Research Areas

Research Areas

RESEARCH Physical Chemistry

Based on the deep understanding of physics theories (thermodynamics, classical/quantum mechanics, statistical mechanics, electromagnetism, etc.), physical chemists at SKKU explores various chemical systems via physical instruments such as spectroscopy and high-performance computers. The following subtopics in physical chemistry are actively studied in the department of chemistry at SKKU.

Physical Chemistry

Surface Chemistry

Spectroscopy and temperature programed techniques are combined to elucidate chemical structures and gas adsorption behaviors of various surfaces. Especially, surface analysis during chemical reactions using in-situ XPS and operando FT-IR provide fundamental physicochemical insights.

Physical Chemistry

Green Chemistry

Research on catalytic mechanism and material can improve industrial productivity and develop environmentally friendly materials. Nanometer-scale controllable deposition techniques maximizes functionalities  via tuning the electronic&structural properties of materials. Implementations of visible light driven photocatalysts and room-temperature active catalyst for exhaust gas treatment can make greener environment.

Physical Chemistry

Materials Chemistry

Synthesis of Advanced Functional Materials (Nano-materials, Thin Films, etc.) with PVD and CVD methods and Characterization of their Physical Properties.

Physical Chemistry

Plasma Chemistry

Synthesis of Plasma Polymers, Oxide Nano-materials with Vacuum or Atmospheric Plasmas and Surface Plasma Modification of Various Materials.

Physical Chemistry

Nano-Bio-IT Convergences

Semiconductor related Convergences (OTFTs, OLEDs, Low-k Interlayers, etc.) Plasma-Bio, Medicine, Agriculture Chemical- & Bio-Sensors, MEMS/NEMS, Micro-/Nano-Fluidics

Physical Chemistry

Computational Chemistry

Discoveries of functioning mechanisms of nano- and bio-materials and designing of new potential materials for rechargeable batteries, photocatalysts, and optoelectronic materials are attempted with an aid of state-of-the-art computational chemistry tools. For example, the dynamics and aggregation of peptides, proteins, DNAs, and RNAs are studied to find some origin of important diseases such as Alzheimer and Parkinson.

Physical Chemistry

Quantum Information Chemistry

Recent development of quantum informational techniques opens a new research direction to chemistry that the quantum chemical calculations for large molecular systems can be performed by quantum computers. Quantum algorithms for chemical researches are demanded by the new era of quantum science.

Physical Chemistry

Molecular Dynamics and Physical Properties of glass forming materials

The properties of materials depend considerably on the dynamics of the atoms and molecules that comprise them. Especially, for amorphous materials which are the glass forming materials, dynamics leading to glass transition governs the property of such materials. The research aim is to develop a molecular-level understanding of dynamics in polymeric materials and low molecular weight glass formers via single molecule microscopy and fluorescence correlation spectroscopy.