Research

Nanomaterials Manufacturing and Mechanics Lab

Flexible Optoelectronics – Graphene / 2D Materials

Photoelectrochemistry – Nano Bio Sensors

Renewable Energy – Solar energy harvesting

Publications

Professor

Dr. Pilgyu Kang

News

Mar 31, 2025 – We’re excited to share a new publication in Advanced Science (Impact Factor: 14.3), in collaboration with Dr. Yun Suk Huh’s team at Inha University. Our paper, titled “Graphene Nanofibers by Integrated Manufacturing of Electrospinning and Laser Graphitization for Miniaturized Energy Storage Devices,” presents a novel approach to fabricating high-performance graphene nanofibers for next-generation micro energy storage applications.

Read more about our work here:
🔗 https://advanced.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/advs.202414607

Oct 17, 2024 – We recently collaborated with Dr. Nam, Sang Yong’s team at Gyeongsang National University in Jinju, South Korea, on a new study. Our paper, titled “Enhanced Organic Solvent Nanofiltration Membranes with Double Permeance via Laser-Induced Graphitization of Polybenzimidazole,” highlights exciting advancements in using our laser-manufactured graphene for nanofiltration membranes. Check out our findings here: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/admi.202400490.

Oct 2024 – Our team, in collaboration with Dr. Byoung Gak Kim’s team at the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology (KRICT), published an article titled “Neural Electrode Based on 3D Microscale/Nanoscale Porous Graphene Structures for Neural Stimulation” (Link), and it has been selected as a supplementary cover (Link) for ACS Applied Nano Materials (DOI: 10.1021/acsanm.4c03772).

June 2024 – Exciting news! Our team, Fusion Nanotech Inc has been named a finalist in the TechConnect World Innovation Challenge! Join us in June to witness our groundbreaking pitch that’s set to revolutionize the industry. https://www.techconnectworld.com/World2024/

TCW24 #InnovationChallenge #Finalist

May 2024 – Our startup ‘Fusion Nanotech Inc‘) received the 2024 Innovation Award for our technology, “Laser Manufacturing of Graphene-Nanoparticle Composite,” at the TechConnect World Innovation Conference in Washington, DC, June 2024. Fusion Nanotech Inc. participated in the TechConnect World Innovation Challenge to pitch our solution to a panel comprising investment, industry, and national security leaders at the TechConnect Conference in National Harbor, MD.

May 2024 – Diego Enrique Colmenarez Lobo and Dr. Kang founded the startup Fusion Nanotech Inc.

May 2024 – Dr. Kang has been appointed as the associate editor of the journal Carbon Letters (Springer Nature, IF = 4.5).

April 29, 2024 – Diego Enrique Colmenarez Lobo received ‘Outstanding Project Award‘ at the College of Engineering and Computing Undergraduate Research Celebration at Mason.

June 2, 2023 – Dr. Kang receives 4-VA collaborative research grant on “Machine learning assisted laser manufacturing of alloy nanoparticle graphene hybrid materials for high performance hydrogen sensing” in collaborating with Dr. Baek, Stephen in School of Data Science at University of Virginia.

May 19, 2023 – Shirin Movaghgharnezhad and Minsu Kim’s work, “Highly Sensitive Photodetector based on Laser-generated Graphene with 3D Heterogeneous Multiscale Porous Structures,” is published in Materials & Design 231 (2023) 112019 (Elsevier, IF = 9.417). (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matdes.2023.112019) Congratulations!

October 1, 2021 – Minsu Kim and Seung Min Lee’s work, “Photothermochemical Nanoassembly of 3D Porous Graphene and Palladium Nanoparticles for High-Performance Hydrogen Detection,” is published in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces (Link) and featured as a Journal Cover. Congratulations and Excellent Work!

March 16, 2021 – Dr. Kang gives an invited talk titled in “2D Interlayer Enabled Electrical Ductility for Flexible Electronics,” in the session of Metal-Matrix Composites at the Minerals, Metals & Materials Society (TMS) 2021 Annual Meeting (March 15-18, 2021)

February 1, 2021 – Chullhee (UIUC) and Dr. Kang with Professor Nam at UIUC published “Strain-resilient electrical functionality in thin-film metal electrodes using two-dimensional interlayers” in Nature Electronics. You can view the article with the link https://rdcu.be/cezEY

Dec 12, 2020 – Minsu’s work, “Laser Scribing of Fluorinated Polyimide Films to Generate Microporous Structures for High-Performance Micro-supercapacitor Electrodes,” is published in ACS Applied Energy Materials(Link) and featured as a Front Inside Cover in Volume 4, Issue 1 of ACS Applied Energy Materials (Link)

April 23, 2020 – Our published work of Minsu’s article, “Laser-induced photothermal generation of flexible and salt-resistant monolithic bilayer membranes for efficient solar desalination“, is selected to appear as Front Cover in the Volume 164 (30 August 2020) of Carbon journal (Impact factor: 7.466). Congratulations, Minsu! Follow the link for the Official Cover (Link)

A facile, fast, and scalable laser-induced photothermal method to achieve flexible monolithic bilayer sheets (MBS) of hierarchically porous graphitic carbon and polymeric foam for efficient solar steam generators is reported. The MBS-based self-floating solar steam generator shows outstanding solar desalination performance enabled by the all-in-one multi-functionalities of the MBS, including broad-spectrum solar light absorption, heat localization, and capillary action.

April 20, 2020 – A new publication from our lab on laser photothermal manufacturing of porous graphene for solar desalination by collaboration research with Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology (KRICT) “Laser-induced photothermal generation of flexible and salt-resistant monolithic bilayer membranes for efficient solar desalination” is now available online in Carbon journal (Impact factor: 7.466) from the following link.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0008622320303134

March 5, 2020 – Dr. Kang serves as a guest editor for the Special Issue titled “The Research and Application of Graphene Phototransducer,” in journal of Sensors (ISSN 1424-8220, MDPI, Impact Factor: 3.031 (2018)), international peer-reviewed open access journal on the science and technology of sensors and biosensors.

January 27, 2020 – Dr. Kang presents a talk titled “Micro/Nano Mechanics and Photonics for Biomedical Applications” in Micro-Physiological Systems Seminar at Georgia Institute of Technology. (Link)