. Kysar, James Hone
SJR Q1Science

We measured the elastic properties and intrinsic breaking strength of free-standing monolayer graphene membranes by nanoindentation in an atomic force microscope. The force-displacement behavior is interpreted within a framework of nonlinear elastic stress-strain response, and yields second- and third-order elastic stiffnesses of 340 newtons per meter (N m(-1)) and -690 Nm(-1), respectively. The breaking strength is 42 N m(-1) and represents the intrinsic strength of a defect-free sheet. These q

Materials ChemistryMaterials Science
2
Article|1,803 citations·2010
Frictional Characteristics of Atomically Thin Sheets
Changgu Lee, Qunyang Li, William Kalb, Xin-Zhou Liu, H. Berger, Robert W. Carpick, James Hone
SJR Q1ScienceOA

Using friction force microscopy, we compared the nanoscale frictional characteristics of atomically thin sheets of graphene, molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), niobium diselenide, and hexagonal boron nitride exfoliated onto a weakly adherent substrate (silicon oxide) to those of their bulk counterparts. Measurements down to single atomic sheets revealed that friction monotonically increased as the number of layers decreased for all four materials. Suspended graphene membranes showed the same trend, bu

Atomic and Molecular Physics, and OpticsPhysics and Astronomy
3
Article|539 citations·2011
Chemical Vapor Deposition-Grown Graphene: The Thinnest Solid Lubricant
Kwang-Seop Kim, Hee Jung Lee, Changgu Lee, Seoung-Ki Lee, Houk Jang, Jong‐Hyun Ahn, Jae‐Hyun Kim, Hak‐Joo Lee, Hak‐Joo Lee, Hak‐Joo Lee
SJR Q1ACS Nano

As an atomically thin material with low surface energy, graphene is an excellent candidate for reducing adhesion and friction when coated on various surfaces. Here, we demonstrate the superior adhesion and frictional characteristics of graphene films which were grown on Cu and Ni metal catalysts by chemical vapor deposition and transferred onto the SiO(2)/Si substrate. The graphene films effectively reduced the adhesion and friction forces, and multilayer graphene films that were a few nanometer

Materials ChemistryMaterials Science
4
Article|407 citations·2009
Elastic and frictional properties of graphene
Changgu Lee, Xiaoding Wei, Qunyang Li, Robert W. Carpick, Jeffrey W. Kysar, James Hone
SJR Q3physica status solidi (b)

Abstract We describe studies of the elastic properties and frictional characteristics of graphene samples of varying thickness using an atomic force microscope. For tensile testing, graphene is suspended over micron‐sized circular holes and indented by atomic force microscope (AFM) tips. Fitting of the force‐displacement curves yields the prestress and elastic stiffness, while comparison of the breaking force to simulation gives the ultimate strength, which is the highest measured for any materi

Atomic and Molecular Physics, and OpticsPhysics and Astronomy
5
Article|340 citations·2015
Direct exfoliation and dispersion of two-dimensional materials in pure water via temperature control
Jin-Seon Kim, Sanghyuk Kwon, Dae‐Hyun Cho, Byunggil Kang, Hyukjoon Kwon, Youngchan Kim, Sung O Park, Gwan Yeong Jung, Eunhye Shin, Wan-Gu Kim, Hyungdong Lee, Gyeong Hee Ryu
SJR Q1Nature CommunicationsOA

The high-volume synthesis of two-dimensional (2D) materials in the form of platelets is desirable for various applications. While water is considered an ideal dispersion medium, due to its abundance and low cost, the hydrophobicity of platelet surfaces has prohibited its widespread use. Here we exfoliate 2D materials directly in pure water without using any chemicals or surfactants. In order to exfoliate and disperse the materials in water, we elevate the temperature of the sonication bath, and

Materials ChemistryMaterials Science
6
Article|231 citations·2015
Low‐Temperature Synthesis of Large‐Scale Molybdenum Disulfide Thin Films Directly on a Plastic Substrate Using Plasma‐Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition
Chisung Ahn, Jinhwan Lee, Hyeong‐U Kim, Hunyoung Bark, Minhwan Jeon, Gyeong Hee Ryu, Zonghoon Lee, Geun Young Yeom, Kwangsu Kim, Jaehyuck Jung, Young-Seok Kim, Changgu Lee
SJR Q1Advanced Materials

By plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition, a molybdenum disulfide (MoS2 ) thin film is synthesized directly on a wafer-scale plastic substrate at below 300 °C. The carrier mobility of the films is 3.74 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1) . Also, humidity is successfully detected with MoS2 -based sensors fabricated on the flexible substrate, which reveals its potential for flexible sensing devices.

Materials ChemistryMaterials Science
7
Article|200 citations·2015
Anomalous polarization dependence of Raman scattering and crystallographic orientation of black phosphorus
Jungcheol Kim, Jae‐Ung Lee, Jinhwan Lee, Hyo Ju Park, Zonghoon Lee, Changgu Lee, Hyeonsik Cheong
SJR Q1NanoscaleOA

Correction for 'Anomalous polarization dependence of Raman scattering and crystallographic orientation of black phosphorus' by Jungcheol Kim et al., Nanoscale, 2015, 7, 18708-18715, DOI: 10.1039/C5NR04349B.

