SNL

about the Lab

Welcome to the Choi Group

We are an international and multidisciplinary research group in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at Hanbat National University. Our research integrates environmental engineering, materials science, nanotechnology, and polymer science to develop advanced materials and systems for environmental remediation.

At the core of our research is a fundamental question: How can we understand hazardous and noxious substances (HNSs) well enough to control, capture, separate, and ultimately remove them from the environment?

Hazardous and noxious substances encompass a broad spectrum of contaminants, including particulate matter, volatile organic compounds, heavy metals, microplastics, oils, and persistent organic pollutants. Their diverse chemical compositions, complex environmental behaviors, and multiple sources make effective remediation a challenging scientific and engineering problem.

Our group seeks to understand where these contaminants originate, how they are transported and transformed in the environment, and how they interact with engineered materials at molecular, interfacial, and macroscopic scales. By uncovering these fundamental relationships, we aim to establish rational design principles for next-generation environmental materials.

Our ultimate goal is the bottom-up design and construction of robust bulk structures composed of smart nanomaterials and functional polymers. Rather than focusing solely on nanoscale performance, we are particularly interested in translating the unique properties of nanomaterials into practical, scalable, and mechanically stable systems.

To achieve this, we design materials with carefully controlled surface chemistry, pore structure, wettability, optical properties, and transport characteristics. These functional building blocks are incorporated into membranes, porous structures, fibrous materials, hydrogels, aerogels, and other three-dimensional architectures that can be readily applied to real environmental systems.

A major theme of our research is the relationship between structure, properties, and environmental performance. We combine materials synthesis and processing with physicochemical characterization, transport analysis, and pollutant-removal experiments to understand not only whether a material works, but also why it works.

Through this approach, we aim to bridge the gap between fundamental materials science and practical environmental engineering and to develop technologies that are efficient, selective, regenerable, scalable, and sustainable.

Specific Research Topic

Smart air filtration for particulate matter and VOC removal

We develop fibrous, porous, and functionalized filter materials for the efficient removal of airborne particulate matter and volatile organic compounds. Our work focuses on improving capture efficiency while controlling pressure drop, adsorption capacity, durability, and long-term performance.

Advanced adsorbents for microplastics and heavy metals

We design functional adsorbents with tailored surface charge, chemical binding sites, and hierarchical pore structures for the selective capture of microplastics, toxic metal ions, and other emerging contaminants from water.

Photocatalytic materials for organic pollutant degradation

We investigate semiconductor and hybrid photocatalytic materials capable of degrading persistent organic pollutants under light irradiation. Particular attention is given to light absorption, charge separation, catalytic reaction pathways, and material stability.

Oil/water separation

We develop porous and interfacial materials with controlled wettability for the selective separation of oil and water. These systems are intended for applications in oily wastewater treatment, industrial separation processes, and oil-spill remediation.

Thermal and photothermal evaporators for water purification

We explore efficient evaporation systems that convert thermal or solar energy into localized heat for water purification. Our research focuses on optimizing energy conversion, water transport, salt resistance, and evaporation efficiency.

Functional polymers and nanomaterial integration

We investigate strategies for incorporating nanomaterials into polymeric and bulk architectures while preserving their high surface activity and unique nanoscale properties. This approach allows us to improve material stability, processability, recovery, and practical usability.

Fundamental pollutant–material interactions

We study adsorption, diffusion, interfacial phenomena, chemical reactions, and mass-transfer processes that govern environmental remediation. These mechanistic insights provide the scientific basis for designing more selective and efficient materials.

Ultimately, our vision is to develop smart, robust, and sustainable material platforms for cleaner air and safer water. By connecting molecular-level understanding with materials design and engineering-scale applications, we seek to contribute to practical solutions for emerging environmental challenges.

Contact 

국립 한밭대학교 화학생명공학과

대전광역시 유성구 동서대로 125 한밭대학교 N6동 606호

Won San Choi, Ph.D.

Professor

Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering

Hanbat National University

125 Dongseodaero, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon

Office: 82-42-821-1540

주소: 대전광역시 유성구 동서대로 125 N6동 606호