Li-ion and alloy-type electrodes
Conversion and alloying reactions, interphase stability, charge transport, mechanical accommodation, and long-cycle durability.
Research
Electrochemical interface and interphase science across batteries and functional devices
I combine electrochemistry, materials processing, surface and interface characterization, and computation to relate local interfacial chemistry to transport, metal deposition, reaction kinetics, and device performance.
Research scope
Interfacial processes across battery chemistries and device architectures
Li-metal and Li-S systems
Li plating and stripping, sulfur conversion, SEI/CEI chemistry, solvation, shuttle control, high sulfur areal loading, lean-electrolyte operation, and anode-free configurations.
Zn-metal and aqueous batteries
Zn nucleation and deposition, passivation, dielectric and polymer interphases, Zn-ion, Zn-air, and photo-battery systems.
Structural and integrated power
Non-planar and mechanically integrated cells in which electrochemical performance is coupled to geometry, pressure, deformation, or structural load.
Solar cells and thin-film electronics
Charge-selective contacts, transport layers, thin-film semiconductors, transistors, sensors, and device-level charge transport.
Computation-supported interface analysis
Gaussian and periodic DFT calculations paired with experiments to examine adsorption, charge redistribution, interfacial energetics, and molecular interactions.
Research direction
Interfacial recovery and damage accumulation under dynamic operation
Battery interfaces can change without being permanently damaged. Some changes relax when the cell returns to its reference condition, while others remain as shifts in impedance, polarization, chemistry, or morphology. I compare the disturbed and recovered states to determine which changes are reversible and which accumulate with continued operation.
Working principle. Define a baseline, apply one controlled perturbation, restore the reference condition, and measure what remains.
I use the same perturb-rest-rechallenge sequence across Li-S, metal-anode, alloying, and mechanically constrained cells.
Baseline
Reference state
Record electrochemical response, interphase chemistry, and morphology under a defined reference condition.
→
Perturb
Controlled disturbance
Change one variable at a time, such as current density, additive concentration, electrode loading, cycling protocol, deposition condition, pressure, or mechanical strain.
→
Rechallenge
Recovery and accumulation
Return to the reference condition and quantify the residual shift in polarization, impedance, interphase chemistry, morphology, and subsequent electrochemical response.
Research themes
Six research themes
01
Electrochemical interface and interphase science
I track interface and interphase chemistry, morphology, impedance, and transport during cycling, metal plating and stripping, and device operation, then compare changes that recover with those that persist or accumulate.
Mechanistic focusResidual changes in interphase chemistry, morphology, impedance, and charge-transfer response after a controlled perturbation, along with changes that build up over repeated cycling.
ApproachControlled current and protocol changes, EIS, plating/stripping analysis, spectroscopy, microscopy, and recovery/rechallenge experiments.
SystemsLi-ion, Li-S, Li-metal, Zn-metal, photo-battery, and mechanically integrated electrochemical cells.
SEI/CEItransportreversibilitycumulative degradation
02
High-energy Li-S and anode-free Li-S batteries
At KAIST, I study Li-S and anode-free Li-S cells using electrolyte regulation, functional current collectors, interfacial layers, catalysis, and cell designs for high sulfur areal loading and lean-electrolyte operation.
Mechanistic focusSulfur conversion and Li-metal deposition at high sulfur areal loading and low electrolyte-to-sulfur ratio, with both cathode and anode interphases examined.
ApproachHigh-loading cathodes, pouch cells, electrochemical kinetics, spectroscopy and microscopy, functional current collectors, and cathode/anode interphase analysis.
SystemsConventional Li-S, anode-free Li-S, and structural or non-planar Li-S cell architectures.
Li-Sanode-freehigh loadingpouch cells
03
Solvation, desolvation, and dual-interphase regulation
I vary additive concentration to track how Li-ion coordination and desolvation affect sulfur conversion, Li-metal behavior, and interphase composition at both electrodes.
Mechanistic focusHow Li-ion coordination changes with additive concentration and how those changes affect reaction kinetics and cathode and anode interphases.
ApproachElectrolyte formulation, CV and kinetic analysis, NMR, FTIR, Raman, XPS, ToF-SIMS, Li|Li diagnostics, and molecular calculations.
SystemsLi-S electrolyte additives, solvation control, and dual-electrode interphase formation.
solvationdesolvationelectrolyte additivesdual interphase
04
Metal-anode interfaces and functional nanomembranes
I use semiconductor contacts, dielectric layers, ion-conductive interphases, and polymer nanomembranes to control Li- and Zn-metal nucleation, deposition uniformity, and stripping.
Mechanistic focusHow interfacial energetics, dielectric response, ion flux, and surface chemistry affect nucleation, deposition morphology, uniform metal deposition, and plating/stripping reversibility.
ApproachSchottky and Ohmic contact analysis, MgF2 and polymer interphases, functional coatings, plating/stripping measurements, EIS, microscopy, and post-cycling surface analysis.
SystemsLi-metal and Zn-metal electrodes in nonaqueous and aqueous electrochemical systems.
Li metalZn metalSchottky contactnanomembranes
05
Structural and integrated electrochemical power systems
In structural and integrated cells, geometry and mechanical function are part of the operating condition. I examine how non-planar geometry, pressure, deformation, and structural loading affect transport and interfacial stability.
