Our research involves developing novel electronic, photonic, magnetic, and catalytic materials based on soft materials including polymers, colloids, and liquid crystals. We particularly interest in utilizing self-assembling natures and nanostructures of soft materials to make them suitable for device applications. For example, diblock copolymers spontaneously form nanometer-sized micelles in a selective solvent for one of the blocks. These micelles can be coated on solid substrates to form a self-assembled nanostructure, which can serve as a nanostructured template to direct the synthesis of an ultrahigh density array of nanoparticles. We also emphasize thin films of soft materials because functional materials should be in the form of thin films in most device applications. We investigate fabrication strategies of controlled and directed nanostructures by adjusting interfaces and surface of thin films of soft materials.


1. Soft Nanomaterials with Electronic, Photonic, Magnetic, and Catalytic Functionalities
- Polymer nanomaterials with metal, semiconductor, oxide nanoparticles
- Block copolymers and their micelles with magnetic and catalytic nanoparticles
- Hierarchical materials of nanostructures in microstructures
- Biomimetic materials

2. Thin Films of Self-Assembling Materials for Device Applications
- Self-assembled polymeric nanotemplates for ultrahigh density arrays
- Nanopatterning with thin films of block copolymers
- Directed self-assembly of nanoparticles on nanostructured templates
- Nanolithography with self-assembled monolayers

• Ph.D., MIT, USA, 1996
• M.S., Seoul National University, 1989
• B.S., Seoul National University, 1987

• Postdoctoral Associate, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), 1996~1997.
• Research Associate, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1997~1998.
• Assistant/Associate Professor, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), 1998~2004.
• Associate Professor, Seoul National University (SNU), 2004~2008.
• Professor, Seoul National University (SNU), 2008~Current.