Research Directions

Connecting nanoscale design, scalable fabrication and functional material systems to develop high-performance platforms for photonics, sensing, additive manufacturing, soft actuation, quantum devices and energy applications. Featured publications in Nature Communications, Nano Letters, Biosensors & Bioelectronics, Advanced Functional Materials, Laser & Photonics Reviews, Nanoscale Horizons, Materials Today Nano, ACS Sensors, News highlight in Nature Electronics and more.

Additive Fabrication

On-Demand 3D Nano/Micro Printing

Developing on-demand 3D free-form highly efficient structures without the need of complex post-processing steps.

--- Wide range of source inks – QDs, metallic NPs, Dielectrics, Biomaterials, perovskites, CNTs, rare earth materials, etc.
--- Non-complex fabrication: Ability to print complex structures with straight forward fabrication without complex post processing steps
--- Substrate flexibility: Ability to print of wide variety of substrates (even on paper, fiber etc.)
--- Applications: Plasmonics, Sensors, Actuators, Quantum devices, Energy, etc.

Sensing & Diagnostics

Bio-Inspired Intelligent Sensors

Development of brain‑inspired biosensors that emulate biological decision‑making to achieve high selectivity and reliable classification in complex sensing environments.

--- Main outputs: superior selectivity and sensitivity rates, higher classification rate, atomic-level precision in distinguishability and rapid detection.
--- Environmental protection: K9-like electronic nose: mammalian-olfaction-mimicking biosensor exhibiting 97.5% selectivity (air pollution)
--- Healthcare and disease diagnosis: High selectivity toward cancer-specific VOCs with clinical trials (classification success rate 86%.)
--- Agri-food safety: Portable form sensor with 92.9% classification success, distinguishing ripening and decay states in real time.

Nanophotonics

Plasmonic Architectures

Engineering advanced plasmonic architectures through dewetting processes, self-assembly, ensuring wafer-scale uniformity and robust field enhancement.

--- Wafer Scale uniformity: Demonstrating high uniformity with 4 to 6 inch wafers with low RSD%
--- Plasmonic nanocavity: Fabrication of true single bottom faceted NPoM architecture over large area
--- Novelty and breakthrough: Demonstration of triple dewetted architectures proving global averaging importance over nanoscale precision
--- Robust optical performance: Defect tolerant optical performance
--- Geometrical flexibility: Engineering giant field enhancement with larger nanogaps

Advanced Materials

Biomaterials, Energy

Design, optimization and demonstration of nanostructures/devices.

--- Design and optimization: engineering for energy devices (ex. solar devices)
--- Peptide library: Tailoring peptides for selective binding
--- Unique architectures: Self-assembly of bio-architectures
--- Fabrication approaches: Developing variety of self-assembly based fabrication approaches.

Major Grants & Project History

Secured funding in highly competitive categories across South Korea. Completed 0 major institutional projects (1 as PI, 7 as Co-PI), managing approximately 0 Billion KRW (~ €6m) from 2016-2023.

Principal Investigator

Plasmonic Biosensors

NRF-2021R1I1A1A01050424 | 06/2021 - 11/2023

Budget: 210 Million KRW

Co-Principal Investigator

Dynamic Bio-Metamaterial

NRF-2017M3D1A1039287 | 03/2017 - 02/2023

Budget: 6.6 Billion KRW

Co-Principal Investigator

Hybrid Functional Materials

NRF-2013M3A6B107886335 | 03/2022 - 08/2022

Budget: 3.3 Billion KRW

Co-Principal Investigator

Biosensor - Respiratory Gas Analysis

NRF-2018R1A2B2006667 | 03/2018 - 02/2020

Budget: 500 Million KRW

Co-Principal Investigator

Biosensor - Cardiovascular Disease

NRF-2020R1A2C2011090 | 03/2020 - 02/2022

Budget: 300 Million KRW

Co-Principal Investigator

Retinal Disease Prediction

NRF-2021R1I1A3A04035369 | 06/2021 - 12/2023

Budget: 150 Million KRW