Science Seminar

 

Biography:

Dr. Wonbong Choi is a distinguished researcher known for his pioneering contributions in the field of nanotechnology, particularly in the synthesis of nanomaterials, additive manufacturing, and applications in rechargeable batteries and electronic devices. His groundbreaking work has earned him widespread recognition and numerous accolades throughout his career. He is a Materials Research Society (MRS) Fellow and a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors. He has received numerous awards including the MRS Medal (2006), the Distinguished Research Professor Award (2023), the Research Leadership Award (2021), the Samsung Golden Award (2001), and the Best Patent Award (SAMSUNG SAIT, 2001). He has received numerous research grants from NSF, AFOSR, DARPA, SRC, DOE, and industry, including Samsung. He is the founder of ARK Power Technology Corp. He is an author/co-author of over 80 patents, 1 book (Graphene), 11 book chapters, and 280 publications (citations >21,000, h-index 69), Editor of a book “Graphene”, an Associate Editor of Jr. Energy Storage (Elsevier), a Guest Editor of Li-S batteries (MDPI), a Topical Editor of Current Applied Physics (Elsevier), and is a member of editorial boards of five journals.

 

Nanomaterials, particularly carbon nanotubes (CNTs), graphene, and two-dimensional (2D) materials, have garnered extensive attention due to their unique mechanical, electrical, and thermal properties, which promise transformative impacts across industries. These materials have demonstrated remarkable potential in applications such as electronics, energy storage, biomedical devices, and structural reinforcement. However, there are also many challenges that need to be overcome to bring nanomaterials from laboratory research to the large-scale industrial applications.  By exploring pathways for commercialization, I will provide insights into how nanomaterials like CNTs, graphene, and 2D materials can bridge the gap between lab-scale feasibility and industrial viability, paving the way for a new era of nanotechnology-driven solutions in multiple sectors.

This talk, I will present the current status of nanotechnology by presenting their synthesis and engineering for practical applications such as electronic sensors, rechargeable batteries, and neuromorphic memory devices.

I will present our recent finding of unusually high ionic conductivity of 2D MoS₂ nanofilm exceeding 1 S/cm, which is more than two orders of magnitude higher than that of conventional solid ionic materials. The ion intercalation of MoS₂ allows variation in conductance of the channel by the rearrangement of its crystal structure resulting in neuromorphic memory having faster data processing, excellent linear conductance, and device reversibility. The high ion conductivity of 2D MoS₂ nano coatings in Li-metal enables safe and high-energy-density rechargeable batteries.

 

1. Realizing Electronic Synapses by Defect Engineering in Polycrystalline Two-Dimensional MoS₂ for Neuromorphic Computing, Eunho Lee, Junyoung Kim, Juhong Park, Jinwoo Hwang, Hyoik Jang, Kilwon Cho, and Wonbong Choi, ACS Applied Materials & interfaces (2023) https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.2c21688
2. Unusual-High Ion Conductivity in Large-Scale Patternable Two-Dimensional MoS₂ Film, Juhong Park, Sanket Bhoyate, Young-Hoon Kim, Young-Min Kim, Young Hee Lee, Patrick Conlin, Kyeongjae Cho, and Wonbong Choi, ACS Nano, 15, 7, 12267 doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.1c04054, 2021
3. 2D MoS₂ as an efficient protective layer for lithium metal anodes in high performance Li-S batteries, Cha, E., Patel, Cho, K., and Choi, W., Nature Nanotechnology, 13, pages337–344 (2018).
4. Boosting Piezoelectricity by 3D Printing PVDF-MoS₂ Composite as a Conformal and High-Sensitivity Piezoelectric Sensor, Islam, M.N., Rupom, R.H., Adhikari, P.R., Demchuk, Z., Popov, I., Sokolov, A.P., Wu, H.F., Advincula, R.C., Dahotre, N., Jiang, Y. and Choi, W. (2023), Adv. Funct. Mater. 2302946. https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202302946
5.  Recent Advances in 3D Printed Sensors: Materials, Design, and Manufacturing, Y Jiang, MN Islam, R He, X Huang, PF Cao, RC Advincula, N Dahotre, W. Choi, Advanced Materials Technologies, https://doi.org/10.1002/admt.202200492, 2200492 (2022).