Themed Issue
Research Highlight
Themed Issue
Research Highlight
Macromolecular Materials Chemistry Lab (MMCL) pursues to establish synthetic pathways to macromolecules with complex shape and structure, and thus develop advanced polymeric nanomaterials for energy and environmental applications. We are particularly interested in controlling polymer structure, conformation and phase separation in a spatiotemporal manner. Current topics include architectured polymer syntheses, postpolymerization modification, polymerization-induced nanostructuring, and porous materials.
We synthesize polymers. We utilize controlled polymerization techniques to produce well-defined polymers. We combine different polymer chains and build up complex architectures, so the resulting nanostructured polymers can exhibit desired functions and properties that cannot be realized with simple polymer materials. We also take synthetic challenges and develop methodologies for polymer synthesis, by postpolymerization modification for instance.
Controlled polymer synthesis
Architecture control
Compartmentalization
Postpolymerization modification
We design nanostructure of our polymers when we synthesize them. In particular, we strongly exploit block polymer self-assembly that takes place in situ during polymerization. This synthetically feasible and scalable approach allows us to produce interesting nanomaterials with control morphology and length scale of the nanostructures. Synthesis of nanoporous materials and their applications for energy and environmental applications are actively sought.
Mesoporous polymer
Hierarchical pore structure
Size-dependent transport
Membrane applications
Nam Young, Isaac, and Jeonghyeon all successfully defended their Ph.D. theses last November, and now are leaving the group to start industrial careers. Congratulations, and all the best for your future endeavors.
"Synthesis of carboxylic acid-functionalized polymethacrylate-b-polystyrene as an Ag ion-loadable block copolymer thin film template” by Isaac Shin, Kyu Hyo Han, Seung Keun Cha, Sang Ouk Kim, and Myungeun Seo was published in Polymer.
Minjoong won the best presentation award for the 2020 Ig-Nobel Prize projects of the College of Natural Sciences, KAIST.