Kwon Research Group

About Us

The Kwon Group in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Kansas performs research in surface and interface engineering of polymers with a focus on establishing a fundamental understanding of the interfacial interaction between solids, liquids, and vapor. To achieve this objective, our research efforts have thus far been particularly devoted to tailoring the chemical composition and structure of functional polymers at the molecular, nano-, and micro- length scales to achieve the desired surface and interfacial properties. Particular areas of interest include miscible liquid separations, self-healable surfaces, membranes for oil-water separations, photo-responsive surfaces, and so on.

Membranes for Water Remediation

Three pillars of images. The first is labeled hygro-responsive membrane and shows water and oil droplets on different surfaces. The second is labeled thermo-responsive membrane and shows graphs depicting adsorption and desorption. The third is labeled 2D materials layered membrane and shows a surface with label 500 nm.

Photo-responsive Surfaces

Two pillars of images. The first is labeled dye-sensitized photoelectrowetting surfaces and shows graphs depicting voltage and illumination time. The second is labeled photocatalytic surfaces and shows a graph depicting crude oil-in-water emulsion.

Miscible Liquids Separation

Four pillars of images. The first is labeled Low temperature and shows droplets of ethanol, water, n-heptane and n-hexadecane. The second is labeled high temperature and shows droplets of ethanol, water, n-heptane and n-hexadecane. The third is labeled ethanol-heptane azeotrope and shows a droplet of blue liquid. The fourth is labeled n-heptane and ethanol and shows a droplet of blue liquid.

Self-Healable Superomniphobic Surface

Three pillars of images. The first is a collage of three pictures of liquid droplets on different surfaces. The second is a collage of microscope images labeled t-0, t=3, and t=10. The third is a drawing depicting a pinned water droplet rolling off a substrate.

More information>>

If you are interested in becoming part of the team, please send your CV to Dr. Kwon (gbkwon@ku.edu).