Materials ChemistryMaterials Science
8
Article|180 citations·2013
Effect of surface morphology on friction of graphene on various substrates
Dae‐Hyun Cho, Lei Wang, Jin-Seon Kim, Gwan‐Hyoung Lee, Eok Su Kim, Sunhee Lee, Sangyoon Lee, James Hone, Changgu Lee
SJR Q1Nanoscale

The friction of graphene on various substrates, such as SiO2, h-BN, bulk-like graphene, and mica, was investigated to characterize the adhesion level between graphene and the underlying surface. The friction of graphene on SiO2 decreased with increasing thickness and converged around the penta-layers due to incomplete contact between the two surfaces. However, the friction of graphene on an atomically flat substrate, such as h-BN or bulk-like graphene, was low and comparable to that of bulk-like

Materials ChemistryMaterials Science
9
Article|177 citations·2013
Synthesis of wafer-scale uniform molybdenum disulfide films with control over the layer number using a gas phase sulfur precursor
Youngbin Lee, Jinhwan Lee, Hunyoung Bark, Il‐Kwon Oh, Gyeong Hee Ryu, Zonghoon Lee, Hyungjun Kim, Jeong Ho Cho, Jong‐Hyun Ahn, Changgu Lee
SJR Q1Nanoscale

We describe a method for synthesizing large-area and uniform molybdenum disulfide films, with control over the layer number, on insulating substrates using a gas phase sulfuric precursor (H2S) and a molybdenum metal source. The metal layer thickness was varied to effectively control the number of layers (2 to 12) present in the synthesized film. The films were grown on wafer-scale Si/SiO2 or quartz substrates and displayed excellent uniformity and a high crystallinity over the entire area. Thin

Materials ChemistryMaterials Science
10
Article|170 citations·2013
Evaluation of hexagonal boron nitride nano-sheets as a lubricant additive in water
Dae‐Hyun Cho, Jin-Seon Kim, Sanghyuk Kwon, Changgu Lee, Young-Ze Lee
SJR Q1Wear
Materials ChemistryMaterials Science
11
Article|153 citations·2017
Structural and Optical Properties of Single- and Few-Layer Magnetic Semiconductor CrPS4
Jinhwan Lee, Taeg Yeoung Ko, Jung Hwa Kim, Hunyoung Bark, Byunggil Kang, Soon‐Gil Jung, Tuson Park, Zonghoon Lee, Sunmin Ryu, Changgu Lee
SJR Q1ACS NanoOA

Atomically thin binary two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors exhibit diverse physical properties depending on their composition, structure, and thickness. By adding another element in these materials, which will lead to formation of ternary 2D materials, the property and structure would greatly change and significantly expanded applications could be explored. In this work, we report structural and optical properties of atomically thin chromium thiophosphate (CrPS 4 ), a ternary antiferromagnetic s

Materials ChemistryMaterials Science
12
Article|109 citations·2017
Graphene oxide papers with high water adsorption capacity for air dehumidification
Renlong Liu, Tao Gong, Kan Zhang, Changgu Lee
SJR Q1Scientific ReportsOA

Graphene oxide (GO) has shown a high potential to adsorb and store water molecules due to the oxygen-containing functional groups on its hydrophilic surface. In this study, we characterized the water absorbing properties of graphene oxide in the form of papers. We fabricated three kinds of graphene oxide papers, two with rich oxygen functional groups and one with partial chemical reduction, to vary the oxygen/carbon ratio and found that the paper with high oxygen content has higher moisture adso

Biomedical EngineeringEngineering
13
Article|109 citations·2014
Graphene oxide membrane for liquid phase organic molecular separation
Renlong Liu, Girish Arabale, Jin-Seon Kim, Ke Sun, Yongwoon Lee, Changkook Ryu, Changgu Lee
SJR Q1Carbon
Materials ChemistryMaterials Science
14
Article|108 citations·2012
Characteristics and effects of diffused water between graphene and a SiO2 substrate
Mi Jung Lee, Jin Sik Choi, Jinsoo Kim, Ik-Su Byun, Duk Hyun Lee, Sunmin Ryu, Changgu Lee, Bae Ho Park
SJR Q1Nano Research

The graphene/SiO2 system is a promising building block for next-generation electronic devices, integrating the high electromagnetic performance of graphene with the mature technology of Si-based electronic devices. It is well known that the electromagnetic performance of graphene/SiO2 is dramatically reduced by structural defects, such as wrinkles and folding, which are suspected to result from water droplets. Therefore, understanding water diffusion between graphene and SiO2 is required for con

Materials ChemistryMaterials Science
15
Article|98 citations·2019
Multifunctional van der Waals Broken‐Gap Heterojunction
Pawan Kumar Srivastava, Yasir Hassan, Yisehak Gebredingle, Jaehyuck Jung, Byunggil Kang, Won Jong Yoo, Budhi Singh, Changgu Lee
SJR Q1Small

Abstract The finite energy band‐offset that appears between band structures of employed materials in a broken‐gap heterojunction exhibits several interesting phenomena. Here, by employing a black phosphorus (BP)/rhenium disulfide (ReS 2 ) heterojunction, the tunability of the BP work function ( Φ BP ) with variation in flake thickness is exploited in order to demonstrate that a BP‐based broken‐gap heterojunction can manifest diverse current‐transport characteristics such as gate tunable rectifyi

Materials ChemistryMaterials Science

Research Areas

Materials ChemistryElectrical and Electronic EngineeringAtomic and Molecular Physics, and OpticsBiomedical EngineeringMechanical EngineeringCondensed Matter Physics

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