Polymer Energy Materials Laboratory at the Hydrogen Energy Research Center, KRICT
From the molecular design of conjugated polymers to the ionomers that drive green hydrogen,
We engineer the polymers that decide whether the hydrogen economy succeeds.
Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology (KRICT)
141 Gajeong-ro, Yuseong-gu · Daejeon · Republic of Korea
Welcome
We design polymers from the monomer up — controlling electron affinity, steric profile, and ion-channel architecture — so that the membranes, ionomers, and binders for water electrolysis are no longer the bottleneck of the green hydrogen economy.
The Park Research Group operates at the intersection of synthetic polymer chemistry and electrochemical engineering. Hosted within the Hydrogen Energy Research Center at KRICT, our work spans the full development chain — from monomer synthesis and superacid-catalyzed polycondensation, through morphology characterization with synchrotron scattering, to membrane-electrode-assembly (MEA) fabrication and single-cell electrolyzer testing.
Our perspective is shaped by two complementary traditions. On one hand, the discipline of regio-controlled conjugated polymer design — built through years of work on polythiophene block copolymers and imine-incorporated transient electronics — gives us the molecular vocabulary to dictate how a polymer chain sits, packs, and interacts with adjacent surfaces. On the other, three years of intensive work on AEMWE, PEMWE, and AWE systems at KIER has taught us what the field actually needs: ionomers that don't poison the catalyst, membranes that don't swell into pieces, and large-area separators that survive thousands of duty cycles. The Park Group is built to deliver both — molecular insight and device-level realism.
Recent Highlights
J. Membr. Sci.
Morphological tuning-driven high-performance separator for alkaline water electrolyzer through the surface modification of mechanical support
2025 · VOL 719 · 123727
Adv. Sci.
High-performance, flexible NO₂ chemiresistors via imine-incorporated n-type conjugated polymers
2022 · VOL 9 · 2200270
Adv. Funct. Mater.
Disintegrable n-type electroactive terpolymers for high-performance, transient organic electronics
2022 · VOL 32 · 2106977
Chem. Mater.
Regioregularity-dependent crystalline structures and thermal transitions in poly(3-dodecylthiophene)s
2021 · VOL 33 · 3312
latest first ↓
MAR 2026
Park Research Group launches at KRICT. Hyeonjung Park joins the Hydrogen Energy Research Center as a Senior Researcher, establishing a new research line on molecular-structure-controlled ionomers for water electrolysis.
NOV 2025
New patent filed. Korean Patent Application 10-2025-0184081 — the PAP-RR-X ionomer platform, a feed-ratio-controlled aryl-piperidinium copolymer family. Park listed as lead inventor. New patent filed. Korean Patent Application 10-2025-0184081 — the PAP-RR-X ionomer platform, a feed-ratio-controlled aryl-piperidinium copolymer family. Park listed as lead inventor.
2025
New paper published — J. Membr. Sci., covering AWE separators.
2024
Collaborative papers published on QSEBS/ZrO2 mixed-matrix AEMs (Fuel), organic catalysis promoters (Adv. Funct. Mater.), and Fe-Co-Ni amorphous OER catalysts (Small).
2023
KRW 1.10 B technology transfer to Techross Co., Ltd. for renewable-energy-coupled, scalable water-electrolysis module stack technologies.