Concentrating Research - "Thermofluid Safe-by-Design"
The safe-by-design approach to fabricating particulate products is an alignment between functionality and safety and has recently become a consideration in next-generation manufacturing technology. Even though metallic particulates have been intensively used in numerous applications over the past several decades because of their advantageous physicochemical properties, their applications are now limited because of unwanted hazardous effects on humans and the environment. Thus, surface modification or coordination of the particulates to tune their properties toward enhanced biological and environmental compatibility without substantial loss of their desirable functions has become an important technological area. The oxidation, doping, crystal transformation (i.e., chalcogenization), or albumination of metallic particulates is often used to lower the cytotoxicities while maintaining the original/desired functions of particulates. However, these routes typically requires high-temperature-based wet chemistries as well as reaction controls (i.e., very brief nucleation) to precisely synthesize safer metallic particulates. This necessity implies that a trade-off exists between the safe-by-design of particulates and the requirement of complicated reactions and fine adjustments. Moreover, the reagents for the reactions can cause unwanted hazards; thus, their use may not be a viable option for an environmentally friendly process. Therefore, a novel, green, and efficient platform for assembling non-hazardous metallic particulates is needed to confer the principles of safe-by-design without significant trade-offs. Our entirely new approach is based on a single-pass thermofluid reaction; metallic particulates are precisely oxidized, doped, transformed, or albuminated to induce non-toxic and non-inflammatory properties in a continuous single-pass configuration. Therefore, the findings of this study will offer remarkable opportunities for realizing the thermofluid platform that requires no complicated hydrothermal reactions and controls, and may be useful in a broad range of on-demand safe-by-design applications.
Major Research
My current research is related to three of my innovations: the aerosol self-assembly "Byeon-Roberts Method," nanoseed ultrasonic flame (NSUF) synthesis, and gas-phase optical tracer fabrication. These techniques are employed to prepare biofunctional nanomaterials, perovskite-based nanocomposites, and quantum/fluorescent nanodots, respectively. In contrast to classical wet chemical methods, aerosol-based processing involves a much more limited number of preparation steps. It also produces materials continuously, allowing for a straightforward collection of materials and the generation of low waste. However, conventional aerosol-based synthesis of nanomaterials typically requires high temperatures, and thus can only be used to fabricate inorganic/monofunctional nanomaterials.
Past Research
Gas-into-Liquid Reaction
Surface Functionalization
My past research is related to two of my innovations: the surface functionalization of substrates and ultrasound-assisted synthesis of anisotropic nanoparticles. My former research also covers fundamental aerosol science in the generation, measurement and control of aerosol nanoparticles. In the nonthermal plasmas, I concentrated on electrically charging aerosol particles to collect them from the atmosphere more efficiently by using dielectric barrier discharge devices. These fundamental studies were employed to remove aerosol particles and gaseous contaminants simultaneously using metal deposited filters or dielectric barrier discharge devices.
