Joo, Sang Hoon (주상훈)

Department

Department of Chemistry(화학과)

Website

http://shjoo.unist.ac.kr/

Lab

Nanomaterials and Catalysis Lab. (나노재료및촉매 연구실)

Research Keywords

나노재료, 촉매, 에너지 변환, 연료전지, 수전해, 산소환원반응, 수소발생반응, 산소발생반응, Nanomaterials, OER, Catalyst, ORR, HER, electrolyzer, energy conversion, fuel cells

Research Interests

The coupled challenges of a doubling in the world’s energy needs by the year 2050 and the ever-increasing demands for “clean” energy sources have brought increasing attention worldwide to the possibility of a “hydrogen economy” as a long-term solution for securing energy future. While the hydrogen economy offers a compelling vision of an energy future for the world, significant scientific and technical challenges should be addressed to achieve its implementation. The key components for the hydrogen-based energy cycle are integrated electrochemical energy devices such as fuel cells, water electrolyzers, and solar fuel systems. The performance of these energy conversion devices depends critically on the efficiency and durability/stability of catalysts for electrochemical reactions at the electrodes of these devices. The reactions include the electrocatalytic hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR) and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) of a hydrogen fuel cell, and the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) of a water electrolyzer. These reactions involve multi-electron transfers and are kinetically demanding. Hence, precious metal-based materials such as Pt, Ru, or Ir with high reaction kinetics have been prevalent choice of catalysts. However, the prohibitively high cost and scarcity of precious metal-based catalysts combined with declining activity during long-term operation have impeded the widespread use of fuel cells and water electrolyzers. Hence, the development of economic electrocatalysts with high activity and durability/stability has been of utmost importance in this area of research.Combining solid-state materials chemistry, electrochemistry, and catalysis, Prof. Joo’s group has endeavored to (i) develop highly active, stable, and cost-effective electrocatalysts for renewable energy conversion reactions, (ii) identify the activity descriptor and active sites of catalysts by exploiting in situ spectroscopic methods in combination with theoretical calculations, and (iii) translate the newly developed catalysts into system-level devices. Ultimate goal of our research is to establish the catalyst structure-activity relationship, which in turn help design next-generation catalysts for renewable energy conversion reactions.