Faculty Directory

Lee, Sang Bok

Lee, Sang Bok

Associate Professor, Chemistry and Biochemistry
Director, MD Nanocenter
Materials Science and Engineering
Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Maryland Energy Innovation Institute
0107 Chemistry Building

EDUCATION

Ph.D., Seoul National University, 1997

Recently, supercapacitors have received growing interest as an complementary energy-storage device and a small scale power system for mobile electronics with the rapid advance of high-performance electronic devices.

Conductive polymers and transition metal oxides are promising materials for the redox supercapacitor because they can be readily converted between oxidized and reduced states by the switch of the applied potential. This conversion process involves charging/discharging (or doping/dedoping) of counter-ions to keep electro-neutrality in the materials, which is a fundamental character for a capacitor. Because the mass transfer of counter ions is necessary, however, this charging/discharging is too slow to provide required high power. This results in an inefficient utilization of the electroactive material, that is, loss of usable energy.

The hollow nanotubular structures can provide a solution for fast charge/discharge with their intrinsic structural characteristics. The thin nature of the nanotube wall enables the rapid redox process of conductive polymer by providing short diffusion distance to the counter-ions in the nanotubes (as well as in bulk solution). Furthermore, long nanotubes can provide high mass-loading for enough energy density.

We investigate the supercapacitive electrochemical properties of the nanotube arrays with various materials such as conductive polymer (e.g. PEDOT and polypyrole) and metal oxide (e.g. MnO2 and RuO2). The micron-long, thin-walled nanotubular structures will allow the full usage of deposited materials even at fast charge/discharge rate and enable us to accomplish a supercapacitor with high power density and high energy density. The nanostructures are synthesized by electrochemical method rather than chemical one to provide higher conductivity.

Electrochemical synthesis of nanotube-structured materials for ultrafast electrochromics, supercapacitors, and solar cells; magnetic nanotubes for targeted drug delivery and chemical/biochemical separation; shape-coded nanotubes for dispersible nanosensors; properties of pseudo-1-dimensional silica nanotubes; chemical and biochemical sensors.

International Energy Cooperation Center Established at University of Maryland

MEI2 and KETEP sign research and development program agreement

UMD Start-Up Ionic Devices Wins Microbattery Design Prize

One of Eight Awarded by US Department of Energy

Biofilm-fighting catheter insert research named 'featured article' in IEEE TBME

The research by Reza Ghodssi's research group also has led to a patent application.

Biofilm-fighting system for urinary catheters proves effective in simulated environment

The integrated system uses electricity impedance to monitor biofilm and treats it through the bioelectric effect.

Doyenne Reliability Engineering Program

A fellowship for Mozambican women to pursue graduate education in Reliability Engineering at UMD

UMD Awarded $4.6 Million Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center

Funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research, the new center aims to improve rehabilitation options for patients with neurological disorders.

ARL to Fund $30M in Equipment Innovations for Service Members

UMD announces with the U.S. Army Research Lab agreements in additive manufacturing and battery research.

UMD Engineering Receives $22.8M from U.S. Army to Collaboratively Advance Additive Manufacturing Technology

The University of Maryland College Park's research partnership with the U.S. Army Research Laboratory will establish an ecosystem for revolutionary additive manufacturing technology and concepts to expedite national readiness and response.

UMD Research Team Advances the Battery Revolution

Solid state energy storage research receives $2.25M in DOE funding.

Rapidly evolving ‘smart marble’ sensors hold promise for monitoring pharmaceutical industry bioreactors and beyond

Size of the neutrally buoyant bPods has dropped from ‘baseball’ to ‘golf ball’ to ‘cherry’ in just three years.

Ingestible device research advances, enters new phase

New NSF funding, Lab on a Chip paper for Ghodssi group developing minimally invasive medical devices.

Spurring research group creativity in the time of COVID-19

Student-faculty teams that write review articles for journals reap multiple benefits.

MEI2 leads U.S. side of $18.4M U.S.-Israel Energy Center focused on Energy Storage

Project will Develop Lithium and Sodium Metal Solid State Batteries for Advanced Energy Storage Applications

Spacecraft carrying Adomaitis thin film experiment docks with the International Space Station

The experiment will travel on the ISS for a year, exposing samples to the environment of low earth orbit.

A New Dimension for Batteries

Nanostructured battery is safe, manufacturing-compatible, and delivers much higher power at high energy

Prof. Sang Bok Lee appointed director of Maryland NanoCenter

UMD chemist will direct two labs on nanoscale fabrication and characterization

UMD Invention of the Year Nominees Push Boundaries in Health, Energy, and Security

Campus inventors to be honored at Celebration of Innovation and Partnerships

Mesoscale Science Research Highlighted on Materials Journal Cover

Rubloff and Lee show new direction in electrical energy storage

New Battery Demonstrates “Sweet Spot” of Electrolyte Thickness and Composition

Atom-scale synthesis makes highly conductive LiPON for solid-state battery

Thin coatings controlled at atomic scale protect high performance lithium anodes

Anodes with layer of alumina resist corrosion and cycle well

Members of NEES Gather for 2015 Spring Accomplishment Meeting

Poster session, in-depth discussions, presentations.... and hiking

Food Safety, Energy Storage & Video Authentication Inventions Honored at Awards Ceremony

Three Clark School innovations win UMD Invention of the Year Awards

Invention of the Year Finalist: A Revolutionary, High Density, Nanopore Battery

Research team led by Rubloff and Lee develops battery using optimized nanostructure design

UMD To Celebrate Innovations and Partnerships April 29

Nine nominees for Invention of the Year to be recognized at annual event

A Billion Holes Can Make a Battery

Battery inside a nanopore has commercial potential

Department of Energy renews NEES EFRC for four years

The center develops highly ordered nanostructures that offer a unique way of looking at the science of energy storage.

BioE Capstone 2014: New Projects Focus on Cardiological Health, Surgical Tools and More

Students' inventions range from diagnostic devices to accident prevention products.

"Pseudo Inverse Opal" Particle Boosts Plastics Production

Three-dimensional reaction engineering results in high output, less waste.

Spinning Engineered Silk Into Tiny Designs—With A Microscope

Atomic force microscopy to guide formation of polymer threads.

Espy-Wilson, Rubloff Are Top UM Inventors

Speech enhancing algorithm, high-density energy storage cells named best of '09.

UMERC/Nanocenter Team Named "Energy Frontier" Center

DOE to award $14M for nanotech storage technology crucial to renewable energy success.

NanoCenter Improves Energy Storage Options

Maryland NanoCenter researchers create new device to store electrical energy.