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1. Fundamental understanding of laser-material interactions
1. Fundamental understanding of laser-material interactions
A central focus of our research is understanding and harnessing the complex interactions between laser energy and materials across a wide range of timescales and environments. In the Laser & Energy Transport Laboratory, we investigate how different laser parameters—such as wavelength, pulse duration (from quasi-continuous to femtosecond), fluence, and repetition rate—affect material responses including melting, ablation, phase transitions, and micro/nanostructure formation.
Collaborators:
1. University of California at Berkeley, USA
2. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, USA
Related Publications:
Minok Park, Yueran Gu, Xianglei Mao, Costas P Grigoropoulos, Vassilia Zorba, "Mechanisms of ultrafast GHz burst fs laser ablation", Science Advances 9, eadf6397 (2023) [IF: 11.7 & JCR top rank: 7.8%]
Minok Park, Matthew M Balkey, Xianglei Mao, Jacob C Jonsson, Costas P Grigoropoulos, Vassilia Zorba, "Mechanisms of graphite ablation by sub-millisecond ytterbium fiber laser pulses", Applied Physics Letters 121, 094101 (2022) [IF: 3.5 & JCR top rank: 32.7%]
Minok Park, Matthew M Balkey, Xianglei Mao, Costas P Grigoropoulos, Vassilia Zorba, "Spatio-temporal ablation dynamics and plasma chemistry of aluminum induced by temporally modulated ytterbium fiber laser", Applied Physics Letters 119, 224103 (2021) [IF: 3.5 & JCR top rank: 32.7%]
Minok Park, Jinhong Jeun, Gyoowan Han, Costas P Grigoropoulos, "Time-resolved emission and scattering imaging of plume dynamics and nanoparticle ejection in femtosecond laser ablation of silver thin films", Applied Physics Letters 116, 234105 (2020) [IF: 3.5 & JCR top rank: 32.7%]
Related video(s):
Al_Video_S1.mp4The high-speed records of Al ablation with 50,000 fps
[Applied Physics Letters 119, 224103 (2021)]
2. Accelerated discovery of novel materials
2. Accelerated discovery of novel materials
At the Laser & Energy Transport Laboratory, we are pioneering new methods to accelerate the discovery and development of advanced materials tailored for extreme environments, energy applications, and functional surfaces. Traditional materials discovery can take years of trial-and-error experimentation. Our lab overcomes this bottleneck by integrating high-throughput laser processing, real-time diagnostics, and active machine learning into a closed-loop materials innovation framework.
Collaborators:
1. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, USA
2. Boston University, USA
Related Publications:
Hyunbin Kang†, Eunyeop Ji, Vassilia Zorba, Dongkyoung Lee*, and Minok Park*, "Enhancing Aluminum Cutting Quality Through XGBoost-Assisted Optimization of Ultrafast Femtosecond Laser Processing", Micromachines 17, 837 (2026) [IF: 3.5 & JCR top rank: 36.4%]
Luka Grbcic, Minok Park, Juliane Müller, Vassilia Zorba, Wibe Albert de Jong, "Artificial intelligence driven laser parameter search: Inverse design of photonic surfaces using greedy surrogate-based optimization", Engineering Applications of Artificial Intelligence 143, 109971 (2025) [IF: 7.5 & JCR top rank: 2.5%]
Luka Grbčić†, Minok Park†, Mahmoud Elzouka, Ravi Prasher, Juliane Müller, Costas P Grigoropoulos, Sean D Lubner, Vassilia Zorba, Wibe Albert de Jong, "Inverse design of photonic surfaces via multi fidelity ensemble framework and femtosecond laser processing", npj Computational Materials 11, 35 (2025) [IF: 9.4 & JCR top rank: 13.3%]
Minok Park†, Luka Grbčić†, Parham Motameni, Spencer Song, Alok Singh, Dante Malagrino, Mahmoud Elzouka, Puya H Vahabi, Alberto Todeschini, Wibe Albert de Jong, Ravi Prasher, Vassilia Zorba, Sean D Lubner, "Inverse design of photonic surfaces via high throughput femtosecond laser processing and tandem neural networks", Advanced Science 11, 2401951 (2024) [IF: 14.3 & JCR top rank: 6.5%]
Related video(s):
Video_S1.mp4High throughput femtosecond laser processing
to fabricate photonic surfaces
[Advanced Science 11, 2401951 (2024)]
11.mp4High throughput optical property measurements
using a custom built microscope FTIR system
[Advanced Science 11, 2401951 (2024)]
3. Next-generation high temperature energy storage: Thermophotovoltaics
3. Next-generation high temperature energy storage: Thermophotovoltaics
Our lab is deeply engaged in advancing energy harvesting technologies that convert ambient energy—such as heat, light, or vibrations—into usable electrical power. We focus particularly on thermal-to-electric energy conversion using laser-engineered surfaces and radiative heat transfer control to enhance performance in extreme environments. A key application area is thermophotovoltaic (TPV) systems, where thermal emitters radiate tailored infrared energy toward photovoltaic cells for electricity generation.