Mechanistic focusEffects of pressure, deformation, cell geometry, and load transfer on ion transport, electrochemical response, and interfacial stability in structural and non-planar cells.
ApproachStructural-battery cell design, mechanically integrated electrodes, thin-film and coating processes, electrochemical testing under mechanical constraints, and device-level analysis.
SystemsStructural batteries for robotics, non-planar cells, fiber and wearable devices, and other integrated electrochemical power systems.
structural batteriesroboticsnon-planarwearable devices
06
Device physics, thin films, and computation-supported analysis
My earlier work on photovoltaics, transistors, sensors, and semiconductor contacts shapes how I analyze charge transport and interfacial energetics across solid-state and electrochemical devices. I use that background together with computation to test interface mechanisms in battery materials.
Mechanistic focusContact energetics, thin-film composition, local charge redistribution, and interfacial structure in solid-state and electrochemical device response.
ApproachThin-film synthesis, semiconductor and device characterization, Gaussian, Quantum ESPRESSO, electrostatic-potential analysis, adsorption calculations, density of states, and charge redistribution.
SystemsOrganic and quantum-dot photovoltaics, thin-film electronics, battery interfaces, and functional electrochemical materials.
device physicsthin filmsGaussianQuantum ESPRESSO
Research experience
Research appointments
Postdoctoral Researcher / InnoCORE AI Postdoctoral Fellow · KAIST
KAIST Mechanical Engineering · Daejeon, Republic of Korea
- Postdoctoral Researcher in Mechanical Engineering from May to Aug. 2025 and InnoCORE AI Postdoctoral Fellow since Sep. 2025. Current work includes Li-S and anode-free Li-S batteries, electrolyte and interphase regulation, functional current collectors, Co-MOF interfaces, and structural-battery integration.
- Current projects include concentration-dependent chlorotriazine electrolyte additives and in situ-grown Co-MOF interfaces, studied with electrochemistry, surface and interface characterization, and computation.
- Lead experimental battery work in a multi-group structural-battery project and provide research guidance to one master’s student and one Ph.D. researcher.
Postdoctoral Fellow · KAUST
Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
- Built battery and electrochemistry capability in a device-focused laboratory and developed polymer-based dielectric nanomembranes for Zn-metal anodes.
- Worked on organic photovoltaics, thin-film transistors, sensors, and nanogap electrochemical devices, including thin-film processing and charge-transport characterization.
- Participated in four research grants with combined value above USD 1,000,000.
Postdoctoral Researcher · KIST
Energy Storage Research Center · Seoul, South Korea
- After completing the Ph.D., continued research on Li- and Zn-metal interfaces, battery materials, and electrochemical interface engineering.
- Continued project and grant development while supporting battery research and collaborations in the Energy Storage Research Center.
Ph.D. Researcher · UST-KIST School
Energy Storage Research Center, KIST · Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Developed semiconductor and functional-layer approaches for interfaces in Li-metal, Zn-metal, Li-ion, Li-S, Zn-air, photo-battery, supercapacitor, and photovoltaic systems.
- Designed and fabricated nanomaterials, interphases, electrodes, and devices in coin, pouch, beaker, and planar cell formats.
- Initiated new battery directions, drafted a funded KIST proposal worth USD 320,143, contributed to publications and patents, and trained graduate researchers.
Ph.D. Researcher · Kookmin University, Department of Chemistry
Seoul, South Korea
- Synthesized PbS quantum dots and optimized ZnO electron-transport layers and inverted PbS quantum-dot solar cells over more than 20 device batches.
- Trained three master's students in PbS quantum-dot and solar-cell experimental work.
Technical expertise
Methods and tools
Battery & electrochemical systemsLi-ion, Li-metal, Li-S, Na-ion, Zn-ion, Zn-metal, Zn-air, Zn-organic, photo-batteries, supercapacitors, and water electrolysis
Interface & cell strategiesElectrolyte/additive optimization, binder formulation, SEI/CEI stabilization, functional coatings, current-collector engineering, metal plating/stripping, high-loading electrodes, ion-selective interlayers
Materials & synthesisCarbons, oxides, sulfides, nitrides, Si, Sn, metals/intermetallics, polymers/organics, MOFs, COF/COP/CTF systems, quantum dots, perovskites; wet chemistry, solid-state, hydro/solvothermal, carbonization, ball milling, sol-gel, electrodeposition, electroless plating, etching, Schlenk-line processing
Thin-film & nanofabricationCVD, PVD, ALD, sputtering, plasma thermal evaporation, plasma MOCVD, e-beam processing, spin coating, immersion coating, doctor blade, thermal annealing, electrochemical anodization
ElectrochemistryCV, EIS, chronoamperometry, LSV, square-wave voltammetry, differential-pulse voltammetry, galvanostatic cycling, rate testing, polarization, and 2-/3-electrode configurations
Materials characterizationSEM-EDX, TEM, XRD/GIXRD, SAXS/GIWAXS, XPS, FIB, AFM, NMR, Raman, FTIR, BET, GC-MS, TGA, DSC, PESA, photoluminescence, UV-Vis, profilometry, contact angle, nanoindentation, four-point probe, optical/confocal microscopy
Computation & softwareGaussian, Quantum ESPRESSO, Fortran, MATLAB, Python, LaTeX, EC-Lab, NOVA, ZView, ChemDraw, VESTA, Match, MAUD, MultiPak, XPS Peak, ImageJ, Gwyddion, OriginLab