Report Title: High Aspect Ratio Nanomaterials for Molecular Separation

Speaker: Dae Woo Kim

Affiliation: Yonsei University, South Korea

Time: 10:00 a.m., Friday, March 6, 2026

Venue: Lecture Hall, 4th Floor, Hongyi Building

Speaker Biography:

Dr. Dae Woo Kim is Associate Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Yonsei University. His research focuses on the control of nanomaterial structures for applications in energy and environmental technologies, including membrane-based molecular separation, electrolyzers, fuel cells, and Li-ion batteries. He has published 159 papers in journals including Nature Nanotechnology, Nature Materials, Nature Communications, and Science Advances, with an H-index of 45. Dr. Kim’s work emphasizes the development of novel nanostructured materials with tailored properties, aimed at enhancing the performance and sustainability of various energy and environmental systems. His research group is actively involved in bridging the gap between fundamental nanomaterial science and practical applications, striving to address global challenges in energy and the environment.

Report Abstract:

High–aspect ratio nanomaterials have emerged as versatile building blocks for advanced membrane architectures, offering new opportunities to overcome the conventional trade-off between permeability and selectivity. This seminar will explore how the structural modification of materials such as MOFs and graphene into nanosheet forms enables superior molecular transport control in both gas separation and solvent filtration membranes. The talk will highlight various synthesis strategies to obtain ultrathin nanosheets, along with their influence on nanoscale transport resistance, interfacial compatibility, and macroscopic processability. Emphasis will also be placed on translating these nanostructures into scalable and practical membrane fabrication for industrial gas separation and organic solvent nanofiltration.