Collaborators:
1. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, USA
2. Boston University, USA
3. Rice University, USA
4. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA
Related Publications:
Minok Park†, Shomik Verma†, Alina LaPotin, Dustin P. Nizamian, Ravi Prasher, Asegun Henry, Sean D. Lubner, Costas P. Grigoropoulos, Vassilia Zorba, "High emissivity, thermally robust emitters for high power density thermophotovoltaics", Joule 9, 102005 (2025) [IF: 38.6 & JCR top rank: 0.9%]
Related video(s):
Video_S3_Ta.mp4Fabrication of blackbody emitters on Ta substrates
[Joule 9, 102005 (2025)]
Video_S4.mp4Finite-Difference Time-Domain (FDTD) simulations
for analyzing light-material interactions
[Joule 9, 102005 (2025)]
4. Bio-medical applications
4. Bio-medical applications
The Laser & Energy Transport Laboratory explores the use of laser-based technologies for advanced biomedical applications, leveraging our expertise in precision energy delivery, thermal control, and laser–material interactions. Our work aims to enable minimally invasive, highly targeted, and efficient approaches for both diagnostics and therapeutic interventions.
Collaborators:
1. Kyungpook National University, South Korea
2. Kumoh National Institue of Technology, South Korea
Related Publications:
Eunyeop Ji†, Daesik Ko†, Chan Hyeon Yang†, Vassilia Zorba, Jung Hwan Park*, Kyueui Lee*, and Minok Park*, "Polarization-controlled femtosecond laser texturing enables robust antifouling stainless steel surfaces", Molecules 31, 480 (2026) [IF: 4.6 & JCR top rank: 25.5%]
Mark John Castillo, Jumi Kang, Jinkyu Lim, Minok Park*, Kyueui Lee*, "Polyphenol-based fire-resistant coatings: a bio-inspired solution for forest fire prevention", Green Chemistry 27, 4573 (2025) [IF: 9.3 & JCR top rank: 13.6%]
Kyueui Lee†, Minok Park†, Katerina G Malollari, Jisoo Shin, Sally M Winkler, Yuting Zheng, Jung Hwan Park, Costas P Grigoropoulos, Phillip B Messersmith, "Laser-induced graphitization of polydopamine leads to enhanced mechanical performance while preserving multifunctionality", Nature Communications 11, 4848 (2020) [IF: 14.7 & JCR top rank: 5.6%]
Related video(s):
41467_2020_18654_MOESM5_ESM.mp4The high-speed records of the PDA NPs removal with 8,000 fps
[Nature Communications 11, 4848 (2020)]
5. Water harvesting: Laser processed metal organic frameworks
5. Water harvesting: Laser processed metal organic frameworks
The Laser & Energy Transport Laboratory explores laser-processed metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) for advanced atmospheric water harvesting applications, leveraging our expertise in laser–material interactions, surface engineering, and energy transport. Our work aims to develop highly efficient and sustainable materials for capturing and releasing water from the atmosphere, enabling low-energy and scalable solutions for water harvesting in water-scarce environments.
Collaborators:
1. Ajou University, South Korea
2. Pohang University of Science and Technology, South Korea
Related Publications:
To be submitted
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