Past Research

Dr. Seong H. Kim joined the faculty of Chemical Engineering in 2001 after completing a Ph.D. study in Chemistry from Northwestern University and a post-doctoral research at University of California, Berkeley. His research interests lie in surface science and nano-engineering. Since he moved to Penn State, Dr. Kim’s group has opened and established new research frontiers that have not been done previously:

(i) fundamentals and applications of molecular lubrications by adsorbed molecules in ambient conditions,

(ii) nanofabrication of organic functional materials via reactions-at-place,

(iii) conducting polymer nanofibers and biocatalytic nanofibers,

(iv) superhydrophobic coatings through one-step atmospheric plasma processes,

(v) understanding and controlling the initiation of propagation of surface defects on multicomponent silicate glasses, and

(vi) non-linear optical characterization of meso-scale assembly of cellulose microfibrils in plant cell walls and lignocellulose biomass.